History of Switzerland

BERNE, Nov. 28. - M. Hertenstein, President of Switzerland, who underwent the amputation of his right leg last week because of disease of the arteries, is dead.

Switzerland, a federal republic of Central Europe, situated between lat. 45° 50' and 47° 50' N. and lon.6° and 10°25' E., bounded on the N. by Baden, from which it is separated for the most part by the Rhine, N.E. by Würtemberg and Bavaria, from which it is separated by the Lake of Constance, E. by the principality of Liechtenstein and the Tyrol, S. by Italy, from which it is separated by the Alps and the Lake of Geneva, and W. and N.W. by France, from which it is separated in part by the Jura Mountains and the river Doubs. The greatest length, from W. to E., near the parallel of 46°35' N, is 216 miles; the greatest breadth, about 140 miles...

The earliest form of sunscreen was created by Franz Greiter in 1938 and then Benjamin Green in 1944 who used a mixture of cocoa butter and red veterinary petroleum to protect his skin from the sun. Shortly afterwards, Franz Greiter branded his formula Piz Buin while Mr Green marketed his as Coppertone Suntan Cream. Swiss chemist Franz Greiter then went on to produce the Sun Protection Factor rating that is still used today.

The invention of sunscreen can be associated with both Franz Greiter and Benjamin Green. The latter invented sunscreen for the military to protect soldiers from over exposure to the sun while the former Swiss chemist created Glacier Cream back in 1938.

George de Mestral (June 19, 1907 – February 8, 1990) was a Swiss electrical engineer who invented the hook and loop fastener which he named Velcro...

De Mestral first conceptualised hook and loop after returning from a hunting trip with his dog in the Alps in 1941. After removing several of the burdock burrs (seeds) that kept sticking to his clothes and his dog's fur, he became curious as to how it worked. He examined them under a microscope, and noted hundreds of "hooks" that caught on anything with a loop, such as clothing, animal fur, or hair.[6] He saw the possibility of binding two materials reversibly in a simple fashion, if he could figure out how to duplicate the hooks and loops...

By L. Marsland Gander
Daily Telegraph Radio Correspondent

The B.B.C. made "April Fools" of many television viewers last night by showing a film apparently of spaghetti growing on trees. It was broadcast at the end of the "Panorama" programme with great seriousness and a commentary by Richard Dimbleby.

The film depicted women gathering the "crop" and laying it in receptacles. Then some peasants were seen eating it. The pictures were made by the B.B.C. in Switzerland.

Hundreds rang up Broadcasting House and Lime Grove studios seeking an explanation. There were so many calls that for a time the lines to the studios were blocked.

All the B.B.C. regional centres were also flooded with calls. Most viewers took the joke good-humouredly and expressed amusement, but there were a minority who thought it was childish and irresponsible. Some contended that "April Fools" jokes ought to stop at noon in accorance with tradition.

"WEEVIL DISAPPEARS"
Mr. Dimbleby, who spoke throughout ...

Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1989, while working at CERN. The web was originally conceived and developed to meet the demand for automated information-sharing between scientists in universities and institutes around the world.

The first website at CERN – and in the world – was dedicated to the World Wide Web project itself and was hosted on Berners-Lee's NeXT computer.

For more information, visit home.cern

Zermatt and the Matterhorn:

Visit the charming car-free village of Zermatt.
Take the Gornergrat Railway for breathtaking views of the Matterhorn.

Ski or hike, depending on the season.

Lucerne:

Explore the well-preserved medieval architecture in the Old Town.

Take a boat trip on Lake Lucerne.

Visit the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower.

Jungfraujoch:

Take a train to the "Top of Europe" for panoramic views of the Alps.

Enjoy snow sports or hike in the surrounding area.

Swiss National Park:

Hike through the country's only national park.
Observe diverse alpine flora and fauna.

Interlaken:

Experience adventure sports like paragliding, skydiving, and bungee jumping.

Cruise on Lake Thun or Lake Brienz.

Bern:

Wander through the UNESCO-listed Old Town.

Visit the Zytglogge clock tower and the Bear Park.

Montreux and the Swiss Riviera:

Attend the Montreux Jazz Festival if you're there in July.

Stroll along the lakeside...