Origin of Safety Glass

 Safety glass is used widely today and has saved millions of people, especially during vehicular mishaps. French chemist Edouard Benedictus in 1901 discovered the unique properties by accident.

When he accidentally bumped a flask, causing it to fall and crash, he discovered the flask was broken, but not shattered. After researching, he discovered the glass contained cellulose nitrate, which served as an adhesive and held the broken pieces together.

"Indestructo" safety glass was originally manufactured by British Indestructo Glass Ltd of London. This glass was first used as gas masks during WWI and has become a standard in manufacturing windshields since 1939 and many other items today.

Olympic Award Facts

For this year’s London Games, the gold medals are roughly 93% silver, 6% copper and 1% gold. The silver medals are 92% silver and 8% copper. The bronze medals are 97% copper, 2.5% zinc and 0.5% tin.

Gold medals made from solid gold were introduced at the 1904 St. Louis Games, and four years later in London, the medals began to be awarded to the top three placing athletes in the gold-silver-bronze order we’re familiar with today. The 1912 Stockholm Games were the last time solid gold medals were awarded.

These days, the IOC charter only requires that the first place medals be silver gilt, containing “silver of at least 925-1000 grade and gilded with at least 6g of pure gold.” The second place silver medals must contain silver of a similar grade. Beyond that, the specific composition of the medals, and their design, is largely left to the host city’s organizing committee.

When the first modern Olympic games organized by the International Olympic Committee were held in 1896 in Athens, winners got a silver medal and an olive branch, and runners-up received a bronze medal and a laurel branch.

Ancient Greek competitors were given an olive branch from a wild olive tree that grew at Olympia along with some money upon returning home.

Olympic 3D

While the 2008 Olympics were the first to be broadcast entirely in HD, the 2012 Olympics are the first to broadcast in HD as well as 3D. The games were first televised in Berlin in 1936 and played on big screens about the city. Then came the first games to enter households, strictly in London in 1948, followed by the first internationally televised games during the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

Boy Scouts

In February 1910 William D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on this day in 1910. Scouts were originated by Englishman, Sir Robert S.S. Baden-Powell.

Boyce was visiting England and one foggy day in London town, he lost his way. A young boy guided him, but refused any monetary reward. A surprised Mr. Boyce asked why. The boy replied that he was a Scout and Scouts did not accept a reward for doing a good turn. This gesture of good will so inspired Boyce that he searched out Baden-Powell to learn more about the British Scouts. Upon his return to the United States, he formed the Boy Scouts of America.

Police and Prison Jargon

Clink was the name of a prison which was on Clink Street in London.  That is how we came up with the phrase, 'to be thrown in the clink.'

The police force in London was established by Sir Robert Peel. For a time policemen were called 'Peelers' or 'Bobbies men' and that was shortened to the current term for British police, bobbies.

Laughter as Medicine

The old adage "laughter is the best medicine" has proved its worth among children coping with pain, according medical experts in the US, who found laughter helped children relax, which had a major impact on how they dealt with and accepted pain.

They believe the healing power of humor can reduce pain and stimulate immune function in children with cancer, Aids, or diabetes and in children receiving organ transplants and bone marrow treatments. Their study reinforces practices adopted by UK hospitals, where laughter is used as a tool to make hospital wards a friendlier place.

Dr Margaret Stuber, who led the US research, said, "We think laughter could be used to help children who are undergoing painful procedures or who suffer from pain-expectation anxiety. In the future, patients watching humorous videos could become a standard component of some medical procedures."

They asked 21 children aged eight to 14 to put their hand into cold water and found the whole group tolerated the temperature longer while watching a funny video.

Those who laughed most remembered less of the pain and hormone tests on their saliva showed their stress levels were lower after laughing.

Dr Stuber said: "Rx Laughter's goal is to ease ill children through some of these medical procedures and minimize the traumatic effects that children experience. The US study, Rx Laughter, is a collaboration between the entertainment industry, pediatrics, and psychiatry.

"In some instances laughter may even reduce the amount of anesthesia necessary."

Distraction therapy

Hospitals in the UK have recognized the power of laughter and some use "clown doctors" to go into children's wards and inject a bit of fun. The team of 10 clown doctors visit about 30,000 children and their families every year at hospitals in London, Manchester and Cambridge.

Humorous videos, especially cartoons, are already used in anesthetic rooms at Manchester Children's Hospital. They have found the videos help the children relax before going into the operating room. Go ahead and have a great laugh today. it's good for you.
-----------------