Browsing: Society

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 This article presents a timeline of weaponry. Digging Deeper into Ancient History Digging Deeper into Medieval History On January 23, 971, with deadly fire from their crossbows, troops of the Chinese Song Dynasty managed to defeat the War Elephant Corps of the Southern Han Kingdom. On July 20, 1304, the forces of King Edward I of England successfully took Stirling Castle during the First War of Scottish Independence. On August 26, 1346, at the Battle of Crecy, English archers proved the superiority of the English longbow over the combination of armored knights and crossbowmen fielded by the French.  There have…

A Brief History On August 26, 1346, at the Battle of Crecy, English archers proved the superiority of the English longbow over the combination of armored knights and crossbowmen fielded by the French.  There have been many weapons throughout history that did not need either gunpowder or explosives to be effective.  Here 10 such weapons are listed in no particular order.   Digging Deeper 10. Hands, Feet, Teeth, 1st Use Unknown. The absolute simplest weapons: hands, feet and teeth can be used to strike, kick or bite an opponent quite effectively, even killing him or it (if an animal). For example, just…

A Brief History On August 25, 1939, in a move meant to dissuade Germany from attacking Poland, the United Kingdom (Britain) signed a military alliance treaty with Poland which promised that if either were attacked, the other would come to their assistance.  Meanwhile, in a deal made with the devil (you pick which side is the devil, both qualify!), the German Nazi government led by Adolf Hitler signed a “non-aggression pact” with the Soviet Union known as the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact in which each country promised not to attack the other. Digging Deeper Both of these agreements were not worth the paper…

A Brief History On August 24, 1349, the Black Death broke out in the Prussian town of Elbing in Northern Germany.  This horrifying illness became synonymous with death in the Middle Ages!  Beginning in the fifth century and ending with the death of Richard III in the fifteenth century, the Middle Ages in Europe are sometimes referred to as the Medieval period.  People in Medieval Europe had an average life expectancy of somewhere in the 30s-40s, far less than our own today.  This article presents 10 ways people died during this time period.  Some of the deaths were common; others rather unconventional. Digging Deeper 10.  Infection from a Dead Man’s Bite! A Viking earl by the name…