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Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. Details recorded here should be sourced; unknown information is left blank.
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This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
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The Automatic Digital Network System, known as AUTODIN, is a legacy data communications service in the United States Department of Defense.[1] AUTODIN originally consisted of numerous AUTODIN Switching Centers (ASCs) located in the United States and in countries such as England and Japan.[2]
The design of the system, originally named "ComLogNet", began in 1958 by a team of Western Union, RCA and IBM. The customer was the U.S. Air Force and the system's purpose was to improve the speed and reliability of logistics traffic (spare parts for missiles) between five logistics centers and roughly 350 bases and contractor locations. An implementation contract was awarded in the fall of 1959 to Western Union as prime contractor and system integrator, RCA to build the 5 switching center computers and IBM for the compound terminals which provided for both IBM punched card and Teletype data entry. The first site became operational in 1962. During the implementation the government realized the broader value of the system and transferred it to the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) which renamed it "AUTODIN". In 1962 the government solicited competitive bids for a 9 center expansion which was won by Philco-Ford.
Deployment started in 1966. On March 22, 1968, Autodin multimedia terminal in Europe became operational at Ramstein Air base in Germany. This system linked more than 300 Air Forces bases, material areas, depots and other authorized agencies into a single communications network. In the ASCs; operational until the late 1980s the Philco-Ford OL9 computers were still in use with periodic technological updates. In the 1988 to 1990 timeframe an initiative by the Department of Defense for "off the shelf" hardware initiated a replacement of the Philco-Ford processors by DEC VAX 11/780 series systems.
In 1982, a follow-on project, AUTODIN II,[3] was terminated in favor of using ARPANET technology for the Defense Data Network (including a military subnet known as MILNET).[4]
AUTODIN Switching Centers have been replaced by various hardware/software combinations. The following are some examples:
In 1996, DoD decided to phase out AUTODIN by December 31, 1999.[6] Early in the 21st century, all but one of the AUTODIN Switching Centers had been shut down. The intention is to transition secure messaging traffic to the Defense Message System.
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The Automatic Digital Network System, known as AUTODIN, is a legacy data communications service in the United States Department of Defense. AUTODIN originally consisted of numerous AUTODIN Switching Centers (ASCs) located in the United States and in countries such as England and Japan.
CRITICOM(M) is an abbreviation for "Critical Intelligence Communications [System]" q.v. National Security Agency (NSA) former flash-intelligence alert and warning system. N.B. The official intelligence-community (IC) abbreviation uses two Ms. The Critical Intelligence Communications network, or CRITICOMM, is designed to flash to the American President and a handful of other senior officials intelligence alerts and warnings of the highest priority—an imminent coup in a Middle East sheikdom, for example, or the assassination of a world leader, or the sinking of a Soviet sub. It is the goal of NSA to have such a CRITIC message on the President's desk within ten minutes of the event. An example of a CRITIC message being sent is the USSS Pueblo that was captured by North Korea. CTO2 Don McClarren, who was on the ship at the time, notified the Comms Center in Kamiseya, Japan of the attack. After being received by the Comms Center, the message was passed to CTO3 Paul Allen USNSG who then transmitted it using a Teletype Model 33. . . . . In 1973 NSA's CRITICOM/SPINTCOM network was transformed into the Digital Network-Defense Special Security Communications System (DIN/DSCSS), which fully integrated the message traffic into the Defense Department's general service AUTODIN network (automatic digital network).
The IBM 473L Command and Control System (473L System, 473L colloq.) was a USAF Cold War "Big L" Support System with computer equipment at The Pentagon and, in Pennsylvania, the Alternate National Military Command Center nuclear bunker. Each 473L site included a Data Processing Subsystem (DPSS), Integrated Console Subsystem (ICSS), Large Panel Display Subsystem, and Data Communications Subsystem (Automatic Digital Network interface: "AUTODIN Data Terminal Bay"). The "System 473L" was an "on-line, real-time information processing system designed to facilitate effective management of USAF resources, particularly during emergency situations" e.g., for: "situation monitoring, resource monitoring, plan evaluation, plan generation and modification, and operations monitoring". In 1967, the 473L System was used during the "HIGH HEELS 67" exercise "to test the whole spectrum of command in a strategic crisis".
Digital automatic coupling (DAC) is a type of railway coupling for freight wagons developed in the 2020s to replace buffers and chain couplers, initially in Europe. It resembles the Scharfenberg coupler with extra contacts to join electrical circuits (power, detection and control) and air hoses. The DAC project is a key component of the European DAC Delivery Programme (EDDP), which is supported by the European Union. DAC provides a continuous power and data line throughout the train, allowing for real-time monitoring and data transmission between wagons. The system is among several innovations being developed within European working groups to harmonize the rail network and aims to boost freight traffic by 2030. Although not a member of the European Union, Switzerland is associated with the project and wants to subsidize the transition to digital automatic coupling on its territory. The development of the coupler type was finished in mid 2026. The design is based on the Voith CargoCoupler that had been developed for Swiss Federal Railways since 2017, itself based on the Scharfenberg Type 10 coupler as used for high-speed rail in Europe. The Pioneer DAC Trains (PioDAC) will use the new coupler in regular commercial service by 2027. Retroffitting guidelines are being developed until 2029 with serial installation planned in the time frame from 2031 to 2036.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
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