Browsing: Lists

A Brief History On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  This spacecraft would take 3 American astronauts to the Moon, landing 2 on its surface and return all 3 safely to Earth, less than a decade after the first manned space flight.  The US and Americans have achieved many great things, and here we list 10 of them.  Not all significant inventions or achievements are necessarily for humanitarian purposes, some of them are for war.  Some, like DDT and the polio vaccines saved millions of lives.  We list 10 that we think you…

A Brief History On July 15, 1954, the first prototype of what became the Boeing 707 and US Air Force C-135 family of airplanes made its first flight.  Many airplanes have served a dual role well, moving cargo and people for civilian purposes or the same for the military.  Sometimes a military airplane might be an ideal test aircraft for scientific purposes, or as a weather observing plane.  Here we list 10 of these airplanes that have done double duty, and of course there are many more.   Digging Deeper 10. Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny.” The most widely produced North American airplane…

A Brief History On July 14, 1881, the outlaw known as Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in New Mexico.  The Kid was a wild one, having killed at least 8 men and possibly many more (legend says 21) by the time he was 21 years old.  The West was called Wild for a reason.  Outlaws and rough justice were the way of life and battles between ranchers, rustlers, cattlemen, and robbers were not rare.  Here we list 10 of the wildest of the characters that made the West Wild.   Digging Deeper 10. Apache Kid. Named…

A Brief History On July 13, 1923, the world famous “Hollywood” sign first loomed above Hollywood on the hills outside Los Angeles.  The sign originally read “Hollywoodland” but it was shortened in 1949 to a simple “Hollywood.”  Since then, the sign has become the symbol of Hollywood, unmistakable and iconic.  Back on March 31, 2014 we listed 10 Iconic Structures that Identify a City, and today we will do it again, with a sequel that will catch some of those iconic structures neglected last time.   Digging Deeper 10. Christ The Redeemer, Rio De Janiero. Towering 98 feet tall (and standing on…

A Brief History On July 12, 1561, St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow was consecrated.  It would go on to become one of the most famous religious structures in the world and remains so to this day.  Here we list 10 of the most famous religious structures, not in a scientific order but the order as we think of them.  (Apologies to St. Basil’s, St. Patrick’s, Westminster Abbey, and your local parish.) Digging Deeper 10. Lotus Temple, India. Not the primary temple of the Baha’I faith, but what a beautiful building!  As this faith is the youngest listed here, this building…