Topic: Ireland
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๐ Dublin Whiskey Fire
The Dublin whiskey fire took place on 18 June 1875 in the Liberties area of Dublin. It lasted a single night but killed 13 people, and resulted in โฌ6 million worth of damage in whiskey alone (adjusted for inflation). People drank the 6 inches (150ย mm) deep river of whiskey that is said to have flowed as far as the Coombe. None of the fatalities suffered during the fire were due to smoke inhalation, burns, or any other form of direct contact with the fire itself; all of them were attributed to alcohol poisoning.
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- "Dublin Whiskey Fire" | 2022-08-18 | 169 Upvotes 98 Comments
๐ Extreme weather events of 535โ536
The extreme weather events of 535โ536 were the most severe and protracted short-term episodes of cooling in the Northern Hemisphere in the last 2,000 years. The event is thought to have been caused by an extensive atmospheric dust veil, possibly resulting from a large volcanic eruption in the tropics or in Iceland. Its effects were widespread, causing unseasonable weather, crop failures, and famines worldwide.
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- "Extreme weather events of 535โ536" | 2021-03-27 | 99 Upvotes 86 Comments
๐ Percy Ludgate
Percy Edwin Ludgate (2 August 1883 โ 16 October 1922) was an Irish amateur scientist who designed the second analytical engine (general-purpose Turing-complete computer) in history.
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- "Percy Ludgate" | 2023-09-16 | 140 Upvotes 17 Comments
๐ Martello Tower
Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts.
They stand up to 40 feet (12ย m) high (with two floors) and typically had a garrison of one officer and 15โ25 men. Their round structure and thick walls of solid masonry made them resistant to cannon fire, while their height made them an ideal platform for a single heavy artillery piece, mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse, and hence fire, over a complete 360ยฐ circle. A few towers had moats or other batteries and works attached for extra defence.
The Martello towers were used during the first half of the 19th century, but became obsolete with the introduction of powerful rifled artillery. Many have survived to the present day, often preserved as historic monuments.
Discussed on
- "Martello Tower" | 2024-01-28 | 67 Upvotes 26 Comments
๐ Ogham
Ogham (Modern Irish: [หoห(ษ)mห ]; Middle Irish: ogum, ogom, later ogam [หษษฃษmห ]) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish language (scholastic ogham, 6th to 9th centuries). There are roughly 400 surviving orthodox inscriptions on stone monuments throughout Ireland and western Britain, the bulk of which are in southern Munster. The largest number outside Ireland are in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The vast majority of the inscriptions consist of personal names.
According to the High Medieval Brรญatharogam, the names of various trees can be ascribed to individual letters. For this reason, ogam is sometimes known as the Celtic tree alphabet.
The etymology of the word ogam or ogham remains unclear. One possible origin is from the Irish og-รบaim 'point-seam', referring to the seam made by the point of a sharp weapon.
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- "Ogham" | 2022-12-31 | 64 Upvotes 14 Comments
๐ Slip coach
In British and Irish rail transport, a slip coach or slip carriage is passenger rolling stock that is uncoupled from an express train while the train is in motion, then slowed by a guard in the coach using the brakes, bringing it to a stop at the next station. The coach was thus said to be slipped from its train. This allowed passengers to alight at an intermediate station without the main train having to stop, thus improving the journey time of the main train. In an era when the railway companies were highly competitive, they strove to keep journey times as short as possible, avoiding intermediate stops wherever possible.
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- "Slip coach" | 2015-11-26 | 39 Upvotes 12 Comments
๐ Tall Poppy Syndrome
The tall poppy syndrome is the cultural phenomenon of jealous people holding back or directly attacking those who are perceived to be better than the norm, "cutting down the tall poppy". It describes a draw towards mediocrity.
Commonly in Australia and New Zealand, "Cutting down the tall poppy" is used to describe those who think too highly of themselves and it is seen by some as self-deprecating and by others as promoting modesty and egalitarianism.
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- "Tall Poppy Syndrome" | 2021-06-05 | 40 Upvotes 10 Comments
๐ Erwin Schrรถdinger โ Sexual Abuse
Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrรถdinger (UK: , US: ; German: [หษษฬฏvษชn หสสรธหdษชลษ]; 12 August 1887 โ 4 January 1961), sometimes written as Schroedinger or Schrodinger, was a Nobel Prizeโwinning Austrian and naturalized Irish physicist who developed fundamental results in quantum theory. In particular, he is recognized for postulating the Schrรถdinger equation, an equation that provides a way to calculate the wave function of a system and how it changes dynamically in time. He coined the term "quantum entanglement", and was the earliest to discuss it, doing so in 1932.
In addition, he wrote many works on various aspects of physics: statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, physics of dielectrics, colour theory, electrodynamics, general relativity, and cosmology, and he made several attempts to construct a unified field theory. In his book What Is Life? Schrรถdinger addressed the problems of genetics, looking at the phenomenon of life from the point of view of physics. He also paid great attention to the philosophical aspects of science, ancient, and oriental philosophical concepts, ethics, and religion. He also wrote on philosophy and theoretical biology. In popular culture, he is best known for his "Schrรถdinger's cat" thought experiment.
Spending most of his life as an academic with positions at various universities, Schrรถdinger, along with Paul Dirac, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933 for his work on quantum mechanics, the same year he left Germany due to his opposition to Nazism. In his personal life, he lived with both his wife and his mistress which may have led to problems causing him to leave his position at Oxford. Subsequently, until 1938, he had a position in Graz, Austria, until the Nazi takeover when he fled, finally finding a long-term arrangement in Dublin where he remained until retirement in 1955. He died in Vienna of tuberculosis when he was 73.
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- "Erwin Schrรถdinger โ Sexual Abuse" | 2023-11-28 | 18 Upvotes 6 Comments
๐ Hungry Tree
The Hungry Tree is a tree in the grounds of the King's Inns in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. An otherwise unremarkable specimen of the London plane, it has become known for having partially consumed a nearby park bench. It has become a tourist attraction and is frequently photographed. The Hungry Tree was the subject of a campaign by Green Party politician Ciarรกn Cuffe to ensure its preservation.
๐ Prawo Jazdy (Alleged Criminal)
"Prawo Jazdy" was a supposed Polish national who was listed by the Garda Sรญochรกna in a police criminal database as having committed more than 50 traffic violations in Ireland. A 2007 memorandum stated that an investigation revealed prawo jazdy [หpra.vษ หjaz.dษจ] to be Polish for 'driving licence', with the error arising due to officers mistaking the phrase, printed on Polish driving licenses, to be a personal name while issuing traffic tickets.