Pit
The American Pit Bull Terrier, commonly abbreviated as the Pit, is a medium-sized dog breed noted for its muscular physique, short glossy coat, and athleticism, typically weighing 35 to 70 pounds and standing 17 to 21 inches tall at the shoulder.[1][2] Developed in the 19th century United States from English bulldogs and terriers imported from the United Kingdom, the breed was originally selected for blood sports such as bull-baiting, ratting, and pit dog fighting, which emphasized traits like gameness, strength, and pain tolerance.[3][4] In its early American history, Pits also served practical roles in farming, including herding livestock and catching hogs, earning a reputation for versatility and loyalty that led to their use as family companions and even military mascots during World War I.[3][5] Despite these attributes, the Pit's defining characteristics include a strong prey drive and potential for dog aggression rooted in its fighting lineage, which has fueled ongoing controversies over public safety.[1] Empirical data from verified fatal dog attack records indicate that pit bull-type dogs, including the American Pit Bull Terrier, have been responsible for approximately 66% of such incidents in the United States from 2005 to 2019, far exceeding their estimated population share of 6-20%.[6][7] Medical studies further document that attacks involving pit bulls result in higher rates of morbidity, hospital costs, and mortality compared to other breeds, often due to the "hold and shake" bite style that inflicts severe tissue damage.[8] These patterns have prompted breed-specific legislation in various jurisdictions, though advocacy groups challenge the data citing breed misidentification and environmental factors, while insurance analyses and victim reports consistently highlight elevated risks associated with the breed's physical capabilities and temperament when not properly managed.[6][9] Today, responsible ownership emphasizes early socialization, obedience training, and secure containment to mitigate inherent drives, yet the breed remains polarizing amid debates over nature versus nurture in canine behavior.[4]Natural and physical features
Ground formations and excavations
Sinkholes, also termed dolines in karst contexts, constitute primary natural pit formations arising from the chemical dissolution of soluble bedrock, such as limestone, dolomite, or evaporites like gypsum and halite, by percolating groundwater. Rainwater, rendered mildly acidic through absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide, infiltrates soil and progressively erodes subsurface rock layers, enlarging voids until overlying material collapses to produce surface depressions lacking external drainage. This process dominates in karst landscapes, where bedrock solubility exceeds 2 mg/L in calcium carbonate equivalents, yielding features that range from shallow, saucer-shaped basins a few meters across to steep-sided funnels exceeding 100 meters in depth.[10][11][12] In carbonate terrains, solutional sinkholes develop gradually via uniform bedrock weakening, whereas collapse sinkholes emerge abruptly from sudden roof failure over enlarged cavities, often triggered by heavy rainfall or seismic activity accelerating sediment washout. Coalescence of adjacent dolines—funnel- or cylinder-shaped pits typically 10-50 meters wide—forms compound depressions known as uvalas, which can span hundreds of meters and exhibit stepped profiles reflecting episodic subsidence. Evaporite sinkholes, by contrast, evolve more rapidly due to the markedly higher solubility of salts (up to 200 times that of limestone), manifesting as broader, shallower pits prone to swift enlargement under fluctuating water tables or human-induced perturbations like groundwater extraction.[10][13][14] Volcanic pits, including maars and associated tuff rings, originate from phreatomagmatic eruptions where ascending magma interacts explosively with groundwater or surface water, excavating wide, shallow craters through ejection of fragmented country rock and volcanic ejecta. Maars feature low-relief rims of tuff and breccia, seldom exceeding 50 meters in height, with diameters up to several kilometers and floors often occupied by crater lakes due to impeded drainage; examples include those in the Eifel volcanic field, Germany, formed within the last 10,000 years. Tuff rings differ by possessing steeper, higher rims (up to 100 meters) from surface-based steam explosions, lacking persistent water infill and displaying outward-dipping bedded tuffs. These monogenetic structures reflect localized, short-lived events rather than prolonged magmatic plumbing.[15][16] Pit craters, distinct from eruptive forms, arise via tectonic or gravitational collapse along fissures in volcanic rifts or fault zones, producing aligned chains of steep-walled depressions without significant pyroclastic deposits. On Earth, such features occur in basaltic provinces like Hawaii's Kīlauea, where caldera unloading induces roof failure over drained magma chambers, yielding pits 100-500 meters deep and often elongating into graben-like troughs. Globally, these formations underscore superficial crustal extension mechanics, with comparable chains observed on Mars and icy satellites, implying analogous stress regimes across planetary bodies.[16][17]Botanical elements
In plant anatomy, pits are localized thinning or depressions in the secondary cell walls of adjacent cells, forming complementary pairs that enable intercellular transport and communication. These structures occur where the secondary wall does not fully deposit, leaving a primary wall-derived pit membrane that spans the pit cavity and contains plasmodesmata—cytoplasmic channels approximately 40-50 nm in diameter for the passage of water, solutes, nutrients, and signaling molecules.[18][19] Pits consist of three main components: the pit chamber (or cavity), a hollow space across the wall; the pit aperture, the external opening on the cell surface; and the pit membrane, which acts as a selective barrier. In simple pits, the chamber and aperture diameters are roughly equal, with no overhanging secondary wall, allowing relatively unrestricted flow; these predominate in parenchyma and collenchyma tissues. Bordered pits feature a secondary wall projection forming a dome-like border that narrows the chamber, creating a more controlled pathway; this type is prevalent in conductive and supportive tissues like xylem tracheids and vessels, where the border enhances structural integrity while permitting lateral water movement.[18][20] Functionally, pits facilitate symplastic continuity and apoplastic transport across lignified walls, critical for resource allocation in vascular plants. In xylem, bordered pits enable efficient water conduction between tracheids or vessel elements while incorporating safety mechanisms, such as the torus-margo structure in gymnosperms—a thickened central disk (torus) in the pit membrane that can seal the aperture under negative pressure to prevent air embolism spread, as observed in species like conifers. Simple pits in sclerenchyma fibers and phloem parenchyma support mechanical reinforcement and nutrient exchange without the same hydraulic specialization. Pit density and distribution vary by tissue and species, influencing overall plant hydraulics and vulnerability to cavitation.[20][21][22]Anatomical structures
The axilla, commonly referred to as the armpit, is a pyramid-shaped space located beneath the shoulder joint, bounded by the clavicle superiorly, the first rib medially, the scapula laterally, and the humerus anteriorly and posteriorly.[23] It contains critical neurovascular structures, including the axillary artery and vein, brachial plexus, and lymph nodes that drain the upper limb, breast, and thoracic wall, facilitating lymphatic return and innervation.[23] In the gastrointestinal system, gastric pits are funnel-shaped invaginations of the mucosal epithelium in the stomach lining, serving as openings to underlying gastric glands that secrete hydrochloric acid, pepsinogen, and mucus for digestion.[24] These pits are deeper in the pyloric region than in the fundus or body, with each pit connecting to one or more tubular glands via an isthmus, enabling targeted secretion of gastric juice.[25] Histologically, the pits are lined by simple columnar epithelium that transitions to glandular cells at their base, supporting the stomach's role in initial protein breakdown and pathogen defense.[26] Ocular anatomy features the foveal pit within the fovea centralis of the retina, a shallow depression approximately 1.5 mm in diameter devoid of rods, inner retinal layers, and blood vessels, which enhances visual acuity by allowing direct cone photoreceptor stimulation.[27] This pit, formed during embryonic development through displacement of inner retinal elements, measures about 200–300 μm deep and contains densely packed slender cones specialized for high-resolution color vision in the central visual field.[27] Preauricular pits, also known as preauricular sinuses, are congenital dermal anomalies presenting as small external openings or pits anterior to the external auditory meatus, often associated with incomplete fusion of the auricular hillocks during embryogenesis around the sixth week of gestation.[28] These pits form narrow tracts under the skin, measuring 1–2 mm in diameter, and occur in approximately 0.1–0.9% of the population, with higher prevalence in individuals of Asian and African descent; they may remain asymptomatic or lead to recurrent infections if connected to deeper cysts.[28] Surgical excision is indicated for symptomatic cases to prevent abscess formation.[28]Man-made structures and uses
Mining and industrial pits
Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or surface mining, involves the extraction of valuable minerals or ores from the Earth's surface by creating large excavations without tunneling. This method is employed when ore bodies lie close to the surface, allowing for the removal of overburden—such as soil, rock, and vegetation—followed by drilling, blasting, and mechanical loading of the exposed material. It contrasts with underground mining by prioritizing economies of scale and lower initial costs, though it requires vast land areas and generates significant waste rock.[29][30][31] The technique has ancient roots, with quarrying for building stone documented in Egypt as early as 3000 BCE, but large-scale mechanized open-pit operations emerged during the 19th-century Industrial Revolution, driven by steam-powered equipment and demand for metals like copper and iron. Modern examples include copper mines such as Bingham Canyon (Kennecott) in Utah, USA, operational since 1906 and recognized as the world's largest man-made excavation at 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide and 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) deep, producing over 19 million tons of copper since inception. Other major sites encompass Chuquicamata in Chile, the deepest open-pit copper mine at over 850 meters deep before partial underground transition in 2019, and Escondida in Chile, the largest copper producer globally with 1.2 million tons annually as of 2023.[32][33][34] Industrial pits, distinct from metallic ore mines, primarily extract aggregates such as sand, gravel, and crushed stone for construction, roads, and concrete production, often classified as quarries for hard rock or pits for unconsolidated deposits. Gravel pits target alluvial or glacial deposits in river valleys or floodplains, yielding materials via excavation, screening, and washing, with annual U.S. production exceeding 1 billion tons of aggregates to support infrastructure. These operations, smaller in scale than mega-mines, supply essential raw materials but pose risks like groundwater contamination if used for waste disposal due to the porous nature of deposits. Quarries, meanwhile, focus on dimension stone or limestone, employing similar blasting techniques but emphasizing selective cutting for quality.[35][36][37] Both mining and industrial pits necessitate environmental controls, including revegetation of spent sites and water management to mitigate erosion and sedimentation, though their expansive footprints—sometimes spanning thousands of hectares—alter landscapes permanently. Economic viability hinges on ore grades above 0.5% for copper pits and proximity to markets for aggregates, with global open-pit production dominating non-ferrous metals extraction at over 80% of output.[30][38]Performance and event spaces
In Elizabethan-era theaters such as the Globe, the pit designated the open yard surrounding the stage where groundlings—audience members paying one penny—stood to watch performances, positioned closely to the actors for immersion but exposed to the elements.[39] This arrangement accommodated large crowds of commoners, fostering direct interaction between performers and spectators, though conditions were often crowded and raucous.[40] The cockpit represented another early form of pit-based event space, initially constructed for animal combat spectacles like cockfighting before conversion to theatrical venues; for instance, the Drury Lane cockpit, built around 1609, became an indoor playhouse in 1616 under actor Christopher Beeston, hosting private and public performances until its suppression in 1642.[41] Such adaptations highlighted pits' versatility from blood sports to dramatic arts, with tiered seating emerging around the central fighting area to enhance visibility for paying crowds.[42] In modern proscenium-arch theaters, the orchestra pit is a recessed, lowered area positioned between the stage and audience, housing musicians who provide live accompaniment while remaining largely obscured to maintain focus on performers.[43] This design, refined in the late 19th century, positions the ensemble near the action for precise cueing, typically accommodating 20 to 80 players depending on the production scale, and often features adjustable flooring for acoustic and sightline optimization.[44] At contemporary rock, punk, and metal concerts, the mosh pit forms an unstructured, standing zone immediately in front of the stage where fans engage in vigorous, physical dancing styles including slamming and crowd surfing, originating in the late 1970s hardcore punk scenes of Southern California and Washington, D.C.[45] These pits serve as participatory event spaces, amplifying audience energy through controlled chaos, though they carry risks of injury prompting venue barriers and security protocols; by the 1980s, the practice spread to broader heavy music genres, evolving into cultural staples at festivals like Lollapalooza.[46]Other engineered pits
Elevator pits are engineered excavations located at the bottom of elevator shafts, typically 1 to 2 meters deep, designed to house the lowest sheave, buffers, and safety mechanisms while providing space for maintenance access and collecting incidental water accumulation via integrated sumps and pumps.[47] According to ASME A17.1 safety standards, pits in elevators equipped for firefighters' emergency operation must include a drain or sump pump to prevent flooding, with depths varying by car size—often around 1.2 meters for standard passenger elevators.[48] Sump pits consist of reinforced concrete or plastic basins, usually 0.6 to 1 meter in diameter and depth, embedded in basement floors or low-lying areas to intercept groundwater seepage or foundation drainage before it causes structural damage, paired with submersible pumps rated for continuous operation at flows up to 100 liters per minute depending on site hydrology.[49] These pits are lined to resist corrosion and equipped with check valves to avoid backflow, with installation requiring precise grading to ensure water funnels toward the basin.[50] Inspection pits, also termed service or maintenance pits, are narrow, elongated excavations—commonly 0.5 to 1 meter wide, 1.5 to 2 meters deep, and several meters long—in garage floors, railway depots, or utility corridors, enabling workers to access vehicle undercarriages, train bogies, or buried pipelines without heavy lifting equipment.[51] Constructed with precast concrete or steel modules for durability, they incorporate non-slip gratings, drainage channels, and ventilation to mitigate hazards like fumes or confined space risks, as seen in prefabricated designs certified for loads exceeding 10 tons.[52] In civil infrastructure, such pits facilitate routine checks on underground utilities, reducing excavation needs during repairs.[53]Biology and animals
Canine breeds and related
The term "pit bull" refers to a group of dog breeds and types sharing ancestry from 19th-century British bull-and-terrier crosses, rather than a single breed recognized by major kennel clubs like the American Kennel Club (AKC).[1] Primary breeds classified as pit bull-type include the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) since its founding on February 10, 1898; the American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff), accepted by the AKC in 1936; and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, a smaller UK-origin breed acknowledged by the AKC in 1974.[1] [54] Other related types, such as the American Bully (developed in the 1990s from APBT stock for companion roles) and occasionally the American Bulldog, are sometimes included due to physical similarities and shared genetic heritage, though distinctions exist in size, build, and purpose. These dogs trace origins to the Old English Bulldog crossed with terriers (e.g., Black and Tan Terrier) in the early 1800s United Kingdom, initially for blood sports like bull-baiting, where dogs gripped and held bulls in enclosed pits until the practice was banned by the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1835.[3] Breeders then shifted to rat-baiting and dog fighting, selecting for "gameness"—unyielding tenacity in combat—while maintaining human tolerance to allow safe handling during fights.[1] Immigrants brought these "pit dogs" to the United States in the mid-19th century, where they served multifaceted roles including farm work, livestock protection, and herding, alongside continued underground fighting until its federal criminalization via the Animal Welfare Act amendments in 1976.[55] By the early 20th century, efforts to rebrand them as family companions emerged, with figures like President Theodore Roosevelt praising their loyalty, though fighting lines persisted.[3] Physically, pit bull-type dogs are medium-sized (17-21 inches at shoulder, 30-65 pounds), muscular, with short coats, broad heads, and powerful jaws suited to their historical gripping function.[54] Temperament varies by line: working strains emphasize agility and drive, while show lines (e.g., AmStaff) prioritize conformation. The American Temperament Test Society (ATTS) reports APBTs passing at 86.4% (versus 83.9% for Golden Retrievers), indicating stability in controlled human interactions.[56] However, peer-reviewed genetic analyses reveal elevated dog-directed aggression in pit bull-types, linked to selective breeding for intraspecific combat, with one study finding them lower in owner aggression but higher toward unfamiliar dogs compared to other breeds.[57] Veterinary behaviorists note that while socialization mitigates risks, inherent traits like high prey drive and bite style (latch-and-shake) amplify injury severity when aggression manifests, independent of ownership quality.[58] Empirical data on human-directed incidents underscore disproportionate involvement: An AVMA analysis of 238 U.S. fatal attacks from 1979-1998 attributed over half to pit bull-types and Rottweilers, with pits' strength enabling fatal maulings even in neutered, indoor dogs.[59] From 2005-2023, independent tallies record pit bull-types in 66% of 593 documented fatalities, exceeding their estimated 6% population share, corroborated by insurance claims and hospital data showing higher per-incident costs and severity.[60] [61] Advocacy groups like the ASPCA assert no breed-specific human aggression propensity, attributing outcomes to environment, but this conflicts with breed-identification studies confirming visual/media reports' accuracy in 60-75% of cases and controlled behavioral genetics research.[62] [57] Resulting breed-specific legislation in over 900 U.S. jurisdictions reflects causal links between fighting-bred traits, irresponsible breeding, and public safety risks, though enforcement varies.[60]Other biological contexts
In certain reptiles, particularly pit vipers of the subfamily Crotalinae and some boid snakes, pit organs serve as infrared-sensing structures that detect thermal radiation from warm-blooded prey. These organs consist of paired, vase-shaped depressions located between the eye and nostril, each featuring a thin, vascularized membrane that responds to temperature differences as small as 0.001°C.[63][64] The membrane's sensory nerve endings connect to the trigeminal nerve, integrating thermal data with visual and olfactory inputs to enable precise prey localization, even in complete darkness or when blinded.[65] This capability allows pit vipers to strike accurately at targets up to 1 meter away, with response times under 20 milliseconds.[66] Pit organs likely evolved convergently in crotaline vipers and boids, with fossil evidence suggesting their presence in viper ancestors dating back at least 20 million years.[64] In pythons and boas, the structures are labial pits along the lower jaw rather than loreal pits, but they function similarly for thermoreception during ambush predation. Experimental studies confirm that blocking these organs impairs hunting success, underscoring their adaptive value in nocturnal or low-light environments where visual cues are limited.[63] No equivalent infrared pit organs occur in other vertebrate classes, though some beetles exhibit analogous thermoreceptive hairs.[65]Arts, entertainment, and media
Video and tabletop games
Pit is a tabletop card game designed to replicate the open-outcry bidding system of commodity trading pits, such as those at the Chicago Board of Trade.[67] First published in 1903 with a deck of 63 cards comprising nine copies each of seven commodities, players trade cards by shouting offers and demands to assemble a complete set of nine identical cards before opponents, with the first to do so claiming victory by ringing a bell.[68] The game supports three to eight players and emphasizes speed and volume in trading, often resulting in chaotic, loud exchanges; later editions, such as the Bull and Bear variant, introduce special cards that alter market conditions by doubling or halving point values.[68] In video games, Pit People, developed by The Behemoth, is a turn-based strategy title released on November 2, 2018, for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows, featuring a post-apocalyptic world where players assemble teams of humans, aliens, and monsters to battle in tactical combat scenarios.[69] BALL x PIT, a roguelite action game by Kenny Sun, launched on October 15, 2025, for platforms including PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, tasks players with descending an endless pit of monsters using evolving balls for combat and block-breaking mechanics to survive procedurally generated depths.[70] Similarly, Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit, an adventure horror game developed by Steel Wool Studios and released on August 7, 2024, for PC and consoles, adapts the Fazbear Frights book by having players navigate time periods, solve puzzles, and evade animatronic threats within a ball pit setting.[71]Music and performances
In theatrical performances such as operas, musicals, and ballets, the orchestra pit refers to a lowered area in front of the stage where musicians perform to accompany the onstage action while remaining largely out of sight from the audience.[72] This design allows for balanced acoustics, directing orchestral sound upward toward the stage and audience while minimizing visual distraction from performers.[73] The concept emerged in the late 19th century, evolving from earlier practices where orchestras performed directly on stage; a notable early implementation was in Richard Wagner's Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, Germany, which opened on May 25, 1876, with a covered pit to enhance sound blending and immersion.[74] Pit orchestras typically consist of 15 to 30 musicians, including strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion, tailored to the production's score, though sizes vary by venue and show demands—smaller ensembles for regional theaters and larger for Broadway productions.[72] Musicians in the pit must read from full scores, follow conductor cues under dim lighting, and often double on multiple instruments to meet compact spacing constraints.[75] Examples include the pit ensembles for long-running Broadway musicals like Hamilton, which employs around 10-15 players for its hip-hop-influenced score, emphasizing reeds and percussion over full strings.[76] In contrast, within rock, punk, and heavy metal concerts, a mosh pit denotes an unstructured area in front of the stage where audience members engage in aggressive, physical dancing styles such as slamming, circling, and crowd surfing, originating in the late 1970s hardcore punk scenes of southern California (around Orange County), Washington, D.C., and New York City punk shows.[45] The term "mosh" gained prominence in the early 1980s New York City hardcore scene, evolving from pogoing and slam dancing to more intense forms by bands like Agnostic Front and Cro-Mags, with circle pits—rotating group movements—becoming a staple in thrash metal by the mid-1980s.[45] While fostering communal energy, mosh pits have led to injuries, prompting some performers to discourage or ban them, as seen in The Smashing Pumpkins' policies during their 1990s tours amid rising concerns over safety.[77]Literature and film
"The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short horror story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842, in which the narrator, imprisoned during the Spanish Inquisition, awakens in a dark cell featuring a deep, treacherous pit and faces torture via a descending bladed pendulum.[78] The narrative emphasizes psychological terror and sensory deprivation, with the pit symbolizing inescapable doom amid the chamber's calculated horrors.[78] "The Pit: A Story of Chicago," a 1903 novel by Frank Norris, portrays the speculative frenzy of wheat trading in the physical pits of the Chicago Board of Trade, following speculator Curtis Jadwin's rise and fall driven by market manipulation and unchecked ambition.[79] As the second installment in Norris's unfinished "Epic of the Wheat" trilogy, it critiques the dehumanizing forces of capitalism, drawing on real 1890s wheat price surges influenced by global supply disruptions.[79] "The People of the Pit," a 1918 weird fiction tale by A. Merritt published in All-Story Weekly, recounts an explorer's encounter with ancient, tentacled entities dwelling in a vast Alaskan pit, blending adventure with cosmic horror elements predating similar motifs in H.P. Lovecraft's works.[80] In film, The Pit (1981), directed by Lew Lehman, centers on a socially isolated 12-year-old boy who discovers carnivorous creatures in a forested pit and begins luring tormentors there under the influence of his sentient teddy bear, blending psychological drama with creature-feature horror.[81] The Canadian production, released on October 23, 1981, features practical effects for the subterranean beasts and explores themes of bullying and isolation, achieving cult status for its unconventional narrative despite mixed contemporary reception.[81]Individuals
People with surname Pit
Adriaan Pit (25 April 1860 – 24 November 1944), also known as Aart Pit, was a Dutch art historian, museum director, and writer.[82] Born in The Hague, he contributed to the study and preservation of Dutch art through his scholarly work and administrative roles.[83] Pit served as director of the Netherlands Museum of History and Art in Amsterdam, where he oversaw collections spanning historical artifacts and fine arts during a period of expanding public interest in national heritage.[84] His writings focused on art historical analysis, reflecting the academic standards of late 19th- and early 20th-century European scholarship.[85] Pit died in Nijmegen at age 84.[82] The surname Pit, of topographic origin denoting a pit or hollow, appears infrequently in historical records of notable figures, with Adriaan Pit representing one of the few documented instances in cultural and academic fields.[86]Other notable individuals
Hubert Jacques Martin (December 9, 1943 – November 30, 2008), commonly known as Pit Martin, was a Canadian professional ice hockey center who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1962 to 1979, accumulating 849 points in 1,104 games across teams including the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, and Vancouver Canucks.[87] He was selected to four consecutive NHL All-Star Games from 1969 to 1972 and won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 1970 for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, after rebounding from a severe injury.[88] Martin died in a snowmobile accident on an icy lake in Quebec.[89] Stephen Pit Corder (October 6, 1918 – January 27, 1990) was a British applied linguist and professor at the University of Edinburgh from 1961 to 1983, where he helped establish the field through works like Introducing Applied Linguistics (1973), emphasizing error analysis in second-language acquisition as a natural learning process rather than mere deviation from norms.[90] His contributions influenced language teaching methodologies, promoting empirical study of learner errors over prescriptive correction.[91] Corder's ideas shaped generations of researchers, prioritizing data-driven insights into interlanguage development.[92] Pedro Sérgio Murad Passarell (April 11, 1968 – September 27, 2024), known professionally as Pit Passarell, was an Argentine-born Brazilian heavy metal bassist and songwriter, best recognized as a co-founder and longtime member of the band Viper, with whom he released albums starting from their 1987 debut Soldiers of Sunrise.[93] Passarell contributed to Viper's shift toward power metal influences and pursued solo projects blending rock and Latin elements until his death from pancreatic cancer at age 56.[94]Geographic locations
United States
The Pit River, located in northeastern California, is a principal tributary of the Sacramento River, originating in the Warner Mountains near the Oregon border and flowing southwest for approximately 210 miles through Modoc and Shasta counties before its confluence near Redding.[95] Its watershed spans 4,324 square miles, encompassing diverse terrain from high desert plateaus to forested canyons, and supports significant ecological functions including habitat for salmonids and riparian ecosystems.[96] The river's flow is heavily modified by a series of seven hydroelectric dams—Pit 1 through Pit 7—constructed primarily between 1921 and 1963 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which generate over 1,000 megawatts of power and create reservoirs such as Lake Britton (formed by Pit 3, completed 1925) and the smaller Pit 1 Forebay.[97] Hydrologically, the Pit River exhibits high seasonal variability, with peak flows from snowmelt in spring and low summer discharges augmented by dam releases; average annual discharge at the lower gauge near Canby measures about 2,800 cubic feet per second, though floods have exceeded 50,000 cfs, as in the 1964 event causing extensive erosion.[95] These impoundments have altered natural sediment transport and fish migration, prompting ongoing debates over relicensing and ecological restoration, including fish passage improvements mandated under federal hydropower regulations. The river's upper reaches feature steep gradients ideal for whitewater recreation, with sections classified as Class IV-V rapids, while tailwaters below dams sustain year-round trout fisheries due to cold, oxygenated releases.[98] The Pit River holds cultural significance for the Pit River Tribe, a federation of 11 autonomous bands of Achomawi and Atsugewi peoples whose ancestral territory aligns with the watershed; the tribe manages lands along the river for traditional uses and economic development, including casino operations established post-1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.[99] European exploration in the 1820s by Peter Skene Ogden and Hudson's Bay Company trappers first documented the river, with the name "Pit" likely deriving from indigenous pit traps for game or a phonetic rendering of native terms, though early maps variably spelled it "Pitt" until standardization by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[100] No incorporated municipalities bear the sole name "Pit," though minor locales like Gravel Pit in Iowa exist as historical populated places tied to extractive industries.[101]Other countries
Pit is a locality situated in the Pando Department of Bolivia, in the northern Amazonian region of the country bordering Brazil.[102] In India, several small villages and hamlets incorporate "Pit" into their names, often denoting local geographical features such as depressions or pits in the terrain. Gora Pit, located in Sarupeta tehsil of Barpeta district, Assam, covers a geographical area of 269.64 hectares and falls under census code 283411 with postal code 781318.[103] Alangudi Pit is a hamlet in Ammapettai block of Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, administered under the Alangudi Pit panchayat.[104] Nagla Pit lies in Takha block of Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, under the Sarawa panchayat.[105] These settlements are rural and primarily agricultural, reflecting typical village structures in their respective states without notable urban development or historical landmarks documented in available records.Sports and competitions
Motor racing and pit crews
In motor racing, the pit refers to the designated area adjacent to the racetrack where vehicles enter for maintenance, tire changes, fueling, and adjustments during races, with pit crews consisting of specialized technicians who execute these operations under time pressure to minimize lap time losses.[106] Pit stops originated in early 20th-century events like the Indianapolis 500, where rudimentary refueling and tire swaps evolved into highly choreographed procedures as racing speeds increased, demanding greater precision to avoid penalties or mechanical failures.[107] The efficiency of pit crews directly influences race outcomes, as suboptimal stops can cost positions; for instance, in NASCAR, a fast pit crew provides a competitive edge equivalent to driver skill, with crews training like athletes to handle physical demands such as lifting heavy tires.[108] Pit crew composition varies by series but emphasizes role specialization for speed and safety. In Formula 1, regulated by the FIA, a typical crew exceeds 20 members, including two jack operators to lift the car, four wheel nut removers and fitters using pneumatic guns, a front jack man, and optional adjusters for the front wing; refueling has been banned since 2010, shifting focus to tire changes that average 2-3 seconds.[109] In NASCAR, over-the-wall crew is limited to six members—tire carriers, changers, jackman, and fueler—under strict rules requiring pit road speeds of 30-55 mph depending on track length, with violations like speeding incurring penalties; the crew chief oversees strategy from outside.[110] IndyCar crews handle similar tasks but incorporate fueling, resulting in longer stops typically exceeding 6 seconds for tires alone due to less streamlined processes compared to F1.[111] Record pit stops highlight crew proficiency: McLaren set the F1 benchmark at 1.80 seconds for a four-tire change on Lando Norris's car during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, surpassing prior marks through optimized choreography and equipment.[112] NASCAR stops, encompassing fuel and adjustments, achieve sub-12-second totals in elite cases, though direct comparisons are complicated by differing requirements; IndyCar's fastest emphasize rapid fueling alongside tires but lag F1's tire-only pace.[111] Crews undergo rigorous training, often drawing from athletic backgrounds, to mitigate risks like wheel nut failures or fires, with historical advancements in roles traced to teams like Richard Childress Racing professionalizing positions in the 1980s.[107] Regulations enforce safety, such as FIA mandates for static wheel guns and NASCAR prohibitions on loose equipment, ensuring causal reliability in high-stakes environments where milliseconds determine victory.[113]Animal fighting and arenas
In animal fighting, pits refer to enclosed arenas designed to contain combatants and spectators during blood sports such as cockfighting and dogfighting. These structures typically feature a central fighting area surrounded by barriers and seating, facilitating wagers and observation while preventing escapes. Historical records trace such pits to ancient practices, with cockfighting originating in Southeast Asia over 2,000 years ago and spreading to Persia, Greece, and Rome by the classical era, where they symbolized valor before battles.[114][115] Cockpits, the dedicated arenas for cockfighting, consist of a circular or square central pit—often 12 to 15 feet in diameter with low walls or netting to retain the birds—elevated or sunken relative to tiered spectator seating that accommodates hundreds. In regions where legal, such as parts of the Philippines under regulated licensing since the 1970s, cockpits are purpose-built commercial venues with reinforced structures, sanitation requirements, and capacity for 500 to 2,000 attendees during weekly derbies. Fights involve gamecocks fitted with metal spurs, lasting until one concedes or dies, with historical matches documented in Europe from the 16th century onward in similar enclosed setups.[116][117] Dogfighting pits emerged in 18th-century Britain following the 1835 ban on bull-baiting, evolving from ratting contests into structured matches between breeds like the bull-and-terrier cross, later known as pit bull terriers. These pits are typically square enclosures measuring 14 to 20 feet per side, constructed with plywood, chain-link fencing, or hay bale walls rising 2 to 4 feet high, often in barns, garages, or basements to evade authorities; professional pits proliferated in the U.S. by the 1860s, with fights enforcing rules like "scratch lines" for dogs to re-engage. Underground operations persist illegally in most jurisdictions, including all U.S. states by 2019 federal enhancements to the Animal Welfare Act, though convictions remain low due to organized crime ties.[118][119] Other historical pit-like arenas include those for bull-baiting in 16th- to 19th-century England, where bulls were chained to stakes within fenced rings or open pits on estates, attacked by packs of mastiff-type dogs until the practice's prohibition in 1835 amid rising animal welfare concerns. Bear-baiting similarly used circular pits within bear-gardens on London's Bankside from the 1400s, featuring a central area with raised seating for up to 1,000 spectators, but these were phased out by the early 19th century. Such venues declined globally with urbanization and anti-cruelty laws, though empirical data from humane societies indicate ongoing illicit fights contribute to thousands of animal injuries annually in unregulated areas.[120][121]Transportation and mechanics
Vehicle maintenance areas
A vehicle service pit, also referred to as an inspection pit or maintenance pit, consists of a trench or shaft embedded in the floor of an automotive garage or repair facility, enabling mechanics to stand upright while accessing the undercarriage of a parked vehicle for tasks such as oil changes, brake inspections, and exhaust repairs.[122] These structures facilitate simultaneous work on the vehicle's top and bottom sides, reducing the need to reposition equipment or personnel compared to using vehicle lifts.[123] Service pits trace their origins to the nascent automotive era, when early repair practices demanded efficient underbody access without extensive infrastructure like basements or hoists, which were costly and hazardous to install or operate.[124] By the mid-20th century, pits became standard in many workshops, particularly for fleet maintenance in fire departments and heavy equipment servicing, where vehicles like fire engines are positioned over the pit for comprehensive inspections without elevation.[125] However, their use has declined in modern repair shops due to safety risks and the prevalence of hydraulic lifts, which offer greater versatility and eliminate open-floor hazards.[126] Pits pose significant dangers, including fall risks from unguarded openings, accumulation of flammable or toxic gases heavier than air that can ignite from sparks, and challenges for emergency responders navigating unfamiliar floor voids during fires.[127] Regulations mandate features such as removable covers, guardrails, anti-slip surfaces, adequate lighting, and exhaust ventilation systems maintaining minimum airflow rates to mitigate these issues, with noncombustible construction required in automotive areas.[128] [129] Prefabricated steel or concrete-lined pits, like sealed systems, address some installation drawbacks by minimizing excavation and groundwater infiltration, though they still require compliance with confined-space entry protocols under occupational safety standards.[130] Despite advantages in space-constrained environments, such as allowing mechanics to walk freely under vehicles for detailed alignments or rust repairs, pits remain niche, often supplemented or replaced by drive-over platforms with integrated safety hoists in compliance-focused facilities.[131]Other transport-related
In rail transport, an inspection pit refers to a narrow trench or excavation in a workshop floor or siding, typically 1.2 meters wide and 1.1 to 1.3 meters deep, designed to provide workers safe access to the undercarriage of locomotives and rail cars for maintenance tasks such as inspecting wheels, brakes, and suspension components.[132] These pits conform to standards set by the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) and often include modular prefabricated sections for efficient installation, with lengths customized to vehicle size.[133] Safety features, including recoil barriers, motorized covers, and gas detection to prevent asphyxiation risks, are integrated to mitigate hazards like falls or accumulation of fumes during operations.[134][135] In vertical transportation systems, an elevator pit denotes the recessed area at the base of the hoistway, extending below the lowest landing floor to accommodate buffers, safety gear, and counterweight rollers, ensuring the car aligns level with floors and absorbs over-travel impacts.[136] Standard pit depths range from approximately 1 meter in traditional setups to deeper configurations based on building codes and elevator speed, with OSHA guidelines emphasizing restricted access and ladders for confined space compliance to prevent entrapment.[137][138] Pitless elevator designs, emerging in residential applications, eliminate this requirement by mounting components above floor level, reducing construction costs and excavation needs while maintaining functionality through hydraulic or vacuum systems.[139] For freight handling in logistics, pit levelers are embedded hydraulic platforms installed in loading dock recesses to bridge height differentials between warehouse floors and truck trailers, typically spanning 2 to 3 meters in width and supporting loads up to 30 tons for seamless pallet transfer.[140] Unlike surface-mounted alternatives, these require structural pits but offer greater stability and capacity for high-volume operations, though at higher initial costs due to concrete integration.[141]Miscellaneous uses
Acronyms and abbreviations
- Personal Income Tax (PIT): A tax levied on individuals' earnings by state governments in the United States, such as California's requirement for employers to withhold and deposit PIT from employee wages.[142] Pennsylvania imposes PIT at a flat rate of 3.07% on taxable income for residents and nonresidents.[143]
- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT): The International Air Transport Association (IATA) code for the primary airport serving the Pittsburgh metropolitan area in Pennsylvania, handling over 9 million passengers annually as of 2025.[144][145]
- Programmable Interval Timer (PIT): A counter/timer integrated circuit, such as the Intel 8254, used in microcomputers for generating precise time delays and interrupts via three independent 16-bit counters operating up to 10 MHz.[146][147]
- Point-in-Time (PIT): A method for conducting snapshot counts of homelessness, mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on a single night in late January, yielding estimates like 770,000 homeless individuals nationwide in 2024.[148][149]