The Apollo Project was the US space project to land a person on the moon in order to prove to the world the ideological superiority of the American system over that of Communist Russia. It was reportedly achieved by Apollo 11 in July 1969. The three-stage vehicle to carry the astronauts to the moon was code named Saturn, and the contract to develop the Apollo three-man spacecraft was awarded to North American Aviation Incorporated in 1961 by NASA. The first launch into orbit of an Apollo command module was made by Saturn SA-6 on May the 28th 1964, and the first manned flight was made after a fire during ground tests killed the three astronauts - Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee - on January the 27th 1967.
Controversy surrounds the supposed moon landing, with theories abounding that in 1969 it was technically impossible to land on the moon, and as a result NASA faked the moon landing, filming the 'landing' at the top secret military base, Area 51, in the Nevada desert while the astronauts actually orbited the earth for eight days before returning. This theory was later illustrated in the film 'Capricorn One' which told the fictional story of a faked landing on the planetMars. Research Apollo Project
The Ptolemaic system was a system of astronomy set forth by the Egyptian astronomer Clausius Ptolemaeus during the 11th century. By the Ptolemaic system the earth is fixed in the centre of the universe and the heaves revolve around the earth from east to west, carrying with them the sun, planets and fixed stars in their respective spheres. The system says that the Moon is next above the earth, then Mercury, then Venus; the Sun is next then Mars, and then after MarsJupiter and Saturn, beyond Saturn are two crystalline spheres.
It was the nonsense of the Ptolemaic system that Copernicus proved wrong and was so persecuted for until his system was adopted in the sixteenth century. Research Ptolemaic System
Red is a colour ranging from pink (purple-red) to orange (yellow-red). Red is traditionally associated with danger, stop, blood, warnings, prohibition. Red can evoke images of blood, and hence of murder, of ghoulishness and of horror. Red is associated with energy, activity, anger, fertility and is associated with the planetMars and with war.
Apple - Almost any shade of red you wish. A purely poetic term, though more usually applied to a pale green.
Auburn - A reddish-brown colour, the colour of an orang-utan's hair. Auburn is usually used to describe the colour of hair.
Burgundy - A dark, purplish-red colour of Burgundywine.
Crimson - A deep rich-red inclining towards purple.
Ruddle - A deep orange-red ochre-based pigment used for marking sheep.
Ruddy - Tinged with red. Reddish. Implying a colour of blood.
Rusty - Reddish-brown or brownish-orange colour of iron oxide (rust). Rusty implies decay, age, weathering.
Rufous - Rust-coloured. Rufous implies more organic than mineral, an animal may be described as being rufous in colour, while a weathered piece of iron is more likely rusty.
Russet - Reddish-brown. Russet is more usually applied to flora, such as apples or potatoes, while rufous may describe an animal and rusty a mineral or metal item.
Rubicund - Tinged with red. Rubicund is used to describe a person's complexion, and implies the appearance that occurs as a result of excessive good living. The ruddy complexion one might achieve from plenty of alcoholconsumption, for example.
Sanguine - A rather archaic term for the red colour of blood, implying blood.
The War Of The Worlds is a novel written by H. G. Wells, first published in the 1890's, about an invasion of earth by creatures from the planetMars - who are defeated not by Man, but by earth bacteria. The novel has been adapted as a radio play and as a film and was most famously adapted as a musical by Jeff Wayne and released on a double-album record in 1978. The musical version of the novel featured Richard Burton, Julie Covington, David Essex, Justin Hayward, Phil Lynott, Jo Partridge and Chris Thompson. Research The War Of The Worlds
The week is the period of seven days now universally adopted. It is of Hebrew or Chaldean origin and is generally regarded as a memorial of the creation of the world according to the Mosaic account. Dion Cassius attributes the invention of the week to the Egyptians. The Ptolemaic arrangement of the heavenly bodies, according to their distances from the earth, is Saturn (the most distant), Jupiter, Mars, the sun, Venus, Mercury and the Moon; and it was a principle of the ancient astrology that these bodies presided in this succession over the hours of the day. If the first hour be assigned to Saturn, the twenty-fifth or first hour of the next day, will fall to the sun; the forty-ninth, or first hour of the second day will fall to the moon and so on. From the names of the planets have been formed the modern names - Saturday (Saturn), Sunday (Sun), Monday (Moon), Tuesday (Tiu, the Saxonequivalent of Mars), Wednesday (Woden the Norseequivalent of Mercury), Thursday (Thor the Norseequivalent of Jupiter) and Friday (Frygga the Norseequivalent of Venus). Research Week
The zodiac was the name given by the ancient Greeks to the heavens. It was an imaginary belt in the celestial sphere, extending about 80 degrees on either side of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun among the stars. The width of the zodiac was determined originally so as to include the orbits of the Sun and Moon and of the five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) that were known to the people of ancient times.
The zodiac is divided into 12 sections of 300 degrees each, which are called the signs of the zodiac. Starting with the vernalequinox and then proceeding eastward along the ecliptic, each of the divisions is named for the constellation situated within its limits in the second century BC. The names of the zodiacal signs are Aries, the Ram; Taurus, the Bull; Gemini, the Twins; Cancer, the Crab; Leo, the Lion; Virgo, the Virgin; Libra, the Balance; Scorpio, the Scorpion; Sagittarius, the Archer; Capricorn, the Goat; Aquarius, the Water Bearer; and Pisces, the Fish. Because of the precession of the equinoxes about the ecliptic, a 26,000-year cycle, the first point of Aries retrogrades about 10 degrees in 70 years, so that the sign Aries today lies in the constellationPisces. In about 24,000 years, when the retrogression will have completed the entirecircuit of 3600, the zodiacal signs and constellations will again coincide.
It is believed that the zodiacal signs originated in Mesopotamia as early as 2000 BC . The Greeks adopted the symbols from the Babylonians and passed them on to the other ancient civilisations. The Egyptians assigned other names and symbols to the zodiacal divisions. The Chinese also adopted the 12-fold division, but called the signs rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, serpent, horse, sheep, monkey, hen, dog, and pig. Independently, the Aztec Indians devised a similar system. Research Zodiac
Benoit Camille Desmoulins was a French revolutionary. He was born in 1760 or 1762 and died in 1794. He was among the most notable of the pamphleteers and orators who urged the multitude forward in the path of revolution. He, along with others, prepared the plan for the taking of the Bastille in July, 1789, was one of the founders of the club of Cordeliers, and the promoter of the assembly in the Champ de Mars. In 1793 he gave his vote for the death of the king. Having become closely connected with Danton and the party of opposition to Robespierre, and inveighing against the reign of blood and terror, he was arrested on the order of the latter on the 30th of March, 1794, tried on the 2nd of April, and executed on the 5th. Research Benoit Desmoulins
Charles Francois Gounod was a French composer. He was born in 1818 at Paris and died in 1893.
He studied at the Conservatoire under Jacques Halevy, Lesueur, and Pauer, and afterwards in Italy. His first important work was Faust (produced in 1859), which raised him to a high rank among composers. Other operas followed, among which are Mireille (1864), Romeo et Juliette, Cinq Mars (1877), and Polyeucete (1878). He wrote also a Messe Solennelle, a motet Gallia, and other choral works and songs; oratorios Redemption (1882), Mors et Vita (1885), and a Mass for the Jeanne D'Aro festival (1887). Research Charles Gounod
Among the ancient Romans Flamen was the name given to any priest devoted to the service of one particular deity. Originally there were three priests so called: the Flamen Dialis, consecrated to Jupiter; Flamen Martialis, sacred to Mars; and Flamen Quirinalis, who superintended the rights of Quirinus or Romulus; but the number was ultimately increased to fifteen, the original three, however, retaining priority in point of rank, being styled Majores, and elected from among the patricians, while the other twelve, called Minores, were elected from the plebeians. Research Flamen
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
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