Browsing: Science & Technology

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…

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A Brief History On May 28, 1934, the famous Dionne Quints (quintuplets) were born in an unincorporated rural area of Ontario, Canada, making them instant celebrities.  Other births have also captured the imagination of the public, and here we list 10 of the most famous births. Digging Deeper 10.  Prince William, 1982. The world was in love with Princess Diana, so when the Princess of Wales gave birth to William, a healthy future King of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, many people in the vast former British Empire celebrated.  For some reason, many in the United States were captivated…

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A Brief History On May 24, 1940, Ukrainian born Igor Sikorsky flew the first successful single rotor helicopter in history, the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 (untethered flight).  Within 2 years, his Sikorsky R-4 became the first mass produced helicopter in the world. Digging Deeper Sikorsky was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1889 back in the days of the Russian Empire.  He was of Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian origin, and became a noted aviation pioneer while a Russian subject.  Some of his early Russian accomplishments included design and flying of the first multi-engine fixed wing aircraft, the Russky Vitas (1913) and the Ilya…

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A Brief History On May 20, 1983, two separate groups of researchers published their research that indicated AIDS was caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Science Magazine.  AIDS, Auto-immunodeficiency Syndrome, had been discovered in the United States first in 1981. Digging Deeper Instead of widespread concern and alarm, the American public reacted largely with scorn, thinking that the AIDS problem was limited to homosexuals and drug addicts, making up acronyms such as GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency), 4H Disease (for Haitians, Homosexuals, Hemophiliacs and Heroin), and referring to AIDS as “Anally Injected Death Syndrome.” As more people were identified…

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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…

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