Thursday, July 23, 2009

Violette Szabo

Half British, half French, Violette Szabo volunteered to spy for the British Special Operations Executive in occupied France in 1942, following the death of her husband at El Alamein. She was 21 years old. Captured by the Germans on her second mission in 1944 she was imprisoned at Limoges, tortured, then transferred to Ravensbruck concentration camp where she was executed sometime in early February 1945. This memorial, near la Croisille-sur-Briance, is located by the field into which she parachuted to start her final mission. Fresh flowers appear to supplied constantly.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Look to the heavens.

An astronomer and his equipment fashioned from small succulent plants attached to a framework. Situated outside the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Ammonite

Fossil ammonite in building stone near doorway of 55 Princess Street, Manchester. Ammonites were early molluscs that evolved in the Devonian Period about 400 million years ago. They flourished for many millions of years until they became extinct, along with the Dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Early Computing

A couple of posts earlier I posted a picture from the other side of this building, the Coupland Building of Manchester University. That detailed Rutherford and his work that led to the splitting of the atom. On this side we have the windows of the laboratory where, in June 1948, Profs, Williams and Kilburn ran the world's first stored program computer. Not a bad record for a provincial city. Proud to be a Manc!