How Donald Trump’s Uncle Helped Win WW2

Donald Trump may have evaded the Vietnam War because of “bone spurs”, but his uncle played an important role in winning the Second World War.

An early magnetron radar                   photo from WikiCommons

Lee Harvey Oswald’s Rifle

The rifle used by Lee Harvey Oswald to kill President Kennedy in Dallas had a long history.

Oswald’s rifle, as it was found after the assassination               photo from WikiCommons

The Largest Ship Ever Built

The largest ship ever built (so far) was best-known under the name Seawise Giant.

“Seawise Giant” undergoing repairs in Singapore after being refloated            photo from WikiCommons

Russia’s Naval War in Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has become a testing ground for new weapons and tactics. In particular, the naval operations have attracted a lot of interest from the world’s militaries. It has turned into a lopsided contest in which Ukraine has already destroyed around one-third of the Russian Baltic Fleet—despite having no major combat ships of its own. This result may have serious implications for navies around the world.

The guided missile attack cruiser “Moskva”                        photo from WikiCommons

The CIA’s Cold War Plan to Use Stray Cats as Spies

In the 1960s, the CIA made a failed attempt to use bugged cats as spies.

Secret Agent Kit E. Katt                                                                    photo from Wiki Commons

The SL-1 Nuclear Reactor Accident

The first fatal nuclear reactor accident in American history happened at a research station in Idaho in 1961—and is still the subject of debate and controversy.

SL-1 reactor being dismantled              photo from WikiCommons

The Soviet Lunokhod Moon Rover

The 1970 Soviet lunar probe Lunokhod was overshadowed by the American Apollo moon landings, but it was a significant technical achievement in space exploration.

Dignitaries examine an engineering model of Lunokhod-1                                          photo from Wiki Commons

Icons of Aviation History: B-52 Stratofortress

The B-52 bomber was first conceived in 1945, and it remains today as an important part of the US arsenal.

“Legs” Diamond

Although Jack “Legs” Diamond was a relatively low-level petty crook, he has become one of the most well-known 1920s Mafia figures in US history.

American Chinese Food

Much of the food we find today in “Chinese restaurants” is not in fact Chinese at all—it was born in the USA.

My local Chinese food place in Florida

Wild Florida: Dung Beetles

A story of sand and shit.

🙂

Rainbow Scarab, found in the Red River Hog enclosure at the Zoo Tampa

When the USSR “Invaded” Iran

In 1982, during the insurgent war in Afghanistan, the Soviet Army carried out a well-planned attack on a target in southern Afghanistan, in their largest airborne operation up to that time, and destroyed it. There was just one problem—it was the wrong target.

Soviet forces in Afghanistan                                                photo from Wikipedia

Battle of the 300 Champions

The battle of Thermopylae was memorably (if somewhat inaccurately) portrayed in the Hollywood movie “300”. But this was not the only time that ancient Sparta had depended upon a force of 300 hand-picked warriors.

Greek Hoplites          photo from WikiCommons

Making a “Canjo” One-String Guitar

How to make a workable musical instrument out of a stick, a guitar string, and an empty can.

Laika and Sputnik 2

In November 1957, just a month after the USSR’s successful Sputnik launch, a stray dog from Moscow named Laika became the first living organism to orbit the Earth, though she did not survive the trip. 

Cutaway engineering model of Sputnik 2, at the Cosmosphere Museum in Kansas. The radiation instrument package is at the top, the round radio transmitter and battery is in the middle, and Laika’s life support chamber is at the bottom.