Tag: Television

Lunar Landing!

Posted on by zoequinn001
Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon, from NASA at nasa.gov.

Today marks the anniversary of humankind’s first steps on the moon. On July 20, 1969, the world held its collective breath as Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin set foot on the lunar surface. Television had just gone global a few days earlier when COMSAT achieved world coverage via Intelsat on July 1. More than 500 million people witnessed Armstrong making history as he spoke these famous words: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” With advances in aerospace including Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies (www.spacex.com) and Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic (www.virgingalactic.com), the future is seemingly boundless. To what purposes should space exploration be dedicated? To read the original New York times report of the NASA’s success, please see:

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0720.html#article

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Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

London Bridge is Falling Down!

Posted on by zoequinn001

London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair Lady.

Most children have played the game “London Bridge is Falling Down” while singing the accompanying song. Even today the game is performed on popular children’s shows, such as “The Wiggles.” It is a testament to the longevity of a poem about a bridge that had anything but.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMo_LFM2Uro&feature=fvsr

The poem refers to the the number and types of bridges built in that location that led to Henry II’s decision to make one of stone to withstand fire, floods, and invaders. The poem suggests that even if made of steel, the bridge will always require replacement. The most recent London Bridge was finished in 1972 and still stands today. It has a long time to go, however, as the bridge that began construction under Henry II lasted over 600 years!

For more information on the nursery rhyme please visit http://www.rhymes.org.uk/london-bridge-is-falling-down.htm
Creative Commons License
Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G. Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.