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#1
The Tailgate / Today in history 5-23
Last post by remrogers - Today at 10:52:43 AM1785
May 23
Benjamin Franklin reveals his design for bifocal glasses
In a letter dated May 23, 1785, Benjamin Franklin reveals his design for what would later be called bifocal glasses. The Pennsylvania inventor, printer, author, diplomat and American Founding Father had grown tired of alternating between two different pairs of glasses to help his near or far vision. So he came up with an idea to, quite literally, split the difference. Franklin is widely credited as the inventor of bifocals.
In the letter to his friend George Whatley, a London merchant and pamphleteer, Franklin includes a sketch of his new invention, saying that he found the bifocals particularly useful while dining in France. With them, he wrote, he could see both the food he was eating and the facial expressions of people seated across the table, which helped him better interpret their words—crucial for a diplomat navigating a foreign country.
"I therefore had formerly two pair of spectacles, which I shifted occasionally, as in travelling I sometimes read, and often wanted to regard the prospects," Franklin wrote. "Finding this change troublesome...I had the glasses cut, and half of each kind associated in the same circle. By this means, as I wear my spectacles constantly, I have only to move my eyes up or down, as I want to see distinctly far or near, the proper glasses being always ready. "
The bifocal sketch came the year after Franklin made a special request to his optician: Slice in half the lenses of his reading glasses and long-distance glasses, then combine them together with the distance lenses on top and reading glasses on the bottom. Franklin called the glasses style "double spectacles," later known as bifocals.
Like with his other inventions—including the lightning rod, swim fins and urinary catheter—Franklin had little interest in making money. He wanted his bifocal breakthrough to help other members of the community struggling with vision deterioration. Franklin never patented any of his inventions, intent on sharing them freely.
May 23
Benjamin Franklin reveals his design for bifocal glasses
In a letter dated May 23, 1785, Benjamin Franklin reveals his design for what would later be called bifocal glasses. The Pennsylvania inventor, printer, author, diplomat and American Founding Father had grown tired of alternating between two different pairs of glasses to help his near or far vision. So he came up with an idea to, quite literally, split the difference. Franklin is widely credited as the inventor of bifocals.
In the letter to his friend George Whatley, a London merchant and pamphleteer, Franklin includes a sketch of his new invention, saying that he found the bifocals particularly useful while dining in France. With them, he wrote, he could see both the food he was eating and the facial expressions of people seated across the table, which helped him better interpret their words—crucial for a diplomat navigating a foreign country.
"I therefore had formerly two pair of spectacles, which I shifted occasionally, as in travelling I sometimes read, and often wanted to regard the prospects," Franklin wrote. "Finding this change troublesome...I had the glasses cut, and half of each kind associated in the same circle. By this means, as I wear my spectacles constantly, I have only to move my eyes up or down, as I want to see distinctly far or near, the proper glasses being always ready. "
The bifocal sketch came the year after Franklin made a special request to his optician: Slice in half the lenses of his reading glasses and long-distance glasses, then combine them together with the distance lenses on top and reading glasses on the bottom. Franklin called the glasses style "double spectacles," later known as bifocals.
Like with his other inventions—including the lightning rod, swim fins and urinary catheter—Franklin had little interest in making money. He wanted his bifocal breakthrough to help other members of the community struggling with vision deterioration. Franklin never patented any of his inventions, intent on sharing them freely.
#2
Non Hunting/Fishing Photos / Re: Pinto deer
Last post by Okanagan - Today at 09:16:43 AMSaw the same piebald doe in the same field last evening. Some tourists had stopped and were taking pictures of it. (What does that make me?) 
It kept its head down, feeding aggressively, and I missed getting a pic when its head was up out of the long grass. It ignored me and any sounds I made to get it to perk up its head, but it fed into nearby cover as quickly as it could without running. I suspect that it feels pestered by people taking picture of it
I plan to check on it when every few days to see what color of fawn it has, which is due very soon. That's assuming it is pregnant.
It kept its head down, feeding aggressively, and I missed getting a pic when its head was up out of the long grass. It ignored me and any sounds I made to get it to perk up its head, but it fed into nearby cover as quickly as it could without running. I suspect that it feels pestered by people taking picture of it
I plan to check on it when every few days to see what color of fawn it has, which is due very soon. That's assuming it is pregnant.
#4
The Tailgate / Today in history 5-22
Last post by remrogers - Yesterday at 10:59:38 AM1856
May 22
Southern congressman beats Northern senator with a cane in the halls of Congress
Southern Congressman Preston Brooks savagely beats Northern Senator Charles Sumner in the halls of Congress as tensions rise over the expansion of slavery.
When the controversial Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was passed, popular sovereignty was applied within the two new territories and people were given the right to decide the slavery issue by vote. Because the act nullified the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the debate over slavery intensified. Northerners were incensed that slavery could again resurface in an area where it had been banned for over 30 years. When violence broke out in Kansas Territory, the issue became central in Congress. On May 19, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, an ardent abolitionist, began a two-day speech on the Senate floor in which he decried the "crime against Kansas" and blasted three of his colleagues by name, one of whom—South Carolina Senator Andrew P. Butler—was elderly, sick and absent from the proceedings.
Butler's cousin, Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina, who had a history of violence, took it upon himself to defend the honor of his kin. Wielding the cane he used for injuries he incurred in a duel over a political debate in 1840, Brooks entered the Senate chamber and attacked Sumner at his desk, which was bolted to the floor. Sumner's legs were pinned by the desk so he could not escape the savage beating. It was not until other congressmen subdued Brooks that Sumner finally escaped.
Brooks became an instant hero in the South, and supporters sent him many replacement canes. He was vilified in the North and became a symbol of the stereotypically inflexible, uncompromising representative of the slave power. The incident exemplified the growing hostility between the two camps in the prewar years.
Sumner did not return to the Senate for three years while he recovered.
May 22
Southern congressman beats Northern senator with a cane in the halls of Congress
Southern Congressman Preston Brooks savagely beats Northern Senator Charles Sumner in the halls of Congress as tensions rise over the expansion of slavery.
When the controversial Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was passed, popular sovereignty was applied within the two new territories and people were given the right to decide the slavery issue by vote. Because the act nullified the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the debate over slavery intensified. Northerners were incensed that slavery could again resurface in an area where it had been banned for over 30 years. When violence broke out in Kansas Territory, the issue became central in Congress. On May 19, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, an ardent abolitionist, began a two-day speech on the Senate floor in which he decried the "crime against Kansas" and blasted three of his colleagues by name, one of whom—South Carolina Senator Andrew P. Butler—was elderly, sick and absent from the proceedings.
Butler's cousin, Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina, who had a history of violence, took it upon himself to defend the honor of his kin. Wielding the cane he used for injuries he incurred in a duel over a political debate in 1840, Brooks entered the Senate chamber and attacked Sumner at his desk, which was bolted to the floor. Sumner's legs were pinned by the desk so he could not escape the savage beating. It was not until other congressmen subdued Brooks that Sumner finally escaped.
Brooks became an instant hero in the South, and supporters sent him many replacement canes. He was vilified in the North and became a symbol of the stereotypically inflexible, uncompromising representative of the slave power. The incident exemplified the growing hostility between the two camps in the prewar years.
Sumner did not return to the Senate for three years while he recovered.
#6
The Tailgate / Today in history 5-21
Last post by remrogers - May 21, 2025, 09:27:52 AM1901
May 21
Connecticut enacts first speed-limit law
On May 21, 1901, Connecticut becomes the first state to pass a law regulating motor vehicles, limiting their speed to 12 mph in cities and 15 mph on country roads.
Speed limits had been set earlier in the United States for non-motorized vehicles: In 1652, the colony of New Amsterdam (now New York) issued a decree stating that "[N]o wagons, carts or sleighs shall be run, rode or driven at a gallop" at the risk of incurring a fine starting at "two pounds Flemish," or about $150 in today's currency. In 1899, the New York City cabdriver Jacob German was arrested for driving his electric taxi at 12 mph. The path to Connecticut's 1901 speed limit legislation began when Representative Robert Woodruff submitted a bill to the State General Assembly proposing a motor-vehicles speed limit of 8 mph within city limits and 12 mph outside. The law passed in May 1901 specified higher speed limits but required drivers to slow down upon approaching or passing horse-drawn vehicles, and come to a complete stop if necessary to avoid scaring the animals.
On the heels of this landmark legislation, New York City introduced the world's first comprehensive traffic code in 1903. Adoption of speed regulations and other traffic codes was a slow and uneven process across the nation, however. As late as 1930, a dozen states had no speed limit, while 28 states did not even require a driver's license to operate a motor vehicle. Rising fuel prices contributed to the lowering of speed limits in several states in the early 1970s, and in January 1974 President Richard Nixon signed a national speed limit of 55 mph into law. These measures led to a welcome reduction in the nation's traffic fatality rate, which dropped from 4.28 per million miles of travel in 1972 to 3.33 in 1974 and a low of 2.73 in 1983.
Concerns about fuel availability and cost later subsided, and in 1987 Congress allowed states to increase speed limits on rural interstates to 65 mph. The National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 repealed the maximum speed limit. This returned control of setting speed limits to the states, many of which soon raised the limits to 70 mph and higher on a portion of their roads, including rural and urban interstates and limited access roads.
May 21
Connecticut enacts first speed-limit law
On May 21, 1901, Connecticut becomes the first state to pass a law regulating motor vehicles, limiting their speed to 12 mph in cities and 15 mph on country roads.
Speed limits had been set earlier in the United States for non-motorized vehicles: In 1652, the colony of New Amsterdam (now New York) issued a decree stating that "[N]o wagons, carts or sleighs shall be run, rode or driven at a gallop" at the risk of incurring a fine starting at "two pounds Flemish," or about $150 in today's currency. In 1899, the New York City cabdriver Jacob German was arrested for driving his electric taxi at 12 mph. The path to Connecticut's 1901 speed limit legislation began when Representative Robert Woodruff submitted a bill to the State General Assembly proposing a motor-vehicles speed limit of 8 mph within city limits and 12 mph outside. The law passed in May 1901 specified higher speed limits but required drivers to slow down upon approaching or passing horse-drawn vehicles, and come to a complete stop if necessary to avoid scaring the animals.
On the heels of this landmark legislation, New York City introduced the world's first comprehensive traffic code in 1903. Adoption of speed regulations and other traffic codes was a slow and uneven process across the nation, however. As late as 1930, a dozen states had no speed limit, while 28 states did not even require a driver's license to operate a motor vehicle. Rising fuel prices contributed to the lowering of speed limits in several states in the early 1970s, and in January 1974 President Richard Nixon signed a national speed limit of 55 mph into law. These measures led to a welcome reduction in the nation's traffic fatality rate, which dropped from 4.28 per million miles of travel in 1972 to 3.33 in 1974 and a low of 2.73 in 1983.
Concerns about fuel availability and cost later subsided, and in 1987 Congress allowed states to increase speed limits on rural interstates to 65 mph. The National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 repealed the maximum speed limit. This returned control of setting speed limits to the states, many of which soon raised the limits to 70 mph and higher on a portion of their roads, including rural and urban interstates and limited access roads.
#7
Fishing Photos / Re: When Grampa puts ya on the...
Last post by Todd Rahm - May 20, 2025, 02:52:35 PMThat's awesome Jim!!! The grow so fast. It seems like yesterday your kid were that age.
She has a dandy of a fish too!!!!
She has a dandy of a fish too!!!!
#8
Big Game / Re: Air Power!
Last post by Okanagan - May 20, 2025, 11:13:22 AMAn air rifle was good enough for Lewis and Clark.
Meanwhile, I'd surely love to have that .25 bullpup air rifle that Hunt&Carve showed us awhile back!
Meanwhile, I'd surely love to have that .25 bullpup air rifle that Hunt&Carve showed us awhile back!
#9
The Tailgate / Today in history 5-20
Last post by remrogers - May 20, 2025, 10:09:24 AM1873
May 20
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive patent for blue jeans
On May 20, 1873, San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and Reno, Nevada, tailor Jacob Davis are given a patent to create work pants reinforced with metal rivets, marking the birth of one of the world's most famous garments: blue jeans.
In San Francisco, Strauss established a wholesale dry goods business under his own name and worked as the West Coast representative of his family's firm. His new business imported clothing, fabric and other dry goods to sell in the small stores opening all over California and other Western states to supply the rapidly expanding communities of gold miners and other settlers. By 1866, Strauss had moved his company to expanded headquarters and was a well-known businessman and supporter of the Jewish community in San Francisco.
Jacob Davis, a tailor in Reno, Nevada, was one of Levi Strauss' regular customers. In 1872, he wrote a letter to Strauss about his method of making work pants with metal rivets on the stress points—at the corners of the pockets and the base of the button fly—to make them stronger. As Davis didn't have the money for the necessary paperwork, he suggested that Strauss provide the funds and that the two men get the patent together. Strauss agreed enthusiastically, and the patent for "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings"–the innovation that would produce blue jeans as we know them–was granted to both men on May 20, 1873.
Strauss brought Davis to San Francisco to oversee the first manufacturing facility for "waist overalls," as the original jeans were known. At first they employed seamstresses working out of their homes, but by the 1880s, Strauss had opened his own factory. The famous 501 brand jean—known until 1890 as "XX"—was soon a bestseller, and the company grew quickly. By the 1920s, Levi's denim waist overalls were the top-selling men's work pant in the United States. As decades passed, the craze only grew, and now blue jeans are worn and beloved by people old, young and everything in between around the world.
May 20
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive patent for blue jeans
On May 20, 1873, San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and Reno, Nevada, tailor Jacob Davis are given a patent to create work pants reinforced with metal rivets, marking the birth of one of the world's most famous garments: blue jeans.
In San Francisco, Strauss established a wholesale dry goods business under his own name and worked as the West Coast representative of his family's firm. His new business imported clothing, fabric and other dry goods to sell in the small stores opening all over California and other Western states to supply the rapidly expanding communities of gold miners and other settlers. By 1866, Strauss had moved his company to expanded headquarters and was a well-known businessman and supporter of the Jewish community in San Francisco.
Jacob Davis, a tailor in Reno, Nevada, was one of Levi Strauss' regular customers. In 1872, he wrote a letter to Strauss about his method of making work pants with metal rivets on the stress points—at the corners of the pockets and the base of the button fly—to make them stronger. As Davis didn't have the money for the necessary paperwork, he suggested that Strauss provide the funds and that the two men get the patent together. Strauss agreed enthusiastically, and the patent for "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings"–the innovation that would produce blue jeans as we know them–was granted to both men on May 20, 1873.
Strauss brought Davis to San Francisco to oversee the first manufacturing facility for "waist overalls," as the original jeans were known. At first they employed seamstresses working out of their homes, but by the 1880s, Strauss had opened his own factory. The famous 501 brand jean—known until 1890 as "XX"—was soon a bestseller, and the company grew quickly. By the 1920s, Levi's denim waist overalls were the top-selling men's work pant in the United States. As decades passed, the craze only grew, and now blue jeans are worn and beloved by people old, young and everything in between around the world.
#10
Big Game / Re: Air Power!
Last post by FinsnFur - May 19, 2025, 06:38:28 PMWifes gonna have to pick up a second job