Domenico Fontana was an Italian architect and engineer. He was born in 1543 and died in 1607. He was employed by Pope Sixtus V in many great works, among the chief of which was the erection of the Egyptian obelisk in front of St Peter's. Among other buildings erected by Domenico Fontana, were the Lateran Palace and the library of the Vatican. He also executed important works at Naples. Research Domenico Fontana
Cleopatra's Needle is an Egyptian obelisk that was originally erected by Thothmes III at On (Heliopolis) around 160 BC, and removed to Alexandria by Augustus about 23 BC. It was acquired for Britain by Sir Ralph Abercromby in 1801 or presented to Britain by Mehemet Ali in 1819, there are conflicting accounts. However, the obelisk remained lying next to its still erect sister obelisk in Alexandria. The British government lacked the funds to transport the monument, and it remained lying in the sand. Over the years several individuals pressed the British government to transport the obelisk to Britain, but it wasn't removed to Britain until 1881 when it was loaded onto the Cleopatra - a specially designed cylindrical boat - at the expense of James Erasmus. During its voyage the Cleopatra, accompanied by the Olga hit a violent gale which claimed six lives and the Cleopatra was abandoned. The Cleopatra was later found by a passing steamer, the Fitzmaurice which towed it to Ferrol, whence it was towed by the Anglia arriving in London in January 1878.
The Eiffel tower is a structure named after its builder and is one of the most iconic sights of Paris. At the time of its construction it was by far the loftiest structure in existence, surpassing the WashingtonObelisk, the next highest by 430 feet. It cost about 260,000 pounds to build, and was erected partly at the cost of the state, partly by funds provided by Eiffel himself, who formed a company for the purpose - the company drawing funds through the fees which visitors had to pay. The top may be reached by stairs and lifts. The first stage or platform is at the height of 189 feet, and forms a quadrilateral 213 feet square, fitted up as a restaurant. The next platform is at the height of about 380 feet, and is 98 feet square. The third platform is at the height of 906 feet, and is large enough to accommodate a good number of persons, affording a magnificent view. The lantern higher up is supplied with powerful electric search-lights, and on the very summit is a small area utilized chiefly for scientific observations. The tower has been utilized for various scientific purposes (the fall of bodies, vibration of the pendulum, pressure of the air, etc). Research Eiffel Tower
An obelisk is a stone pillar having a square or rectangular cross section and sides that taper towards a pyramidal top. They were often used as monuments in ancient Egypt, where they symbolised the supreme god. They were known as Pharaoh's needles by the Arabs, and fingers of the sun by the Egyptians. The first recorded obelisk was described during the reign of Rameses II about 1322 BC, but the Romans also took to them, emperor Augustus erecting one in the CampusMartius on the base of which was a sundial. Cleopatra's Needle on the Thames Embankment in London is an example of an Egyptian obelisk. Research Obelisk
The Cornish language was a Celtic language spoke in Cornwall as recently as the 18th century (an obelisk in the village of Paul in Cornwall prematurely records the death of the last speaker of the Cornish language - Doll Pentreath at the age of ninety-one - in 1777, however during the 20th century Cornish was revived. Research Cornish
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Domenico Fontana
