friendofgunnar
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Legendary Hero
able to speed up time
posted October 12, 2007 11:41 AM
The Russian thread
All things Russian go here.
On October 4th was the 50th anniversary of Sputnik. Truly a monumental achievement, it was the first time that a manmade object had left the gravitational confines of earth.
Placed in the context of the cold war, Sputnik also revealed a major failing of American-style capitalism, which was that there was no reason to put a satellite in space because there were no customers there to buy it.
The Sputnik program was headed up by a Russian named Sergey Korolev.
Originally the communists hogged all the credit for Sputnik, perhaps this was because they were embarrassed by the time they accidentally put Korolev in a Siberian gulag. Nevertheless, credit can now be given where credit is due, and much credit is due. Sputnik's legacy lasted much longer than the 6 months it spent in orbit. It was an amazing achievement that set off the long-lasting Soviet - American rivalry known as the "space race". (This of course culminated several years later in the crowning historical achievement of mankind, the space shuttle.)
Join with me now as we take a photagraphic journey through the next 50 years of Russian history.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the original sputnik launch site in Baikonur became part of Kazakhstan. Other changes were also wrought after the breakup of the Soviet Union, including the introduction of capitalism. Today Russia has more billionaires than any other country. To celebrate this they have decided to build the tallest building in the world, the "Moscow International Business Center"
Thus, in the future, when the Russians build a satellite they need only throw it off the side of the building to put it into orbit.
Some fun facts about Russia:
"Ivan the Terrible" is a poor translation. While throwing babies off church roofs was indeed terrible, the Russian name for him could be better translated as "Ivan the Awe-Inspiring"
During the American civil war, Russian ships anchored off New York as a clear message to other pro-confederate European powers to butt out and let the Americans settle it amongst themselves.
Russia emerged, coalesced around the seeds of the Viking trading forts that were established along the Volkhov River
Peter the Great killed his own son when he realized what a washout he was.
Tchaikovsky was gay
Josef Stalin was not Russian.
Russians eat cucumbers for snacks.
Cucumbers are closely related to watermelons, which Americans like to eat as snacks.
If you have anything Russian to contribute to this thread, please feel free
The story of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. I also must acknowledge how much I am still amazed even today when I hear details about how Napolean was beaten back. Too many people give too much credit to the harsh russian winters. But I believe it was the people who made it possible more than the cold snow. If I ever was given a chance to visit Russia I would want to visit Saint Petersburg. Were it not for Peter the Great then Russia would be a 3rd world country today.
Quote:Were it not for Peter the Great then Russia would be a 3rd world country today.
Well... technically speaking, third world countries are those which are neither on Russian nor on American side. That was the definition of the Third World movement... So Russia couldn't be a third world country since it represents the heart of the Second World (or the First World, if you look from another angle)... "Third world" wasn't always supposed to be a synonym for being a poor country.
Anyways.
Some awesome things about Russia that haven't been pointed out here yet:
-Sergei Yesenin, my all time favourite poet.
-Literature as a whole (from Dostoevsky to Boris Akunin...)
-History (especially WW2, that's actually kinda fun to study about)
-Architectural art (the Kremlin, for instance)
-Tanks (I like tanks )
-This girl I met at the summer holidays... Ah, memories, memories ____________
"Let me tell you what the blues
is. When you ain't got no
money,
you got the blues."
Howlin Wolf
Quote:No they didn't. Pencil's don't work in zero gravity.
Well it's possible with a gravity field.
And, well, no one precisely said WHAT they used it for It just says they used it.
____________
"Let me tell you what the blues
is. When you ain't got no
money,
you got the blues."
Howlin Wolf
Quote:Actually the graphite fragments would interfere with the rocket's systems.
Who says they used it in a rocket? They might have used it on Mir, which is a space station.
____________
"Let me tell you what the blues
is. When you ain't got no
money,
you got the blues."
Howlin Wolf
posted October 12, 2007 11:41 AM
posted October 12, 2007 07:08 PM
And So Am I
"Third world" wasn't always supposed to be a synonym for being a poor country.
