Browsing: August 31

A Brief History On August 31, 1965, fans of super-different airplanes could add another oddity to their list when the Aero Spacelines Super Guppy made its first flight.  A bulbous looking whale of an airplane, the Super Guppy was the successor to the Pregnant Guppy, an equally goofy looking giant cargo plane.  Today we take a look at some of these quite real and intended for practical use airplanes, not jokes or intentionally comical, but serious aircraft built with a serious purpose.  Some of these airplanes were experimental, others saw active service.  As always, give us your nominations of planes…

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A Brief History On August 31, 1869, the world’s first recorded road traffic death involving a motor vehicle occurred when Irish scientist Mary Ward fell out of her cousins’ steam car and was run over by it.  Today, motor vehicle accidents are but one way in which automobiles might require repairs.  When it comes to vehicles, repairing them can get expensive. Read here to learn the most expensive car repairs and how much they cost. Digging Deeper Some car repair jobs will cost you next to nothing. For example, if you need to have the windshield wiper blades on your…

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A Brief History On August 31, 2018, the new sci-fi action-adventure film Kin makes its debut across the United States.  Right off the bat, the first thing I thought when I watched this film was, “Why didn’t they spend more on advertising?”  Obviously, I thought this because I loved the movie.  So did the audience, although my partner was only okay with the film.  Proof that I am the superior judge of film value!  Directors Jonathan and Josh Baker have crafted a movie centered on the angst of a 14 year old boy in the middle of a gang war…

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A Brief History On August 31, 1939, German troops dressed in Polish uniforms pretended to attack a German radio station near the German-Polish border at Gleiwitz (Gliwice in Polish).  Concentration camp inmates had been previously shot and dressed in German uniforms and left at the radio station to make it seem the Poles had attacked Germany, giving Germany the excuse for starting World War II in Europe.  Actions taken against one’s own side under the guise of being an attack by an enemy is a ruse known as a false flag operation.  These can be done on air, on land…

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A Brief History On August 31, 1943, the Buckley Class destroyer, USS Harmon (DE-678) was commissioned, the first American Navy ship named after an African-American person.  The Harmon got its name from the heroic Leonard Roy Harmon, a Mess Attendant aboard the USS San Francisco in 1942. Digging Deeper Back in World War II there were limited specialties available to African-American sailors in the segregated armed forces of the United States, and for the most part African-American sailors were limited to service type positions.  Of course, on board a warship sailors have to have emergency duties assigned for combat, and…

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