William John Macquorn Rankine (July 5, 1820 - December 24, 1872) was a Scottish engineer and physicist. He was a founding contributor, with Rudolf Clausius and William Thomson (1st Baron Kelvin), to the science of thermodynamics. Rankine developed a complete theory of the steam engine and indeed of all heat engines. His manuals of engineering science and practice were used for many decades after their publication in the 1850s and 1860s. He published several hundred papers and notes on science and engineering topics, from 1840 onwards, and his interests were extremely varied, including, in his youth, botany, music theory and number theory, and, in his mature years, most major branches of science, mathematics and engineering. He was an enthusiastic amateur singer, pianist and cellist who composed his own humorous songs. He was born in Edinburgh and died in Glasgow, a bachelor.
the raggedy man
O the Raggedy Man! He works fer Pa;
An' he's the goodest man ever you saw!
He comes to our...[read poem]
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An' he's the goodest man ever you saw!
He comes to our...
granny
Granny's come to our house,
And ho! my lawzy-daisy!
All the childern round the place...[read poem]
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And ho! my lawzy-daisy!
All the childern round the place...
little orphant annie
INSCRIBED WITH ALL FAITH AND AFFECTION
To all the little children: -- The happy one...[read poem]
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To all the little children: -- The happy one...
when the frost is on the punkin
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobb...[read poem]
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And you hear the kyouck and gobb...
the mathematician in love
A mathematician fell madly in love
With a lady, young, handsome, and charming:
By angl...[read poem]
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With a lady, young, handsome, and charming:
By angl...
regime change
Advancing down the road from Nineveh
Death paused a while and said 'Now listen here.
...[read poem]
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Death paused a while and said 'Now listen here.
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wet-weather talk
It hain't no use to grumble and complane;
It's jest as cheap and easy to rejoice. --...[read poem]
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It's jest as cheap and easy to rejoice. --...
the old swimmin' hole
Oh! the old swimmin'-hole! whare the crick so still and deep
Looked like a baby-river that was ...[read poem]
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Looked like a baby-river that was ...
the bumblebee
You better not fool with a Bumblebee! --
Ef you don't think they can sting -- you'll see!
...[read poem]
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Ef you don't think they can sting -- you'll see!
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our hired girl
Our hired girl, she's 'Lizabuth Ann;
An' she can cook best things to eat!
She ist puts ...[read poem]
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An' she can cook best things to eat!
She ist puts ...
spring wedding
I took your news outdoors, and strolled a while
In silence on my square of garden-ground
W...[read poem]
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In silence on my square of garden-ground
W...
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