The Cugnot Steam Auto

What was the first “automobile” … ?

The first modern “automobiles”—self-propelled wheeled carriages run by gasoline-powered internal-combustion engines—were built in Germany by Karl Friedrich Benz and Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler in 1885. But if we look at an “automobile” as being simply a self-propelled wheeled vehicle, the history goes back further, and the earliest one that we know about was a steam-powered cart built in 1769 by a French Army officer named Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot.

The Hopi Game of Totolospi

Totolospi is a racing game that was played by the Hopi Native Americans of the southwest desert.

Totolospi gameboard

Earth’s First Mountains

The area of the Minnesota/Canada border has an interesting early geological history.

Granite layers in Voyageurs National Park                              photo from NPS

Icons of Aviation History: The Soviet Tupolev Tu-22 Bomber

The Tupolev-22 Blinder caused near-panic among NATO air forces when it appeared, but it never lived up to its promise.

Tupolev Tu-22 Blinder in Ukrainian service                                          photo from WikiCommons

A Necessary Political Interlude

The very fine people in the Florida State Legislature have in their infinite wisdom introduced a bill into the Assembly:

“Florida Sen. Jason Brodeur (R-Lake Mary) wants bloggers who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, and other members of the Florida executive cabinet or legislature to register with the state or face fines.

Brodeur’s proposal, Senate Bill 1316: Information Dissemination, would require any blogger writing about government officials to register with the Florida Office of Legislative Services or the Commission on Ethics.”

https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/florida-bill-would-require-bloggers-who-write-about-governor-to-register-with-the-state/