Yes it really happened

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » September 28, 2020, 6:49 am

1
The longest English word is nearly 190,000 letters. That would be the chemical name of Titin, the largest known protein. It begins, "Methionyl​threonyl​threonyl​glutaminyl​alanyl​prolyl​threonyl​phenyl​alanyl​threonyl​glutaminyl​prolyl​leucyl​glutaminyl​seryl​valyl​valyl​valyl​leucyl​glutamyl​glycyl​seryl​threonyl​alanyl​threonyl​phenyl​alanyl​glutamyl​alanyl​histidyl​isoleucyl​seryl​glycyl​phenyl​alanyl​prolyl​valyl​prolyl​glutamyl​valyl​seryl​tryptophyl​phenyl​alanyl​arginyl​aspartyl​glycyl​glutaminyl​valyl​isoleucyl​seryl​threonyl​seryl​threonyl​leucyl​pro" and goes on for tens of thousands of letters.

2
The word "bankrupt" comes from the Italian term for "broken bench."
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word "bankrupt" grew out of an Italian phrase that literally refers to breaking something—not just the bank. That Italian phrase is banca rotta, meaning "broken bench," and it refers to an old custom that involved literally breaking the bench of money dealers who ran out of funds.

3
The word "heroin" used to be trademarked.
In the late 19th century, pharmaceutical company Bayer released a revolutionary over-the-counter drug that could allegedly help everything from sore throats to tuberculosis. That drug was heroin. Its name comes from the German word heroisch for "powerful"—which is appropriate, given how powerful the addictive substance is. For a while, Bayer owned trademark rights to heroin, but they lost those rights in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, according to the BBC.



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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » September 29, 2020, 5:50 am

1
What are shocking historical facts they don’t teach you in school?
One that stuck with me was The Katyn Massacre which took place in Russia.

After the invasion of Poland, The Russians captured around 15,000–22,000 polish officers from all military branches - close to half of the officer corps of Poland’s armed forces. Among them were two Generals and an Admiral. These men were transported to Russia and under Stalin’s orders, The NKVD executed all of them in the forest of Katyn and buried them in mass graves which the Germans exhumed in around 1943 and for decades Soviet propaganda told the world that it was a Nazi war-crime. It wasn’t until 1990 that Russia admitted that The NKVD had carried out the heinous crime.

2
What are the strangest problems sailors have run into at sea?
In the mid 18th century, the HMS Dolphin was captained by John Byron to circumnavigate the globe.

Among its many stops was a stay in the Tahitian islands.

Many of the Tahitian women were eager to get iron and were willing to trade sex to get it. They also had a more accepting cultural view of sex for women, seeing it as a way of becoming empowered.

As a result, the ship became compromised as sailors kept stealing iron nails from within the hull, and even pulled them out of the actual ship framing.

But something tells me the men were OK at the prospect of getting stranded on this island.

3
A single piece of confetti is called a "confetto."
Of course, the plural "confetti" is the more commonly used word, but you can use the singular "

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » September 30, 2020, 5:53 am

1

How did Josef Mengele manage to live for a few years in Germany after WWII and escape to South America where he lived peacefully until his death in 1976 as an unrepentant Nazi?
The Nazi hunters thought the “Todesengel” was dead. It was only realized he was still alive when they found divorce paperwork in West Germany around 1960. Then the Mossad went after him. Josef Mengele was living under the false name of Helmut Gregor. He was able to elude Mossad.

In 1985, Israel put up a million-dollar reward for anyone that could help find Mengele. Little did Israel know that Mengele died 7 February 1979 and the Mossad kept on searching for him for over six years after he drowned.

At one time during the 1950’s, Josef Mengele lived openly in Argentina and used his real name. In 1956, Mengele felt safe enough to visit the West German Embassy in Buenos Aires to obtain his real birth certificate. After that, Mengele was issued an Argentine foreign residence permit under his real name. He used this document to obtain a West German passport, also using his real name. In 1957, Mengele used his real name to create a company in Buenos Aires called 'Fadro Farm.'


2
Here are some odd ones:

Western Union = No Wire Unsent
Clint Eastwood = Old West Action

Astronomers = Moon starers

3
The longest words without any vowels are "crwth" and "cwtch."
Believe it or not, there are two five-letter words in the English language that contain zero vowels: "crwth" and "cwtch." According to the Collins English Dictionary, both of these words are Welsh, and this language treats the letter "w" like a vowel.

4
The word "ambulance" refers to walking.
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word "ambulance" is rooted in the Latin word ambulare, meaning "to walk." It might seem counterintuitive—don't you need an ambulance when you can't walk to get emergency assistance?—but the word originally referred to the contraptions known as "walking hospitals."

As MedicineNet explains, in the 19th century, Napoleon came up with the idea of retrieving injured soldiers on a cart and running them out of harm's way. The mobile unit used to transport soldiers was called a hopital ambulant, or a "walking hospital."

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 1, 2020, 5:50 am

1
"Bogus" was once a noun.
While we usually think of "bogus" as an adjective describing something fake, the word actually began as the name of a type of machine. As Merriam-Webster notes, a "bogus" was a machine that would produce counterfeit coins. Over time, the word came to serve as shorthand for "counterfeit" itself.

2

Only one word in the English language contains the letters "X," "Y," and "Z" in order.
That would be "hydroxyzine," and it refers to a type of medicine that helps with both sneezing and anxiety.

3
"Quarantine" literally means "40 days."
As the Online Etymology Dictionary notes, the word "quarantine" comes from the Italian words quarantina giorni, which literally translate to "space of 40 days." Why? In the 14th century, that's how long ships were kept in isolation—or quarantined—when they could potentially be harboring sick passengers.

4
William the Conqueror invades England
Claiming his right to the English throne, William, duke of Normandy, invades England at Pevensey on Britain’s southeast coast. His subsequent defeat of individual Harold II at the Battle of Hastings marked the beginning of a new era in British history.
William was the illegitimate son of Robert I, duke of Normandy, by his concubine Arlette, a tanner’s daughter from the town of Falaise. The duke, who had no other sons, designated William his heir, and with his death in 1035 William became duke of Normandy at age seven. Rebellions were epidemic during the early years of his reign, and on several occasions the young duke narrowly escaped death. Many of his advisers did not. By the time he was 20, William had become an able ruler and was backed by individual Henry I of France. Henry later turned against him, but William survived the opposition and in 1063 expanded the borders of his duchy into the region of Maine.
In 1051, William is believed to have visited England and met with his cousin Edward the Confessor, the childless English individual. According to Norman historians, Edward promised to make William his heir. On his deathbed, however, Edward granted the kingdom to Harold Godwinson, head of the leading noble family in England and more powerful than an individual himself.

In January 1066, individual Edward died, and Harold Godwinson was proclaimed individual Harold II. William immediately disputed his claim. In addition, individual Harald III Hardraade of Norway had designs on England, as did Tostig, brother of Harold. individual Harold rallied his forces for an expected invasion by William, but Tostig launched a series of raids instead, forcing an individual to leave the English Channel unprotected. In September, Tostig joined forces with individual Harald III and invaded England from Scotland. On September 25, Harold met them at Stamford Bridge and defeated and killed them both. Three days later, William landed in England at Pevensey.

With approximately 7,000 troops and cavalry, William seized Pevensey and marched to Hastings, where he paused to organize his forces. On October 13, Harold arrived near Hastings with his army, and the next day William led his forces out to give battle. At the end of a bloody, all-day battle, individual Harold II was killed—shot in the eye with an arrow, according to legend—and his forces were defeated.

William then marched on London and received the city’s submission. On Christmas Day, 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned the first Norman individual of England, in Westminster Abbey, and the Anglo-Saxon phase of English history came to an end. French became the language of an individual’s court and gradually blended with the Anglo-Saxon tongue to give birth to modern English. William I proved an effective individual of England, and the “Domesday Book,” a great census of the lands and people of England, was among his notable achievements. Upon the death of William I in 1087, his son, William Rufus, became William II, the second Norman individual of England.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by pipoz4444 » October 2, 2020, 2:25 pm

Yes it happened

Do you have any sympathy for them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcRMgf9L8Q0

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That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by pipoz4444 » October 2, 2020, 2:52 pm

That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 7, 2020, 6:32 am

1
On October 1, 1890—130 years ago tomorrow—Yosemite National Park was established by Congress. Years later, John Muir helped Teddy Roosevelt create a nation-wide park service

2
Since WW2 only 10 Police Officers have been killed in Norway

3
250grams of butter in Norway Approximately $50 or 1565 Baht

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 8, 2020, 5:52 am

1
The flushing toilet
The flushing toilet is one of those home essentials we all take for granted and it's been around longer than you might think. The Minoans had a working model back in the 18th century BC but sadly it died along with them.


2
The battery
Electricity is a modern invention, so archaeologists were understandably confused when they found what appeared to be a crude battery dating back to more than 200 years before Christ in modern-day Baghdad. It is a pot with a metal rod, surrounded by a copper cylinder. The cylinder can then be filled with an electrolyte and work as a battery. It's not known what it was actually used for at the time, but the name Baghdad Battery stuck.


3
Replace the oil in baking
Fat makes baked goods moist and tender. It’s also incredibly calorie-dense, and if you’re cutting calories, it’s an easy place to start. But say you don’t like your cakes and muffins dry and tough? Then applesauce is the answer. Replace up to 2/3 of the oil called for in a cake or muffin recipe with applesauce, and you’ll add moisture and flavour while ditching the fat.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 9, 2020, 5:58 am

1

Skip the shaving cream
Use hair conditioner for a smooth, clean shave—on your legs, under your arms, and (for men) even on your face. The conditioner will pamper your skin as well as your hair! You can also use hair conditioner as a soothing agent for legs irritated by shaving.

2

Kill off ants
If you find an entire colony of ants in or near your garden, you’ll want to get rid of it. How? Cover the anthill with an upside-down flowerpot. Pour boiling water through the hole in the bottom of the pot. You’ll get rid of all the ants at once.

3

Repel mosquitoes
You may love the mild apple-like flavour of chamomile tea but mosquitoes absolutely hate it. Brew a very strong batch of chamomile tea and keep it in a spray bottle in the fridge. Before you relax in the back yard or run through the tall grass, spray exposed skin liberally. It’s fragrant, potent and totally safe for children.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 10, 2020, 7:02 am

1
Breathe better with a paper bag
Got a case of the hiccups? Stop them before you start to hurt. Breathe in and out of a paper bag for a few minutes. You’ll create a build-up of carbon dioxide in your lungs, which helps relax your diaphragm—whose involuntary tightening causes the hiccups in the first place. This trick works if you’re hyperventilating, too.

2
El Paso, TX
The cheapest city to live in the United States, according to Move.org, is El Paso, where residents can expect to spend only $1,182.96 per month. Some observers say that homelessness has not grown in El Paso, even as it becomes a problem in other Texas cities, suggesting that there are benefits to living in an affordable city like El Paso.


3
There is no such fish as a Sardine. They are actually herrings (so I have been told)

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 11, 2020, 7:34 am

1
2005 US Navy exercise a Swedish Gotland Submarine broke through and simulation and sank the US Navy Fleet
The Gotland to build $100 Million dollars Cheap as Chips
The Gotland-class submarines of the Swedish Navy are modern diesel-electric submarines, which were designed and built by the Kockums shipyard in Sweden. They are the first submarines in the world to feature a Stirling engine air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, which extends their underwater endurance from a few days to weeks.[2] This capability had previously only been available with nuclear-powered submarines


2

On October 9, 1967, socialist revolutionary and guerilla leader Che Guevara, age 39, is killed by the Bolivian army. The U.S.-military-backed Bolivian forces captured Guevara on October 8 while battling his band of guerillas in Bolivia and executed him the following day. His hands were cut off as proof of death and his body was buried in an unmarked grave. In 1997, Guevara’s remains were found and sent back to Cuba, where they were reburied in a ceremony attended by President Fidel Castro and thousands of Cubans


3

Ladies of the Evening

Civil War General Hooker
There is a popular legend that "hooker" as a slang term for a prostitute is derived from his last name[24] because of parties and a lack of military discipline at his headquarters near the Murder Bay district of Washington, DC. Some versions of the legend claim that the band of prostitutes that followed his division were derisively referred to as "General Hooker's Army" or "Hooker's Brigade."[25] However, the term "hooker" was used in print as early as 1845, years before Hooker was a public figure,[26] and is likely derived from the concentration of prostitutes around the shipyards and ferry terminal of the Corlear's Hook area of Manhattan in the early to middle 19th century, who came to be referred to as "hookers".[27] The prevalence of the Hooker legend may have been at least partly responsible for the popularity of the term.[28] There is some evidence that an area in Washington, DC, known for prostitution during the Civil War, was referred to as "Hooker's Division". The name was shortened to "The Division" when he spent time there after First Bull Run guarding D.C. from incursion.[29]

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 12, 2020, 12:33 pm

1
What bomber flew the most missions in WWII?

When you look at numbers from a war that ended 75 years ago, the figures can get a little bit muddy. The answer isn’t exactly clear cut.

There was a DeHavilland Mosquito B Mk IX (LR503, ‘F for Freddie’) that reportedly survived 213 combat missions. Quite a feat.

Today I’m going to focus on the bomber that I feel holds the record for most missions flown during WWII, and that is the Martin B-26B-25-MA Marurader “Flak-Bait.” An old workhorse if there ever was one.

Between August 1943 and the end of the war, Flak-Bait and its crews accumulated 725 hours of combat time against Nazi Germany. Over the entire aircraft, there are more than 1,000 patched flak holes earned in missions that included sorties in support of Allied operations during the D-Day Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge.

2
Who was the most cowardly military leader in history?

Arthur Percival

As commander of the British forces in Malaya, Percival became party to the largest surrender in English history . He was given command of a large force that outnumbered the Japanese two-to-one, but it was poorly equipped and trained, with little air support and no tanks. Percival himself shunned the building of defensive works, fearing they would sap morale, and spread his forces far too thinly to launch a proper counterattack.

Japan infiltrated Malaya an hour after bombarding Pearl Harbor, and within a month, Percival's force was in a panicked retreat back to Singapore, which fell weeks later. As a result, 130,000 British troops, including Percival, were taken captive. Malaya suffered horribly under Japanese occupation.

3
Why do soldiers and rebels today no longer carry ammunition links slung across their shoulders?

For so many reasons:

1 Brass casings are shiny and can reflect light, giving your position away.

2 When you're walking through thick brush, every branch and twig is going to grab at that belt.
If you have a disintegrating link belt, the more of it that's exposed, the more likely you are to break the belt. It's easy to repair, but it takes a little time, and it's a pain in the a$$.
With the belt wrapped all around your body like that, it’s not going to feed properly when the gun has to be put into action.
They make a lot of noise.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 13, 2020, 8:09 am

What was the most 'one-sided' tank battle to ever happen?
This was the so-called Battle of 73 Easting, fought during the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) on Feb. 26, 1991.

First of all, the Americans and Brits had an advantage in numbers: 22.000 American and British infantry troops with 846 armored vehicles were up against only 5,000 Iraqis with 245 vehicles.

What had much more weight than their numerical advantage, however, was their tactical and technological superiority:

The Americans fielded the (at the time) most advanced Main Battle Tank, the M1 Abrams, while the best the Iraqis could come up with were old Soviet and Chinese T-62s and Type-59 tanks. Due to the flat terrain and the much more advanced cannons of their tanks, the Americans were able to comfortably knock out the Iraqi armor before they risked to drive into the range of the Iraqi tank guns.
The Battle of 73 Easting was fought near the end of Operation Desert Storm’s fighting operations and the Americans and their allies had already prepared the terrain with air and artillery strikes.
While US and British troops were well-trained professionals, most of the Iraqis were draftees that had little confidence in their leaders’ capabilities. This is why many Iraqi soldiers immediately deserted when the Americans approached their positions.
In addition to this, the Iraqi logistics lines had been cut by Allied airstrikes and there was a lack of fuel, ammunition, and even food on their side. Communication with their headquarters was also interrupted which meant that many Iraqi troops never received any orders during the battle.
On the other hand, the US Forces had the most advanced Command and Control system that had ever been deployed in combat.
American units could also rely on satellite and aerial recognition while the Iraqis were practically blind.
What happened can be described as a bloodbath. The Iraqis didn't stand the slightest chance. From a news article:[1]

The Battle of 73 Easting did not last long. The (Iraqi) mechanized force was brought to its knees with minimal American casualties. Estimates vary on the exact number of casualties due to certain incidents of friendly fire, but the Iraqi damage is estimated at almost 1,000 soldiers killed in action and more than 1,000 taken prisoner. These staggering figures came at a cost of a mere 12 Americans killed in action. Essentially, the fourth-largest Army in the world was neutralized in less than 96 hours…

After the battle, the Americans showered their soldiers with medals.[2]There were more medals awarded during and after the Persian Gulf War than there had been soldiers on the ground. Meanwhile, American military commanders clapped each other on their shoulders for their heroic actions during the battle.

2
What kind of engine does an aircraft carrier have?

There are several types in use:

Electric motor. Clearly battery power isn't really practical for an aircraft carrier, so the power for these is provided by one of the other types below. Queen Elizabeth Class, UK and Juan Carlos Class, Spain (both with diesel and GT)
Diesel. Efficient, but big and heavy - so rarely found on their own in a carrier.
Gas turbine (GT). Run on the same fuel as diesels, small light and powerful but inefficient at partial load (so ships use mulitiple smaller ones so that they can switch off the ones they're not using). Cavour Class, Italy and newer USN assault ships.
Combined diesel and gas/diesel or gas (CODAG/CODOG). Combines diesels and GTs in the same system; heavy, plodding diesels for cruising and small but thirsty GTs for sprinting. Canberra Class (Australia).
Steam turbine. Like the electric motor, not a source in itself, so it needs one of the following to heat the water to make steam:
Nuclear reactor. Very expensive, but only needs refuelling once every few decades. Nimitz/Ford class, US, Charles de Gaulle, France.
Oil-fired boilers. Like they used in WW2. I think that Noah's Ark had a similar set-up. Kuznetsov class, Russia (modified versions in service with China) and Kiev class, Russia (now in Indian service).
Combined steam and gas (COSAG). What it says on the tin really, an odd mix of the industrial revolution and the jet age. Older Wasp-class, US.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 14, 2020, 4:47 am

1
Lord Haw-Haw was a nickname applied to the US-born Briton William Joyce, who broadcast Nazi propaganda to the UK from Germany during the Second World War. The broadcasts opened with "Germany calling, Germany calling", spoken in an affected upper-class English accent.

The same nickname was also applied to some other broadcasters of English-language propaganda from Germany, but it is Joyce with whom the name is now overwhelmingly identified. There are various theories about its origin.

2
Why did German Admiral Karl Doenitz only receive a ten year prison sentence at the Nuremberg trials while his military co-defendants Generals Alfred Jodl and Wilhelm Keitel were both executed?
Wilhelm Keitel and Alfred Jodl were convicted of the war crimes they were charged with because their names were signed to several clearly criminal orders. These orders included the Commissar Order which called for the execution of Soviet military commissars, the Commando Order which called for the execution of British and American Commandos including those in uniform when found behind German lines and orders like the Night and Fog order which called for those believed to be a threat to German security in occupied countries to disappear into the night and fog (basically being sent to a concentration camp and executed).

Doenitz and the German Navy were less involved in the formulation and passing on of these orders. Also Doenitz as a lower ranked officer at the beginning of the war was not charged with participation in planning crimes against peace or with crimes against humanity. And although he was convicted of war crimes in that he was found to be guilty of breaching the 1936 London Naval Treaty his sentence was not assessed on that violation because the Allies had admittedly committed similar violations.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 15, 2020, 5:47 am

1
Mad Mitch
Colin Campbell Mitchell (17 November 1925 – 20 July 1996) was a British Army soldier and politician. He became a public figure in 1967 as the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Forces under his command reoccupied the Crater district of Aden which had been taken over by local police mutineers in what became known as "the last battle of the British empire". The reoccupation and subsequent control of the Crater were controversial and Mitchell resigned his army commission in 1968. Subsequently, he became a Conservative Member of Parliament and served one term from 1970 to February 1974. After participation in a failed business venture he subsequently worked as a security and military consultant. In 1989 Mitchell took a leading role in the Halo Trust, a not-for-profit organisation undertaking mine clearance in former war zones.

2

The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka was a purpose-built, rocket-powered human-guided kamikaze attack aircraft[1] employed by Japan against Allied ships towards the end of the Pacific War during World War II. Although extremely fast, the very short range of the Ohka meant that it had to be carried into action as a parasite aircraft by a much larger bomber, which was itself vulnerable to carrier-borne fighters. In action during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, Ohkas were able to sink or damage some escort vessels and transport ships but no major warships were ever hit. Improved versions which attempted to overcome the aircraft's shortcomings were developed too late to be deployed. The Allied reporting name for the Ohka was "Baka".

3

Cordyceps season: Inside the hunt for the world’s most expensive fungus. Jessica Novia Jun 18, 2020. Caterpillar fungus is the most prized ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine. Worth three times its weight in gold, the fungus appears every summer on the Tibetan Plateau, where families pack their bags and head to the mountains to harvest this valuable remedy.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 16, 2020, 5:47 am

1
The Accident-Heavy Douglas DC-10
Having had 55 accidents with many fatalities to date, the DC-10 is one of the most poorly-manufactured jets to exist. Probably the biggest issue with it is that the cargo doors opened outward opposed to inward like regular planes.
Due to this flaw, an improperly closed door flew open in the middle of a flight in 1972, alerting the need for a redesign. Something similar happened in 1974, and then in 1979, an engine fell off the wing during take-off. Today, the carrier is much safer thanks to many redesigns.

2
An Atomically Bad Idea
A nuclear reactor is a device used to start and control a nuclear chain reaction. They are most commonly used at nuclear power plants. Somehow in the ’50s, someone came up with the idea of adding a nuclear reactor to an aircraft.
The Convair NB-36 “Atomic wait” was a disaster waiting to happen whenever it took off into the air. The U.S. intended to test operating a nuclear reactor in-flight. Flying this carrier out was so dangerous that it only flew 47 times and a team of support aircraft had to follow it every time.

3
The Price Was Too Steep
If you’re looking at the Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel from an aeronautical point of view, this helicopter is excellent. So why isn’t in service anymore? Back in 2002, AgustaWestland and Lockheed Martin agreed to develop and market this beast in America.
The aircraft won a competition to become the new fleet of helicopters used by the Marine Corps and Presidential transport in 2005, but at what cost? In four years, the contract for this project had jumped from $6.1 billion to $11.2 billion! Some blame the high prices on additional requests or improper lobby ties.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 17, 2020, 7:41 am

1

Wanda Klaff
In 1944, Klaff joined the camp staff at the Stutthof's subcamp at Praust (Pruszcz), where she abused many of the prisoners. On 5 October 1944, she arrived at the Russoschin subcamp of Stutthof (present-day northern Poland).
She fled the camp in early 1945 but on 11 June 1945, she was arrested by Polish officials and soon after was laid up in prison with typhoid fever. She stood trial with the other former female guards. It is said that she stated at the trial, "I am very intelligent and very devoted to my work in the camps. I struck at least two prisoners every day." She was convicted and received a sentence of death. She was publicly hanged (by the short drop method) on 4 July 1946, on Biskupia Górka hill, near Gdańsk, aged 24.

2
Mata Hari, the archetype of the seductive female spy, is executed for espionage by a French firing squad at Vincennes outside of Paris.

She first came to Paris in 1905 and found fame as a performer of Asian-inspired dances. She soon began touring all over Europe, telling the story of how she was born in a sacred Indian temple and taught ancient dances by a priestess who gave her the name Mata Hari, meaning “eye of the day” in Malay. In reality, Mata Hari was born in a small town in northern Holland in 1876, and her real name was Margaretha Geertruida Zelle. She acquired her superficial knowledge of Indian and Javanese dances when she lived for several years in Malaysia with her former husband, who was a Scot in the Dutch colonial army. Regardless of her authenticity, she packed dance halls and opera houses from Russia to France, mostly because her show consisted of her slowly stripping nude.
She became a famous courtesan, and with the outbreak of World War I her catalog of lovers began to include high-ranking military officers of various nationalities. In February 1917, French authorities arrested her for espionage and imprisoned her at St. Lazare Prison in Paris. In a military trial conducted in July, she was accused of revealing details of the Allies’ new weapon, the tank, resulting in the deaths of thousands of soldiers. She was convicted and sentenced to death, and on October 15 she refused a blindfold and was shot to death by a firing squad at Vincennes.
There is some evidence that Mata Hari acted as a German spy, and for a time as a double agent for the French, but the Germans had written her off as an ineffective agent whose pillow talk had produced little intelligence of value. Her military trial was riddled with bias and circumstantial evidence, and it is probable that French authorities trumped her up as “the greatest woman spy of the century” as a distraction for the huge losses the French army was suffering on the western front.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 18, 2020, 7:39 am

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Flying Officer Eugene Quimby "Red" Tobin (4 January 1917 – 7 September 1941) was an American pilot who flew with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain in World War II. He was one of 11 American pilots who flew with RAF Fighter Command between 10 July and 31 October 1940, thereby qualifying for the Battle of Britain clasp to the 1939–45 campaign star.
The Eagle Squadrons were three fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed with volunteer pilots from the United States during the early days of World War II (circa 1940), prior to America's entry into the war in December 1941.
On 7 September 1941, Tobin was killed in combat with Bf 109's of JG 26 on 71 Squadron's first sweep over northern France, one of three Spitfires shot down.[5] He crashed into a hillside near Boulogne-sur-Mer and was buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France. He was 24 years old.

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The embattled Chinese Communists break through Nationalist enemy lines and begin an epic flight from their encircled headquarters in southwest China. Known as Ch’ang Cheng—the “Long March”—the retreat lasted 368 days and covered 6,000 miles, more than twice the distance from New York to San Francisco.

Civil war in China between the Nationalists and the Communists broke out in 1927. In 1931, Communist leader Mao Zedong was elected chairman of the newly established Soviet Republic of China, based in Jiangxi province in the southeast. Between 1930 and 1934, the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek launched a series of five encirclement campaigns against the Soviet Republic. Under the leadership of Mao, the Communists employed guerrilla tactics to resist successfully the first four campaigns, but in the fifth, Chiang raised 700,000 troops and built fortifications around the Communist positions. Hundreds of thousands of peasants were killed or died of starvation in the siege, and Mao was removed as chairman by the Communist Central Committee. The new Communist leadership employed more conventional warfare tactics, and its Red Army was decimated.

With defeat imminent, the Communists decided to break out of the encirclement at its weakest points. The Long March began at 5:00 p.m. on October 16, 1934. Secrecy and rear-guard actions confused the Nationalists, and it was several weeks before they realized that the main body of the Red Army had fled. The retreating force initially consisted of 86,000 troops, 15,000 personnel, and 35 women. Weapons and supplies were borne on men’s backs or in horse-drawn carts, and the line of marchers stretched for 50 miles. The Communists generally marched at night, and when the enemy was not near, a long column of torches could be seen snaking over valleys and hills into the distance.

The first disaster came in November, when Nationalist forces blocked the Communists’ route across the Hsiang River. It took a week for the Communists to break through the fortifications and cost them 50,000 men—more than half their number. After that debacle, Mao steadily regained his influence, and in January he was again made chairman during a meeting of the party leaders in the captured city of Tsuni. Mao changed strategy, breaking his force into several columns that would take varying paths to confuse the enemy. There would be no more direct assaults on enemy positions. And the destination would now be Shaanxi Province, in the far northwest, where the Communists hoped to fight the Japanese invaders and earn the respect of China’s masses.

After enduring starvation, aerial bombardment, and almost daily skirmishes with Nationalist forces, Mao halted his columns at the foot of the Great Wall of China on October 20, 1935. Waiting for them were five machine-gun- and red-flag-bearing horsemen. “Welcome, Chairman Mao,” one said. “We represent the Provincial Soviet of Northern Shensi. We have been waiting for you anxiously. All that we have is at your disposal!” The Long March was over.

The Communist marchers crossed 24 rivers and 18 mountain ranges, mostly snow-capped. Only 4,000 troops completed the journey. The majority of those who did not perished. It was the longest continuous march in the history of warfare and marked the emergence of Mao Zedong as the undisputed leader of the Chinese Communists. Learning of the Communists’ heroism and determination in the Long March, thousands of young Chinese traveled to Shensi to enlist in Mao’s Red Army. After fighting the Japanese for a decade, the Chinese Civil War resumed in 1945. Four years later, the Nationalists were defeated, and Mao proclaimed the People’s Republic of China. He served as chairman until his death in 1976.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 19, 2020, 5:36 am

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On October 17, 1931, gangster Al Capone is sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion and fined $80,000, signaling the downfall of one of the most notorious criminals of the 1920s and 1930s.
Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1899 to Italian immigrants. He was expelled from school at 14, joined a gang and earned his nickname “Scarface” after being sliced across the cheek during a fight. By 1920, Capone had moved to Chicago, where he was soon helping to run crime boss Johnny Torrio’s illegal enterprises, which included alcohol-smuggling, gambling and prostitution. Torrio retired in 1925 after an attempt on his life and Capone, known for his cunning and brutality, was put in charge of the organization.
Prohibition, which outlawed the brewing and distribution of alcohol and lasted from 1920 to 1933, proved extremely lucrative for bootleggers and gangsters like Capone, who raked in millions from his underworld activities. Capone was at the top of the F.B.I.’s “Most Wanted” list by 1930, but he avoided long stints in jail until 1931 by bribing city officials, intimidating witnesses and maintaining various hideouts. He became Chicago’s crime kingpin by wiping out his competitors through a series of gangland battles and slayings, including the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929, when Capone’s men gunned down seven rivals. This event helped raise Capone’s notoriety to a national level.
Among Capone’s enemies was federal agent Elliot Ness, who led a team of officers known as “The Untouchables” because they couldn’t be corrupted. Ness and his men routinely broke up Capone’s bootlegging businesses, but it was tax-evasion charges that finally stuck and landed Capone in prison in 1931. Capone began serving his time at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, but amid accusations that he was manipulating the system and receiving cushy treatment, he was transferred to the maximum-security lockup at Alcatraz Island, in California’s San Francisco Bay. He got out early in 1939 for good behavior, after spending his final year in prison in a hospital, suffering from syphilis.
Plagued by health problems for the rest of his life, Capone died in 1947 at age 48 at his home in Palm Island, Florida.

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A lot of people ask, "Why is the US flag reversed when it's on an arm patch of a US military?"

Just as the US flag dips to no man or individual, and you will see even at the Olympic ceremonies, the American flag is the only one that doesn't dip to the head of state of the host country.

Because it's not a mark of disrespect to them; it's a mark of respect to the American flag.

And they take it so seriously that it must always face forward.

Now, on a flagpole that puts the stars on the left-hand side next to the flagpole; that's the most prestigious position.

On an arm patch, you are looking at it differently, and when the soldier, or marine, or whatever, marches forward, the US flag most face forward.

It must not be seen to be in retreat. And so the stars are actually now on the right-hand side of their badge, and so they face forward, just as it never retreats. It's always in its special position when it's flown on a car.

You might think this is taking things to extremes, but when you really get to the bottom of flags, they are about extremes of passion and extremes of belief. And the Americans take their flag very, very seriously.

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Re: Yes it really happened

Post by Doodoo » October 20, 2020, 5:47 am

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Vere Gordon Childe (14 April 1892 – 19 October 1957) was an Australian archaeologist who specialised in the study of European prehistory. He spent most of his life in the United Kingdom, working as an academic for the University of Edinburgh and then the Institute of Archaeology, London. He wrote twenty-six books during his career. Initially an early proponent of culture-historical archaeology, he later became the first exponent of Marxist archaeology in the Western world.

Born in Sydney to a middle-class English migrant family, Childe studied classics at the University of Sydney before moving to England to study classical archaeology at the University of Oxford. There, he embraced the socialist movement and campaigned against the First World War, viewing it as a conflict waged by competing imperialists to the detriment of Europe's working class. Returning to Australia in 1917, he was prevented from working in academia because of his socialist activism, instead working for the Labor Party as the private secretary of the politician John Storey. Growing critical of Labor, he wrote an analysis of their policies and joined the far-left Industrial Workers of the World. Emigrating to London in 1921, he became librarian of the Royal Anthropological Institute and journeyed across Europe to pursue his research into the continent's prehistory, publishing his findings in academic papers and books. In doing so he introduced the continental European concept of an archaeological culture—the idea that a recurring assemblage of artefacts demarcates a distinct cultural group—to the British archaeological community.

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that the Inuit identity of sipiniq referred to individuals who were believed to have changed their physical sex at the moment of birth, but were socialized as members of their original gender

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. that the Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr named more than 500 new species of ant?

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