A Brief History On April 15, 1952, a milestone in aviation history was crossed when the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress made its first flight, a flight directly headed to First Place in the pantheon of bomber aircraft. Digging Deeper There is no typographical error in the date, it really was 68 years ago (as 2020). The pilots flying the B-52 for the US Air Force were not even born then! (Neither was the author.) When the B-52 first flew, it was the heaviest airplane in the world and could not be caught by fighter planes of the day. Designed to carry…
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A Brief History On April 14, 1775, Benjamin Franklin along with Benjamin Rush founded the first abolitionist society in the US, The Society For the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage. Apparently, in those days catchy acronyms were not the style! Digging Deeper Ben Franklin was a man of such a variety of talents and involved in so many things we have to call him The Most Interesting Man in the World! Born in 1706 in Boston, Franklin worked as a young man as a printer. When only 15 he scored his first of many major firsts, in…
A Brief History On April 14, 1994, the US Air Force proved once again that there is no such thing as “friendly fire!” (Note: So called “friendly fire” is a case of one side killing or destroying its own troops or equipment by accident. Calling such “blue on blue” type of accidental fire “friendly” strikes us as an oxymoron!) Digging Deeper In 1994, US military forces engaged in “Operation Provide Comfort” in Iraq had a mission of protecting ethnic Kurds from Saddam Hussein’s military. On the fateful day, 2 Air Force F-15 Eagles enforcing a “no fly zone” mistook 2 US…
A Brief History On April 13, 1953, the US Central Intelligence Agency launched Project MKULTRA, attempting to learn how to use drugs and other techniques for the purpose of mind control. Unfortunately, the CIA did not help its reputation by using unsuspecting innocent people as human guinea pigs. Many secret agencies, whether for the purpose of international intrigue or homeland security, have brought fear and distrust upon themselves, whether deserved or not. Sometimes the fear is from people who richly deserve to be afraid, sometimes the fear is from innocent people. Here are 10 secret agencies infamous for either ruthlessness,…
A Brief History On April 13, 1953, Director of the CIA, Allen Dulles signed the order authorizing Project MKUltra, research into how to use mind control drugs against Soviet and Chinese targets during the Cold War. Digging Deeper During the Cold War, the US and the Western democracies engaged in a struggle for world domination against the Communist countries, mainly the Soviet Union and China. The Korean War was just wrapping up at the time, and tales of US servicemen that had been taken prisoner and “brainwashed” were terrifying the country! Obviously, we needed our own program to counter theirs,…