Shrapnel

Shrapnel is commonly the word given to pieces of a bullet, bomb or other explosives after they detonate.

The correct term for these pieces is "fragmentation"; "shards" or "splinters" can be used for non-preformed fragments. Though these pieces are often incorrectly referred to as "shrapnel", particularly by non-military media sources, you have no doubt heard the term used. 

Henry Shrapnel is not a person I admire. He spent decades devising ways to develop bombs and shells that caused the most damage when they exploded. The original "shrapnel shell" was named for Major General Henry Shrapnel of the British Royal Artillery. It predates the modern-day high-explosive shell and operates by an entirely different process. 

A shrapnel shell consists of a shell casing filled with steel or lead balls suspended in a resin matrix, with a small explosive charge at the base of the shell. When the projectile is fired, it travels a pre-set distance along a ballistic trajectory, then the fuse ignites a relatively weak secondary charge (often black powder or cordite) in the base of the shell. This charge fractures the matrix holding the balls in place and expels the nose of the shell to open a path for the balls, which are then propelled out of the front of the shell without rupturing the casing (which falls to earth relatively unharmed and can be retrieved and reused). These balls continue onward to the target, spreading out in a cone-shaped pattern at ground level, with most of their energy coming from the original velocity of the shell itself rather than the lesser force of the secondary charge that freed them from the shell. Since the cone of impact is relatively small, no more than 10 to 15 times the diameter of the shell, true shrapnel shells needed to be carefully sighted and judiciously used in order to maximize their impact on the enemy.

wikimedia.org, Public Domain, Link

Aspirin

Aspirin tablets with enteric coating to ease stomach irritation

Bayer is a German pharmaceutical company. Friedrich Bayer received a patent for Aspirin in 1899. It is probably the most ubiquitous of nonprescription drugs.

It has its roots (pun intended) in the bark of the willow tree. The quest to create a synthetic version was an international endeavor. 

Plants like willow and meadowsweet were used as pain remedies by Sumerians and Egyptians as early as 3000 BCE. The Greek physician Hippocrates reported giving willow-leaf tea to women in the throes of childbirth to help ease their labor pains. 

In 1783, an English clergyman named Edward Stone wrote a letter to the Royal Society. He explained that, over five years, he had had consistent success in relieving ague and fever in his parishioners by giving them dried white willow bark. In 1828, a German pharmacy professor isolated the active ingredient in willow bark and named the bitter yellow crystals “salicin,” after the Latin name for white willow — Salix alba. Extracting the salicin from plants was difficult, and required a large amount of plant matter to produce the necessary quantity, so scientists went to work on a synthetic version. 

A German chemist named Hermann Kolbe first synthesized salicylic acid in 1860. In 1895, a Bayer chemist named Felix Hoffmann was given the task of developing a “new and improved” synthetic salicylic acid product. He had a personal connection to the task. His father suffered from rheumatism but couldn’t take salicylic acid without vomiting because it irritated his stomach. Hoffmann studied the scientific literature and felt that combining an acetyl group with salicylic acid would yield a gentler product.

He came up with an effective synthetic version in 1897, and once it passed clinical trials, Bayer sought a patent for the brand name Aspirin.

The "A” for acetylsalicylic acid. The “-spir” for Spiraea ulmaria, or meadowsweet, which was a botanical source of salicylic acid. The "-in” because it was a common suffix for drugs at that time. 

By 1950, it was the best-selling pain reliever in the world.

a 1950s bottle and box

Why Is It April Fools' Day?

It is April first, but why is this April Fools' Day?

Go back to the 1500s in France when the Julian calendar (established by Julius Caesar) was replaced with the Gregorian calendar (introduced by Pope Gregory XIII and still used in most parts of the world) to find the story. 

In the old Julian calendar, the new year began on April 1, but with the new Gregorian calendar, the new year was set to begin on January 1. News did not travel as fast in the 1500s as today. (That might not be a completely bad thing!) Some people didn't get this news that the start of the New Year had changed to January 1. That is a big change and those poor uninformed souls kept celebrating it on April 1. They were mocked as "April fools."

Pranks and April Fools' jokes started about the same time, so these jokes are also about 500 years old. The more effective ones rely on people not paying attention to the day being April first and often come early in the day.

Some jokes are a lot bigger and from more reliable sources than the ones you play on family or at the office. For example, in 1980 the BBC announced that Big Ben’s clock face was being changed to digital, and the first person to get back to the network could win the clock hands. There was outrage - and a lot of people trying to win the clock's hands.

In 1992, National Public Radio ran a segment saying that Richard Nixon was running for president again. They used a convincing actor and some people believed it. More outrage. Of course, Nixon resigned in disgrace in 1974. 

Bauhaus. Bauhaus and Bauhaus

Composition 8 by Wassily Kandinsky / Guggenheim (Public domain)

BAUHAUS is a triple-play word for this site as it can be categorized here as the name of a band, the name of a style of graphic design, and a famous school of architecture. It has enough different usages to require a disambiguation page on Wikipedia.

Polyphony by Paul Klee 1932, Public Domain

The Bauhaus is a German artistic movement that lasted from 1919-1933. Its goal was to merge all artistic mediums into one unified approach. It combined an individual's artistry with mass production and function. 

Bauhaus design is often abstract, angular, and geometric, with little ornamentation. Bauhaus artists favored linear and geometrical forms, rather than floral or curvilinear shapes. There was a great interest in technology and Bauhaus workshops were used for developing prototypes of products for mass production. The artists embraced the new possibilities of modern technologies.

Bauhaus building in Dessau designed by Walter Gropius.
It was the longest-serving of the 3 Bauhaus locations (1925–1932)
  CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Now known as Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, this university located specializes in the artistic and technical fields. It was established in 1860 as the Great Ducal Saxon Art School, gained collegiate status in 1910 and in 1919 the school was renamed Bauhaus by its new director.

In 2019, the university celebrated the centenary of the founding of the Bauhaus, together with partners all over the world.

Bauhaus performing in 2006    CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

Bauhaus is an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978 known for its "gothic rock" and dark image and gloomy sound which also incorporated some glam rock, psychedelia, and funk. Members include Daniel Ash (guitar, saxophone), Peter Murphy (vocals, occasional instruments), Kevin Haskins (drums) and David J (bass).

The band formed under the name Bauhaus 1919. The date was a reference to the first operating year of the German art school Bauhaus, but they shortened this name within a year of formation. 

 

lacrosse

UNC team playing Duke in lacrosse
2009 By Caroline Culler Link

Lacrosse is a sport played on a field between two opposing teams using sticks (crosses) and a ball, whereby one team defeats the other by achieving a higher score by scoring goals within the allotted time.

Lacrosse is based on games played by various Native American communities as early as 1100 AD.  By the 17th century, a version of lacrosse was well-established and was documented by Jesuit missionary priests in what is present-day Canada.

Ball Players by George Catlin, Public Domain, Link

The traditional aboriginal Canadian version was quite different from what we know today. Each team consisted of about 100 to 1,000 men on a field several miles/kilometers long. These games lasted from sunup to sundown for two to three days straight and were played as part of a ceremonial ritual, as a kind of symbolic warfare, or to give thanks to the Creator or Master.

"Lacrosse" is borrowed from the Canadian French la crosse (“the stick”).

Lacrosse has historically been played for the most part in Canada and the United States, with small but dedicated lacrosse communities in the United Kingdom and Australia. Recently, however, lacrosse has begun to flourish at the international level, with teams being established around the world, particularly in Europe and East Asia.

2005 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship
 CC BY 2.0, Link