A Brief History On March 1, 1954, the US conducted its highest yield nuclear weapon test ever, the Castle Bravo test at Bikini Atoll, a blast of 15 megatons, which created the largest ever radioactive contamination event in US history, mainly due to the atomized coral spread for miles spiked with lithium-7. Digging Deeper The Castle Bravo test gives us a pair of major trivia facts, while some other perhaps more fascinating trivia items include: Names, especially name changes and bizarre names, including Frank Zappa naming his kids Moon Unit and Dweezil. His other children had to settle for Ahmet…
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A Brief History On February 3, 1998, a bizarre aircraft accident occurred on the ski slopes of Italy when a USMC EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare jet flew below allowable altitude and cut the cable to a cable car carrying skiers. Digging Deeper The cable car was carrying an operator and 19 passengers, all of whom were killed as the car fell 300 feet from the severed cable. The pilot and navigator of the jet were uninjured, and the damaged jet made a safe landing. The accident happened in the Dolomite mountains at Cavalese, and of course, the Italian public and…
A Brief History On February 2, 1954, the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League played the first ever outdoor hockey game in the history of the NHL in Marquette, Michigan, up North in the Upper Peninsula. Digging Deeper Not only was the outdoor venue a notable first, but the opponents of the Red Wings were also inmates of the Marquette Branch Prison! The prisoners gave their team the apropos name of “Pirates,” but unfortunately for the convicts, their hockey team was not up to NHL standards. The Red Wings won the game by a score of 18 to…
A Brief History On January 28, 1960, the NFL expanded from 12 to 13 teams with the addition of the Dallas Cowboys. Those same Cowboys that would later be dubbed “America’s Team” would finish a dismal 0-11-1, narrowly avoiding all losses. Digging Deeper The other teams in the league included the Eagles, Browns, Giants, Cardinals, Steelers, Redskins, Packers, Lions, 49ers, Colts, Bears, and Rams. The Eagles beat the Packers in the title game, and believe it or not, a game was played between the Browns and the Lions for third place, called “The Playoff Bowl,” won by the Lions. Games…
A Brief History On January 12, 1969, the New York Jets of the AFL beat the Baltimore Colts of the NFL, a monumental upset that spurred a merger of the two major pro football leagues. Today, we list some of the biggest sports upsets. Digging Deeper Baseball: The 1969 “Miracle Mets” beat the Orioles to cap their miracle season. Basketball: The woeful 1972 Cleveland Cavaliers beat the record setting LA Lakers 124 to 120, an incredible upset of a team that boasted Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. Boxing: Mike Tyson got knocked out by 42 to 1 underdog “Buster” Douglas…