A Brief History On May 13, 1958, George de Mestral of Switzerland trademarked his 1948 invention, Velcro.  Mestral had patented Velcro in 1955 and started marketing the handy invention in 1958.  Not surprisingly, the company that makes Velcro is called, Velcro! Digging Deeper Starting with cotton for the fuzzy part of the two part tape, De Mestral quickly realized something different was needed. Using Nylon and Polyester was the ticket, and the rest is modern convenience history. Like “Kleenex” for facial tissues or “Jell-o” for gelatin, Velcro is referred to generically for “hook and loop” fasteners of any brand. Velcro…

A Brief History On May 12, 1926, just a few days after Richard Byrd allegedly flew over the North Pole, the semi-rigid airship, Norge, did fly over the North Pole with 16 men and a dog, becoming the first men to reach the North Pole.  (Previous efforts have been discounted as failures due to inaccurate navigation or fraud.)  The Italian designed and multinational manned Norge did not get the fame it deserved, so here we list 10 of the most famous aircraft in human history.  Digging Deeper 10. Vostok 1, 1961.  This Soviet space capsule was the first one to carry a…

A Brief History On May 12, 1975, the Cambodian Navy seized the US freighter, SS Mayaguez from international waters.  The ensuing battle between the US and Khmer Rouge Cambodian forces is considered the last battle of the Viet Nam War. Digging Deeper The Mayaguez, a container ship, was on its way to Thailand when it was stopped by a Cambodian patrol boat. The Cambodians had fired across the bow of the Mayaguez, causing the ship to slow down, and when an RPG rocket was then fired toward the ship the Mayaguez stopped and sent out an SOS. The Mayaguez was…

A Brief History On May 12, 1968, the Australian Army in Viet Nam fought probably their largest engagement of the war (for the Australians), underlining the fact that not only the United States was involved in the effort to keep South Viet Nam independent. Digging Deeper The Battle of Coral-Balmoral as it was known was fought between about 3000 Australian troops (2 regiments plus a couple squadrons of armor), including some armed with Centurion tanks, and over 4000 North Vietnamese Army regulars and Viet Cong guerillas (2 regiments of regulars).  Australian forces included smaller numbers of New Zealanders, another often…

A Brief History On May 12, 1932, the lifeless body of Charles Lindbergh Jr. was found, about 6 weeks after he had been kidnapped from his crib. The kidnapping and murder of the child of “Lucky Lindy,” the first man to fly across the Atlantic Ocean non-stop was called at the time “The Crime of The Century.” (Remember, at that time Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls had not yet been made!) History has been marked by abductions of famous people and by famous abductions of people. Here we list 10 of the most notable kidnappings. Digging Deeper 10. Adolf…