A Brief History On March 9, 1987, Chrysler Corporation, then maker of Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth cars and trucks, announced the absorption of American Motors under the Chrysler banner. American Motors itself was formed in 1954 when Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson Motor Car Company merged. Digging Deeper Try to follow this corporate puzzle when also in 1954, Packard merged with Studebaker, forming Studebaker-Packard Corporation. Meanwhile, Kaiser Motors and Willys-Overland, makers of the Jeep brand, had merged in 1953 to create Kaiser Jeep. Then in 1970, American Motors bought up Kaiser Jeep. American Motors stumbled along until being acquired by Chrysler in…
Browsing: Vehicles
A Brief History On March 8, 1950, Volkswagen of Wolfsburg, Germany, began production on their second motor vehicle after the iconic Beetle, this time called Bus, Kombi, or Transporter, but known in the US as the VW Bus, the VW Microbus, or later, the Hippie-mobile. Digging Deeper One of the first van type vehicles, the Bus was originally intended as a light cargo van. Powered by engines making 24 to 54 horsepower in the 1st generation, the Bus was not meant for racing! Built until 1967 in Germany and until 1975 in Brazil, the 1st Generation was a versatile platform…
A Brief History On March 4, 2020, Nik Wallenda of the famous acrobat and daredevil family, became the first person to walk on a wire above the crater of the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua. Not to be outdone, his wife, Erendira, performed an aerial routine above the smoking crater! Digging Deeper The Wallenda family is famous for many of their death-defying firsts, with Nik personally holding 11 Guinness World Records, including being the first to walk across Niagara Falls on a high wire. Other daredevils have achieved epic firsts, including: Annie Edson Taylor, the first to survive going over Niagara…
A Brief History On February 25, 1933, the USS Ranger was launched at Newport News, Virginia, as the first American aircraft carrier built for the purpose of carrying aircraft. Smaller than later aircraft carrier types, Ranger nonetheless operated effectively throughout World War II, providing important naval air power, mostly in the Atlantic. Digging Deeper The fourth US ship designated as an aircraft carrier, Ranger followed ships converted from a collier and the unfinished hulls of two battlecruisers. Lexington and Saratoga were more than 100 feet longer than Ranger, and Langley much smaller. Ranger was impressive for its day, 769 feet…
A Brief History On February 23, 1945, with World War II in Europe rapidly approaching its end, the RAF targeted the German town of Pforzheim in a massive bombing raid that killed almost a third of the residents and destroyed 83% of its buildings, including virtually its entire city center. The reason for leveling this German city? The jewelry and watch making industry located there! Digging Deeper The RAF sent 367 Avro Lancaster heavy bombers and 13 Mosquito medium bombers to lead the way, dropping the usual mix of high explosive and incendiary bombs to blow up and burn the…