Browsing: February

A Brief History On February 13, 1981, an incredible 13 miles of sewers and streets in Louisville, Kentucky blew up, the explosion caused by the detonation of hexane gas vapors.  Even more incredibly, no people were killed, although 4 were injured.  The Louisville Sewer Explosion is exactly why we cannot trust industry to “do the right thing.” Digging Deeper Hexane gas is not your normal sewer gas that you might have heard referred to in the past, but the product of industrial waste illegally dumped by giant feed and animal food company Ralston-Purina.  The Ralston-Purina plant located in Louisville processes…

A Brief History On February 12, 2020, we take a look at some of the once common things about American society that you hardly ever see anymore, people, clothes, words, and various gizmos that were once common.  We have previously addressed similar subjects, so here a few more for you to ponder and perhaps fondly remember. Digging Deeper Shoe related items. Spats, Saddle Shoes, Cleats, Platform Shoes and Earth Shoes.  Spats were once common, once as a protective device against mud and slush, but later as ornamental devices.  Their original name was “spatterdashes” or “spatter guards.”  They were usually made…

A Brief History On February 11, 2006, the sitting Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney, accidentally shot his hunting buddy, Harry Whittington, while on a managed Quail hunt.  Although the birdshot loaded in Cheney’s shotgun is not particularly lethal to humans except at extremely close range, Whittington was grievously wounded when one of the tiny lead pellets went all the way to his heart, nearly killing him.  This shocking incident is but one of many accidental shootings that have happened over the years, sometimes embarrassing and sometimes deadly.  Today we look at a few of the accidental shootings…

A Brief History On February 10, 2007, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President in the 2008 Presidential election.  Born in 1961, Obama was only 45 years old when he made his announcement.  He would go on to win the Democratic nomination and then win the US Presidential election, sworn in as President of the United States on January 20, 2009 at the age of 47.  Compared to our current President, age 73 at this time and potentially 74 years old if he is sworn in for a second term in January of…

A Brief History On February 9, 1941, during World War II, a giant naval artillery shell dropped on the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Genoa, Italy (usually just called The Genoa Cathedral) failed to explode, sparing the church from destruction.  Fired by the British battleship HMS Malaya, the 15 inch armor piercing projectile was mistakenly fired at the wrong target, and incredibly, the shell remains in place to this day!  Today we take a look at some instances when a bomb or other explosive failed to either detonate at all or detonate without achieving its intended purpose of destruction.  As…