Cool Fact of the Day [May 14th]
Synthetic Speech
When was the first electronic speech synthesizer demonstrated?
Machines that talk have been around for centuries. "Kratzenstein's pipes," built in 1779, used
whistles and resonating tubes to generate different vowel and consonant sounds. Mechanical
talking machines became popular during the Victorian era.
The first electronic speech synthesizer was called the Voder (Voice Operation Demonstrator).
Instead of using mechanical devices to make the sound waves, it used electric circuits. It was
operated by a skilled human using finger buttons, wrist straps, and foot pedals. Invented by
Homer Dudley, this innovative device was featured at the New York World's Fair in 1939.
Today, synthetic speech is generated by computer software. Speech synthesis is still a subtle
and difficult art, and most artificial speech still sounds mechanical.
More about the Voder:
obsolete.com
Bell Labs funded the Voder, and is still at the forefront of the field:
bell-labs.com
Cool Word of the Day
hipster [n. HIP-stur]
In North American slang, a hipster is a trendy or modish individual. Example: "Jack is quite a
hipster; he's always dressed in the latest fashions."
Though its origins are disputed, it was first seen in American English in the 1930s. It was then
used to describe a performer or admirer of jazz, particularly swing. As a result the word hipster
is closely related to hepcat.
Hep and hip were in use in the early 1900s in America. They were slang for aware, informed,
up-to-date, or with-it. Someone who was familiar or in-the-know about the latest ideas, styles, or
developments was hip.
The words hip and hep are of uncertain origin. One suggestion is that they were borrowed from
the vocabulary of West African slaves brought to the southern United States. These words
spread throughout the South and later the entire country.
Person of the Day
Sir William Turner Walton, 1902-83
British Composer
Symbolically "adopted" by the family of British poets Sacheverell, Osbert, and Edith Sitwell after
he left Oxford University in 1920, William Walton was subsequently introduced to the leading
members of British literary and musical society. Walton began to compose music; his first major
work -- "Facade" -- combined a background of music with Edith Sitwell's satirical poetry.
In the years leading up to World War II Walton wrote oratorios, symphonies, overtures, and
concertos, many of which found enduring popularity. In 1937, he was honored by being chosen
to compose the march for the coronation of King George VI.
Having created patriotic music during World War II, Turner was knighted in 1951. He continued
composing thereafter, producing music for motion pictures including "Hamlet" in 1947, and
"Richard III" in 1954. That same year, he wrote "Troilus and Cressida," an opera for which he
gained significant praise. Later in life, he was recognized as the "Grand Old Man" of British
music, and today his works have seen a resurgence in popularity.
More about William Turner Walton:
gdcannon.org
Quotes of the Day
The Beauty of Language; On the beauty and power of language:
"To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful, ready always to
apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry."
-- Gaston Bachelard, French philosopher
"Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they
are going."
-- Rita Mae Brown, American writer and playwright
"Everything can change, but not the language that we carry inside us, like a world more
exclusive and final than one's mother's womb."
-- Italo Calvino, Italian journalist, short-story writer, and novelist
"Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful."
-- Rita Dove, American poet and educator
Today in History
May 14th
1607: Jamestown Settlement Established
The first permanent English settlement in what is now the U.S. took place in Jamestown,
Virginia. Named after King James I, the town had an original population of 104 settlers.
More about Jamestown:
williamsburg.com
1796: Jenner Created Smallpox Vaccine
To provide immunity from smallpox, English physician Edward Jenner inoculated eight-year old
James Phipps with a small dose of cowpox. Jenner demonstrated that after having contracted
and recovered from this relatively mild disease, a person would then be immune from the more
deadly one. Jenner's development of a vaccine eventually led to the complete eradication of
smallpox worldwide.
More about Edward Jenner:
fivevalleys.demon.co.uk
1897: "Stars and Stripes Forever" Premiered
John Philip Sousa's march "The Stars and Stripes Forever" premiered in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. The occasion was the unveiling of a statue of George Washington. In 1985, a bill
was introduced in Congress to make "The Stars and Stripes Forever" the official national march
of the United States.
The last piece played by Sousa before his death was "The Stars and Stripes Forever":
dws.org
1973: Skylab was Launched
Skylab, the first American experimental space station, was launched. The station's successful
mission proved that humans could live and work in space for extended periods of time. Three
three-person crews occupied Skylab for a total of almost six months.
1980: Sumpul River Massacre
About 350 Salvadoran refugees were killed attempting to cross the Sumpul River from El
Salvador to Honduras. According to a report by the United Nations Truth Commission,
Salvadoran military units, the National Guard, and a death squad killed the refugees. The same
report stated that Honduran troops prevented the refugees from reaching Honduran soil.
Holidays & Events
May 14
Brighton Festival, Gospel Day
ENGLAND: BRIGHTON FESTIVAL
This May festival in the seaside town of Brighton is England's largest celebration of the arts.
Opera, theater, dance, performance art, and music are among the over 800 events on the bill.
Performers come from around the world to participate in this event now in its 35th year. It runs
from May 5 to May 27 this year.
Official site of the Brighton Festival:
brighton-festival.org.uk
Take a virtual tour of Brighton:
tourism.brighton.co.uk
TUVALU: GOSPEL DAY
On this South Pacific island, Gospel Day is held each year on the second Monday in May. This
holiday celebrates the arrival of Christian missionaries in about 1870.
More about Tuvalu:
cia.gov
tbc.gov.bc.ca
-----------------------
Copyright (c) 2001, The Learning Kingdom, Inc.
learningkingdom.com |
