You never knew what you were missing. http://www.JunkWorthKnowing.com http://www.junkworthknowing.com/images/rsslogo.gif http://www.junkworthknowing.com 144 51 You never knew what you were missing. In 1901 construction was started on a tower in Long Island like no other. Designed to send transatlantic radio signals and provide power to nearby businesses without the use of copper lines, the 55 foot tower loomed ominously.  The dream of Nicola Tesla to provide free power with no lines by harnessing the ionosphere would be demonstrated with this project and backed by notable investors such as J. P. Morgan himself... http://www.junkworthknowing.com/technology/nicola_teslas_wardenclyffe_tower Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST During the 1950's, the Coldwar between the US and the Soviets was well underway with much of the "battle" taking place in the Arctic. Operating in the Arctic posed unique problems for the US when it came to moving soldiers in and out. Ships could not be depended on to break through the ice, aircraft runways were hard to maintain, and the area was beyond the range of helicopters. The CIA enlisted the help of a creative inventor, who had a strangely unique solution: the skyhook... http://www.junkworthknowing.com/technology/fulton_skyhook Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST The Chinese are responsible for some of the most prolific inventions in all of history. The aptly named Four Great Inventions of Ancient China: paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing have contributed a great deal to society. But other great innovations have come from China over the years. Some are surprising, some are odd, and some are just plain cool... http://www.junkworthknowing.com/technology/notable_chinese_inventions Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST During the Second World War, the Germans possessed a tool that gave them a huge advantage over the Allied forces: the Enigma Machine. Although it was available commercially, its biggest adopters were the German Military. It allowed them to encrypt and decrypt communications much to the frustration of their enemies. Once the Allied forces figured out how to break the cipher, the messages they decrypted became known as Ultra intelligence... http://www.junkworthknowing.com/technology/enigma_machine_and_ultra_intelligence Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST The infinite monkey theorem revolves around the idea that a monkey hitting random keys on a typewriter (or in today's context, a keyboard) for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a given text, usually defined as the complete works of William Shakespeare. Typing monkeys have made numerous appearances in media, from The Simpsons to A Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, to a Bob Newhart stand up routine, giving them a notable position in pop culture... http://www.junkworthknowing.com/technology/the_infinite_monkey_theorem Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST The Song Dynasty was the ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279 CE. Notable advances in civil engineering, nautics, and metallurgy were made in Song China. These advances, along with the introduction of paper-printed money, helped revolutionize and sustain the economy of the Song Dynasty. Intellectuals such as Shen Kuo (1031-1095) and Su Song (1020-1101) are responsible for many of the advances during this time... http://www.junkworthknowing.com/technology/the_song_dynasty Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST