More Gadgets you will NOT see on our web pagesPlease don't forget, should you have any similar content which you consider would interest our visitors please email the details to us at with "fascinating facts" in the subject line. If suitable we will be more than happy to publish and link back to you if you remember to add your site URL and/or your email address. | Astronomical calculator:
The Antikythera device, Greece, first century B.C.. Found off island of Antikythera in 1900.
Was this the first Astological Calculator?
A Reconstruction of the Antikythera Mechanism Dated to ca 80 BC. In the year 1900 the bronze remains of a mechanical device were retrieved from a shipwreck off Antikythera, near Crete.
It was not clear initially what the device was, except that it was clearly a sophisticated mechanism. X-ray analysis was subsequently used to probe the inner structure of the device, the details of the gears. Finally in 1974, a full analysis was published by Professor D. De Solla Price. While some of the original gearing was missing, there was enough to work out that the device was intended to show the motion of the Moon, Sun, and most likely the Planets through the years, when the handle was turned.
A few years ago, John Gleave, an orrery maker based in the United Kingdom, decided to construct a working replica of the original mechanism. (illustrated)
The front dial - showing the annual progress of the sun & moon through the zodiac, against the Egyptian calendar, rendered in Greek on the outer annulus
The upper back dial displays a four year period and has five concentric inscribed rings, most probably each with 47 divisions giving the Metonic Cycle of 235 synodic months, which equals 19 solar years. The lower back dial gives the cycle of a single synodic month, and the subsidiary dial the Lunar year of 12 synodic months. |  |  | UK Patent No. GB1421240 Mortarless Brick Work To Reduce House Building Costs
In a mortarless brick wall successive courses of bricks (1) are interconnected by horizontal spacer strips (2) of metal or other material to which the bricks are clamped by opposed external strips (5) covering the horizontal brick joints on both wall faces and secured to the edges of the spacer strips. The ends of the strips (2) may be apertured and pass over steel rods (8) upstanding from a base plate (7), the rods (8) having spacing collars (9). As shown each cover strip (5) is of T-section channel form and has a longitudinal groove (4) which can be forced over a tapered edge tongue (3) on the strip (2). Modified tapered or undercut tongue and groove formations are described for interlocking the strips (2, 5). Alternatively each cover strip may comprise a channel nailed, bolted or screwed to a spacer strip. | UK Patent No. GB1439086. Large, luxury multi-bodied aircraft.
An aircraft body is assembled by bundling together an odd number of existing aircraft bodies. As shown five Boeing 747 fuselages (1 to 5) are used, in chevron formation, and secured by straps (6, 7). The tail fins of fuselages 1, 4 and 5 are retained and turbo fan engines mounted at the tails of fuselages 2 and 3 and . Fan wings are also fitted. The aircraft is fitted with buoyancy tanks and can land on land or water. For safety reasons it is designed to fly just 100 or 200 feet above the ocean surface. |  |
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