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cleverlane t1_iwua1zt wrote

Why do old timers always have a middle initial in there?

We never refer to Musk with his middle initial. Or Gates, etc…

If you didn’t put the F. would we think it’s some other Charles Brush?

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CarlMetzger t1_iwubw8d wrote

That was a thing even when I was growing up. If you have a middle name it is a specific way of identifying yourself. People also took pride in their (cursive) signatures and was an art form. Now it's not even taught in school

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LipTrev t1_iwufyfo wrote

Cannot edit titles but it is important to note this was a wind turbine with battery backup.

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LipTrev t1_iwug5n1 wrote

If you are named after family members the only differentiation possible some times are the middle initial.

Some country somewhere had this issue when a father and then a son became prime ministers basically one after the other.

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RetroMetroShow t1_iwugpt2 wrote

Also with common names they need the middle initial like actor Michael B Jordan (not the hoops GOAT) and there was already another Sam Jackson in the actors guild so he added the L

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Nunyazbznz t1_iwurmv1 wrote

I'm not an old timer. I just like the way my name looks when my middle initial is there it has a flow to it.

Also, I was taught to always use my middle initial by the old timers when I was a kid and it's stuck.

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Jampine t1_iwuv5s8 wrote

Cragside house in England has the same deal, but bit earlier in 1870, making it the worlds first power planet, and house with electricity.

Weird thinking about what it must been like to visit at the time, it would been like a Victorian version of Tony Stark's mansion.

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classactdynamo t1_iwuxthg wrote

This is actually where the term brushless motor comes from. It indicates our was not in his possession.

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jazzb54 t1_iwuzki9 wrote

Does that mean all the newer turbines in Cleveland are Brushless?

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Careful_Yannu t1_iwv0bul wrote

It used to be a popular naming scheme, especially among Scottish immigrant families, to insert a false middle initial that doesn't stand for anything. IIRC Hunter S Thompson is an example.

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Procyonid t1_iwv46hn wrote

Was it a Brushless turbine?

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jeremy_bearimy_5711 t1_iwv89mq wrote

You mean, the person who invented the arc light happened to be the first house in the city with electricity?

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luckycity t1_iwvguky wrote

I went to a high school named after him. Our mascot (when I went there) was a guy with a light bulb for a head.

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revelator41 t1_iww3y9t wrote

Thus, the Charles F. Brush High School Arcs.

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Cetun t1_iwx7vee wrote

That's if they have the exact same name. George Edward Foreman Sr. named all of his 5 sons George Edward Foreman. The first one aquired Jr. status and the next 4 became II, III, IV, and V.

If they have a different middle name then they use middle names such as George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Sometimes they will refer to H. W. Bush as Bush Sr. for short but they wouldn't in any official reference such as "George H. W. Bush Sr."

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382Whistles t1_iwxr4vx wrote

Better question might be why we didn't continue with it for better individual identification when the population has only grown.

There were 4 people in our school with the exact same first and last names.

My dad and his cousin shared the exact same 3 names, in the same town, and at the same jr & high school, in the same grade. (nobody knew what names had been chosen).

The initial is useful. So is descendant numbering. E.g. "Thurston Howell the 3rd", or "Jr."

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raytaylor t1_ix2zlnj wrote

Often named after their parents/grandparents.
For example I am
Raymond R Taylor while my grandfather is
Raymond A Taylor
Its how you would tell us apart - especially if we worked in the same trade or occupation.

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