Time Travel Tuesday #timetravel a look back at the Adafruit, maker, science, technology and engineering world
by Jessica
1592 – Ultimate Pi Day: the largest correspondence between calendar dates and significant digits of pi since the introduction of the Julian calendar.
Pi Day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (3/14 in the month/day date format) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day.
Pi Approximation Day is observed on July 22 (22/7 in the day/month date format), since the fraction 22⁄7 is a common approximation of π, which is accurate to two decimal places and dates from Archimedes.
1794 – Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin.
The modern mechanical cotton gin was invented in the United States of America in 1793 by Eli Whitney (1765–1825). Whitney applied for a patent on October 28, 1793; the patent was granted on March 14, 1794, but was not validated until 1807. Whitney’s patent was assigned patent number 72X. There is slight controversy over whether the idea of the modern cotton gin and its constituent elements are correctly attributed to Eli Whitney. The popular image of Whitney inventing the cotton gin is attributed to an article on the subject written in the early 1870s and later reprinted in 1910 in The Library of Southern Literature. In this article, the author claimed Catherine Littlefield Greene suggested to Whitney the use of a brush-like component instrumental in separating out the seeds and cotton. To date, Greene’s role in the invention of the gin has not been verified independently.
Whitney’s cotton gin model was capable of cleaning 50 pounds (23 kg) of lint per day. The model consisted of a wooden cylinder surrounded by rows of slender spikes, which pulled the lint through the bars of a comb-like grid. The grids were closely spaced, preventing the seeds from passing through. Loose cotton was brushed off, preventing the mechanism from jamming.
1833 – Lucy Hobbs Taylor, American dentist and educator is born.
Lucy Hobbs Taylor was the first American woman to graduate from dental school (Ohio College of Dental Surgery in 1866).
Lucy Hobbs was born on March 14, 1833 in Constable, New York. She entered the working world by teaching school for ten years in Michigan. In 1859, she moved to Cincinnati, intending to become a dentist. When she was refused admission to dental school, she began a private program of study with a professor from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery.
After studying dentistry, Lucy Hobbs started her own practice in Cincinnati in 1861. She soon moved to Bellevue and then McGregor, Iowa, where she spent three years. In 1865, she finally gained all professional recognition when she was allowed to join the Iowa State Dental Society. That November, she entered the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, where in 1866 she earned her doctorate in dentistry, becoming the first woman in the United States to do so. She later wrote, “People were amazed when they learned that a young girl had so far forgotten her womanhood as to want to study dentistry.”
1879 – Albert Einstein, German-American physicist, engineer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate, is born.
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist. He developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). Einstein’s work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. Einstein is best known in popular culture for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2 (which has been dubbed “the world’s most famous equation”). He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect”, a pivotal step in the evolution of quantum theory.
1923 – Diane Arbus, American photographer, is born.
Diane Arbus was an American photographer and writer noted for photographs of marginalized people—dwarfs, giants, transgender people, nudists, circus performers—and others whose normality was perceived by the general populace as ugly or surreal. Her work is said to be a formal manipulation characterized under blatant sensationalism.
In 1972, a year after she committed suicide (there exists a popular cliche of her being the Sylvia Plath of photographers), Arbus became the first American photographer to have photographs displayed at the Venice Biennale. Millions viewed traveling exhibitions of her work in 1972–1979. The book accompanying the exhibition, Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph, edited by Doon Arbus and Marvin Israel and first published in 1972 is the best selling photography monograph ever, still being reprinted today. Between 2003 and 2006, Arbus and her work were the subjects of another major traveling exhibition, Diane Arbus Revelations. In 2006, the motion picture Fur, starring Nicole Kidman as Arbus, presented a fictional version of her life story.
1960 – Heidi Hammel, American astronomer and academic is born.
Heidi B. Hammel is a planetary astronomer who has extensively studied Neptune and Uranus. She is Executive Vice President of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. She is the 2002 recipient of the Carl Sagan Medal given to a scientist whose communications have greatly enhanced the general public’s understanding of planetary science. She was one of Discover Magazine’s 50 most important women in science in 2003.
1994 – Timeline of Linux development: Linux kernel version 1.0.0 is released.
The Linux kernel is a monolithic Unix-like computer operating system kernel. The Linux family of operating systems is based on this kernel and deployed on both traditional computer systems such as personal computers and servers, usually in the form of Linux distributions, and on various embedded devices such as routers, wireless access points, PBXes, set-top boxes, FTA receivers, smart TVs, PVRs and NAS appliances. The Android operating system for tablet computers, smartphones and smartwatches is also based atop the Linux kernel. While the adoption on desktop computers is low, Linux-based operating systems dominate nearly every other segment of computing, from mobile devices to mainframes. As of November 2016, all but two of the world’s 500 most powerful supercomputers run Linux (the other two run AIX on IBM POWER7 hardware, that Linux can also run on).
2012 – Adafruit experimenting with “Pi Plates” for @Raspberry_Pi – “Shields” for the Raspberry Pi
A lot of folks are asking what and if we’re going to do with the Raspberry Pi. Since today is Pi day we can share some of our plans and experiments – we have a series “Pi Plates” for @Raspberry_Pi – “Shields” for the Raspberry Pi. Right now no one has shipping hardware so like everyone else we are waiting to get the read hardware to test our designs. We have a few ready to go based on the information out there and will have more later (and updated) once we test. There are no details beyond this and no ETA (don’t ask!) Please keep in mind this is an experiment, if something crazy happens we might not be able to do these of course. However – if someone gets an extra one and can get it to us to test we’ll give you a set of “Pi Plates” for the assistance if and when they’re done. At Adafruit we think we have the best line up of accessories for the Arduino and Beagle Bone, we think you’ll like what we have cooking for the Pi if it all works out 🙂 Once we have anything to show we’ll devote a segment on our weekly video show – ASK AN ENGINEER.
2014 – Adafruit’s FLORA in COSMO @Cosmopolitan #cosmo
Leslie Birch’s FLORAbrella project is featured on Cosmo today, nice!
Runway fashion has plenty of weird moments (see basically everything here), but crossed with technology, it can get downright insane. From mood-sensing collars to clothes-matching LED umbrellas, these five products, shown at Tech In Motion’s Wearable Tech Fashion Show, may seem more Jetsons than Target today, but get ready. They’ll be your wardrobe staples in no time.
1. The Color-Sensing Light-Up Umbrella Struck by a surprise shower during your commute? In the future, you’ll always match. FLORAbrella, a LED-stripe umbrella, has a color sensor that can match its light to what you’re wearing — or display rainbow or raindrop patterns for days you’d like to mix it up. It’s a small consolation for getting soaked.
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