Browsing: Science & Technology

A Brief History On January 14, 1969, we were once again reminded how navies around the world manage to make mistakes that cost lives and even entire ships.  This time, 28 lives were lost and 314 sailors injured, but the USS Enterprise, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was not lost. Digging Deeper We have commented on naval disasters we call “Naval Oops Moments,” and this time the problem was a Zuni rocket under a jet’s wing that blew up.  The explosion destroyed that plane and caused a fire resulting in multiple explosions, destroying 15 jets and blowing holes in the deck.…

A Brief History On January 11, 1935, American aviatrix Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California, one of her many aviation firsts.  She was also the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and was a proponent of women in aviation, of which there have been many great ones, as listed below: Digging Deeper Jackie Cochran (1906-1980) was an aviation pioneer that held more aviation records during her life than any other pilot of either sex.  The first woman to fly supersonic, she also helped organize female pilots for Britain and the US…

A Brief History On January 10, 2015, Karachi, Pakistan was the scene of a horrific motor vehicle crash when a tanker truck and passenger bus collided, resulting in 62 deaths, of which six were children.  Anytime you have a “close one” while driving, you may think of the dire consequences of a car wreck, and today we list a few of the worst. Digging Deeper Le Mans Disaster of 1955, when car racing proved to be deadly, as a track wreck spilled into the stands, killing one driver and 83 spectators. Sotouboua, Togo, truck vs. dancers wreck of 1965, when…

A Brief History On January 7, 1894, Ohio born uber-inventor Thomas Edison made and demonstrated a kinetoscope, a sort of device using multiple photos or drawings to show the illusion of movement, in this case of a man sneezing.  Although Edison is often given credit for inventing the “motion picture,” his own employee, William Kennedy Dickson, actually received the patent for motion picture film on that same day. Digging Deeper Edison is often cited as the most prolific inventor in history, and it is his name on 1,093 patents, although more modern inventors have dramatically eclipsed this number.  Edison’s real…

A Brief History On January 5, 1943, African American agricultural scientist George Washington Carver died at the age of 79 after a fall.  Carver was a professor at Tuskegee Institute and developed methods of increased crop production through soil management and crop choices, while also advocating for the environment. Digging Deeper Although Carver was a keen advocate of foods such as sweet potatoes and the peanut, he did not  “invent” peanut butter as is often believed.  Other people have also been given credit for inventions they did not really invent, including but not limited to: Thomas Edison, did not invent…