Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 July 1892 — The Earth vs. Cannon Ball. [ARTICLE]

The Earth vs. Cannon Ball.

The highest velocity ever attained by a cannon ball has been estimated at 1,626 feet per second, which is equal to a mile in 3.2 seconds. The velocity of the earth at the equator, due to its rotation on its axis, is 1,000 miles per hour, or a mile every 3.6 seconds. Therefore, it has been calculated that if a cannon ball were fired due west and could maintain its initial velocity for twenty-four hours it would beat the sun in its apparent journey aronnd the earth.—St. Louis Republic.