- Da Vinci’s parachute
Da Vinci’s third scheme for human flight, was a framed sail on which a man could ride downward, if not upward. This device never fails to navigate with its confiding sailor. Sometimes he lands in one posture, again in another; but voyage he must, with the certainty of gravitation. Leonardo is, therefore, the father of the parachute. This, in turn, has had a varied offspring. The common parachute, the aërial glider, the soaring machine, or passive aëroplane, that rides the wind without motive power and without loss of energy. - Veranzio’s parachute
The earliest of Da Vinci’s aëronautic ideas to be practically realized was the parachute. The exact date of its first employment is not exactly known. In the year 1617 Fauste Veranzio published in Venice a good technical description of the construction and operation of the parachute, accompanied by a clear illustration. - Lenormand’s parachute, 1784
Previous to Lenormand’s experiments, Blanchard, the aëronaut, had dropped small parachutes from his balloon, sometimes carrying animals, but never a human being. For unaccountable reasons the world had to wait fourteen years longer to see a man make the new familiar parachute descent from a balloon. On October 22, 1797, in presence of a large crowd Jacques Garnerin ascended in a closed parachute to a height of 3,000 feet, then cut loose. The people were astonished and appalled; but they soon saw the umbrella-shaped canvas spread open and oscillate in the sky with its human freight. As it was but eight yards in diameter, it descended rapidly and struck the ground with violence, throwing Garnerin from his seat. He escaped with a bruised foot, mounted a horse, and returned to the starting point, where he received a lively ovation. - Advancing, ... her clear eyes fixed on mine
- Cat looking up
- And from that hour they were fast friends
- was glad ... that she had not died elsewhere
- There was a useless battle
- She passed deliciously dreamy days
- Rolling on the crimson rug
- In company of the everlasting tortoise
- And still looked directly in my eyes
- 3.7-cm Pak
3.7-cm Pak - 5-cm Pak 38
- Walther pistol
- Stick grenade antipersonnel mine
- Sketch showing method of inserting loaded belt in feedway of M.G. 34
- Stick bomb for use with 3.7 cm Pak
- Sketch of Stick hand grenade
- Sketch of Eierhandgranate 39 (egg-type hand grenade, model 39)
- Sighting mechanism of 7.5-cm infantry howitzer, showing range-scale drum
- Right side of 5-cm mortar
- Right view of 8-cm mortar, model 34
- Removal of barrel of M.G. 34
- MG 34 on tripod mount
- Method of carrying and packing stick-type grenades
- Method of removing receiver of M.P. 40 from barrel and from magazine hosing
- M.G. 42
- M.G. 42, showing method of operating barrel extension
- Left view of 8-cm mortar, model 34
- Left side of 5-cm mortar
- Cross-section of shaving-stick grenade
- German method of firing M;G. 34 from bipod mount
- Cross section of magazine, trigger, and bolt mechanism of Mauser Kar. 98K rifle
- Cross Section of Luger pistol
- Concentrated charge made from stick grenades
- Close-up of 75-round saddle-type drum
- Close-up of Luger pistol to show operation of extractor
- Breech of 7.5-cm infantry howitzer
- Breech of 5-cm Pak
- Barrel and breech of 5-cm Pak
- 30.12.2021 20.39.19 REC
- 8 cm Mortar Shell
- Scroll frame
Scroll frame - Betty
- Mack
Cat trying to open the door - Thomas
- Tiger
- Snooks
- Sammy
- Pete
- Mitch
- Jimmie
- Dump
- Augustine Preaching before Ethelbert
In the year 596 Augustine with forty other priests landed in Kent. The name of the king of that part was Ethelbert, whose wife Bertha was a Christian. Ethelbert allowed Augustine to preach before him in the open air ; and very soon he saw how wrong it was to worship idols, and was baptized in the Christian faith. The Britons soon followed the good example shown them by Ethelbert, and gave up their false gods, and became Christians. - Romans teaching the Britons to Build
The Romans built many cities, the names of some of which you know, such as London, and York, and Bath. They taught the people how to plough the fields and to sow corn, that they might have bread to eat. They brought to the country many fruits and vegetables which were quite new to the poor Britons. They showed them how to spin and to weave, and soon they left off dyeing their skins, and began to clothe themselves like their masters; and when they saw the houses which were built by the Romans, they left their dark caves and their rude huts. The Britons were also taught to read and to write, and to speak the Roman language. Nor should I forget to tell you, that the cruel Druids were all destroyed by one of the Roman generals. - Landing of the Romans
- Druids
ALTHOUGH these Britons did not worship images, they believed that there were many gods and their religion was very different from that which is taught us in the Bible. They had priests who were called DRUIDS, who lived mostly in the forests, and taught the people that the Oak was a sacred tree. They worshipped the mistletoe, a plant which grows on the branches of the oak and on other trees. This mistletoe was cut off every year, with a golden knife, by the chief Druid, amid great rejoicing, and was very carefully preserved. The priests wore white linen robes, and let their beards grow very long to distinguish them from the rest of the people. The savages obeyed them because they knew more than anybody else, and tried to find out medicines to cure those who were ill. They used various means to make the people give them presents. On a certain day, at the beginning of winter, they obliged all persons to put out their fires, and light them again from the fire of the sacred altar, telling them, that by so doing they would have good fortune throughout the year; but if any one did not act as they wished, they would not allow him to enter their temples, and his friends were forbidden to give him any help. - Ancient Britons
The country we live in is a large island, called BRITAIN. It is divided into two parts : the northern part is now named SCOTLAND, and the southern part, ENGLAND. At first there were no houses, gardens, or fields, such as we see now; but most of the island was covered with great forests and marshes. The people who lived in it were called BRITONS, and were wild, ignorant savages. In summer they went about naked ; and in winter they clothed them-selves with the skins of the wild beasts which they killed in hunting. Their hair was allowed to grow very long, and they stained their bodies of a blue colour, to frighten their enemies. They ate acorns and other wild fruits, and lived in caves, or in huts made of branches of trees covered over with mud. These were generally built together in little villages in the midst of forests. Their time was chiefly spent in hunting in the woods, or in fishing. For the latter, they used small boats called coracles, made of wicker-work covered with skins. They were often at war with each other, and fought with a rude kind of spear and arrows, of which the heads were made of sharp pieces of stone. The Britons were divided into many tribes. Each tribe had a chief, who led them in battle, and ruled over them in time of peace. - Technique of Roman soldier