Browsing: Inventions

A Brief History On June 9, 1959, the USS George Washington was launched, the first ballistic missile carrying submarine, creating a new class of nuclear delivery weapons that would virtually guarantee mutual destruction in time of nuclear war.  Here we list 10 such milestones in modern  (19th through 21st Centuries) weaponry that can be considered “game changers.”  (The order listed is not necessarily by importance.) Digging Deeper 10. Ballistic Missile Submarine, 1959. Almost impossible to keep track of an entire enemy submarine fleet, either side in the Cold War would be subject to a surprise attack with much shorter notice…

A Brief History On June 4, 1896, Henry Ford completed his Quadricycle, the first Ford automobile, which he promptly took for a test drive.  Almost 120 years later nearly 100 million Ford cars can trace their lineage back to this humble vehicle.  Every company has to start somewhere and somehow, and here we list 10 First Products of some of these iconic companies (in no particular order). Digging Deeper 10. Ford Quadricycle, 1896.  This Granddaddy of all Fords had a 2 cylinder 4 horsepower motor, could seat 2 and rode on bicycle tires.  Steering was accomplished by a “tiller” (stick…

A Brief History On June 4, 1411, King Charles VI of France granted a monopoly to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon for the ripening of Roquefort cheese. Today, what we call “bleu cheese” is basically Roquefort cheese that is not from Roquefort, as only the cheese from that original location is allowed to bear that name. Many good things have come from France (uh-oh, do we need a sequel list?) and Roquefort/bleu cheese is just one of them. Here we list 10 of the absolute best things from France. There are so many people and things to consider any list is…

A Brief History On May 29, 1940, the F4U Corsair made its first flight, an event that spurred us to offer a list of the “10 Greatest Fighter Planes” on May 29, 2014.  This year we counter that with listing 10 of the most under-appreciated, under-rated fighter planes of all time, planes that served well but did not get much press or credit for their contribution, or are often mentioned with caveats about being obsolete or with some deficiency or another.  Here we attempt to list the best of that lot. Digging Deeper 10. Mikoyan and Gurevich MiG-17.  A follow…

A Brief History On May 20, 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patented blue jeans with copper rivets. Trousers have never been the same. Clearly an iconic American invention, a nice comfortable pair of jeans can well be a person’s best friends. At least that is the way some people treat them. There are several innovations in the world of clothing that seem hard to live without, and here we list 10 of them. Digging Deeper 10. Bikini Bathing Suit, 1946. Bestowed upon an adoring, mostly male, public in Paris in 1946 while the United States conducted nuclear weapons testing…