A Brief History On January 17, 2017, the sad saga of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 came to an end of sorts, when authorities announced an end to the futile search for the lost airliner. The fact that we still cannot find the huge Boeing 777 jetliner in this modern era is amazing, but the incident fits with other airplane disappearances, some which we list here: Digging Deeper Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Model 10-E Electra that disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. Bandleader Glenn Miller in a US Army Noorduyn UC-64A over the English Chanel in 1944. Flight 19 of five…
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A Brief History On January 10, 2015, Karachi, Pakistan was the scene of a horrific motor vehicle crash when a tanker truck and passenger bus collided, resulting in 62 deaths, of which six were children. Anytime you have a “close one” while driving, you may think of the dire consequences of a car wreck, and today we list a few of the worst. Digging Deeper Le Mans Disaster of 1955, when car racing proved to be deadly, as a track wreck spilled into the stands, killing one driver and 83 spectators. Sotouboua, Togo, truck vs. dancers wreck of 1965, when…
A Brief History On December 15, 2001, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was finished with an 11 year project that cost $27 million to make sure it kept leaning, a fix that did not fix the original problem! Digging Deeper Of course, the Pisans were in no hurry to correct the lean of their eponymous tower, as the Leaning Tower is an enormous tourist draw, pulling in five million visitors each year. The 185 foot high tower made of marble and stone took 199 years to build, and was intended as the bell tower for the Pisa Cathedral. The famous…
A Brief History On December 6, 1884, the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. was completed. A spectacular structure, the tall white obelisk was the tallest man-made structure in the world when complete, over 554 feet tall, losing that title to the Eiffel Tower in 1889, although it still is the world’s tallest monumental column. Digging Deeper Some other magnificent American monuments include: Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, carved into bare rock to depict the likenesses of four of our greatest presidents. Completed in 1941, each head is about 60 feet tall with eyes 11 feet wide! Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota,…
A Brief History On December 2, 1927, Henry Ford revealed the successor to his iconic Model T, the Ford Model A. While the Ford Model T at one time comprised half or more of all the cars in the world, the Model A was also a success. Digging Deeper After 18 years of production, the Model T had become dated, and sales slowed. The Model A reached 3 million in sales by March of 1930, and was offered in nine styles, the cheapest of which cost only $385! A total of 4.8 million were made. The 4-cylinder engine pumped out…