Search Results for: tesla

5 Comments

One Year After the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami – My Japan Travel

  By ,

One year ago Japan experienced a horrendous earthquake that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale.  Beyond the immediate structural damage from the quake and the reduction of tourist travel to Japan, parts of the country were devastated by a massive tsunami.  In addition to the heart-wrenching videos of the massive waves destroying towns, the tsunami took out cooling systems at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, thus setting in motion three nuclear reactor meltdowns that forced the continued evacuation of a 12-mile area around the plant.  Today Japan remembers the earthquake, the tsunami, and the 19,000 people who lost their lives.

At the same time, Japan is encouraging people to come back to visit.  Most of the country is more or less back to normal.  I visited Japan recently and found it to have the same quaint charm for which it is known, and vibrant in both its old traditions and new modernity.

Today I’ll highlight the tradition. As I toured the temples and the old gardens I was struck by the contrasts.  While there were many young women wearing very short skirts and stockings, there were also quite a few women of the same age wearing traditional kimonos.  Near the Kiyomizudera Temple in old Kyoto I encountered the following couple.

At first I thought they were simply actors dressed up to encourage tourists at the temple.  Then I realized that there were many dressed traditionally who were tourists themselves.

That’s not to say that there weren’t people in traditional garb placed conveniently for tourist photos.  After all, Japan wants travel dollars (and rubles, rupees and renminbis), and geishas are one of the things that tourists come to see. So wandering the narrow lane of Chawan-saka we encountered these two geishas.

And in homage to our hosts, a fellow traveler shows her appreciation.

There is much more to Japan of course and I’ll explore more aspects of my visit in future posts.  So while Japan continues its recovery from the earthquake and tsunami of a year ago I bid you a temporary Sayonara.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page. Share with your friends using the buttons below.

One Comment

Abraham Lincoln’s Air Force – Balloons in the Civil War

  By

Who knew Abraham Lincoln had an air force during the Civil War?  Well, James L. Green knew.  And James L. Green is the authority on Abraham Lincoln’s balloon air force.  Jim’s fascination with Lincoln’s balloon corps goes back 30 years, and perhaps not surprisingly, Jim is the Director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA headquarters in Washington DC.  During this time he has conducted research into Civil War balloons and has spoken at a number of events.  Which is how I first met Jim – he presented Mr. Lincoln’s Air Force at the February 12th, 2012 meeting of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia.

The most well known Civil War balloonist was Thaddeus S. Lowe, who took over the title of “Chief Aeronaut” when John Wise quit the job after First Bull Run. According to Jim, Lowe was a skillful manager and lobbyist who was able to drum up government support to “build seven balloons, 12 field gas generators, and a flat-topped balloon barge.”  The latter served as an “aircraft carrier” for launching his balloons into the skies over battlefields and along the Potomac River to keep an eye on Confederate troop movements. Jim’s account of “Civil War Ballooning During the Seven Days Campaign” is a fascinating read.

Under Lowe’s direction Lincoln’s Air Force gave a unique and fundamental advantage to the North.  Unfortunately, it only lasted for a short time.  In a dispute with the government, who was trying to reign in Lowe’s sometimes self-serving management style, Lowe quit. Without a champion the balloons ended up in a warehouse in DC and were never again employed in the War effort. A lapse that may have extended the length of the war.

I had the pleasure of joining Jim for lunch not long after his Lincoln Group presentation.  While I believe I have a large collection of books on Abraham Lincoln (650 titles and nearly 1000 volumes), I was humbled to learn that Jim has 1200 books about the Civil War.  Given my own interest in Lincoln’s fascination with science and technology (the book I’m currently working on) I asked Jim how much Lincoln was involved in the balloon corps.  Not surprisingly, Lincoln definitely favored this use of “modern” technology in the war effort.  How much and in what ways is something that Jim may address in the book he is preparing about Mr. Lincoln’s Air Force.

In the end Jim and I traded recommendations for books of interest from our collections and agreed to keep in touch.  Jim has been invited to speak at an event near Richmond in May and is working with the Civil War Trust to help identify locations of the balloon stations during the Peninsula Campaign.

To view Jim’s February 12, 2012 presentation to the Lincoln Group of DC, check out the YouTube video below.

More on my Abraham Lincoln activities.

David J. Kent is the author of the forthcoming book, Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, scheduled for release in summer 2017. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

[Daily Post]

6 Comments

Pap of Glen Coe – the Bonny of Loch Leven

  By ,

Aye, the highlands of Scotland.  You read about them, fancy yourself galloping across them with William Wallace, and perhaps spoil a good walk near them (i.e., play a round of golf in the Mark Twain sense).  For me, I admired them up close.

To be honest, I can’t imagine a good walk spoiled in the highlands. On a summer day in 2005 I hopped into my Vauxhall Corsa, remembered to drive on the left, and headed north from where I was living in Edinburgh, Scotland. The drive itself was amazing, in part because the day started off a wee bit foggy – actually almost completely immersed in clouds – but blossomed at the most opportune moment.

And that moment was the Pap.

The Pap of Glen Coe is the mountain you see above to the left.  It gets its name from the conical shape resembling a female breast (apparently the Scottish winters were quite dreary and imaginations were active). The Pap sits in the valley created by Glen Coe above the point where River Coe enters Loch Leven.  Nearby is the intriguing Bidean nam Bian mountain ridges, including the famous Three Sisters of Glen Coe.

To say that these views were awe-inspiring is to engage in severe understatement. The glen has a distinctive U-shape, the result of glacial action during a past ice age.  The area is what is left of an ancient supervolcano, long since gone extinct but imposing nonetheless.

I lingered in the Glen, admired the Pap, marveled at the mossy grass that seemed greener than naturally possible.  My mind hiked high into the mountains, though my feet stayed closer to the narrow road.  I took hundreds of photos that day, most of which are unfortunately lost due to the vagaries of my computer hard drive.  But the memories remain with me as if it was yesterday.

Until next time, my bonny lass. Until next time.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page. Share with your friends using the buttons below.

 

[Daily Post]

21 Comments

About Me

David J Kent Lincoln Memorial centennialMy name is David J. Kent. I am an Abraham Lincoln historian, a former career scientist, and a global traveler. Here is me in a nutshell:

      • Author of 7 books on Abraham Lincoln, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison
      • Author of chapters in 3 additional books
      • Over 200 articles in popular and scholarly magazines, journals, and newspapers
      • Over 200 presentations to a variety of interest groups
      • Editor of over 20 scholarly papers and dissertations
      • Contributed over 1,500 posts for a variety of blogs
      • Written hundreds of technical scientific reports
      • Recipient of around 50 awards and recognitions in both my scientific and Lincoln historian careers
      • World traveler to nearly 90 countries and territories (with more on the way)

Also:

  • Past President for the Lincoln Group of DC and previously for 4 scientific organizations
  • Currently on the Advisory Boards of three Abraham Lincoln organizations
  • Current Lincolniana Editor for the Lincoln Herald
  • Chairmanships for more than a dozen conferences and committees
  • Dozens of appearances on C-SPAN, local and national broadcasts, podcasts, radio, and other virtual and in-person media

I was the primary organizer and served as Master of Ceremonies for the Lincoln Memorial Centennial program in 2022. I also was the keynote speaker and presented the Gettysburg Address at the 2024 Lincoln Birthday Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial. I have spoken at the dedications of other memorials and somber events.

 

My newest book is Lincoln, The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America. You can purchase it at any bookseller nationwide, as well as in the UK, Canada, and Australia. Signed copies can be ordered here. Here are two of the many advance praises for the book:

This is the first in-depth study of Abraham Lincoln’s interest in technology and science and how that interest impacted his life and his Presidency. As Kent demonstrates, Lincoln was a catalyst for some of that transformation wrought by science and technology.

Fire of Genius

– Marc Rothenberg, Ph.D., Editor, The Papers of Joseph Henry, and past Historian, National Academy of Sciences 

 

David J. Kent, a man of science and of history, has skillfully combined his knowledge of both to write a masterful treatise on Lincoln’s scientific mind.

– Edward Steers, Jr., Ph.D., author of Blood on the Moon and Getting Right With Lincoln.

 

I also have two other books on Abraham Lincoln – Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. Check them out here.

I’ve also written books about famous scientists – Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World, plus an e-book: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of His Time.

 

 

[Photo of David J. Kent at Lincoln Memorial Centennial courtesy of Bruce Guthrie]

 

Fire of Genius

Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America is available at booksellers nationwide.

Limited signed copies are available via this website. The book also listed on Goodreads, the database where I keep track of my reading. Click on the “Want to Read” button to put it on your reading list. Please leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon if you like the book.

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

David J. Kent is Immediate Past President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America and Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America.

His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity andEdison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

No comments

A passion for Abraham Lincoln

  By

You could say I have a passion for Abraham Lincoln.  Ever since I was a kid I remember being fascinated by our 16th President.  A man of great strength – both physically and in character.  A man who was called to serve his country when his country was trying to rend itself asunder. A man who ultimately gave up his life to save the Union.

As this writer’s site develops I’ll be creating pages for topics of interest to me, and hopefully to you.  The first is Abraham Lincoln.  In it will be updates on Lincoln-related projects such as books about Lincoln and the book I’m writing about him.

Other pages will spring up as time permits.  The next will probably be one for a book that I may be writing about Nikola Tesla.  I’m waiting for the final offer from the publisher and a contract, then I’ll be off and running.

Another page will be travel.  I’ve done quite a bit of traveling in the last 10 years and plan to do quite a bit more.  I’ll document some of the stories from the road, including my long conversation with a Japanese man on a Tokyo train…a conversation in which he spoke no English and I spoke no Japanese and yet we got along famously.

Each of these pages, and others, can be found quickly by clicking on the bar below the photos.  That is, once they are all created.  And yes, the photos are all ones I have taken over the years.  I’ll do a post on that some day as well.

Feel free to subscribe to this web site – see the right column on the home page – or bookmark your favorite page and come back periodically for updates.  The site, and the writing, is a work in progress so expect things to pop up frequently.

28 Comments

Abraham Lincoln

You could say I have a passion for Abraham Lincoln.  I have been fascinated by our 16th President since I was a kid. Lincoln was a man of great strength – both physically and in character.  A man who was called to serve his country when his country was trying to rend itself asunder. A man who ultimately gave up his life to save the Union.

This fascination led to an independent career as an Abraham Lincoln historian. Over the years I’ve collected hundreds of books about Abraham Lincoln, though with an estimated 18,000 books written about him I have a long way to go. Having the money to collect more and the shelf space to store more, well, that’s a different question altogether.  As of this writing I have over 1700 titles in my collection. However, a title could be multiple volumes. For example, my 10-volume set of Nicolay and Hay’s “Abraham Lincoln: A History” published in 1890 counts only as one “title.” So, the actual number of books is over 1800, and counting.

Some quick numbers:

301++    =     Number of books signed by the author (many directly to me)

951++    =    Number of confirmed first editions

240++      =    Number of first editions that are signed by the author

112+      =    Number of books that have pre-1900 copyright dates

1834  =    Oldest copyright date in my collection

Some of the more notable books are signed copies of Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (the basis for the Steven Spielberg/Daniel Day-Lewis/Sally Field movie) and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. I also have signed copies of books by historians Harold Holzer, Carl Sandburg, Osborn Oldroyd, Lloyd Ostendorf, James Swanson, Sidney Blumenthal, Jon Meacham, and recently deceased (at 100) Richard Current.

My home page posts will highlight my Lincoln-related writing and activity.  Feel free to check back periodically to see what new stories and photos have been added.  Better yet, subscribe to this web site – see the right column on the home page.

 

My newest book is Lincoln: The Fire of Genius, released September 1, 2022, is now available for order through Amazon and elsewhere. Readers will learn through The Fire of Genius how science and technology gradually infiltrated Lincoln’s remarkable life and influenced his growing desire to improve the condition of all men. The book traces this progression from a simple farm boy to a president who changed the world.

Lincoln: The Fire of Genius

 

My earlier book is Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, from the same publisher who put out my books on Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Buy it on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble stores or online at BarnesandNoble.com. You can also order a signed copy on the Buy My Books page.

Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America

 

Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate

 

You can also buy my specialty e-book Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate on Amazon. This e-book takes a look at the amazing connections between these two great men.

Another related activity is the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia, of which I am currently the President. I’m working to expand our contributions to the community and the education of the public and government on all things Lincoln. Read more about us on our website, Lincolnian.org.

For a full list of my Abraham Lincoln posts click here.