Wednesday, April 18, 2012
James K. Polk by They Might Be Giants
In 1844, the Democrats were split
The three nominees for the presidential candidate
Were Martin Van Buren, a former president and an abolitionist
James Buchanan, a moderate
Louis Cass, a general and expansionist
From Nashville came a dark horse riding up
He was James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump
Austere, severe, he held few people dear
His oratory filled his foes with fear
The factions soon agreed
He's just the man we need
To bring about victory
Fulfill our manifest destiny
And annex the land the Mexicans command
And when the votes were cast the winner was
Mister James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump
In four short years he met his every goal
He seized the whole southwest from Mexico
Made sure the tarriffs fell
And made the English sell the Oregon territory
He built an independent treasury
Having done all this he sought no second term
But precious few have mourned the passing of
Mister James K. Polk, our eleventh president
Young Hickory, Napoleon of the Stump
Monday, April 16, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Remembering Titanic
Watch Full Program on PBS. See more from Saving the Titanic.
Watch Titanic's Enduring Legacy on PBS. See more from Titanic with Len Goodman.
Titanic Statistics
• The largest movable man-made object ever made (at that time)
• Passenger capacity: 2,435
• Total crew: 885
• Total passengers and crew: 3,320
• Displacement/weight: 66,000 tons of water
• Length: 882.5 feet
• Width: 93 feet
• Height from bottom of ship(keel) to top of funnels: 175 feet
• Draught (depth to which a vessel is immersed): 34 feet 7 inches
• Cruising speed: 22.5 knots (miles per hour = knots multiplied by 1.152)
• Combined weight of 3 anchors: 31 tons
• Size of propellers: The 2 outer propellers had a diameter of 23 feet. The center propeller had a diameter of 17 feet.
• Rudder: 78 feet high, weight 101T
• A total of 3 million rivets (1,200 tons) held the ship’s steel hull together
• Engines: two four-cylinder steam reciprocating engines and one low-pressure turbine engine.
Total horsepower was 46,000
• 159 furnaces (stoked by hand)burned coal to operate 29 boilers
Titanic Timeline
1907 Ismay discusses the construction of two huge ships
1908 Design approval
July 31, 1908 Contract letter is signed for construction
March 31, 1909 Construction begins
May 31, 1911 Titanic hull launched
January 1912 Lifeboats installed
February 3, 1912 Dry-docked
March 1912 Assemble in Belfast
March 31, 1912 Titanic completed
April 2, 1912 Sea trials
April 2, 1912 Overnight trip to Southampton
April 6, 1912 Recruitment day for crew
April 8, 1912 Fresh food supplies taken on board
April 10, 1912
• Sailing Day -
o Second-and-third-class passengers board ship
o First-class passengers board
o Titanic casts off
o Trip downstream to English Channel en route to Cherbourg, France
o Cherbourg - passengers finally board
o Titanic leaves for Queenstown
• Queenstown harbor
o Third-class and seven second-class passengers board
o Titanic departs on her first Trans-Atlantic crossing for New York
April 13, 10:30 PM Heavy ice pack warning signaled by passing Rappahannock
April 14, 9:00 AM Caronia warning
1:42 PM Iceberg warning received via the Baltic
1:45 PM "Large iceberg" warning received via German liner Amerika
5:50 PM Captain Smith alters ship's course slightly south and west of normal course
7:30 PM Three warning messages concerning large icebergs intercepted from the Californian
9:20 PM Captain Smith retires for the night
9:40 PM Heavy ice pack and iceberg warning received from the Mesaba
10:55 PM Californian is stopped in ice field, and sends out warnings to all ships in area.
11:40 PM Lookouts see iceberg
April 15, 12:05 AM Orders are given to uncover the lifeboats
12:15 AM Band begins to play lively ragtime tunes
12:20 AM Order given to start loading lifeboats with women and children
12:45 AM First lifeboat lowered away
1:30 AM Signs of panic begin to appear among some passengers on the ship
2:05 AM Last lifeboat leaves
2:17 AM Captain Smith tells crew members, "It's every man for himself."
2:18 AM Lights go out
2:20 AM Titanic's broken-off stern section settles back into the water
4:10 AM First boat is picked up by the Carpathia
8:30 AM Last boat is picked up by the Carpathia.
April 18, 9:00 PM Carpathia arrives New York.
May 2 to July 3 Inquiry into the Titanic disaster
September 1, 1985 Discovery of Titanic remains
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