A Brief History On July 25, 1909, French pilot Louis Bleriot made the first ever heavier than air powered flight across the English Channel in his Type XI monoplane, beating out several rival aviators that were competing for their place in history and also a nice prize of £1000 offered by The Daily Mail, a British newspaper. Today we take a look at 10 notable airplane flights that have earned the airplane and its pilot and designer a place in aviation history. Our list is one of interesting flights, not necessarily the most important or a “first.” You are always…
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A Brief History On July 20, 1969, the promise by President John F. Kennedy that the USA would put men on the Moon came true when Apollo 11’s Lunar Module, the Eagle, landed on the surface of the Moon, with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Astronaut Michael Collins remained in the main Apollo capsule orbiting the Moon until the two moon men would lift off and later rejoin him for the return to Earth. Digging Deeper About 6 and a half hours after the Eagle landed, Armstrong stepped out of the module and onto the surface of the Moon,…
A Brief History On July 19, 64 AD, the Roman night was interrupted by the beginning of what became known as The Great Fire of Rome. Digging Deeper The fire started in the Circus Maximus where Romans held chariot races. It spread and burned for 6 days before Romans could bring the blaze under control, but as often happens, the flames reignited and a larger blaze began! Three more days of flames, and two thirds of Rome was burned to the ground. Emperor Nero blamed the Christians, and began a program of repression against Christians, but many of his enemies…
A Brief History On July 18, 1806, a powder magazine exploded accidentally at Birgu, Malta, creating massive damage to the military and civilian infrastructure nearby and killing at least 200 people. Such accidental explosions have often taken place throughout the history of gunpowder and other explosives, and today we take a look at 10 of those memorable events. (“Gunpowder” includes black powder, the original explosive and propellant, as well as modern “smokeless” nitro based powders and modern explosives.) Digging Deeper USS Maine, 1898 We list this disaster first, because of the battle cry, “Remember the Maine!” How could we forget? …
A Brief History On July 4th, 2022, Americans celebrate their Independence Day, a holiday that signifies their freedom. During the month of June 2015, Americans experienced a host of developments in the expansion of this freedom, so we of course featured an article about those changes. In any case, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, the times sure were a-changin’ in June 2015, and here in 2022, those times STILL are a changin’! Digging Deeper Since 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed and it seemed as if the Cold War was over, we have all lived under the belief that nuclear war…