Browsing: Science & Technology

A Brief History On August 27, 1939, the first jet aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, made its first flight.  Since this airplane did not make it to regular production, many people may not be familiar with it.  Many pioneering events in aviation history are relatively unknown, at least to the lay public.  Here 10 such machines or deeds that represent firsts in aviation history are listed (Only fixed-wing, powered flights are being considered in this list.)   Digging Deeper 10. 1st Powered Flight, 1890. No, it was not by the Wright brothers!  They did, however, make the first “controlled” powered flight in 1903 for a…

A Brief History On August 26, 1883, the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa began its 2-day eruption that was so massive that its effects were felt around the world.  Krakatoa is also the name of the island the volcano is situated on.  The explosive eruption was so great that 2/3 of the island is no longer there. Digging Deeper Prior to the eruption, the island was about 9 kilometers long by 5 kilometers wide.  After the eruption, the remaining island was only 3 kilometers long by 5 kilometers wide.  The mighty blast was heard by people as much as 3,000 miles away.  There were 4…

A Brief History On August 25, 1835, the New York newspaper The Sun published the first of six articles about alleged new scientific discoveries concerning the moon, specifically that a civilization had been found thriving there.  People bought the newspapers in eager anticipation of each new report about this fabulous discovery.  Throughout history people have been fooled by tricksters that perpetrate hoaxes, sometimes for profit, sometimes just for fun.  Here 10 of those hoaxes are listed.   Digging Deeper 10. Cardiff Giant, 1869. In an effort to make fun of Biblical references to giants, George Hull, a New York atheist, had a…

A Brief History On August 22nd, 1902, Helene “Leni” Riefenstahl was born in Berlin, Germany.  Thirty years later she would meet Adolf Hitler, the man who helped her become the greatest female filmmaker of the 20th century, but that association would nearly destroy her as well. Digging Deeper A talented teenager, Leni (pronounced “Lay-Nee”) was enrolled in dance and ballet classes.  She gained a reputation on the Berlin dance circuit and became a popular entertainer.  Injuries to her feet and knees, however, threatened the future of her dancing career, so she transitioned into acting.  She went on to have a prolific run as…

A Brief History On August 21, 1897, Ransom Eli Olds founded the car company that became the first assembly line producer of automobiles in the world.  Many people think it was Henry Ford that invented the moving assembly line for automobile production, and of course he did make major strides in that direction, but Ransom Eli Olds was the first. Digging Deeper For the next 107 years, Oldsmobile was known as a company that made upscale, comfortable cars and even produced some “muscle” cars along the way.  Officially called Olds Automobiles, the name was quickly shorted to Oldsmobile. Born in Geneva,…