Constantine I (306 - 337 A.D.)

Constantine I (306 - 337 A.D.) The Emperor Constantine I was effectively the sole ruler of the Roman world between 324 and 337 A.D.; his reign was perhaps one of the most crucial of all the emperors in determining the future course of western civilization. By beginning the process of making Christianity the religious foundation of his realm, he set the religious course for the future of Europe, which remains in place to this very day. Because he replaced Rome with Constantinople as the center of imperial power, he made it clear that the city of Rome was no longer the center of power and he set the stage for the Middle Ages. His philosophical view of monarchy, largely spelled out in some of the works of Eusebius of Caesarea, became the foundation for the concept of the divine right of kings, which prevailed in Europe.Flavius Valerius Constantinus, the son of Constantius Chlorus and Helena, seems to have been born in Naissus in Serbia on 27 February ca.English: Side view of Ponte Milvio, Rome.272 or 273 A.D. When hi s father had become Caesar in 293 A.D., Constantius had sent his son to the Emperor Galerius as hostage for his own good behavior; Constantine, however, returned to his dying father's side in Britain on 25 July 306. Soon after his father's death, Constantine was raised to the purple by the army. The period between 306 and 324, when Constantine became sole imperator, was a period of unremitting civil war. Two sets of campaigns not only guaranteed Constantine a spot in Roman history, but also made him sole ruler of the Roman Empire. On 28 October 312 he defeated Maxentius, his opponent, at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge; in 314, 316, and 324, he repeatedly defeated his last remaining rival Licinius. Once he had overcome him, he was the undisputed...

The History and Invention of the Paperclip

The History and Invention of the Paperclip Historical references describe fastening papers together as early as the 13th century. During this time, people put ribbon through parallel incisions in the upper left-hand corner of pages. Later, people started to wax the ribbons to make them stronger and easier to undo and redo. This was the way people clipped papers together for the next six hundred years. In 1835, a New York physician named John Ireland Howe invented the machine for mass-producing straight pins, which then became a popular way to fasten papers together (although they were not originally designed for that purpose). Straight pins were designed to be used in sewing and tailoring, to temporally fasten cloth together. Johan Vaaler Johan Vaaler, a Norwegian inventor with degrees in electronics, science, and mathematics, invented the paperclip in 1899. He received a patent for his design from Germany in 1899, as Norway had no patent laws at that time. Vaaler was an employee at a local invention office when he created the paperclip. He received an American patent in 1901. The patent abstract says, It consists of forming same of a spring material, such as a piece of wire, that is bent to a rectangular, triangular, or otherwise shaped hoop, the end parts of which wire piece form members or tongues lying side by side in contrary directions. Vaaler was the first person to patent a paperclip design, although other unpatented designs might have existed first. American inventor Cornelius J. Brosnan filed for an American patent for a paperclip in 1900. He called his invention the Konaclip. A History of Paperclips It was a company called the Gem Manufacturing Ltd. of England that first designed the double oval-shaped, standard paperclip. This familiar and famous paperclip  was and still is referred to as the Gem clip. William Middlebrook of Waterbury, Connecticut, patented a machine for making paperclips of the Gem design in 1899. The Gem paperclip was never patented. People have been re-inventing the paperclip over and over again. The designs that have been the most successful are the Gem with its double oval shape, the non-skid which held in place well, the ideal used for thick wads of paper, and the owl paperclip that does not get tangled up with other paperclips. World War II Protest During World War II, Norwegians were prohibited from wearing any buttons with the likeness or initials of their king on them. In protest, they started wearing paperclips, because paperclips were a Norwegian invention whose original function was to bind together. This was a protest against the Nazi occupation and wearing a paperclip could have gotten them arrested. Other Uses A paperclips metal wire can be easily unfolded. Several devices call for a very thin rod to push a recessed button which the user might only rarely need. This is seen on most  CD-ROM  drives as an emergency eject should the power fail. Various  smartphones  require the use of a long, thin object such as a paperclip to eject the  SIM card. Paperclips can also be bent into a sometimes effective  lock-picking  device. Some types of  handcuffs  can be unfastened using paper clips.