Today in History – December 20, 1899 – Carbon Arc Lamps generate light by way of a spark between two carbon nodes. However, they also produce a constant humming noise while running. Since they were widely used in Europe (installed before the invention of the electric light bulb in the United States), a British physicist and electrical engineer, William Duddell was appointed to solve the noise problem in 1899. During his experiments, Duddell found that he could control the audible frequencies by varying the voltage supplied to the lamps. It’s possible that Duddell was aware of similar findings by a Dr. Simon of Frankfurt, Germany a year earlier (who showed that the modulated arc produced modulated light as well as sound, allowing the German Navy to make telephone calls between ships with an arc searchlight and a photosensitive selenium cell). However, it was Duddell that attached a keyboard to the arc lamps, creating one of the first electronic instruments, The Singing Arc, that was audible without the use of an amplifying system (which had yet to be invented). Other pre-20th-century electronic instruments include the Clavecinlectrique, the Musical Telegraph, and the Telharmonium.

Also on this date in 1951, the first electricity generated by nuclear power powers four lightbulbs. And in 1977, the first space walk was made by Cosmonaut Grechko of the Salyut.

For more information, see the Engineering Pathway‘s resources on electronic music; breeder reactors and nuclear power; and the Salyut, space exloration and aerospace engineering. For related educational resources, visit the Electrical Engineering Education, Aerospace Engineering Education,or Nuclear Engineering Education disciplinary communities.

Today in History – December 13, 1928 – Today is Clip-on Tie Day. That’s right, on this day, 79 years ago, someone (and I couldn’t find out who) invented the clip-on tie. This fine fashion accessory often gets a bad wrap. People belittle it as the tie for people that don’t know how to tie a tie themselves.

If you are somehow unfamiliar with what a clip-on tie is, it is essentially a bow tie or four in hand tie which is permanently tied into its knot with a dimple just below the knot. Instead of looping around the neck, this tie is simply fixed to the front of the shirt collar with a metal clip. Though it doesn’t look as much like a real tie to fool everyone, and may accidentally come off with a too-hard tug, many people use clip-on ties every day.

The fact that a clip-on tie is likely to come off should it be tugged is actually a wonderful safety feature, especially for people such as police, paramedics, and engineers. Many of these occupations require personnel to use clip-on rather than full ties. Others might be mocked for wearing clip-ons because they don’t know how to tie a tie, or because they feel it is less restrictive, but the good old clip-on redeems itself by helping many wearers stay out of harms way. So here’s to that mysterious inventor of the clip-on tie. Harrah!

Meanwhile, to help make sure you’re never caught out not knowing what knot to tie, check out the Engineering Pathway’s resources on knot design and mathematics.

Today in History – November 16, 1965 – Walt Disney launches the EPCOT Center: Prototype Community of Tomorrow. As Walt Disney originally envisioned it, the EPCOT Center (which stood for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”) would be the key component of Walt Disney World – a working “city of the future” with residential, shopping and industrial districts that would showcase the latest technologies available. Walt’s vision included forward thinking ideas such as clean (read: electric) transportation systems, and a city dominated by the pedestrian (all automobile traffic was to be underground). In his own words, “It’s like the city of tomorrow ought to be. A city that caters to the people as a service function. It will be a planned, controlled community, a showcase for American industry and research, schools, cultural and educational opportunities… [It] will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise.”

Walt Disney died approximately a year after the launch of the EPCOT project, and without his vision and drive the EPCOT Center took a very different direction. Instead of a working city, Epcot (no longer an acronym) is now a theme park with two different themes in one: a showcase of the future (a legacy of EPCOT’s original design) and the World Showcase (where you can tour the world by foot in under two hours). The theme park officially opened on October 1st, 1982 and 2007 marks it’s 25th year of operation. See the Engineering Pathway’s resources on theme parks and roller coaster design.

Also today in 1904, the electron tube was invented by John Ambrose Fleming. Electron tubes (known more commonly as vacuum tubes) are used to control or create an electrical signal by restricting the movement of electrons in a low-pressure space. They were the key devices that enabled the early development of technologies such as radios, televisions, and radar, which led to the electronics of today.

Today in History – July 17, 1955 – Disneyland® opens and Walt Disney’s dream becomes a reality.  He envisioned “a magical destination where families could come together to create memories that last a lifetime, opened its doors to the world.” Click on the images above to get to Disney’s archive of original classic attractions, entertainment, dining and shopping that inspired new concepts in entertainment and experience design.

A decade later on November 16, 1965  Walt Disney launched the EPCOT Center: Prototype Community of Tomorrow. As Walt Disney originally envisioned it, the EPCOT Center (which stood for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”) would be the key component of Walt Disney World – a working “city of the future” with residential, shopping and industrial districts that would showcase the latest technologies available. Walt’s vision included forward thinking ideas such as clean (read: electric) transportation systems, and a city dominated by the pedestrian (all automobile traffic was to be underground). In his own words, “It’s like the city of tomorrow ought to be. A city that caters to the people as a service function. It will be a planned, controlled community, a showcase for American industry and research, schools, cultural and educational opportunities… [It] will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise.”

Walt Disney died approximately a year after the launch of the EPCOT project, and without his vision and drive the EPCOT Center took a very different direction. Instead of a working city, Epcot (no longer an acronym) is now a theme park with two different themes in one: a showcase of the future (a legacy of EPCOT’s original design) and the World Showcase (where you can tour the world by foot in under two hours). The theme park officially opened on October 1st, 1982 and 2007 marks it’s 25th year of operation.

See the Engineering Pathway’s resources on theme parks and roller coaster design.

Today in History – December 20, 1899 – Carbon Arc Lamps generate light by way of a spark between two carbon nodes. However, they also produce a constant humming noise while running. Since they were widely used in Europe (installed before the invention of the electric light bulb in the United States), a British physicist and electrical engineer, William Duddell was appointed to solve the noise problem in 1899. During his experiments, Duddell found that he could control the audible frequencies by varying the voltage supplied to the lamps. It’s possible that Duddell was aware of similar findings by a Dr. Simon of Frankfurt, Germany a year earlier (who showed that the modulated arc produced modulated light as well as sound, allowing the German Navy to make telephone calls between ships with an arc searchlight and a photosensitive selenium cell). However, it was Duddell that attached a keyboard to the arc lamps, creating one of the first electronic instruments, The Singing Arc, that was audible without the use of an amplifying system (which had yet to be invented). Other pre-20th-century electronic instruments include the Clavecinlectrique, the Musical Telegraph, and the Telharmonium.

Also on this date in 1951, the first electricity generated by nuclear power powers four lightbulbs. And in 1977, the first space walk was made by Cosmonaut Grechko of the Salyut.

For more information, see the Engineering Pathway‘s resources on electronic music; breeder reactors and nuclear power; and the Salyut, space exloration and aerospace engineering. For related educational resources, visit the Electrical Engineering Education, Aerospace Engineering Education,or Nuclear Engineering Education disciplinary communities.

Today in History – December 13, 1928 – Today is Clip-on Tie Day. That’s right, on this day, 79 years ago, someone (and I couldn’t find out who) invented the clip-on tie. This fine fashion accessory often gets a bad wrap. People belittle it as the tie for people that don’t know how to tie a tie themselves.

If you are somehow unfamiliar with what a clip-on tie is, it is essentially a bow tie or four in hand tie which is permanently tied into its knot with a dimple just below the knot. Instead of looping around the neck, this tie is simply fixed to the front of the shirt collar with a metal clip. Though it doesn’t look as much like a real tie to fool everyone, and may accidentally come off with a too-hard tug, many people use clip-on ties every day.

The fact that a clip-on tie is likely to come off should it be tugged is actually a wonderful safety feature, especially for people such as police, paramedics, and engineers. Many of these occupations require personnel to use clip-on rather than full ties. Others might be mocked for wearing clip-ons because they don’t know how to tie a tie, or because they feel it is less restrictive, but the good old clip-on redeems itself by helping many wearers stay out of harms way. So here’s to that mysterious inventor of the clip-on tie. Harrah!

Meanwhile, to help make sure you’re never caught out not knowing what knot to tie, check out the Engineering Pathway’s resources on knot design and mathematics.

Today in History – November 16, 1965 – Walt Disney launches the EPCOT Center: Prototype Community of Tomorrow. As Walt Disney originally envisioned it, the EPCOT Center (which stood for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”) would be the key component of Walt Disney World – a working “city of the future” with residential, shopping and industrial districts that would showcase the latest technologies available. Walt’s vision included forward thinking ideas such as clean (read: electric) transportation systems, and a city dominated by the pedestrian (all automobile traffic was to be underground). In his own words, “It’s like the city of tomorrow ought to be. A city that caters to the people as a service function. It will be a planned, controlled community, a showcase for American industry and research, schools, cultural and educational opportunities… [It] will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise.”

Walt Disney died approximately a year after the launch of the EPCOT project, and without his vision and drive the EPCOT Center took a very different direction. Instead of a working city, Epcot (no longer an acronym) is now a theme park with two different themes in one: a showcase of the future (a legacy of EPCOT’s original design) and the World Showcase (where you can tour the world by foot in under two hours). The theme park officially opened on October 1st, 1982 and 2007 marks it’s 25th year of operation. See the Engineering Pathway’s resources on theme parks and roller coaster design.

Also today in 1904, the electron tube was invented by John Ambrose Fleming. Electron tubes (known more commonly as vacuum tubes) are used to control or create an electrical signal by restricting the movement of electrons in a low-pressure space. They were the key devices that enabled the early development of technologies such as radios, televisions, and radar, which led to the electronics of today.

Today in History – July 17, 1955 – Disneyland® opens and Walt Disney’s dream becomes a reality.  He envisioned “a magical destination where families could come together to create memories that last a lifetime, opened its doors to the world.” Click on the images above to get to Disney’s archive of original classic attractions, entertainment, dining and shopping that inspired new concepts in entertainment and experience design.

A decade later on November 16, 1965  Walt Disney launched the EPCOT Center: Prototype Community of Tomorrow. As Walt Disney originally envisioned it, the EPCOT Center (which stood for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”) would be the key component of Walt Disney World – a working “city of the future” with residential, shopping and industrial districts that would showcase the latest technologies available. Walt’s vision included forward thinking ideas such as clean (read: electric) transportation systems, and a city dominated by the pedestrian (all automobile traffic was to be underground). In his own words, “It’s like the city of tomorrow ought to be. A city that caters to the people as a service function. It will be a planned, controlled community, a showcase for American industry and research, schools, cultural and educational opportunities… [It] will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise.”

Walt Disney died approximately a year after the launch of the EPCOT project, and without his vision and drive the EPCOT Center took a very different direction. Instead of a working city, Epcot (no longer an acronym) is now a theme park with two different themes in one: a showcase of the future (a legacy of EPCOT’s original design) and the World Showcase (where you can tour the world by foot in under two hours). The theme park officially opened on October 1st, 1982 and 2007 marks it’s 25th year of operation.

See the Engineering Pathway’s resources on theme parks and roller coaster design.

Today in History – December 20, 1899 – Carbon Arc Lamps generate light by way of a spark between two carbon nodes. However, they also produce a constant humming noise while running. Since they were widely used in Europe (installed before the invention of the electric light bulb in the United States), a British physicist and electrical engineer, William Duddell was appointed to solve the noise problem in 1899. During his experiments, Duddell found that he could control the audible frequencies by varying the voltage supplied to the lamps. It’s possible that Duddell was aware of similar findings by a Dr. Simon of Frankfurt, Germany a year earlier (who showed that the modulated arc produced modulated light as well as sound, allowing the German Navy to make telephone calls between ships with an arc searchlight and a photosensitive selenium cell). However, it was Duddell that attached a keyboard to the arc lamps, creating one of the first electronic instruments, The Singing Arc, that was audible without the use of an amplifying system (which had yet to be invented). Other pre-20th-century electronic instruments include the Clavecinlectrique, the Musical Telegraph, and the Telharmonium.

Also on this date in 1951, the first electricity generated by nuclear power powers four lightbulbs. And in 1977, the first space walk was made by Cosmonaut Grechko of the Salyut.

For more information, see the Engineering Pathway‘s resources on electronic music; breeder reactors and nuclear power; and the Salyut, space exloration and aerospace engineering. For related educational resources, visit the Electrical Engineering Education, Aerospace Engineering Education,or Nuclear Engineering Education disciplinary communities.

Today in History – December 13, 1928 – Today is Clip-on Tie Day. That’s right, on this day, 79 years ago, someone (and I couldn’t find out who) invented the clip-on tie. This fine fashion accessory often gets a bad wrap. People belittle it as the tie for people that don’t know how to tie a tie themselves.

If you are somehow unfamiliar with what a clip-on tie is, it is essentially a bow tie or four in hand tie which is permanently tied into its knot with a dimple just below the knot. Instead of looping around the neck, this tie is simply fixed to the front of the shirt collar with a metal clip. Though it doesn’t look as much like a real tie to fool everyone, and may accidentally come off with a too-hard tug, many people use clip-on ties every day.

The fact that a clip-on tie is likely to come off should it be tugged is actually a wonderful safety feature, especially for people such as police, paramedics, and engineers. Many of these occupations require personnel to use clip-on rather than full ties. Others might be mocked for wearing clip-ons because they don’t know how to tie a tie, or because they feel it is less restrictive, but the good old clip-on redeems itself by helping many wearers stay out of harms way. So here’s to that mysterious inventor of the clip-on tie. Harrah!

Meanwhile, to help make sure you’re never caught out not knowing what knot to tie, check out the Engineering Pathway’s resources on knot design and mathematics.