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starqueen87 · 3 months

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THE WORLD'S FIRST ELECTRIC ROLLER COASTER

Granville T. Woods (April 23, 1856 – January 30, 1910) introduced the “Figure Eight,” the world's first electric roller coaster, in 1892 at Coney Island Amusement Park in New York. Woods patented the invention in 1893, and in 1901, he sold it to General Electric.

Woods was an American inventor who held more than 50 patents in the United States. He was the first African American mechanical and electrical engineer after the Civil War. Self-taught, he concentrated most of his work on trains and streetcars.

In 1884, Woods received his first patent, for a steam boiler furnace, and in 1885, Woods patented an apparatus that was a combination of a telephone and a telegraph. The device, which he called "telegraphony", would allow a telegraph station to send voice and telegraph messages through Morse code over a single wire. He sold the rights to this device to the American Bell Telephone Company.

In 1887, he patented the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, which allowed communications between train stations from moving trains by creating a magnetic field around a coiled wire under the train. Woods caught smallpox prior to patenting the technology, and Lucius Phelps patented it in 1884. In 1887, Woods used notes, sketches, and a working model of the invention to secure the patent. The invention was so successful that Woods began the Woods Electric Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, to market and sell his patents. However, the company quickly became devoted to invention creation until it was dissolved in 1893.

Woods often had difficulties in enjoying his success as other inventors made claims to his devices. Thomas Edison later filed a claim to the ownership of this patent, stating that he had first created a similar telegraph and that he was entitled to the patent for the device. Woods was twice successful in defending himself, proving that there were no other devices upon which he could have depended or relied upon to make his device. After Thomas Edison's second defeat, he decided to offer Granville Woods a position with the Edison Company, but Woods declined.

In 1888, Woods manufactured a system of overhead electric conducting lines for railroads modeled after the system pioneered by Charles van Depoele, a famed inventor who had by then installed his electric railway system in thirteen United States cities.

Following the Great Blizzard of 1888, New York City Mayor Hugh J. Grant declared that all wires, many of which powered the above-ground rail system, had to be removed and buried, emphasizing the need for an underground system. Woods's patent built upon previous third rail systems, which were used for light rails, and increased the power for use on underground trains. His system relied on wire brushes to make connections with metallic terminal heads without exposing wires by installing electrical contactor rails. Once the train car had passed over, the wires were no longer live, reducing the risk of injury. It was successfully tested in February 1892 in Coney Island on the Figure Eight Roller Coaster.

In 1896, Woods created a system for controlling electrical lights in theaters, known as the "safety dimmer", which was economical, safe, and efficient, saving 40% of electricity use.

Woods is also sometimes credited with the invention of the air brake for trains in 1904; however, George Westinghouse patented the air brake almost 40 years prior, making Woods's contribution an improvement to the invention.

Woods died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Harlem Hospital in New York City on January 30, 1910, having sold a number of his devices to such companies as Westinghouse, General Electric, and American Engineering. Until 1975, his resting place was an unmarked grave, but historian M.A. Harris helped raise funds, persuading several of the corporations that used Woods's inventions to donate money to purchase a headstone. It was erected at St. Michael's Cemetery in Elmhurst, Queens.

LEGACY

▪Baltimore City Community College established the Granville T. Woods scholarship in memory of the inventor.

▪In 2004, the New York City Transit Authority organized an exhibition on Woods that utilized bus and train depots and an issue of four million MetroCards commemorating the inventor's achievements in pioneering the third rail.

▪In 2006, Woods was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

▪In April 2008, the corner of Stillwell and Mermaid Avenues in Coney Island was named Granville T. Woods Way.

#granville t woods #black inventor #invented #world's first #electric roller coaster #1893 #read about him #read about his invention #reading is fundamental #knowledge is power #black history

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fromtheseventhhell · 4 months

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Imagine being 9 years old and asking your dad about the things you're interested in doing when you grow up and he's like "No ❤️! But you can get married, have babies, and then maybe your sons can do those things ☺️🫶 "

#arya stark #one of those /wtf Ned/ moments #then people act like she invented misogyny cause she was like /uuuhhhhh no thanks that's not me/#/Arya is masculine/ and she's literally just a child who has interests outside of her patriarchy-assigned role #the way people read this and then demonize Arya for not silently conforming like people expect her to...#that's the ingrained misogyny from being socialized in a patriarchal society speaking babes 😭#cannot stress enough how Arya is just an average little girl and what makes her behavior stand out is their society's strict gender norms #her life + learning almost entirely revolves around the fact that she is being raised to be a wife and people resent her for wanting more :#she is NINE in AGoT and her parents are discussing her refinement because /In a few years she will be of an age to marry/#the way misogyny is explored in Arya's story is actually so brilliant and well-written (+ underappreciated) though #we feel the full weight of how restrictive their society is through her POV and get the experiences of lower-class women too #which is why it's so significant that George wrote her based on feminists who realized they wanted more than becoming wives/housewives #she's one of his key characters who will /change the world/ but people think he's sticking her on a boat bc she isn't feminine enough 😭#thank god he's writing the books and not any of these reductive hacks who thinks misogyny is subversive 🙏🏾#sidenote: would've loved to see this from her POV to get her feelings when he said this cause I'm sure it doesn't match Ned's perception #considering he views her main issues as being stubborn/difficult while we know about the self-esteem issues she has

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vigilskeep · 2 months

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ranking da love interests on a scale of how unhinged theyd be if their beloved was made tranquil (they would all be maximum unhinged its just a matter of deciding what flavour)

#like theres obvious ones like anders canonically would mercy kill and then burn down the world about it #and thats stellar beautiful no notes #but we gotta get into the others #for example i’d kill to see what sebastian’s little vengeance fuelled heart would get up to #not to mention that i have no idea if this is a good read or not bc i still havent played the romance but #he strikes me as a guy who would just stay devoted married to his tranquil spouse his entire life #it seems like something he would do.#and a bizarre political scenario it makes <3 fascinating vibes at starkhaven parties #i feel like other people it would hurt too much to be around them or they would feel it wasnt really them anymore #but to seb he made a vow and he has a wife those things havent changed even if so much else has #which would be crazy if anders was alive to hate it. and the implications abt hawke then. okay im going to stop talking im inventing #entire scenarios now

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shinelikethunder · 19 days

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dean winchester is "straight" in the sense that that sure is a policy decision he made at some point

#being a tiny bit passive-aggressive about fandom infighting but this is also genuinely my read on the guy and his problems and disorders #all other assumptions flow from here re: attractions / traumas / bizarre lies and loopholes he invents for himself #dean winchester #supernatural

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aethersea · 2 months

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devastating to go into the tag for an obscure vampire movie I've been quietly obsessed with for years to find mostly gifsets of minor characters (played by big-name actors) and review blogs saying they didn't like it :(

@ everyone who made a post saying "I liked it :)" I am blowing you a kiss. everyone who made a lovely gifset or photoset of the cinematography I am tipping my hat. that one poster that said "bro did y'all just miss the Entire Message about class and race or???" I am shaking your hand with enthusiasm there was SUCH a message about class and race

anyway everybody should watch Night Teeth and revel in glitzy flashy modern vampires in LA with me

#finx rambles #night teeth #vampires #apparently the marketing heavily overemphasized megan fox (she has a bit role. she's in like one scene)#so that one's not on the fans #but I am sad about all those people fuming bc it didn't have a poly ending #girl this is hollywood? what did you expect?#invent it yourself? that is what fandom is for?? queer reads have always been about discarding endings and living in the liminal??#(side note I love queer readings of fairy tales. fairy tales class was so fun. god I need sleep or something my brain is on SUCH tangents.)#frustrated by that one post saying 'the vampire-slaying gang leader spends the day after a catastrophe befalls #trying to get his shift covered at work? unrealistic'#bro he's working class. he's poor. he's gotta put food on the table. do you think your job cares about your personal tragedy #this is in fact part of the Themes At Play wrt class. believe it or not.#sad also about those reviews that are like 'eh it was mid' but I've never needed critics to agree with me and I'm not about to start now #I did think the gifmakers would be on my side though #the lighting in this movie???#that whole opening sequence in the credits with the storytelling done through reflections in cars at night?#the color choices??? the lighting??!?!?!?!

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arquennial · 3 months

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Besties 🤗

Drew this for the holiday special chapter of my fic! 🎄🎁 ✨ it's a Gale/Tav fic buttttttt where would Tav be without Karlach & Astarion and their antics?? 🥹

#bg3 #bg3 fanart #bg3 fanfiction #bg3 karlach #karlach #astarion #astarion ancunin #she's just always squeezing him #you know he's so mad about his hair #don't touch me....except you karlach you are large and warm #happy frostwatch!!#a holiday i invented bc i've been reading too much terry pratchett and figured the gang needed presents to make up for all the angst

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columboscreens · 2 years

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#columbo #season 1 #short fuse #The silly string mishap of all time #i vaguely remember reading something about the showrunners knowing the guy who invented silly string and incorporating it #but also ''put pink goop in his hair'' is the idea of all time

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baejax-the-great · 5 days

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Things I've learned about Ajax this week:

Heracles was his fairy godfather who blessed him with invulnerability

His myth of invulnerability predates Achilles'

Subsequently one of the earlier myths regarding his death was that Paris shot him in the heel with an Apollo-improved arrow

Other myths involved the Trojans simply burying him given they couldn't hurt him otherwise. If you can't stab a man into the Underworld, maybe just dig him door, shove him in, and block the way behind him.

His body being interred rather than cremated in the prevailing myths of his death by suicide might be a nod to that older version of his death

His method of suicide--burying the hilt of his sword in a mound of earth and then throwing himself on it--may also be a nod to earth being the only thing that can kill him. In this case, it killed him by wielding a sword.

#actually I've learned quite a bit more than this #but these were some of the fun ones #telamonian ajax #ajax the greater #it's funny I'd read a lot of essays about his death and had somehow missed this #like there is a lot of debate over why he was buried rather than cremated #I think it was Sophocles who suggested it was a punishment for the whole cow thing #but the cow thing wasn't part of every myth and Sophocles invented his motive for killing the cows #and interring bodies wasn't seen as a punishment #so yeah the idea that it's just like the only way to keep an invulnerable man down like just put him in the underworld and block his exit #tagamemnon

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revindicatedbyhistory · 5 months

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been reading the essays alan moore wrote on the story of comic books and science fiction and while i don´t per se fully agree i do like how much hatred this man has for superhero comics and mainstream science fiction franchises

#i do wish he talked more about the medium outside the us and england. like it makes sense that he does since thats what he has direct experi #ence with and hes not lik a historian and the anglo productions are the most available ones #im also reading his essay on history of pornography but that one i like less because he tries to be a historian and he isnt #in one part he says the greeks invented civilization and hm

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pasdetrois · 1 year

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on the bachelor and resurrection

Thinking about how the concept of resurrection is touched upon in Daniil’s routes, and how the Marble Nest makes something of a mockery of it, casting him into the role of both resurrectionist and the resurrected. The man with an affinity for the living trapped in a cycle of communing with the dead..

+ the reminders that neither remaining nor returning shall constitute anything akin to a victory for him—just a trick mirror and, if you'll forgive the pun, a dead end

(p.s. the original marble nest line is a bit clearer in this connection, where the word for Sunday can also mean resurrection)

#still obsessed with aglaya's intro to him because WHAT DID YOU DO DANIIL. did he invent the patho universe's first defib unit or what #to blather on—all the (probably orthodox christian inspired) religious elements of his routes are really interesting #georgiy comparing the plan for simon as something akin to communion (+that line where simon refers to him as the closest thing to an heir!)#the marble nest gravedigger calling himself a shepherd; the clerks asking if he believes in god #(which is soo juicy to think about if you answer yes—because then it introduces a whole additional layer of rebellion to his actions)#anyway.#the idea of him conjuring up an endless cycle of resurrections in his head just feels so tragic..#he has this line in p2 where he explains his lab's baseline goal as allowing people the chance to choose when they die.#to bring them back after death has 'won' is a different matter entirely—but a distorted reflection of the latter is all he is permitted #it's just. ;-; I am literally always thinking about him. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT #pathologic #daniil dankovsky #🍓.txt #does any of this make sense. probably not but wtv #the adventures in screenshot collecting will continue btw don't even doubt it #there is still much to read in this cosmist book so. 😌

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sweetshire · 7 days

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So, @silv-paru sent Sherlock Holmes for the character opinion bingo. thanks a bunch for this (and for your patience. my god, i’m answering this a week late. typical me behaviour). you’re a darling :D

Did you know, i used to tell these stories to my friends? they delighted in them AND i got a chance to sort of ramble on and on abt him and watson. it was a win-win, really. ah, those were the days! now i haven’t reblogged much of him this month at all. i miss him. I MISS HIM.

Onto the bingo: well. he’s The quintessence of gender™ to me. and i relate to him so so much. fav character of all time fr. i want to carry him in my pocket at all times & study him. like. do i want to BE him OR am i IN LOVE with him, ykwim? pssh who knows? certainly not me. uh-huh ‘a beast unleashed’ -does this refer to me or him? you choose. oh re: canon, i’m ignoring the part where holmes dies (or y’know, is dead for 3 years). that’s too angsty.

#sherlock holmes #my dearest blorbo #he’s my belovedest chewtoy basically #if i think abt how modern adaptations *looking at you bbc sherlock* have ruined his character i get so angry i have to take deep breaths #*mutters darkly* he is NOT an arrogant cold-hearted bitch like he’s portrayed; well he IS a bitch but not a cold-hearted one!!#see. the thing abt holmes is that he’s SUCH a sweet boy okay. and he’s compassionate #he cares sooo much. that’s the reason people come to him when they’re distressed. they trust him #he hates the police. he is a jester at heart. loves his watson #he’s here to help the truly desparate helpless people even if they have no money to pay him for the case. no questions asked. But-#he fucking despises obnoxious rich men. the first time he meets watson a total stranger he *very excitedly* tells him abt his experiment #it’s very adorable. he never stops trying to impress ever. infact blushes furiously when complimented by him #my guy has 0 knowledge of our solar system but he’s written several monographs abt different types of ASHES. go figure!#OH i almost forgot the most important fact he’s special to me bc holmes is an audhd gay disaster bastard. sometimes he’s even bisexual #but mostly he’s acespec and in a qpr w watson. he’s VERY adhd. behaves like an excited cat and oh so cute when he stims. everytime he does #i go SQUEEE. when he’s depressed it’s a goddamn hashtag big mood. as in many other ways he is me i am him #he’s PASSIONATE and KIND that’s all you need to know #acd stories are about just some guy who loves his job (which he invented himself btw after quitting college) that’s it #i am overcome with an almighty need to squeeze his cheeks #he’s everything to me <3 #alright if i don’t stop now i doubt i ever will LMAO bye #acd holmes #if u read till the end u get a cookie and a kiss on the nose i love u

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listenupcupcakes · 29 days

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soldier what is your opinion on mayonnaise

MAYONAISE IS JUST EGGS AND OIL

I CAN MIX EGGS AND OIL MYSELF

IT IS ONLY GOOD WHEN MIXED WITH OTHER CONDIMENTS. LIKE KETCHUP.

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hell-propaganda · 1 year

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The fact that God hasn’t struck me down dead means that he is allowing me to speak. I have an important role in this whole game whether you like it or not. Jesus let Satan say his piece in the desert and try his shot, and today, you’re reading this post

Worship means nothing if it’s your only option

#last line originally read faith but fuck it #not faith in the sense people usually mean #when talking about religion anyway #you can believe in gods existence without believing in his just rule #Satan invented that when he issued his challenge #now god has to prove that people will choose him even when they know there’s other options #it isn’t a fair game by any means but he does have to let other sides have a voice or else he’s proved to be a tyrant #which is the whole question anyway #if god didn’t care about his reputation he would’ve killed Adam and Eve right away as started over #this whole thing is about proving a point and ending a debate #you can’t have a debate with only one side speaking #so listen to demons every now and then #my posts #religion #propaganda

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zahri-melitor · 10 months

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Okay brainstrust, is the commonly repeated “crime went down in Crime Alley when Red Hood was a crime lord! Actually Jason is right about the benefits of organised crime!” take actually from anywhere in comics or is it just pure fanon and right wing authoritarian propaganda spouted by Jason fans who want to prove Bruce wrong about the ‘No killing’ thing?

(I mean there’s also the secret third option that it’s both, but if there’s any canon basis I’d love to know, even if it IS in, say, RHATO)

#I mean I’m the wrong person to know what Jason’s up to #as I don’t go out of my way to read his stuff #but this has more than just a whiff of authoritarian ‘the death penalty is correct’ vibes #and I want to know if I’m specifically mad at say Lobdell for being a right wing hack with terrible opinions #if it’s Winick I’m going to be so cross with him #or if this is something invented by fans about why Jason Is Correct Actually #I dislike it and disagree with it either way!#and I can cite legal studies and crime statistics to back my opinion up #just want to know where to direct my ire #annoying fanon tropes

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cursedvaultss · 4 months

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Hogwarts Founders Era OC Profile: Edward the Valiant

“He did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do.”

Name: Edward

Nicknames: The Valiant (due to his accomplishments as a warrior)

Birthdate: April 13th, approximately mid 980s

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Blood Status: Half-blood

Nationality: Anglo-Saxon

Sexuality: Bisexual

Physical Appearance

Hair: Light brown

Eyes: Blue

Height: 5ft 8 ½ (174 cm)

Faceclaim: Dean Charles Chapman

Background

PSA: Just like Elfreda, Edward's timeline isn't really set in stone yet.

Edward is the bastard son of Æthelred II, King of the English, and Elfreda, a pure-blood witch. He grows up mostly at Hogwarts, surrounded by magic and shaped by the events surrounding its founders.

Home: Hogwarts

Family

Mother: Elfreda

Edward doesn't remember his mother, having only known her for under a year. A friend of Rowena Ravenclaw's, Elfreda is an advisor at the muggle court at the time of Edward's birth. She disappeared when Edward was very young, reappearing only when her son was seventeen.

Edward and Elfreda have a complicated relationship after her return. Edward barely remembers anything about her and views The Ravenclaws more as his family. Elfreda struggles to adjust to life back in the realm of humans and feels guilt about leaving her son for such a long time. Eventually they do reconcile and have a good relationship.

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Father: Æthelred II, King of the English

Known as The Unready, King Æthelred had a brief affair with Edward's mother, which resulted in his birth. When his mother noticed Edward showing signs of magic very early on, she took the boy and ran. Æthelred would stop at nothing to find them.

Half-siblings: Kings of the English Edmund Ironside and Edward The Confessor, among others

Foster-mother: Rowena Ravenclaw

Rowena is a good friend of Edward's mother so she took Edward in and raised him along with her own daughter Helena.

Foster-sister: Helena Ravenclaw

Helena was a few years older than Edward and he saw her as an older sister. The two were close and her death was horrific for Edward.

Hogwarts

House: Foster-son of Rowena Ravenclaw but joined Gryffindor.

Favourite subject: Defence Against the Dark Arts

Career

11-17: Student at Hogwarts

17->: Ally of Godric Gryffindor

22->?: Duelling Instructor at Hogwarts

Future: tbd

Personality & Attitude

Edward is not one to sit around and let others do the fighting for him. He's brave and has a strong sense for what is right and what is wrong.

Despite his outward boldness, he has underlying fears that he must conquer. He rarely shows his fear to anyone and prefers to lock it away somewhere deep inside.

Priorities: Helena, Akelda, protecting Hogwarts

Strengths: Brave, compassionate, loyal, chivalrous, a talented sorcerer, interested in the world around him (learns muggle combat and muggle history too), Can keep his head cold in stressful situations

Weaknesses: Stubborn, Afraid of abandonment, Restless for action, Has trouble focusing on his studies

Stressed: When his loved ones are in danger, when he feels helpless

Calm/Comforted: At Hogwarts and with Helena or Akelda

Favorites

Colours: gold, blue, red

Weather: Cloudy but warm

Hobbies: Sword-fighting, duelling, horse-riding

Fashion: Often found wearing armour, likes deep red and blue tones in his clothing, dresses in furs to keep warm

Relationships

Significant Other/Love Interest: OPEN

Betrothed: Akelda The Tragic (deceased) @endlessly-cursed

Akelda and Edward's mothers were both involved in the events surroundng Hogwarts's founding and thus knew of each other. Rowena Ravneclaw and Helga Hufflepuff arranged an engagement between the children. At first, they were shy around each other but eventually bonded over shared interests. Both Akelda and Edward loved horse-riding and nature, and often talked amongst themselves for hours.

Akelda's health had been fluctuating, but when it took a turn for the worse, it was feared she was not going to make it. When she recovered against all odds, Edward was delighted and relieved. The marriage plans were put back in motion, but one day during a family picnic, Akelda suddenly fell ill again, though this time the culprit was poison, and she didn't recover.

Edward was inconsolable after both Akelda and his foster-sister Helena passed away within such a short period of time.

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