A wife went to the police station with her next-door neighbor to report that her husband was missing. The policeman asked for a description.
She said, "He's 35 years old, 6 foot 4, has dark eyes, dark wavy hair, an athletic build, weighs 185 pounds, is soft-spoken, and is good to the children."
The next-door neighbor protested, "Your husband is 5 foot 4, chubby, bald, has a big mouth, and is mean to your children."
The wife replied, "Yes, but who wants HIM back?"
Municipal fire alarm systemIn 1852, the first municipal electric fire alarm system using call boxes with automatic signaling indicating a fire's location was placed into operation in Boston. It proved very effective in saving lives and avoiding great loss of property resulting from fire. (As recently as 16 Dec 1835, a great fire in New York City had resulted in the demolition of 600 buildings, at a loss of $20 million.) The success of Boston's fire alarm system was soon apparent, and the system spread across the United States and Canada. The inventors, William Channing and Moses Farmer, received a U.S. patent on their system on 19 May 1857 (No. 17,355). Their original 28-page proposal was given to the mayor of Boston on 27 Mar 1851 and construction began 7 Sep 1851.« |
