A vapour trail is a trail of condensed water vapour that appears in the wake of an aircraft or rocket at high altitude. Vapour trails appear as a white streak, like long, thin, regular clouds, against the sky and quickly broaden and disintegrate. Research Vapour Trail
Perennial wall-rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) is an ascending, almost hairless perennial of the family Cruciferae with stems which are woody at the base. The lower leaves are pinnately divided and rather fleshy. The flowers have yellow petals. The fruits are slender siliquae carried erect on spreading stalks. Research Perennial Wall-Rocket
Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima) is an ascending, hairless annual of the family Cruciferae, found on European coasts. It has often branching stems, and shiny, fleshy leaves, which vary from pinnately cut to unbroken at the margins. The flowers, which vary in colour from violet through pink to white, are carried towards the stem-tips. Research Sea Rocket
Elton John is the stage name of Reginald Kenneth Dwight, an English pop singer, pianist, and composer. His best-known album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, published in 1973, includes the hit ' Bennie and the Jets'. Among his many other highly successful songs are 'Rocket Man', 'Crocodile Rock', and ' Daniel' all produced in 1972, ' Candle in the Wind' produced in 1973, ' Pinball Wizard' produced in 1975, 'Blue Eyes' produced in 1982, 'Nikita' produced in 1985, and 'Sacrifice' produced in 1989, the latter from his album Sleeping with the Past. His output is prolific and his hits have continued intermittently into the 1990s. Research Elton John
George Stephenson was an English engineer. He was born in 1781 at Wylam and died in 1848. The son of Robert Stephenson, a colliery fireman, he became assistant to his father when he was 14, learning to read and write at night school. In 1808 he contracted with two others to work the engines of Killingworth pit, where he dismantled the engine every week until he was a thorough master of its construction. In 1812 he was appointed engine-wright to the colliery, and in 1815 he invented a safety lamp for the use of the miners.
The rapid progress of the steam engine caught his attention and in 1814, having received financial assistance, he built his first locomotive. In 1815 he made a number of improvements to his locomotive, including the use of the steam blast. The failure of steam locomotives to work on any real gradient on the roads caused George Stephenson to turn his attention to the construction of railroads, and in 1819 he superintended the laying of a short line at Hetton Collieries, and in 1823 a line between Stockton and Darlington.
His first locomotive to use this line achieved a speed of 16 mph and weighed eight tons. In 1826 he began construction of the Liverpool and ManchesterRailway and in 1829, with the assistance of his son, Robert Stephenson, the locomotive called The Rocket for which he is best known. In 1847 he became president of the Mechanical Engineers and was appointed chief engineer to a number of railways and provided consultation on almost every important railway constructed during the 1830's and 1840's. Research George Stephenson
Robert Stephenson was a British engineer. He was born in 1803 at Willington Quay, Newcastle and died in 1859. The son of George Stephenson, he shared his named with his grandfather and helped his father to survey the Stockton and DarlingtonRailway in 1821 before entering Edinburgh University. Poor health compelled him to go abroad and in 1824 he accepted an offer to superintend gold and silver mines in Colombia. Returning to Britain in 1827 he helped his father with the building of the Rocket locomotive to which construction Robert Stephenson suggested a number of improvements. Robert Stephenson constructed the first railway into London, the Birmingham-London line constructed between 1833 and 1838. He was also involved in the construction of bridges, including the Menai bridge and the Victoria bridge over the St Lawrence river in Montreal. In 1847 he was elected member of parliament for Whitby and represented the town until his death. Robert Stephenson was president of the Institution of Civil Engineers from 1856 until 1857. Research Robert Stephenson
William Congreve was an English playwright. He was born in 1670 at Leeds and died in 1729. He was educated at Kilkenny, and at Trinity College, Dublin, from which he entered the Middle Temple, London. A novel entitled the Incognita, under the pseudonym of Cleophil, was followed, at the age of twenty-one, by his comedy of the Old Bachelor, the success of which procured for him the patronage of LordHalifax, who made him a commissioner for licensing hackney-coaches; soon after gave him a place in the pipe office; and finally conferred on him a very lucrative place in the customs. He afterwards received an additional sinecure in the appointment of secretary to the island of Jamaica.
His next play, The Double Dealer, was less successful; his third comedy, Love for Love, and his tragedy, The Mourning Bride (1697), were both popular; but after the cold reception of his Way of the World, in 1700, he ceased altogether to write for the stage. He, however, continued to write occasional verses on public subjects; and in 1710 published a collection of his plays and poems, which he dedicated to his early patron, LordHalifax, to whose person and party he remained attached in all fortunes.
His plays belong to the artificial school of comedy, which aimed rather at the production of a sustained flow of wit than at the precise delineation of character.
Sir William Congreve was an English soldier and inventor. He was born in 1772 and died in 1828. He entered the army, from which he retired in 1816 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel of artillery and entered the House of Commons. He invented the Congreve rocket about 1804. It was first used in active service in the attack on Boulogne, 1806, and on Copenhagen, 1807. He took out patents also for the manufacture of gunpowder and of banknote paper, and wrote treatises on the mounting of naval ordnance and on the hydropneumatic lock. Research William Congreve
The SS11 anti-tank weapon system was a French infantry line-of-sight wire guided anti-tank weapon. The SS11 consisted of a two-stage solid propellant rocket motor armed with various warheads. The SS11 was usually installed on helicopters and had a range of 3000 metres and could penetrate 600 mm of armour. Research SS11
The 21 cm Mrs 18 was a German dual-recoil heavy gun of the Second World War designed by Krupp as a replacement for the Long 21 cm Mortar, and first produced in 1936. The 21 cm Mrs 18 fired a 113 kg high-explosive, concrete-piercing or rocket-assisted shell to a range of 16700 metres with a muzzle velocity of 565 meters-per-second. Research 21 cm Mrs 18
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research The Rocket
