A Brief History On July 18, 1942, the Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow in English) made its first test flight using its jet engines.  Initial test flights had been conducted using a conventional piston powered engine and a propeller.  Roughly three years after the 1942 test flight, German fighter pilot Hans Guido Mutke (1921–2004) made the controversial claim that he broke the sound barrier in 1945 in an Me 262, although mainstream opinion continues to regard Chuck Yeager as the first person to achieve this milestone in 1947 in a Bell X-1. Digging Deeper German jet engine development had lagged…

A Brief History On July 17, 2016, national news outlets blared the all too familiar news that policemen had been gunned down while merely doing their jobs.  Reports of at least 3 Baton Rouge, Louisiana cops shot dead and another 3 or 4 wounded while responding to a report of a suspicious man walking down the street with what appeared to be an “assault weapon.”  Initial reports are that at least 1 suspect has been killed by police, but another 1 or 2 suspects are believed to be at large. Digging Deeper This horrific incident is believed to be misguided…

A Brief History On July 17, 1791, hero of the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette, Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier (you can see why he is usually just called “Lafayette”) led the French National Guard against a riotous mob of around 10,000 angry French revolutionaries, gunning down about 50 of the rebels in the action.  (The mob had started throwing stones and then shooting at the soldiers.) Digging Deeper Lafayette returned to France a hero after aiding George Washington and the Americans in defeating the British during the American Revolution, only to find France torn between loyal…

A Brief history On July 17, 1955, Anaheim, California watched as Walt Disney dedicated and opened Disneyland, at the time, the premier amusement park in the world.  The US has a long history of fine amusement parks, certainly making the US the amusement park capital of the world.  Here we list 10 great parks, not necessarily the biggest, but 10 that draw the most people each year, and that we think you would especially enjoy visiting.   Digging Deeper 10. Six Flags Magic Mountain, California (Valencia). With 19 roller coasters, more than any other park in the world, this place gives…

A Brief History On July 17, 1944, US P-38 fighter bombers dropped napalm bombs on a German Army fuel depot near St. Lo in Normandy, France, one of the earliest uses of napalm.  Napalm a mixture of gasoline and a thickening agent (several formulas) is used as a flame weapon that stubbornly sticks to anything it comes in contact with, greatly increasing its lethality against humans and effectiveness in catching things on fire. Digging Deeper One of the iconic products closely associated with the US by the rest of the world, napalm was developed secretly in 1942 during World War…