A Brief History On December 18, 1981, the Soviet Union put into flight the largest combat airplane ever made, the Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack heavy bomber. The Blackjack (which the NATO name, Russians call it White Swan) is also the largest Mach 2 supersonic airplane to ever fly, and is the largest variable swept wing airplane to fly. It remains the longest and heaviest bomber ever built, with a length 18 feet more than a B-52. Although built only in small numbers, the development of this giant, fast bomber stoked panic in Western democracies during the Cold War and provided fuel…
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A Brief History On December 17, 2017, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Feast of Daniel, a recognized prophet in Christianity, a recognized nabi in Islam (saintly or righteous man), and although Judaism does not consider Daniel a prophet, it does accord him status as a legendary example of a pious and good man. (Roman Catholic Feast of Daniel is July 21st.) Digging Deeper The story of Daniel is told in the Bible, appropriately in The Book of Daniel. The Bible relates that Daniel was a noble Jew from Jerusalem that was captured as a youth by the Babylonians and taken to…
A Brief History On December 16, 1838, one of the greatest defeats of a large military force by a much smaller force took place with incredibly lopsided results when the Boers (also known as Voortrekkers or Afrikaners) of South Africa fought the Zulu warriors at ‘Blood River’ (also known as Ncome River) in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. Digging Deeper The Boers were Dutch settlers of South Africa, and those hardy souls that headed inland to settle were called “Trekkers” or pioneers (or “Voortrekkers” after 1880). In 1838, the Trekkers had encountered many obstacles in illness, harsh terrain, and hostile African…
A Brief History On December 15, 1956, Elvis Presley gave the last of 50 performances on Louisiana Hayride, a live Shreveport, Louisiana radio show. This event was the occasion that the famous line, “Elvis has left the building” comes from. In honor of this musical trivia, and the fact that Elvis himself sang a song with lyrics in German and in English (“Wooden Heart”), we list today 10 great tunes, some of our favorites, that feature English and at least one other language. Digging Deeper 1. “Wooden Heart”, Elvis Presley, 1960. This nice tune comes from the 1960 film, GI Blues,…
A Brief History Science fiction dramedy fans, here is your chance to be among the first in Cleveland to see Downsizing on Monday, December 18, 2017 at 7:00 PM at Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland Heights, Ohio! Please visit http://www.gofobo.com/HHDOWNSIZING for the chance to download a pass. Passes are limited and seating is first-come, first-served and not guaranteed. Please arrive early to increase chance of entry. Digging Deeper Downsizing imagines what might happen if, as a solution to over-population, Norwegian scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall and propose a 200-year global transition from big to small. People soon…