IBM’s Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, also called the Mark I, was completed in 1944 after six years of development with Harvard University. It was the first machine that could execute long computations automatically. Over 50 feet long, 8 feet high, and weighing almost 5 tons, the Mark I took less than a second to solve [...]
In the movie “Gandhi” 300,000 extras appeared in the funeral scene. Of the 300,000, approximately 100,000 received a small fee, and the other 200,000 did it for free.
During fiscal year 1942-43, Walt Disney Studios turned out more than 204,000 feet of film, 95% of it for government contracts. Notable was “The New Spirit,” a cartoon aimed at convincing Americans that it was their responsibility to pay income taxes.
The ice cream cone was introduced in 1904 at the St. Louis World Fair when a waffle vendor rolled waffles into the shape of a cone for an ice cream vendor at an adjoining booth.
The word “checkmate” in chess comes from the Persian phrase “Shah mat”, or “the king is dead,” uttered when a King is in a position to be taken and there are no alternative moves.
Why do some chefs wear tall white hats? Legend has it that royal cooks were once honored with cloth “crowns” that covered any loose locks. Over time, the hats became white (to show food stains) and taller (to better ventilate the head). Today this headwear remains a symbol of the master chef.
