Browsing: Animals/Pets

A Brief History On May 15, 1718, Mr. Puckle patented what could be considered the first machine gun. With “innovative” ideas like a version with square bullets, it was a military and financial flop. This happens, weapons that seem like a good idea that real life proves are not so good. Here are 10 examples of such failures. Digging Deeper 10. T-64/T-72/T-80 Tank, USSR, debut 1960‘s. Mobile, tough armor, and a huge 125 mm gun (when US and allied main tank guns were 105 mm) with an automatic loader, allowing the crew to be reduced by 1 (no need for…

A Brief History Today, April 24, 2016, we take a moment to recognize the incredibly important role animals have played throughout human history.  When early Man first competed for food among other herbivores, those skills needed to survive helped shape the evolution of humans.  When early Man started eating meat, the rate of growth of the brain became dramatically increased, forever placing humans in a position of dominance over highly capable, but less intelligent animals. Digging Deeper King James Bible And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the…

A Brief History On March 17, 1968, the US Army proved just how dangerous it is to play with weapons of “maaaass” destruction!  (Yes, we went there…) Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find the Army operating Dugway Proving Ground in Utah starting in 1941, a top secret testing area for chemical and biological weapons. The terrible effect of various poison gas weapons in World War I by both sides caused nervousness during World War II that somebody would once again initiate their use, especially when desperate.  The US supposedly contemplated using poison gas against Japanese dug in deeply in islands…

A Brief History On November 17, 2005, the puppy that came to be known as Giant George was born in Arizona, a puppy that would become the tallest living dog in the world and as far as we know, the tallest dog ever at that time. Digging Deeper A Great Dane, Giant George grew to a height of 43 inches (110 centimeters) which bested the previous record holder, Titan (another Great Dane) by ¾ of an inch, a clear margin.  Note: Dogs are measured at “the withers” to establish their height. (withers- the ridge between the shoulder bones, used to…

A Brief History On November 3, 1957, before any chimpanzee, any man, any woman, any Russian, any American went into space, the Soviet dog Laika became the first astronaut (cosmonaut in Soviet terms) in history, an indication of just how important dogs are to people. Digging Deeper Unfortunately, poor Laika was on a one way mission, as the fledgling space programs of the day did not include the technology for a safe return to Earth.  A stray found roaming the streets of Moscow, Laika was an 5 to 6 kilogram mixed breed dog.  (Note: We say mixed breed instead of…