Author: Submitted Article

Few of us have the opportunity to actually change the shape of people’s lives and help them to live more happily. Such a man was Dr. Claire Straith of Southfield, Michigan, whose birthday in 1891 is noted today. Treating soldiers wounded in World War I, he pioneered many techniques in plastic and cosmetic surgery that are still in use today. Later, noting that he was performing a lot of reconstructive surgery on crash victims, Straith successfully urged automakers to use …

A perpetually hot topic, in summer and other seasons, is the fluctuating cost of gasoline and diesel fuel, and the resultant impact on the nation’s economy and living habits of Americans. Some discussion centers on the amount of taxes paid at the pump, as state taxes on fuels vary widely. The highest tax on gasoline is 39.5 cents per gallon, levied in California, while Connecticut imposes an almost 55 cent tax on diesel. Nationally, the lowest tax on both is …

“This program is brought to you by…” Those words, or ones close to them, were heard on this date 91 years ago as what is believed to be the first commercial broadcast on the new medium of radio. Station WEAF in New York City carried that first ad — not for soap or automobiles — but for a group of apartment buildings in Queens. The cost was $100 for 10 minutes of programming. At the time, there were just 30 …

Everyday weather reports often feature stories of droughts, wildfires, flooding and mudslides. The planet enjoys an abundance of water, but the weather disasters are problems of timing and distribution. Societies since the ancient Mesopotamians have addressed this challenge with engineering. Each day in the U.S., about 410 billion gallons of water are pumped or diverted from the nation’s rivers, lakes and underground supplies; mostly the latter. Steam-powered electric generating plants use nearly half of it, 128 billion gallons are used …