In the days before motorized propulsion, sailors would sometimes find themselves slowed nearly to a stop by what they called ‘dead water‘. As discovered in laboratory experiments over a century Keep reading
Tag: history
The Boston Molasses Flood
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Boston Molasses Flood, and to commemorate this bizarre disaster, I’ve made a video about the key findings from my research with colleagues at Keep reading
The Great Smog of London
Our atmosphere is active and ever-changing – except when it isn’t. Some areas, including many cities, are prone to what’s known as a temperature inversion, where a layer of cooler Keep reading
Reader Question: Rudders
Reader le-mec writes: My question involves “fenestrated rudders”, a Chinese invention that involved cutting diamond-shaped holes in the rudders of ancient Chinese sailing ships (known as Junks). According to several Keep reading
Reader Question: Submarines
Reader elimik asks: Why do modern submarines have round bows instead of pointy ones, like the early WWII ones? Interestingly, there are more factors that affect this design choice than Keep reading