Sunday, September 20, 2015

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Building the Hoover Dam

In the early years of the 20th century, the rapid development of the southwestern United States was creating a high demand for electricity and water. Simultaneously, a series of catastrophic floods made it clear that the Colorado River needed to be dammed and controlled.

In 1922, the U.S. Reclamation Service settled on Black Canyon as the ideal location for a dam. They had initially chosen Boulder Canyon (unfortunately located on a seismic fault line), which gave the project its first name, Boulder Dam.

Congress authorized the project in 1928; construction began in 1931, under the direction of a consortium called Six Companies, Incorporated.

The Great Depression was in full swing, and tens of thousands of hopeful workers flocked to the dam site with their families, camping out in temperatures that reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit. At its peak, the project employed 5,251 people.

Grand Canyon from the Stratosphere! A Space Balloon Story

Friday, September 04, 2015

Statistically speaking, when are you going to die? Go find out!

The last Friday of the summer season is now upon us. As the days shorten and the leaves change and the year staggers toward its frigid terminus in the dead of winter, we at Wonkblog have been thinking about the inevitable conclusions of our own lives, and wondering how much of our potential we've squandered already.

Driven to Kill

It seems like a crazy urban legend: In China, drivers who have injured pedestrians will sometimes then try to kill them. And yet not only is it true, it’s fairly common; security cameras have regularly captured drivers driving back and forth on top of victims to make sure that they are dead. The Chinese language even has an adage for the phenomenon: “It is better to hit to kill than to hit and injure.”

Thursday, September 03, 2015

Chain Whip - 2014 China Traditional Wushu Nationals

Watermelon

Dumb Sounding Birds Of North America

The Dutch Angle

Riding Light: What It Looks Like To Leave Our Solar System At The Speed Of Light

Raw Craft with Anthony Bourdain - Steve Goodson - Saxophone

Raw Craft with Anthony Bourdain - Frank Shattuck - Suits

Raw Craft with Anthony Bourdain - Borough Furnace - Cast Iron

Raw Craft with Anthony Bourdain - Bob Kramer - Chef's Knife

Floating Cards

Everybody is at the Club: Hell's Club

The Last Audio Cassette Factory