Browsing: The Bizarre

A Brief History On July 19, 1963, Joe Walker flew a North American X-15 rocket plane to a record altitude of 106 kilometers, qualifying him as an astronaut.  The X-15 rocket plane was an extraordinary aircraft, to say the least.  Over the years there have been airplanes that have stood out among the rest, for their performance, their records, their longevity or for capabilities that no planes before had mastered.  Here we list 10 of these exceptional machines, real operational planes, not fantasy experimental ones, ones that caught our attention.   Digging Deeper 10. Lockheed C-130, 1956-present. The first turboprop cargo plane…

A Brief History On July 8, 1994, Kim Jong-Il assumed control of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il-Sung.  For the people of North Korea, it was like going from the frying pan into the fire, from one goof to an even jerkier goof.  Despite what Americans may think of their presidents, other countries have given history a parade of crackpots that have led countries as dictators, whether through color of office, military coup, or royal lineage.  Here we list 10 of the biggest crackpot dictators in modern history.  (Hint: If your leader wears a military uniform and…

A Brief History On July 8, 1947, the local Roswell newspaper reported the crash of a UFO outside of town, calling it a “flying saucer.”  The public belief that an extraterrestrial vehicle had crashed and been taken by the Air Force was reinforced by a press release issued by Roswell Army Air Field spokesman Walter Haut saying the Army had recovered a “flying disk.” Digging Deeper Later government and military assertions that the object recovered had been a top secret observation balloon or weather balloon did not sway the opinion of much of the public.  The display of the alleged…

A Brief History On July 5, 1937, Hormel Foods Corporation introduced Spam to a Depression weary world.  A cooked, ready to eat meat product in a can, Spam was just the ticket for soldiers in the field in the upcoming World War.  It was also ideal for shipping to hungry allies.  Unfortunately, many folks think the salty, greasy, fat laden stuff in better suited as dog food, especially if you do not like your dog.  Britain and Australia got their share shipped to them, and Spam became a Monty Python joke.  Even unwanted emails are called Spam!  Still, it now comes in several flavor varieties (as many as 15)…

A Brief History On June 24, 1374, the German city of Aachen experienced a sudden outbreak of St. John’s Dance, a bizarre condition where masses of people experience hallucinations, jump and twitch (dance) until they fell from exhaustion!  And this fiasco was not the only time or place. Digging Deeper The Aachen incident seems to have spread across Europe that year and into the next two years, affecting many other cities.  Italy had their own brand of this disorder that they called “tarantism” where the dancers, presumably bit by a tarantula spider, would dance off the poison by dancing a “tarantella.”…