Gustave Eiffel and the Eiffel Tower

A master engineer who came to be known as â€Å"the magician of iron,† Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel’s reputation was ultimately crowned by the marvelous, latticed Parisian tower that bears his name. But the 300-meter–high sensation has dwarfed a catalog of sensational projects by the Dijon-born visionary. Early Life and Career Born in 1832 in Djion, France, Eiffel’s mother owned a prosperous coal business. Two uncles, Jean-Baptiste Mollerat and Michel Perret, were major influences on Eiffel, discussing a wide range of subjects with the boy. After finishing high school, Eiffel was admitted to a top school, Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris. Eiffel studied chemistry there, but after graduating in 1855, he took a job with a company that specialized in making ​railway bridges.   Eiffel was a fast learner. By 1858 he was directing bridge construction. In 1866 he went into business for himself and in 1868 formed a company, Eiffel Cie. That company installed a  major bridge, the Ponte Dona Maria, in Porto, Portugal with 525-foot steel arch, and the highest bridge in France, the Garabit Viaduct, before eventually dissolving. Eiffel’s list of constructions is daunting. He built the Nice Observatory, the Cathedral of San Pedro de Tacna in Peru, plus theaters, hotels, and fountains.   Ã‚      Eiffels Work on the Statue of Liberty Among his many great constructions, one project rivaled the Eiffel Tower in terms of fame and glory: designing the interior frame for the Statue of Liberty. Eiffel took the design—by sculptor Frà ©dà ©ric Auguste Bartholdi—and made it a reality, creating an internal framework around which the massive statue could be sculpted. It was Eiffel who conceived of the two spiral staircases inside the statue.   The Eiffel Tower The Statue of Liberty was finished and opened in 1886. The next year work began on Eiffel’s defining piece, a tower for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, France, built to honor the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Construction of the Eiffel Tower, an astounding feat of engineering, took more than two years, but it was worth the wait. Visitors flocked to the stunning 300 meter-high work—at the time the world’s tallest man-made structure—and made the exhibition one of the few worlds fairs to make a profit.   Eiffels Death and Legacy The Eiffel Tower was originally supposed to be taken down after the fair, but the decision was reconsidered. The architectural wonder remained, and is now as popular as ever, drawing immense crowds each day.    Eiffel died in 1923 at the age of 91.

Bolivars End Of The Second Republic - 1199 Words

Bolivar returned to fight another day in 1813. He declared a ‘war to the death’ against Spain. He gained support from Colombia and drove the Spanish out of the Magdalena River area and amassed himself a large army. Civilian leaders in Cartagena then gave him permission to liberate western Venezuela. He did so and continued to take Caracas in August of 1813. This was known as Simon Bolivar’s â€Å"Admiral Campaign†. He went on to declare a second republic and assumed his role as a military dictator. â€Å"The Second Republic collapsed within a few months, however, because Bolivar had failed to win the support of the non-white, many of whom were instead recruited to fight with those loyal to the king.† What also led to the fall of the Second Republic was the â€Å"Infernal Legion† that consisted of skilled lancers claiming to give back to the poor and loyal to Spain. Led by Thomas Boves they fought the patriots, under General Jose Felix Ribas, at the battle of La Puerta where Boves won. General Ribas was able to keep him out of Caracas until the second battle of La Puerta June 1814 where the patriot army was in disarray and devastation. Boves took Valencia and then Caracas bringing a fall to the Second Republic of Venezuela. After the defeat, Bolivar returned to New Grenada until 1815. Under the Second Republic Bolivar and his ‘ war to the death’ killed any Spaniard he came across if they were not active on the patriot side creating the bloodiest part of this revolution. ThereforeShow MoreRelatedMorelos, Bolivar and Latin American Independence Essay943 Words   |  4 PagesNation to justify his ideals concerning a democratic state that was heavily theocratic in manner. Bolà ­var, in contrast had a more efficient plan. In his Address Delivered at the Inauguration of the Second National Congress of Venezuela, Bolà ­var supports the idea of governing Latin America as a republic. The Sentiments of the Nation is a defensive piece that lays the groundwork for Morelos’ Constitutional Decree for the Liberty of the Mexican America. The article has twenty-three points all of whichRead MoreSimon Boliver : The Revolutionary Leader912 Words   |  4 PagesBolà ­var was seeking the support of Britain. There, he met Francisco de Miranda and invited him back to his homeland to participate in his young republic government. Unfortunately, when Bolà ­var returned from Britain, he discovered that a civil quarrel was happening between the patriots and the royalists. This laid the groundwork but the First Venezuelan Republic in 1811. This voted for complete independence, plus dropping loyalty to the King. Adding to the string of unfortunate events, a massive earthquakeRead More Simon Bolivar Essay603 Words   |  3 Pagesdiplomatic mission. It was a failed attempt to gain an alliance. He returned to Venezuela in 1811 and won a battle in Valencia. Quickly he looses the port of Puerto Cabello to the Royalists during the First Republic. However he was able to recoup his troops in 1813 and institute the Venezuelan Second Republic with himself as the ruler. By this time Bolivar had not fully established himself as a leader from the warlords and other patriots. Without their support he was chased out of Venezuela. He took refugeRead More The Role of President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela Essays4884 Words   |  20 Pagesfor Venezuelas oil. Political History In 1958, the first popularly elected president to complete his term, Romulo Betancourt, implemented a crude form of democracy that guaranteed economic distribution to all classes. From 1958 until the end of Andres Perezs first term in 1978, Venezuelas economic performance was characterized by steady growth. Oil rents provided a stable flow of income, which was distributed by the state to promote national development and to meet the extensive welfareRead MoreRevolutionary Changes in the Atlantic World, 1750–185010951 Words   |  44 Pagesonly to a minority of the adult male population and which protected slavery. The French Revolution, 1789–1815 A. French Society and Fiscal Crisis 1.French society was divided into three groups: the First Estate (clergy), the Second Estate (hereditary nobility), and the Third Estate (everyone else). The clergy and the nobility controlled vast amounts of wealth, and the clergy was exempt from nearly all taxes. 2.The Third Estate included the rapidly growingRead MoreAbortion6774 Words   |  28 Pages Andes Mountains D. Tropical rainforest climate E. None of the above 21. In 1808: *A. Rio de Janeiro became the seat of the Portuguese Empire B. Napoleon threatened to take over Sà £o Paulo C. Brazil began its dominance of the Spanish republics, making them the equivalent of colonies D. the Spanish began to make inroads into Brazilian territory E. the Amazon River basin was lost to former leaders of the Incan Empire Cultural Fragmentation 22. Which of the following is not a

Hume Philosophy Paper Free Essays

David Hume was an early 18th century philosopher that is best known for covering a variety of theories. He covered that reason alone cannot be a motive to the will, moral distinctions are not derived from reason and moral distinctions are direct from the moral sentiments [Treatise of Human Nature, 11]. â€Å"Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them† [T 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Hume Philosophy Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now 3. 3 p. 414] in his work A Treatise of Human Nature. Reason alone cannot motivate or oppose passion. â€Å"Reason is perfectly inert and can never either prevent or produce any action or affection† [Book 2, 265]; moral distinctions are not derived from reasons. Reason does not by itself constitute grounds for an action of desire. Reason only â€Å"intervenes to explain passion’s impulses to actions proceedings† and thus connecting between two elements [Book 3, pg. 296]. Passion can influence or even disregard reason on purpose to serve goals behind actions. Moral distinctions are â€Å"derived from feelings of pleasure and pain and not from reason†. Reason itself â€Å"cannot produce or prevent any action or affection and morals concern actions† and affections and therefore cannot be based on reason [Book 3, pg. 301]. Due to the idea that distinctions are not based on reason, Hume states that they are based on sentiments that are felt by moral sense This can be related to the study of how we are motivated to act morally and the role of practical reason in moral motivation. The role of reason is only to find out which means help achieve a given goal. Our goals are set by what Hume calls the passion and what today is mostly called desires. Reason is the â€Å"slave of passion† in the sense that it practical reason alone cannot give rise to moral motivation, but dependent on motivational force. Hume claims that â€Å"passions do not refer to external things† [Book 3 pg. 336], but that they are an original existence. In other words, passions are the very substance of the self. How to cite Hume Philosophy Paper, Essay examples

Are Children Smarter Because of the Internet free essay sample

For most children and teenagers, using the Internet has joined watching television and talking on the phone in the repertoire of typical behavior. In fact, 87 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds are now online, according to a 2005 Pew Research Center report. Thats a 24 percent increase over the previous four years, leading parents and policymakers to worry about the effect access to worlds of informationand misinformationhas on children. Psychologists are only beginning to answer that question, but a study led by Michigan State University psychologist Linda Jackson, PhD, showed that home Internet use improved standardized reading test scores. Other researchers have found that having the Internet at home encourages children to be more self-directed learners. We had the same question for television decades ago, but I think the Internet is more important than television because its interactive, says Jackson. Its 24/7 and its ubiquitous in young peoples lives. The positive effects of Internet use appear especially pronounced among poor children, say researchers. Unfortunately, these children are also the least likely to have home computers, which some experts say may put them at a disadvantage. The interesting twist here is that the very children who are most likely to benefit from home Internet access are the ones least likely to have it, says Jackson. Its a classic digital divide issue. Point, click and read In her research, published in a 2006 Developmental Psychology (Vol. 42, No. 3, pages 429-435) special section on Internet use, Jackson studied 140 urban children as part of HomeNetToo, a longitudinal field study designed to assess the effects of Internet use in low-income families. Most of the child participants were African American and around 13 years old; 75 percent lived in single-parent households with an average annual income of $15,000 or less. The children were also underperforming in school, scoring in the 30th percentile on standardized reading tests at the beginning of the study. Jackson and her colleagues provided each family with a home computer and free Internet access. The researchers automatically and continuously recorded the childrens Internet use, and participants completed periodic surveys and participated in home visits. They found that children who used the Internet more had higher scores on standardized reading tests after six months, and higher grade point averages one year and 16 months after the start of the study than did children who used it less. More time spent reading, given the heavily text-based nature of Web pages, may account for the improvement. Jackson also suggests that there may be yet-undiscovered differences between reading online and reading offline that may make online reading particularly attractive to children and teenagers. Whats unique about the Internet as compared with traditional ways of developing academic performance skills is that its more of a fun environment, she says. Its a play tool. You can learn without any pain. Beneficial academic outcomes may just be a coincidental effect of having a good time. Whats more, online reading may enhance skills that traditional book reading doesnt tap, says Donald Leu,PhD, the John and Maria Neag-Endowed Chair in Literacy and Tech nology at the University of Connecticut and director of the New Literacies Research Lab. Hes found no substantial association between online reading comprehension performance and performance on state reading assessments, as described in a 2005 report submitted to the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory/Learning Point Associates (available online at www. newliteracies. uconn. edu/ncrel_files/FinalNCRELReport. pdf). Thats because online reading takes different skills than traditional book reading, he says. Online reading relies heavily on information-location skills, including how to use search engines, as well as information-synthesis and critical evaluation skills. The studies that just look at learning fail to recognize that you have to have these online reading comprehension strategies in place before you can really learn very much with Internet information, says Leu. Leu is looking for ways to improve adolescents Internet reading comprehension through a three-year, U. S. Department of Education-funded research project, coled by reading education expert David Reinking, PhD, Eugene T. Moore Professor of Teacher Education at Clemson University. About half of the children the team studies dont use search engines, Leu says, preferring to zuse an ineffective dot com strategy. For example, if they are searching for information on the Iraq War, they will enter the URL iraqwar. com. This often leads to ad-filled trap sites that provide incorrect or irrelevant information, says Leu. And, the 50 percent of children who do use search engines use a click and look strategy of opening each returned site instead of reading the search engine synopsis. If a site appears as the children imagine it should, they believe its reliable, he says. Leu and colleagues asked 50 top reading seventh-graders from school districts in rural South Carolina and urban Connecticut to assess the reliability of a slickly designed Web site on the mythical endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Though the site is a known hoax, all but one child claimed it was scientifically valid. And even after the researchers informed the participants that the site was a joke, about half of the children were adamant that it was indeed truthful, says Leu. Self-directed learners To help children winnow the tree octopus sites from legitimate information, they must develop online reading comprehension skills. These skills are particularly crucial because other researchers have found that children go online to clarify what theyre being taught in school. Instead of waiting for a tutor or someone to help them, they are very proactive in seeking help for themselves, says Kallen Tsikalas, director of research and learning services for Computers for Youth (CFY), a national educational nonprofit organization. Home Internet use during the middleschool years appears to empower students and reengage them in learning at an age when their academic achievement traditionally drops, adds Tsikalas. Indeed, 70 percent of students in CFYs program consistently say that having a home computer helps them become more curious and feel more confident, and nearly two-thirds of students report working harder in school because they have a home computer, the organization reports. Though researchers have found encouraging evidence that Internet use can help children stay interested in school and develop reading skills, its not an easy area to study, say experts.