Did you know?

DID YOU KNOW?
Tin cans are often described as 'hermetically sealed'.
The word hermetic comes from Hermes Trismegitus, the Egyptian god Thoth, who is reputed to have invented a magic seal that keeps a vessel airtight.
Thje hermetically sealed can was invented in 1810 by a British merchant Peter Durand. His cans were so thick they had to be hammered open! An Englishman, Thamas Kensett patented the process in 1825 and in America more than a century later in 1957, the first aluminium can appeared.

The History of the Bicycle

The History of the Bicycle
Bicycle History

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By Mary Bellis
Engraving: Bicycle riders circa 1869
Bicycle History in Debate
Some history books will state that Pierre and Ernest Michaux, the French father and son team of carriage-makers, invented the first bicycle during the 1860s. Historians now disagree and there is evidence that the bicycle is older than that. However, historians do agree that Ernest Michaux did invent the modern bicycle pedal and cranks in 1861.
Baron Karl Drais von Sauerbronn - Early Bicycles
The German Baron Karl Drais von Sauerbronn invented the "Laufmaschine" or "Running Machine", a type of pre-bicycle. The steerable Laufmaschine was made entirely of wood and had no pedals; a rider would push his/her feet against the ground to make the machine go forward. Sauerbronn's bicycle was first exhibited in Paris on April 6, 1818. The celerifere was another similar early bicycle precursor invented in 1790 by Frenchmen, Comte Mede de Sivrac, however, it had no steering.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2006

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2006

Photo: L. Cicero

Andrew Z. Fire

Craig C. Mello

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2006 was awarded jointly to Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello "for their discovery of RNA interference - gene silencing by double-stranded RNA"