On This Day - Sept. 29

480 BCE - The Greek navy, under Themistocles, defeats the Persian fleet at the Battle of Salamis during the second Persian invasion of Greece. 

Photo of the Day

La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles, California.

In the News

Hong Kong Democracy Protestors Defy Tear Gas, Baton Charge in Historic Standoff
Historic, Anxious Handover as Afghanistan Swears in New Leader
Airstrikes Said to Hit ISIS Oil Refineries in Syria
Russia's Lavrov Says Ties with Washington Need 'Reset 2.0'
Only 1 Person has been Cured of HIV: New Study Suggests Why

Quote of the Day

"Be patient toward all that is unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves..." ---Rainer Maria Rilke

Song of the Day

Gold Digger
Artist - Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx
Album - Late Registration

Film of the Day

Night of the Demon
Director - Jacques Tourneur
Starring - Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis

Wiki of the Day

A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft.^[1]

Since each cylinder bank is essentially a straight-6, this configuration has perfect primary and secondary balance no matter which V angle is used and therefore needs no balance shafts. A V12 with two banks of six cylinders angled at 60°, 120° or 180° (with the latter configuration usually referred to as a flat-12) from each other has even firing with power pulses delivered twice as often per revolution as a straight-6. This allows for great refinement in a luxury car. In a racing car, the rotating parts can be made much lighter and thus more responsive, since there is no need to use counterweights on the crankshaft as is needed in a 90° V8 and less need for the inertial mass in a flywheel to smooth out the power delivery. In a large displacement, heavy-duty engine, a V12 can run slower than smaller engines, prolonging engine life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V12_engine