Facts of the Day

Drive-In Movie
The first drive-in movie theatre was opened in 1933 in Camden, New Jersey by Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr. Hollingshead designed it for his mother, who complained about the uncomfortable seats at theatres. A drive-in would allow her to enjoy the comfortable, plush bench seats of a vehicle of that era. Then known as an "automobile theater," the drive-in had room for 500 vehicles and charged a rate of 25¢ per person or $1 a car. The sound was provided by a public-address system with a single large speaker mounted on the projection booth. After the locals complained about the noise, Hollingshead tried other solutions before deciding to install smaller speakers mounted on poles at each parking spot. At the height of their popularity (1958), there were more than 4000 drive-in movies in the U.S. Now, only a few hundred still exist.

Volcano
"A volcano is an opening in the earth from which molten rock and gas erupts. The molten rock (magma) forms a hill or mountain around the opening and the burning gas, ash, and hot lava may explode out or pour down the sides. The explosion of a volcano is called an eruption and can do much damage, as seen in Pompeii and Washington state's Mount St. Helens. There are about 800 places in the world where volcanoes are active, including 80 below the sea. There are belts were there are volcanoes, including one large one circling the Pacific Ocean and others running east-west in Indonesia and the Mediterranean Sea. The materials deep underground move around and push up to the mouth of the volcano. The theory of plate tectonics says that huge plates of material making up the Earth's crust shift and volcanoes erupt where the plates meet and push together. Some can be dormant for years and then suddenly erupt. Others become extinct. Mauna Loa in Hawaii is the world's largest volcano. The study of volcanoes is called volcanology."

IMAX
IMAX is a cinematographic technique which produces an image approximately ten times larger than that from standard 35 mm film. The name is probably "i" as a representation of "eye" or "image," plus "max" as short for "maximum." It is a trademark for a giant-screen, large-format movie and motion-simulation entertainment complex, with a motion-picture screen that is eight stories high and compatible with 3-D technology. The first IMAX film was demonstrated in 1970 and first system set up in 1971 (in Toronto) on which was shown North of Superior. Film types are usually described by their gauge, or approximate width. The 65-mm format is used chiefly for special effects and for special systems such as IMAX and Showscan. It was formerly used for original photography in conjunction with 70-mm release prints; now 70-mm theatrical films are generally shot in 35-mm and blown up in printing. With some exceptions the 35-mm format is for theatrical use, 16-mm for institutional application s, and 8-mm for home movies.

Hong Kong
A lease was signed by Great Britain in 1898 for the 400 square miles of Hong Kong. The 99-year lease expired in 1997 and Hong Kong's sovereignty reverted to the People's Republic of China. Hong Kong Island was originally ceded by China to Great Britain in 1842, the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters (Ngong Shuen) Island (now joined to the mainland) ceded in 1860. The New Territories, which include the mainland area lying largely to the north, together with 230 large and small offshore islands were part of the 99-year lease. The name Hong Kong (in Chinese, Xianggang) means "fragrant harbor."

Pens
Reed was the first real "pen" (c 3000 BC) and the first inks contained a gelatin derived from boiled donkey skin, which gave the ink its viscosity - but also a very unpleasant odor that had to be perfumed with musk oil. Around the 6th century BC and for more than a thousand years thereon, the quill reigned as the standard writing instrument for people of many civilizations. Swans, turkeys, and geese's large wing feather made the best quill pens. Archaeologists discovered bronze pen points embedded in the ruins of Pompeii but not until the late 1700s were steel-point pens used. A century later, fountain pens were developed - the name chosen because the ink of these pens flowed continuously, like water in a fountain. L.E. Waterman, a New York stationer, devised the practical ink reservoir system. Lazlo Biro relied on improved methods for grinding ball bearings for machines and weapons and produced the first ball-point pens suitable for writing on paper around 1944. The Pentel, introduced by Tokyo's Stationery Company, was the world's first felt-tip pen, c 1960.