John Welford
Bio
I am a retired librarian, having spent most of my career in academic and industrial libraries.
I write on a number of subjects and also write stories as a member of the "Hinckley Scribblers".
Stories (501/0)
Must-see exhibits in the British Museum, London
The British Museum houses more than 8 million objects. Not all of them are on permanent public display, but there are enough there to keep you busy for many days, should you have the time. However, this is unlikely to be the case, especially if your time in London is limited. What you will regard as a “must see” item will doubtless depend on your personal interests, but there are a number of objects that it would be a shame to miss, and some of these are suggested below.
By John Welford3 years ago in Wander
How wheellock weapons worked
Early firearms worked by the direct application of heat to gunpowder, an operation that was clearly fraught with danger, especially as this took place a few inches in front of the gunman’s face. The earliest such weapons used the “matchlock” system, in which the heat was supplied by a naked flame in the form of a smouldering piece of cord brought into direct contact with gunpowder in an open pan, a process that was not only dangerous but unreliable. The way forward was to use friction as the heat source, and the first method to do so was the wheellock, which was used on weapons from around 1550 to 1650, although weapons from both before and after these dates can be found.
By John Welford3 years ago in FYI
Mount Grace Priory
Mount Grace Priory was one of ten Carthusian monasteries, or “Charterhouses” that were founded in England prior to the dissolution of the monasteries, which took place during the reign of King Henry VIII. Its ruins are the best-preserved of the ten, and are well worth a visit if you are in the area.
By John Welford3 years ago in Wander
The moons of Uranus
The planet Uranus, which is the seventh furthest from the Sun, is surrounded by moons, with 27 having been discovered to date. These range in size from 1578 km diameter (Titania) to around 20 km or even less. The sizes of some of the smallest moons, such as Ferdinand, Margaret, Mab, Cupid and Trinculo, are not known for certain and so the claim for which is the smallest moon of Uranus is still under debate.
By John Welford3 years ago in FYI
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery
There can be no doubt that Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery (1887-1976) was one of Britain’s greatest ever military commanders, but it is also beyond dispute that he was one of the most difficult people to work with, a view that was certainly held by his American counterparts during World War II, namely George Patton and Dwight D Eisenhower. Montgomery described himself as being “tiresome” and the epithet seems entirely apt.
By John Welford3 years ago in Serve
Migraines
Migraines affect more than 30 million people in the United States alone, and can prove to be debilitating and even dangerous in some circumstances, although for most people they present no general threat to overall health. Their effects can last for several hours, and even stretch to a day or more in some patients. Their frequency also varies widely between patients, with some sufferers experiencing an attack several times a month, and others going a year or more without a problem.
By John Welford3 years ago in Longevity
The distance from Earth to the Moon
The distance between the Earth and the Moon is not constant, but varies over the course of the Moon’s orbit around the Earth, which is not a perfect circle but an ellipse. The point at which the Moon is furthest from Earth is called the apogee, and the nearest point is called the perigee. These points do not coincide with the phases of the Moon (i.e. when there is a full moon, or crescent moon, etc), and they vary from year to year.
By John Welford3 years ago in Earth
Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Michelangelo did not want to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling and only started the job because he was ordered to by Pope Julius II. He was, after all, a sculptor first and foremost and that was what he wanted to spend his time doing. As he wrote in his journal, “This is not my profession. I am uselessly wasting my time”.
By John Welford3 years ago in Geeks
The Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice
The Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice was the brainchild of George Frederic Watts, a Victorian painter and philanthropist who thought that public recognition should be made of ordinary London people who had died while trying to save others. The Memorial can still be seen in London today.
By John Welford3 years ago in Wander
Margaret Mitchell: author of Gone With the Wind
Margaret Mitchell only wrote one novel that anyone has ever heard about, but that one (“Gone With The Wind”) was enough to make her name universally known, not least because of the blockbuster motion picture that was made from the story.
By John Welford3 years ago in Geeks