Greek fire

Greek fire was an incendiary weapon developed c. 672 and used by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect, as it could continue burning while floating on water. It provided a technological advantage and was responsible for many key Byzantine military victories, most notably the salvation of Constantinople from two Arab sieges, thus securing the Empire's survival.

The impression made by Greek fire on the west European Crusaders was such that the name was applied to any sort of incendiary weapon, including those used by Arabs, the Chinese, and the Mongols. These, however, were different mixtures and not the Byzantine formula, which was a closely guarded state secret. Byzantine use of incendiary mixtures was distinguished by the use of pressurized nozzles or siphōn to project the liquid onto the enemy.

Although the term "Greek fire" has been general in English and most other languages since the Crusades, in the original Byzantine sources it is called by a variety of names, such as "sea fire" (Ancient Greek: πῦρ θαλάσσιον pŷr thalássion), "Roman fire" (πῦρ ῥωμαϊκόν pŷr rhōmaïkón), "war fire" (πολεμικὸν πῦρ polemikòn pŷr), "liquid fire" (ὑγρὸν πῦρ hygròn pŷr), "sticky fire" (πῦρ κολλητικόν pŷr kollētikón) or "manufactured fire" (πῦρ σκευαστόν pŷr skeuastón).

On Fire

On Fire may refer to:

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Fire

Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition.

Fire is hot because conversion of the weak double bond in molecular oxygen, O₂, to the stronger bonds in the combustion products carbon dioxide and water releases energy (418 kJ per 32 g of O₂); the bond energies of the fuel play only a minor role here. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are produced. The flame is the visible portion of the fire. Flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen and nitrogen. If hot enough, the gases may become ionized to produce plasma. Depending on the substances alight, and any impurities outside, the color of the flame and the fire's intensity will be different.

Fire in its most common form can result in conflagration, which has the potential to cause physical damage through burning. Fire is an important process that affects ecological systems around the globe. The positive effects of fire include stimulating growth and maintaining various ecological systems. Fire has been used by humans for cooking, generating heat, light, signaling, and propulsion purposes. The negative effects of fire include hazard to life and property, atmospheric pollution, and water contamination. If fire removes protective vegetation, heavy rainfall may lead to an increase in soil erosion by water. Also, when vegetation is burned, the nitrogen it contains is released into the atmosphere, unlike elements such as potassium and phosphorus which remain in the ash and are quickly recycled into the soil. This loss of nitrogen caused by a fire produces a long-term reduction in the fertility of the soil, which only slowly recovers as nitrogen is "fixed" from the atmosphere by lightning and by leguminous plants such as clover.

Greek

Greek may refer to:

Greece

Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:

The EndUp

Coordinates: 37°46′38.2″N 122°24′13.92″W / 37.777278°N 122.4038667°W / 37.777278; -122.4038667

The EndUp was founded in November 1973 and is a dance club in San Francisco, California. It is located on the corner of 6th and Harrison, in the SoMa (South of Market (Street)) district. The EndUp has two bars, a lounge with fireplace, a dance floor with mirrored columns, and a large open-air deck with plants and seating. The club is renowned for its powerful high-end sound system, and for usually being the only club open throughout the night and well into the next day. The venue has hosted a variety of benefits, events and clubs and each night has a unique dance focus catering to subsets of the dance community. The club reflects the changing nature of gay, dance and San Francisco cultures.

History

1970s

When the nightclub first opened in November 1973, the owner was Al Hankin. The dance floor was made of translucent plastic with flashing lights below. The sound system was a discrete 4 channel custom made creation with Cerwin Vega speakers rear loaded into the ceiling to enhance the subs. The EndUp was originally an entirely gay dance club, catering mainly to Asian-Americans and their admirers. It was famous as the location of the Sunday Afternoon Wet Jockstrap Dance Contest from about 1974 to about 1992, with host Randy Johnson and DJs—Steve Newman and Peter D. Struve (google petermixt). Entering this contest is how many San Francisco Go-Go dancers began their go-go dance careers. This contest was made famous in the 1976 book Tales of the City, the first volume of the six-volume series (hexalogy) Tales of the City by San Francisco author Armistead Maupin and recreated on the PBS made for TV mini-series of the same name.