Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Global warming

Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius first stated in 1896 the possibility that fossil fuel combustion may eventually result in enhanced global warming. Arrhenius and fellow scientist Thomas Chamberlin calculated that human activities could warm the earth by adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
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Thursday, April 1, 2010

Newspaper

The Boston News-Letter was America's first continuously-published newspaper. First distributed in April 1704, the weekly News-Letter published news and events from England, as well local listings of ship arrivals, deaths, sermons, political appointments, fires, and accidents. The last issue of the News-Letter appeared in February 1776 after three generations of family ownership.
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Census of Population

The first Census of Population in the United States took place in 1790. The first census tabulated counts by gender, race, free persons and slaves. It included the original thirteen colonies plus Kentucky, Maine and Vermont. The population of the United States in 1790 was 3,893,874.
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Titanic

The RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York on April 10, 1912. Three days later, the ship struck an iceberg about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The Titanic plunged to the bottom of the sea taking more than 1500 people with her. The world was stunned to learn of the fate of the unsinkable Titanic.
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First breakfast cereal

The first breakfast cereal, called granula, was invented and served by Dr. James Caleb Jackson in 1863. In search of a healthier alternative to a pork and beef breakfast, Dr. Jackson developed granula by soaking dense bran nuggets overnight resulting in a chewable breakfast. Granula was regularly served up to Jackson's patients.
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Impeached

President Andrew Johnson was the first U.S. President to be impeached. Johnson was acquitted in each of two impeachment attempts by Congress during his presidency in the politically tumultuous post Civil War period. Sixteen federal officials, including two U.S. presidents, have been impeached in the U.S. since 1797.
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Toyota automobiles

The first Toyota automobiles were imported into the United States in 1958. The Toyota Land Cruiser was a half-ton, jeep-styled truck, and the Model SA Sedan, nicknamed the "Toyopet," was a 1-liter, two-door compact car. Neither sold very well. The first big seller in America was the 1964 Toyota Corona PT20.
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