The World's Largest Computer in 1951

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Holy crud! I actually got one (finally)...

This was first installed in 1912 at a Pennsylvania power station. It is still operating to this day with an expected lifespan of 1300 years.
 
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Come on guys...I only have an hour until I have to go off line for a while...

Here are two hints:
1) The man responsible has a hall at University of New Hampshire named after him.
2) His last name sounds close to an American brand of charcoal.
 
Is google cheating? if no, I know the answer :D
 
In that case it would be Dr. Albert Kingsbury's first fluid film thrust bearing.

If I'm right, whoever wants the next question can have it.
 
Damn Matthyouw. That's correct. I must have been too gracious with my hints. Kingsbury's tilt pad thrust bearing to be precise. The bearing I mentioned in Pennsylvania was torn down for maintenance just a couple of years ago after approximately 80 years in service. There was no appreciable wear observable.
 
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This is anisotropic, hygroscopic and is usually limited to different shades of brown. Found all over the world naturally and not so. It is commonly classified as what two types? Why is it misleading?
 
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Mk said:
This is anisotropic, hygroscopic and is usually limited to different shades of brown. Found all over the world naturally and not so. It is commonly classified as what two types? Why is it misleading?
Wood. Classified as hardwood and softwood. Misleading because softwood can sometimes be harder than hardwood.

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Wood
 
Ah, yes. Give it a gowhy don't cha?
 
Yes, I deleted my post when I noticed it about 3 seconds afterwards.
 
Mk said:
Yes, I deleted my post when I noticed it in about 3 seconds.
heheh, we're a few seconds apart in posting. :-p
 
Moonbear said:
Misleading because softwood can sometimes be harder than hardwood.
I did not know that.

So MB, what's the next "what was it"?
 
Moonbear said:
This invention "tamed" the American West. Who was the first U.S. patent holder for this invention?
(I'll return with more clues if this is too vague.)
The Winchester rifle? But that would be too easy for the second part of the question. Or Remington? The one with the widow that built that weird house.

"tamed" hmmm, not railroads, they made the west accessible
 
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Colt's Manufacturing Company was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 1847 by Samuel Colt in order to produce revolvers, which Colt held the patent on, during the Mexican-American War.
 
Moonbear said:
This invention "tamed" the American West. Who was the first U.S. patent holder for this invention?
(I'll return with more clues if this is too vague.)
BARBED WIRE
Address:http://www.rra.dst.tx.us/c_t/History1/BARBED%20WIRE.cfm Changed:7:24 PM on Thursday, May 26, 2005
 
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Dammit! I just found it. :mad:

The most successful barbed wire was patented by Joseph F. Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois in 1874. It was an improvement on earlier less successful pointed wire products such as that invented in 1865 by Louis Jannin of France.

Barbed wire was the first wire technology capable of restraining cattle. Wire fences were cheaper to erect than their alternatives and when they became widely available in the late 19th century in the United States they made it affordable to fence much bigger areas than before. They made intensive animal husbandry practical on a much larger scale.

Barbed-wire fences remain the standard fencing technology for enclosing cattle in most regions of the US, but not all countries. The wire is aligned under tension between heavy, braced, fence posts (strainer posts) and then held at the correct height by being attached to wooden posts and battens, or steel star posts. The gaps between star posts vary depending on terrain—on short fences in hilly country they may be placed as closely as every 3 metres, whereas in flat terrain with long spans and relatively few stock they may be spaced out up to 30 to 50 metres. Wooden posts are normally spaced at 10 metres (2 rods) in any case with 4 or 5 batterns in between.
 
I don't know why, but barbed wire always comes up in every book on invention.

OK. This was originally called "rod wax" and was considered a nuisance till someone put it in jars and sold it.
 
Evo said:
BARBED WIRE! There were WARS fought over people putting up barbed wire in the west!
Better late than never...
 
I think it's time for me to come to this thread...mm..yyess!
 
Mk said:
Dammit! I just found it. :mad:

The most successful barbed wire was patented by Joseph F. Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois in 1874. It was an improvement on earlier less successful pointed wire products such as that invented in 1865 by Louis Jannin of France.
Not quite...I was looking for the first of the US Patent holders. (Hint...after Jannin's invention and before Glidden's). :devil:
 
OH, I got it.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=236742&area=/insight/insight__national/
When he went there, Chesebrough noticed that roughnecks who worked the rigs were maddened by a gelatinous black gunk that clogged up their drills. They called it “rod wax” and were constantly having to wipe the stuff away. But these same working Joes, Chesebrough was interested to see, slapped “rod wax” on their cuts to help them heal faster.

Chesebrough took some jelly to his lab and tested its healing property on himself. It worked. He soon had a fleet of wagons trundling around the country distributing Vaseline (a barbarous combination of the German “wasser”, and the Greek “elaion”: “water-oil”).

Chesebrough was an evangelist. In front of rapt audiences he would burn his skin with acid and then anoint the wounds with his wonder-jelly, pointing to earlier scars Vaseline had healed. Next day, every druggist in town would have bought a wagonload.

Now we use it for something else...
 
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Mk said:
Car waxing wax?
Nein!
 
Mk said:
OH, I got it.

When he went there, Chesebrough noticed that roughnecks who worked the rigs were maddened by a gelatinous black gunk that clogged up their drills. They called it “rod wax” and were constantly having to wipe the stuff away. But these same working Joes, Chesebrough was interested to see, slapped “rod wax” on their cuts to help them heal faster.

Chesebrough took some jelly to his lab and tested its healing property on himself. It worked. He soon had a fleet of wagons trundling around the country distributing Vaseline (a barbarous combination of the German “wasser”, and the Greek “elaion”: “water-oil”).

Chesebrough was an evangelist. In front of rapt audiences he would burn his skin with acid and then anoint the wounds with his wonder-jelly, pointing to earlier scars Vaseline had healed. Next day, every druggist in town would have bought a wagonload.
Jawhol!
 
zoobyshoe said:
I don't know why, but barbed wire always comes up in every book on invention.

OK. This was originally called "rod wax" and was considered a nuisance till someone put it in jars and sold it.
petroleum jelly
 

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