A Brief History On February 26, 2013, a sightseeing hot air balloon over Luxor, Egypt, was carrying 20 passengers and the pilot when something went horribly wrong. A leaking fuel line caused a fire to break out on the balloon when it was only a few meters off the ground, and the ensuing flames caused the balloon to rise dramatically. Engulfed in flames, some passengers jumped out of the gondola to their deaths, while others stayed in the passenger compartment until the balloon exploded, killing 19 of the 21 people that had been aboard, the worst death toll in hot…
Browsing: February
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A Brief History On February 25, 1836, Sam Colt patented his cap and ball revolver that would give rise to all the modern revolvers that followed. We previously discussed this important event in firearms evolution in our article “Sam Colt Patents His Revolver” and also listed “10 Best Revolvers of All Time” among our many articles about firearms. This time we address those revolvers we would like to personally own above all others, if of course money was no object. While we are firmly in the semi-automatic pistol camp for carrying a military, police, or personal protection handgun, we recognize the…
A Brief History On February 24, 2007, Japan launched a spy satellite into orbit, presumably to help keep track of threats to Japan from their neighbors China and North Korea. Maybe Russia, too. Since the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in the “Space Race” in the late 1950’s and 1960’s, several other nations have joined the club of nations with the ability to launch rockets into outer space. Used for weather monitoring, Earth mapping, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), research, communications (radio, telephone, television, digital), exploring other planets and even beyond, and spying on other countries, space programs have…
A Brief History On February 22, 1744, the British Royal Navy began an engagement with Spanish and French naval ships in a sea battle off the coast of Toulon, France in the Mediterranean Sea, a battle that was a defeat for the British and one of the most humiliating fiascos in Royal Navy history, The Battle of Toulon. While we do not believe we are Anglophiles per se, we do have great respect for the Royal Navy and its long tradition of courage at sea and its many accomplishments. In fact, the only national navy we would place alongside the…
A Brief History On February 21, 2019, Chicago Police arrested television actor Jussie Smollett on a felony charge of “Disorderly Conduct,” for the action of filing a false police report claiming he had been the victim of hate crimes, including mailed threats and being physically assaulted. Turns out the claims were false, after much media and celebrity handwringing and accusations had been flying around. People now ask, “Why would he do such a thing?” In the past, we discussed “10 Examples of “False Flag” Attacks” and today we delve into the issue again, this time leaning toward the filing of…