h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey Mycroft - hows it going? There've been quite a few suggestions made here that don't seem to be included in your entry, perhaps you could make an update?

Regards scientific measurements, perhaps you could have a seperate on scientific units, something like: "Almost every standard scientific unit has been named after one famous scientist or another." and then supply a couple of interesting examples. The same applies for other obvious groups, like political movements.

anyhow, let us know what's going on...
-Martin

Do you specialise in waking up old threads?!

Well, I'd like to see a bit more activity in the CWW, now I've got my first successful entry recc'd from here, so I thought I'd wake up some of the threads and check for progress

Amelia Bloomer, American Feminist
Louis Braille, French Inventor
Prof R Bunsen
7th Earl of Cardigan
Luke Hansard, Printer
John Loudon Macadam
Sam Browne
4th Earl of Sandwich
General Henry Shrapnell
James Watt, Engineer
1st Duke of Wellington

Samuel Morse
Samuel Plimsoll
George Pullman

We can get this wheel turning.

Ooh, lots of good examples there. But to judge from A632990 , I think we need more detail on each one, not just a big list...

I'll try and do a bit of research on Amelia, if I get the time.

I could easily get the gen on these people and do a para or two on each one - no problem.

It's a pity Mycroft isn't around at the moment.

The way this is going, it could turn into a Uni project. It'd be too big for a Guide Entry.

I'd be quite keen to get involved.

Bels

Irritatingly, he is around - just not reading this thread...

Hi guys,

This was one of the first threads i posted to on h2g2, i seem to recall.

I'd be up for doing a couple of write-ups along the lines in Mycroft's current batch.

No promises, but watch this space...

I'll leave a message on his PS.

The Plimsoll Line, being the marking on the side of a ship which will disappear below the water line if the ship is overloaded, is named after Samuel Plimsoll (1824-1898), a Bristolian Englishman who spent much of his life campaigning against the negligence of shipowners and governmental indifference to maritime safety. The Plimsoll Line itself was legislated in 1876 as an amendment to the Merchant Shipping Act, 1871, whilst Plimsoll was Member of Parliament for Derby.

Nothing to do with the gymnastic shoe then?

That's why they are called Plimsolls. Because they have that red line around them.

In Scotland gymn shoes are called gutties as they were made of gutta percha - rubber but that's a plant rather than a person.

Mind you I did know a Dr Haggis. He was a fairly young chap and nobody had the courage to ask if he had a relative who was a butcher many generations ago

Carronade is a Nelson's navy type of gun after the Carron Iron works in Falkirk where they were first made. Books on Hornblower and Bolitho etc are full of references to them as part of a British Man-o-War's armament.

http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavycarronade.htm


http://www.nmm.ac.uk/faqs/2001_03.htm

For a reference to what Burns wrote about the Carron Iron Works, see F95061?thread=209542&post=2394148#p2394148

Bels

Maybe this will set the eponymous ball rolling again?

As the official record of proceedings in the parliaments of both UK and Australia, Hansard is a verbatim transcript of parliamentary sittings and Committee hearings. It is named after the Hansard family, notably printer Luke Hansard (1752–1828) and his son Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833).

I mentioned Hansard ages ago, Monty. It's rather a good one, because it is not as though there is any other, more generic, name for it.

Like the Plimsoll line? Or Braille. Or Morse.

I was just trying to prod it along a bit so selected a random eponym from the list and padded it out a bit.

As Mycroft is expecting, I hope.

Trout.

Would you be interested in a uni project on this, trout? Or anyone else?

Anyone? I'll keep posting here ... eventually someone will take it up.

The Derby is a horse-race run on the flat at the switchback Epsom Downs course in England. It was founded in 1780 by the twelfth Earl of Derby, and is now the Blue-Riband event in the flat-racing calendar.

Legend has it that the Earl, in fact, won a bet with Sir Charles Bunbury over who would sponsor the race. Bunbury’s horse, Diomed won the inaugural Derby.

Other derbys now include the Kentucky Derby and Liverpool v Everton.