999 was the world's first number for automatically telephoning the emergency services. It was introduced in London in 1936 following a disaster in 1935 in which five women died in a fire in Wimpole Street while a neighbour was unable to contact the telephoneexchange which was jammed with calls. The General Post Office which ran the telephone network at the time suggested that an easy to remember three digit number, which could be easily located in the dark or in smoke, be introduced which would cause a light to flash at the exchange alerting the operators to the urgency of the call. The number 111 was rejected as it could be accidentally dialled by knocking the receiver - telephones at the time were pulse dialled - 000 could not be used as the first 0 would make it impossible to prioritise and so 999 was adopted. One year after 999 calls were introduced in London they were introduced into Glasgow. Research 999
An abacus is a counting frame with balls sliding on wires. It was first used before the adoption of the ten digit numeric system and is still widely used in China. Research Abacus
The New Age Posse (NAP) were a phreaking gang operating in Britain during the mid-1990's. The three main members of the gang were 'Rage', 'Raven' and 'Incinerator'. In 1994 the NAP accessed the 'Apple Computers Info Line' (the AppleComputer company's call handling system) and reprogrammed many of the exchange numbers allowing people in the know to dial a British free-call telephone number after six in the evening and by entering one of several three-digit codes, have their call connected to various computer virus, hacking, pirate software bulletin boards or chat-lines around the world, with the cost of the call being billed to the Apple Info Line, and not the person making the call. Research New Age Posse
The marmot (Arctomys) is a rodent found in the northern parts of both hemispheres. They are heavily-built, rather clumsy-looking animals, living high up on mountains in the warmer part of their range, but coming down to sea-level in the extreme north. They feed on roots and leaves, and in many cases hibernate for the whole of the winter. They are social in their habits, they feed in companies and a number collect in the same burrow for the winter sleep. The ears and tail are short, as are the legs; cheek pouches are absent or rudimentary; on the fore limbs the first digit is rudimentary and bears a flat nail. Research Marmot
Phalanger is a common name applied to marsupial mammals of the genus Trichosurus, family
Phalangeridae, found in Australia, Tasmania, the Solomon Islands, the Moluccas, and Celebes. Members of the family have been introduced into New Zealand. The head and body length ranges from 16 to 65 cm, the tail length from 17 to 61 centimetres. All the members of the family have five toes on each foot; each digit, except for the opposable innermost toe of the hind foot, has a large claw.
Phalangers are nocturnal, arboreal animals that feed chiefly on fruit and leaves. Some species also feed on nectar, insects, and, occasionally, small birds. The typical phalangers, or cuscuses, belong to the genus Phalanger. These animals have dense, woolly fur and long, prehensile tails. Most of them are large animals, about 60 centimetres long, not counting the tail.
They nest in hollow trees. The best-known species is the spotted cuscus, Phalanger maculatus, which is chiefly creamy white in colour, with spots of chestnut and black on the back, and with grey or reddish-brown legs.
The vulpine phalangers, also called brush-tailed possums, of the genus Trichosurus are characterized by fox like faces. Trichosurus vulpecula is grey above and yellowish below.
The ring-tailed phalangers, or ring-tailed possums, of the genus Pseudocheirus have curled tails that taper to a point. Unlike other phalangers, these animals, which are sometimes placed in a different family, do not nest in hollow trees but build shelters of twigs in the branches of trees or shrubs. Research Phalanger
The wombat (Phascolomys) is a genus of nocturnal, herbivorous marsupials of the order Diprotodontia, with three species all confined to Australia and Tasmania. They have massive, clumsy bodies and short thick legs. the head is broad and flat and the tail a mere stump. Each foot has five toes and with the exception of the first digit of the hind feet all the toes are furnished with powerful claws by which the animals burrow. Research Wombat
The Smith and Wesson Third Generation is a series of American semi-automatic service pistols produced since 1989. The range consists of models chambered for the 9 mm Parabellum cartridge, 10 mm Auto cartridge, .40 Smith and Wesson cartridge, and .45 ACPcartridge. Each model consists of a four digit model number, the first two digits indicating the calibre, the third digit indicating features and the final digit material and finish. Research Smith And Wesson Third Generation
Abbreviated Dialling is pre-programming of a caller's phone system or long distance company's switch to recognise a 2- to 4-digit number as an abbreviation for a frequently dialled phone number, and automatically dial the whole number. Research Abbreviated Dialling
In PBXs, an access code is a digit or digits dialled prior to dialling an outside call (most typically '9', or a digit entered on a feature phone set to activate functions like Call Forwarding or Conference Add-on (most typically '*' or '#') Research Access Code
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research 999
