A Brief History On September 22, 1995, a United States Air Force Boeing E-3B Sentry (AWACS, early warning spy in the sky type aircraft) flew into a flock of birds immediately after taking off from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, putting two of the four jet engines out of commission and causing a crash of the big plane, killing all 24 crewmen aboard. Developed from the Boeing 707 jetliner, the E-3 is a large airplane, but not so large it could not be downed by birds. Birds pose a danger to airplanes of all sizes and types and can…
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A Brief History On September 17, 1683, Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek presented a paper to the Royal Society (The President, Council and Fellows of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge) containing a description of the first scientific recognition of microbes/protozoa, a living thing he referred to as “animalcules” (single celled organisms). Although van Leeuwenhoek had designed his microscope himself and is known as “The Father of Microbiology,” he was definitely not the inventor of the microscope. In fact, exactly who is the inventor of this highly important contribution to science is not agreed upon by historians.…
A Brief History On June 30, 2016, the World Health Organization listed Cannabidiolum in a list of International Nonproprietary Names for Pharmaceutical Substances (INN). CBD oil was first discovered back in 1940, but the first product containing this cannabis extract was only sold openly in the UK within the last year. Having existed solely on the odd dusty shelf of hippie shops, recent media coverage of the potential health benefits of CBD oil have sent the nation into a buying frenzy, and normalised something which had been seen as slightly risqué, or even grubby, for many years. Digging Deeper What is…
A Brief History On September 1, 2018, men across the world get revenge on women for living longer and getting better car insurance deals, by celebrating World Beard Day! Next time some woman tells you, “I can do anything better than you!” you tell that feisty female, “Oh yeah? Let’s have a beard growing contest.” (Unfortunately, some women can actually grow a beard, especially with hormone treatment, so be careful who you challenge.) Although we have not had a bearded President for many years, and the fact that Russia once instituted a tax on beards in order to discourage their…
A Brief History On August 30, 2018, we celebrate National Toasted Marshmallow Day, a day in late summer when we gather around the campfire with long forks or even sharpened sticks and toast our bubbly, gooey marshmallow treats. Be careful not to burn your mouth! Our more sophisticated marshmallow connoisseurs may ratchet things up a notch by making “Smores,” another gooey treat in which one smears melted, toasted marshmallows on a graham cracker with melted milk chocolate. MMMM! A tradition among campers and Scouts (Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts). Digging Deeper So what are those white, spongy cubes we…