[Michaelangelica]

In 1913

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With synthetic production almost non-existent, the world was entirely dependent on the Chilean (guano) resource for fertilizers and high explosives. This was a fact which military leaders did not overlook.
They realized that if war broke out, the countries which lacked (or were denied) access to the Chilean supply (like Germany) would quickly run out of munitions.

In 1913 if you were an up and coming nation, intent on feeding your people, or conquering your enemies through conquest, you needed as much Chilean saltpeter as possible.
In short, the fate of the world depended upon who could get their hands on the most bird shit.
It is therefor no coincidence that the first major naval battle of World War I occured off the coast of Chile.

History of ChEn: Nitrogen

[eric l]

In 1913, the Germans had the Alsace-Loraine region which they had annexed in 1870 (after the Franco-Prussian war) and they had the Haber-Bosch process (pattented in 1908 (see quote from Wikipedia)

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History
The process was first patented by Fritz Haber in 1908. In 1910 Carl Bosch, while working for chemical company BASF, successfully commercialized the process and secured further patents. It was first used on an industrial scale by the Germans during World War I: Germany had previously imported 'Chilean saltpeter' from Chile, but the demand for munitions and the uncertainty of this supply in the war prompted the adoption of the process. Without this process, Germany would almost certainly have run out of munitions by 1916, thereby ending the war. The ammonia produced was oxidized for the production of nitric acid in the Ostwald process, and the nitric acid for the production of various explosive nitro compounds used in munitions.

I've always been confused by the fact that Fritz Haber received the Nobelprize in 1918 for an invention that at least made WWI las so much longer.

[Michaelangelica]

eric l said:

In 1913, the Germans had the Alsace-Loraine region which they had annexed in 1870 (after the Franco-Prussian war) and they had the Haber-Bosch process (pattented in 1908 (see quote from Wikipedia)

Strange that it took 6-7 years and a war to get the process up and running? Perhaps it was too expensive at first to compete with the Chilean saltpeter??

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Shortly before the outbreak of World War I, two patriotic Germans developed a method for producing synthetic ammonia. The first plants using this "Haber-Bosch Process" were constructed shortly after the outbreak of the war. They had discovered that ammonia could be made by placing nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas in a high pressure chamber. With the addition of a suitable catalyst, and a little heat to speed things up, vast quantities of fixed nitrogen could be produced. Without the Haber-Bosch Process, Germany would have run out of munitions in 1916 thereby ending the war

(From same web site as above)

eric l said:

I've always been confused by the fact that Fritz Haber received the Nobelprize in 1918 for an invention that at least made WWI las so much longer.

Another terrible irony about that prize.
I guess they didn't get the "peace" prize?

I liked the "bird-shit" story better spoil-sport:D

[Boerseun]

Dig this:

When Julius Ceasar came to power in Rome, his name was just... a name. Like any other name. But he was so popular amongst the lower and middle classes for building his army and government on merit alone, that his name became synonymous with the office he bore. Afterwards, his name was bestowed on all subsequent leaders of the Roman Empire.

But that's not the quirky bit. The name became a symbol of great power far beyond the bounds of the Empire, so much so that the original 'Ceasar' became the German 'Kaiser', as well as the Slavic Tsar/Csar. The last Tsar in nominal power was Simon II of Bulgaria in 1946, meaning that for TWO THOUSAND YEARS after ole' Julius' assasination on the steps of the Senate in Rome, there was always at least some head of state somewhere in the world bearing his name. Now that's a sure sign of popularity! Imagine - Julius Ceasar had an effect on the World till after the Second World War! (ignoring his name on the month of July, of course - that's still in effect.)

[Boerseun]

Back in antiquity, the Greeks have believed in the Amazons, a race of female warriors who lived somewhere in Asia Minor. As their knowledge of the world increased, the location of these mythical warrior women was obviously moved backwards and backwards, but still nobody knew where these female warriors had their towns, cities or strongholds.

So what's this got to do with anything?

Nothing really. And, it has even less to do with the Amazon rainforest!

So why were they called 'Amazons', then?

Well, here's the quirky bit:

The Greeks believed these killer females to have amputated their right breasts in order to better operate a bow in battle. And, female breasts in ancient Greek, of course, are 'mazos'. So an amazon is literally "one without breasts". So, the amazons warriors were females without breasts, in order to be better at shooting arrows!

Quirky, indeed!

(I don't know why the Amazon is called the Amazon, however... - anybody?)

[Qfwfq]

What I remember is that the first European explorers, confronted with tribes of long-haired warriors that they mistook for women, called them Amazons.

P. S. my Brazilian colleague here doesn't know much better but answered that it's because of the legend of the Amazons.

[Boerseun]

Amazing!

Imagine, the world's biggest rainforest, named in honour of crazy killer chicks who indulge in self-mutilation.

This planet is weird beyond measure. It sounds like something happening on a planet Douglas Adams would write about!

[Buffy]

Boerseun said:

This planet is weird beyond measure. It sounds like something happening on a planet Douglas Adams would write about!

You mean its not?

What do you mean, why has it got to be built? It's a bypass. You've got to build bypasses,
Amazon Buffy

[Racoon]

The American Civil War battle of Antietam killed more Americans than any other major battle in history, including D-Day!!

[LaurieAG]

Boerseun said:

Dig this:

When Julius Ceasar came to power in Rome, his name was just... a name. Like any other name. But he was so popular amongst the lower and middle classes for building his army and government on merit alone, that his name became synonymous with the office he bore. Afterwards, his name was bestowed on all subsequent leaders of the Roman Empire.

I dig it Boerseun,

One of the things that made him a popular dictator with the plebs was his reduction of the interest rate to 5 percent, non compounding! This was also probably the main reason for his demise at the hands of those who stood to lose the most.

[Racoon]

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The fighting at Antietam was so fierce that Sept. 17, 1862, is said to have been the bloodiest single day of the war with some 23,000 dead and wounded, evenly divided between the sides.

It was a Union victory only in the sense that Lee's invasion was stopped. McClellan has been blamed for not pursuing Lee with his superior forces. The scene of the battle of Antietam has been set aside as a national battlefield (est. 1890; see National Parks and Monuments, table). The battle influenced Lincoln's decisions to remove McClellan and to deliver a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

Antietam Battle Map US Civil War Sharpsburg Maryland 1862

Casualties at Antietam

Antietam campaign - Facts from the Encyclopedia - Yahoo! Education

Battle of Antietam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Turtle]

It is highly likely Norwegians were in Minnesota 100 years before Columbus set sail.

Ben Tracy said:

It's one of Minnesota's greatest mysteries. It's something that puts settlers in America well before Columbus. A Minnesota geologist thinks the controversial Kensington Runestone is the real thing and there is evidence that he says backs up the theory.

The Kensington Runestone is a rock found near Alexandria a century ago. It's inscription speaking of Norwegians here in 1362. It begs the question. Were Vikings exploring our land more than 100 years before Columbus? Or is it just an elaborate hoax?

read more >> wcco.com - A Minnesota Mystery: The Kensington Runestone

I have heard speculation that they came to mine copper as the European supply dwindled.

[Boerseun]

Who'd be your candidate for the most influential person of the 20th century?
(and with 'influential' I mean who had the greatest effect on the biggest number of people, good or bad)

Names coming to mind would be Einstein, Ghandi, Hitler, etc. Does this sound reasonable? I suppose it does. Until you consider the impact that Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch had on the world. The unleashing of the Haber-Bosch process for extracting nitrogen out of the atmosphere have made possible industrial agriculture on a scale never before considered, thereby triggering the population explosion. Ironically, the Haber-Bosch process also considerably prolonged the First World War, resulting in the deaths of millions.

Anybody else through the 20th century that can be considered on this list have had either a moral or technical impact on the world. But if not for Haber and Bosch, billions won't even be around today. Probably the majority of human beings alive today owe their existence directly to these two germans. And that, in my book, is incredibly amazing!

Here's a pretty good link. And do yourself a favour and follow the other links on that page, there's plenty interesting stuff there!

[eric l]

Boerseun said:

... Ironically, the Haber-Bosch process also considerably prolonged the First World War, resulting in the deaths of millions.

To complete the irony : Fritz Haber got a Nobel prize for it !

Would Mr. Nobel rank higly on your list ? I mean, partly because of his invention, but also for reminding the science world of its social / humanitarion role ?

[Michaelangelica]

History war maps

Maps of War - Maps