A Brief History On August 8, 1946, the Convair B-36 Peacemaker nuclear bomber made its first flight.  Later referred to as the “Billion Dollar Boondoggle” by the program’s opponents, the B-36 competed with the US Navy’s super carrier program for limited tax dollars. Digging Deeper The first bomber in the world able to carry a nuclear payload right from the start, the massive bomber also had the widest wingspan (230 feet) of any bomber in history and the most (10) engines of any mass produced airplane.  When the 6 mighty 3800 horsepower (apiece!) piston powered radial engines proved inadequate for…

A Brief History On August 7th, 1908, the Venus of Willendorf, one of the earliest depictions of female nudity, was discovered in Austria. In our previous article in this series, we had listed the top ten women famous for being naked, or who, at one point in their lives, had famously been naked. Of course there are many more prominent ladies who have disrobed in a public setting or who have been artistically represented in a state of undress. In this article, we examine eleven more such women. For the latest installment in this series,  the “Top 10 Black Women Famous…

A Brief History The US brokered multi-country deal with Iran in July of 2015 to limit Iran’s nuclear research and delay Iranian development of a nuclear weapon has generated heated rhetoric by Israel condemning the pact, and strident criticism (mostly by Republicans) in the United States, with the US Senate poised to debate the merits of the agreement after the summer Congressional recess. Digging Deeper Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Will the US and other countries honor the agreement if Congress fails to ratify the pact?  What will happen if the hard fought for agreement falls apart? If…

A Brief History On August 5, 1620, the Mayflower set out from England with another ship, the Speedwell, on its first attempt to take Pilgrims to the New World.  When the Speedwell started leaking, the ships turned back for repair.  Setting off again, the Speedwell again leaked and the ships returned, this time to for the Mayflower to take on Speedwell passengers and continue the Trans-Atlantic voyage alone. Digging Deeper Mayflower finally set sail for America on September 6 with 102 Pilgrims aboard (instead of the intended 65), and a crew of perhaps 25 to 30 men.  Not a big…

A Brief History Turns out Khzir Khan, the irate grieving father of a slain American hero (his son was an Army captain that died heroically in the line of duty in Iraq) may have more motivation to attack Donald Trump than merely sticking up for Muslims. Digging Deeper Mr. Khan, a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan, spoke at the Democratic National Convention and spoke emotionally about his son, an Army captain awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart while being killed in combat while saving the lives of other soldiers, and severely chastised Trump for his call to ban Muslim immigrants…