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Sunday, July 18, 2010

More Imponderables



Why do clocks run clockwise?
Why do doughnuts have holes?
Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

5 comments:

Vincenzo said...

http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/doughnuts.asp

"Why do doughnuts have holes?

The question as to why doughnuts have holes has been raised by dozens of bakers over the years, but most agree that the answer to this sticky question lies in the fact that the interior of these fried cakes would not cook fully without a hole in the center. In short, the consistency of a doughnut lacking a hole would be, quite simply, doughy.

Another riveting theory as to the origin of the bulls eye in the doughnut holds that a sea captain named Hanson Gregory, while manning his post one stormy night, found it impossible both to steer his vessel and to eat his fried cake. Out of sheer frustration, and probably out of hunger, he impaled his cake over one of the spokes of the ship's wheel, thereby creating a finger hold with which to grip the cake. Quite pleased with his ingenuity, Mr. Gregory ordered the galley's cook to fry the cakes in that manner henceforth.

Whatever the reason for the hole in the doughnut, this fried cake, with or without a hole, has been incorporated into the diets of people throughout the world for centuries. In fact, archaeologists found petrified fried cakes with holes amongst the artifacts of a primitive Indian tribe.

Many credit Dutch settlers to America with introducing the non-holed olykoeks, or "oily cakes," to this continent, and with their subsequent popularity.

There is no disputing the fact that the fried cake became the rage in New York and in New England, and that before long, it became the specialty of coffee shops. Fried cakes came into their own in 1673, when a self-made New York marketing guru, Anna Joralemon, made their purchase at the market possible.

To this day, doughnuts, in any shape or form, remain married in our minds to coffee and police officers, and are here to stay."

Vincenzo said...

http://blogs.nlb.gov.sg/ask/adults/71

"Why do clocks go clockwise and not anti-clockwise?

Here are a few sources which may suggest the answer:

1. The reason that clocks turn clockwise has to do with sundials, which were the first clocks. In the northern hemisphere, the earth rotates counter-clockwise, which means that from our point of view the sun appears to move across the sky in a clockwise direction. Therefore, if you build a sundial to tell time, the shadows will move across it in a clockwise direction. With mechanical clocks, you could of course make them go around either way, but the earliest ones were presumably designed to turn the same way the shadows on a sundial do, simply because that’s what people were used to.

Source: Curious about Astronomy, last accessed 22 August 2006

2. Clocks were invented in the Northern Hemisphere where the Sun goes ‘clockwise’ (left to right) across the sky. If clocks had been invented in the Southern Hemisphere, where the Sun goes from right to left across the sky, clocks would have 9 where 3 is and 3 where 9 is.

Source: SunShip 2006 , last acessed 22 August 2006

Answered by Michelle Kwok, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services"

Vincenzo said...

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_Kamikaze_pilots_wear_helmets

"I heard it was to protect them from flying cow manure.
Actually you are incorrect. It was to save them from evil Alien lasers from Mars.
Ah Yes, You are correct don't forget about the Jedi's, I heard Yoda was a beast.
Do or do not, for a Kamikaze always trys.
I never knew the little bugs had little baby helmets!!! Aww.


All of the above is actually incorrect. It is actually to contain their heads when they crash so it is still in one piece. This is so the Japanese government can go back and pay whoever did their job. Even though they are dead.



^How mature guys, This is stupid don't believe a word theyre saying they are just trying to be funny. After all we all know it was aliens who wanted theyre heads to use as basketballs.

Their "helmets" were made of leather and canvas, and had the radio speakers over the ears.
They provided protection to the pilots to insure that they would make it to their targets. If they were unable to get to their target area, they were instructed to return to base, so that they and the planes could be used again to try at a better time.
Have you ever seen those helmets? They were really cool! What would be the point in being a kamikaze pilot if you couldn't wear the helmet?
Believe it or not, some Kamikaze pilots survived the war. Why? Many did not make it to their target and aborted their flights due to aircraft mechanical failures and other problems.

Well it could be because they didn't want to be cleaning up micelanious kamikaze pilot parts. at least the head bits"

swissmiss said...

V:
You are becoming Ray!!

The picture is an imponderable...
Why do Kennedys write books on saints?
Why do Kennedys support such anti-life politicians and their politics?

belinda said...

How to cell phones play songs when there are no instruments bells or whistles inside? Where does the sound come from and how does it get out?

Miss Swiss, hahahaha :)