The idea that squeezing crystals has electrical consequences is not new. A phenomenon called piezoelectricity, which is exploited in pressure sensors and quartz watches, involves creating a voltage between the ends of a piece of crystal by applying pressure.
The John Hancock Center was completed in 1970, and its gently sloping black steel form remains one of the most-recognizable structures in Chicagoâs famed skyline. John Hancock Center The John Hancock Center (centre building) on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Â© Chicago Architecture Foundation A bold form was chosen for the Hancock Center. The tapered rectangular tubeâwith giant trusses on each of the four sidesâreadily shows how the building is supported.
John Hancockâs great-great-grandfather, Nathaniel Hancock, was born in 1596. He was a Puritan farmer and lived in Padiham, Lancashire, England. He emigrated from England with his wife Joan in 1634 and settled in Cambridge. Nathanielâs son, Deacon Nathaniel Hancock, was born in America in 1638 and died in 1719. He also was a farmer and supplemented his income as a shoemaker and town constable. The first John Hancock to be born in America was the son of Deacon Nathaniel Hancock. He was born in Cambridge on March 1, 1671 and died on December 5, 1752. He graduated from Harvard in 1689, and studied theology, logic, argumentation and rhetoric that helped him become a dominating personality.