French Inventions Quizz (slightly OT)

Well, since we've been discussing France
(Answers in following thread) :

INVENTIONS

The 19th and early 20th centuries were prodigious times for inventions
and discoveries. With the industrial revolution in full blossom,
scientists, engineers and dilettantes alike were at work in every nation
hoping to have their name attached to the next breakthrough, if not
emblazoned on the cast-iron frame of the next mechanical wonder, symbol
of progress and source of prosperity for the inventor. It is often
difficult today to assign anteriority with any degree of certainty, and
the number of coincidences and similitude of work by different
protagonists, in different nations, often unknown to one another, is
nothing short of astonishing. Much historical work has been done though,
and it is possible to re-trace the development of many inventions, and in
many, if not most cases to attribute clear inventors' rights.

Following is a list of important inventions and discoveries which French
people learn as being part of their national heritage. Try to guess which
truly a


PHOTOGRAPHY

MOTION PICTURES

AVIATION

THE AUTOMOBILE

THE BICYCLE

SOUND RECORDING

RADIOACTIVITY (discovery of)

IMMUNOLOGY


BONUS QUESTION:
What nationality can legitimately claim Radio broadcasting, the Internal
Combustion Engine, and the Telephone?

Greg Farris wrote:
AVIATION

I don't see how "Aviation" is an invention. The word seems to specify a
broad category, not any single machine.

Still, I believe the Frenchmen Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier are
considered the fathers of aviation due to their development of manned hot
air balloons. But they were presumably inspired by the book "Experiments
and Observations on Different Kinds of Air" by the Englishman Joseph
Priestley.

Jim Logajan wrote:
Greg Farris wrote:
AVIATION

I don't see how "Aviation" is an invention. The word seems to specify a
broad category, not any single machine.

Still, I believe the Frenchmen Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier are
considered the fathers of aviation due to their development of manned hot
air balloons. But they were presumably inspired by the book "Experiments
and Observations on Different Kinds of Air" by the Englishman Joseph
Priestley.

The Motgolfier brothers used hot air produced by a smoky fire but they
thought smoke caused the lift, rather than a density difference. The
reason they always had a bottle of wine to give to the people at the
landing spot was to quell the fears associated with a highly colored,
smoke-breathing monster landing in the fields. So, I don't believe they
really understood what they were doing.

Somewhat later Rosiere (sp?) invented the gas balloon. So, he must have
understood what he was doing. Unfortunately he died in a flight across
the English Channel.

Balloons were the first military aircraft. They were used to observe
battles in the French Revolution.

In article ,
says...




Jim Logajan wrote:
Greg Farris wrote:
AVIATION

I don't see how "Aviation" is an invention. The word seems to specify a
broad category, not any single machine.

Still, I believe the Frenchmen Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier are
considered the fathers of aviation due to their development of manned hot
air balloons. But they were presumably inspired by the book "Experiments
and Observations on Different Kinds of Air" by the Englishman Joseph
Priestley.

The Motgolfier brothers used hot air produced by a smoky fire but they
thought smoke caused the lift, rather than a density difference. The
reason they always had a bottle of wine to give to the people at the
landing spot was to quell the fears associated with a highly colored,
smoke-breathing monster landing in the fields. So, I don't believe they
really understood what they were doing.

Why not? Sounds OK to me!



Somewhat later Rosiere (sp?) invented the gas balloon. So, he must have
understood what he was doing. Unfortunately he died in a flight across
the English Channel.

Though it is not clearly established, I believe that surviving the experience
is part of the qualification drill. That's why all those Chinese who sent
themselves to the moon on firecrackers are not credited with inventing space
travel - that is until one of them comes back to tell us about it.

Arrgh! Thar be a lot of long words there matie!
We're naught but humble pirates (pilots) and
therefore unable to acquiesce to your request.

Capt. Barbosa



"Greg Farris" wrote in message
...
Well, since we've been discussing France
(Answers in following thread) :

INVENTIONS

The 19th and early 20th centuries were prodigious times for inventions
and discoveries. With the industrial revolution in full blossom,
scientists, engineers and dilettantes alike were at work in every nation
hoping to have their name attached to the next breakthrough, if not
emblazoned on the cast-iron frame of the next mechanical wonder, symbol
of progress and source of prosperity for the inventor. It is often
difficult today to assign anteriority with any degree of certainty, and
the number of coincidences and similitude of work by different
protagonists, in different nations, often unknown to one another, is
nothing short of astonishing. Much historical work has been done though,
and it is possible to re-trace the development of many inventions, and in
many, if not most cases to attribute clear inventors' rights.

Following is a list of important inventions and discoveries which French
people learn as being part of their national heritage. Try to guess which
truly a


PHOTOGRAPHY

MOTION PICTURES

AVIATION

THE AUTOMOBILE

THE BICYCLE

SOUND RECORDING

RADIOACTIVITY (discovery of)

IMMUNOLOGY


BONUS QUESTION:
What nationality can legitimately claim Radio broadcasting, the Internal
Combustion Engine, and the Telephone?

Most major technologies were created by a combination of efforts based
in many countries, although some countries were often more prominent
than others in certain fields.

France has a long and impressive history in the development of
technology, extending over several centuries. As in the rest of
Europe, this trend came to an end in France during the World Wars,
when Europeans decided to spend a century fighting and killing each
other instead of advancing society. Since that time, no country in
Europe, including France, has made much of a difference. It's a
tremendously huge loss, and one that most people don't seem to be
aware of.

The United States wasn't a player until fairly recently (slightly over
a century), but it was unaffected by the world wars, and now has a
leadership position that isn't likely to be challenged by Europeans
any time soon. It doesn't help that the world wars produced an
impressive brain drain, mainly from Europe to the United States.

It doesn't make sense for any country to "claim" anything, although
that doesn't stop them from doing so.

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Mxsmanic wrote:
The United States wasn't a player until fairly recently (slightly over
a century), but it was unaffected by the world wars...

What?! I think it's time you step away from the simulator, and learn
a little bit about the real world...

We were quite fortunate that the wars weren't, for the most part,
fought on our soil, but the US had about 16 million men and women in
the various branches of the armed forces during WWII alone. Over
400,000 were killed during the war. That's about twice the number of
military fatalities suffered by France, to chose one random example...


"Unaffected" my ass.

"Gary" wrote:

Mxsmanic wrote:
The United States wasn't a player until fairly recently (slightly over
a century), but it was unaffected by the world wars...

What?! I think it's time you step away from the simulator, and learn
a little bit about the real world...

We were quite fortunate that the wars weren't, for the most part,
fought on our soil, but the US had about 16 million men and women in
the various branches of the armed forces during WWII alone. Over
400,000 were killed during the war. That's about twice the number of
military fatalities suffered by France, to chose one random example...


"Unaffected" my ass.

In rereading his post, I think he's talking about the effect on
scientific development, not the impact on the military. Much of Europe's
infrastructure was destroyed in the wars, so they tended to concentrate
on rebuilding the infrastructure economy, rather than putting money into
R&D.

As far as your number of fatalities, there certainly are differences
between sources, but most suggest that the number of military fatalities
was similar when comparing the US and France. US fatalities were about
295,000, and French about 340,000. Of course the population of the US was
about three times that of France in 1939.

Considering the effect on the country, you also have to include civilian
fatalities. Depending on the source, there were anywhere between 500,000
and 700,000 civilian fatalities in France. The US had perhaps 10,000
civilian fatalities.

James Robinson writes:

In rereading his post, I think he's talking about the effect on
scientific development, not the impact on the military. Much of Europe's
infrastructure was destroyed in the wars, so they tended to concentrate
on rebuilding the infrastructure economy, rather than putting money into
R&D.

A lot of infrastructure was destroyed. Additionally, any non-military
research came to a halt, and never really got started again after the
war. There was also a brain drain from Europe, aggravated by Nazi
persecution of Jews, because many of the leading scientists in Europe
were Jewish (and thus were inclined to leave, or were prevented from
doing anything useful by the Nazis).

All in all, the Europeans blew it. They had their playground fights,
and the price they paid--beyond the hundred million people dead--was a
permanent window seat in the developed world.

The US had perhaps 10,000 civilian fatalities.

In the CONUS and Hawaii? Where?

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Gary writes:

What?! I think it's time you step away from the simulator, and learn
a little bit about the real world...

The US lost 400,000. The USSR alone lost 20 million, and 100 million
died altogether in WWII, with 75% of them being civilian. Civilian
losses for the US were virtually nil, and there was no signifcant
damage of infrastructure other than Pearl Harbor.

"Unaffected" my ass.

You don't know how good you have it.

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