Cannons

What are Cannons?

Cannons are large heavy pieces of artillery, usually mounted on wheels and formally used in warfare[1]. The first cannon was invented by Ctesibius of Alexandria in the 3rd century BC. However, these cannons were not driven by gunpowder, but by compressed air[5]. The first noted use of gunpowder was a cannon made in China.  These cannons originally descended from the fire lance, which was a tube attached to the end of a spear and used as a flamethrower. Eventually, the paper and bamboo which was used to make the barrel of the cannon was replaced by metal[4].

Ancient Chinese Cannon
http://www.themcs.org/weaponry/cannon/Chinese%20cannon%201332b.jpg

Two main Types of Cannons:

Throughout history, the two main types of cannons used were the smoothbore cannon and the rifle cannon. The smoothbore cannons shot spherical projectiles, like the classic, round cannonball. The ammunition used by these types of cannons consisted of five different kinds: solid shots, shells, spherical case shots, canisters and graph shots. The solid shots were used for destroying walls, buildings and ships. Shells were hollow and were usually filled with gunpowder or shrapnel. Canisters and grape shot turned the cannons into shotguns, which could then be used to kill men and destroy smaller objects.
Rifled cannons fired cylindrical, bullet-shaped projectiles. The rifled cannons spun the projectile as they fired them, increasing the cannon's accuracy and range. These cannons were used to burrow into brick wall and then explode, causing more damage than the smoothbore cannon[2].

Smoothbore Cannon
http://mrjohnsonssclasses.
wikispaces.com/file/view/
cannon_bronze_napoleon.jpg
/141913603/cannon_bronze_napoleon.jpg

Rifled Cannon
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia
/commons/d/d0/CW_Arty_Whitworth.jpg

How to Fire a Cannon:

Cannons work very similarly to guns. To fire a cannon, a charge (like gunpowder) is loaded into the barrel. Then the cannonball is loaded in, on top of the charge. Finally, wadding is placed on top, with a fuse. The fuse is then lit, which sets the wadding on fire, which, in turn, ignites the charge. As the charge burns, gases are formed. These gases build up in the cannon until the cannonball is blasted out of the cannon[3].

http://www.gifmania.co.uk/weapons/cannon/cannon3.gif

References:

[1] "Cannon." Dictionary.com. Web. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cannon>.
[2] "How Does a Cannon Work?" Fort Moultrie. Fort Sumter National Park Service. Web. <http://www.nps.gov/fosu/planyourvisit/upload/how_does_a_cannon_work.pdf>.
[3] "Phil Mann's Full Mind." How To Fire A Cannon Correctly. Web. (Blog)<http://philmannsfullmind.blogspot.ca/2011/02/how-to-fire-cannon-correctly.html>.
[4] "The Medieval Combat Society." Medieval Cannon. Web. <http://www.themcs.org/weaponry/cannon/cannon.htm>.
[5] "Who Invented Cannons." Who Guides. Web. <http://www.whoguides.com/who-invented-cannons>.

Hooray! 5/5! 

Take to the Sky: A History of the Flying Machines

For hundreds of years humans have been captivated by the idea of flight. People have watched birds soar through the air and this has led to many brilliant minds to try to figure out the "magic" behind flying. 

Approx. 400 BC - China

[5]

The Chinese were the first people to build a "flying machine". The creation of the kite is what got humans thinking about flying. Kites were used by the Chinese for religious ceremonies, to test weather conditions and, most importantly, for fun![1]

1485 - Leonardo da Vinci - The Ornithopter

[6]

The first true studies of flight were done by Leonardo da Vinci. Somewhere around 1486-1490 da Vinci created drawings of a sophisticated flight control system; the ornithoptor. Although the machine was never actually built, it was a huge step in man's dream to fly. In fact, it was so advanced that the modern day helicopter is based on it's concept.[2]

1783 - Joseph and Jacques (Étienne) Montgolfier - the First Hot Air Balloon

[7]

The two brothers used smoke from a fire to blow hot air into a silk bag. The bag was attached to the basket which was lifted from the ground as the bag filled with hot air. The passengers of their first attempt were a sheep, rooster and duck. However, after their first success, they began sending men up in their balloon.[1]

[8]

1891 - Otto Lilienthal 

Lilienthal was called the first successful aviator because of his findings on wing aerodynamics. He is famous for building gliders that moved smoothly through the air and could be controlled. In 1893, he was able to create a glider which carried him a distance of 800 feet. His research is considered "the beginning of wing-aerodynamics". [3]

1891 - Samuel P. Langley

[9]

Langley was the first man to realize that power was needed for a man to fly. He built a model or a plane, called and aerodrome, which included a steam-powered engine. Unfortunately, when he built a full sized aerodrome, it was too heavy and so it crashed. Langley was so disappointed, he stopped trying to fly. [1]

1903 - Orville and Wilbur Wright

[10]

The Wright brothers were the first men to successful build a plane that was controlled by a pilot. They built a flying machine called the Wright Flyer, which was propeller-driven and had stayed in the air for 12 seconds. They continued to improve their planes and eventually built one that remained in the air for one hour and two minutes. [4]

Without the work of the people mentioned above, we would not be able to fly across the globe as we can. It is thanks to the brilliant minds of these people that we have the flying machines that we do.

References:

[1] Shaw, D. R. "How Did We Leart to Fly Like Birds?" Ultra-effective engin technology. NASA, n.d. Web. <http://www.ueet.nasa.gov/StudentSite/historyofflight.html>.

[2] "Flying Machines." lair web. N.p, 2008. Web. <http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/ornithopters.html>.

[3] "The Aerodynamics of Lilienthal." Otto-Lilienthal-Museum Anklam. Web. <http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/e34.htm>.

[4] "Wilbur and Orville Wright." Garden of Praise. Web. <http://www.gardenofpraise.com/ibdwrigh.htm>.

Pictures:

[5] http://www.clipart.comeze.com/leisure.html

[6]http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/95182/Leonardo-da-Vincis-plans-for-an-ornithopter-a-flying-machine

[7]http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/montgolfier_j/montgolfier_j.html

[8] http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/models/aircraft/lilienthal-hanglider.html

[9] http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/images/I004/10216048.aspx

[10] http://wright.nasa.gov/ROGER/models.htm