In October 1919, Congress passed the National Prohibition Act, overriding a veto by President Woodrow Wilson. And so began the so-called noble experiment of Prohibition.
[Found here.]
Archive for the ‘True Stories’ Category
The 1968 Dustbuster Manta
Wednesday, 15 January 2020
“Built from Bizzarrini parts, the Manta was one of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s first independent designs as an independent consultant. He used it to promote and launch Ital Design in Turin. The Manta is remarkable as it was built up from an ex-Le Mans racer and it is one of the first cars the world to use a triple seat arrangement.
Inside the cockpit is an odd layout that seats the driver in the middle of the interior with a passenger on either side. The idea was copied from a Ferrari 365 prototype built in 1965 and it was later, more popularly revived with the mighty McLaren F1. With three people seated side-by-side it must be a particularly tight squeeze as much of the available passenger foot space is occupied by intrusive wheel wells.”
[Images found here. More about the 1968 Bizzarrini Manta here.]
Head (bread, kneaded)
Tuesday, 14 January 2020
The Dorque of WTF
Thursday, 9 January 2020
Arthur William Patrick Albert, aka Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, circa 1874.
That photo wasn’t good enough for him, so he upped the ante.
Yeah. That rocks. Much better.
[Found here.]
The Back Of Peter Falk’s Head Board Game
Monday, 6 January 2020
“My favorite part about the Columbo Board Game is that they wouldn’t pay Peter Falk what he wanted to be involved, so they had to work around showing his face.”
[Found here.]
7 December 1941 – Pearl Harbor
Saturday, 7 December 2019Always Remember: The declaration of war was issued AFTER the attack.
This film is interesting.
That’s my late dad’s stamp that he put on most correspondence.
Klaus-Günter Jacobi’s Contribution To The World
Wednesday, 4 December 2019
If socialism is such a great economic system, why have so many people died trying to escape it?
Risking imprisonment, torture and death, Klaus-Günter Jacobi modified a BMW Isetta to help his friend escape the oppression of East Germany in 1963. Nine others were able to escape using the same method.
[Escaping East Berlin in a 1961 BMW Isetta [via]. Short vid here.]
Your Own Public Idaho Hot Links
Sunday, 1 December 2019
Doggie Duty [language warning].
The Laughing Policeman (Charles Penrose,1922).
This kind of crap should disgust you. More on the story here, and this is a great response.
She thought she was going to win.
From the This Kinda Creeps Me Out Department:
Never heard the term “spatchcocking” before. (It’s a gerund or present participle.)
Forget “Global Warming.” Forget “Climate Change.” Get ready for “Global Meltdown” and “Climate Collapse.” We’re dooooomed.
I rolled my eyes when I read the original story, but this commentary is funny. [NSFW, NSFK]
From the This Is Very Cool Department BUT:
During the U.S. campaign against al Qaida terrorists in Afghanistan, the U.S. government offered hefty bounties for al Qaida, Taliban, and other insurgent leaders. These bounties were highly publicized although rarely collected.
U.S. Central Command decided to toy with the terrorist commanders: Military and intelligence analysts drew up a list of high-value targets, followed by a public announcement that the bounty on a particular terrorist leader had been slashed Word was whispered in the local markets that the man wasn’t worth the higher reward because he had been injured or been deemed incompetent.
According to Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker of The New York Times, the “less-valuable leader” then wanted “to prove he was still important and worthy of the higher bounty. Even senior members of al Qaida’s global network had been suckered by the ruse and were picked up after they made themselves visible not long after the bounty on their heads was reduced.”
Norman Polmar, “To Understand Russian Submarines, Think Outside The Box” USNI Proceedings, October 2019. http://www.usni.org
So why did the NYT expose a military PsyOps tactic, how did they find out about it, and why did USNI decide to echo it?
From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago.
(The one from 2009 had some funny in the comments.)
Title above is a reference to this (as if you didn’t know).
Thanksgiving 1621
Thursday, 28 November 2019
“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”
–Edward Winslow, December, 1621
Nearly all of what historians have learned about the first Thanksgiving comes from a single eyewitness report: a letter written in December 1621 by Edward Winslow, one of the 100 or so people who sailed from England aboard the Mayflower in 1620 and founded Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.
[…]
Just over 50 colonists are believed to have attended, including 22 men, four married women—including Edward Winslow’s wife—and more than 25 children and teenagers. These were the lucky ones who had made it through a rough entry into the New World, including a harsh winter during which an epidemic of disease swept through the colony, felling nearly half the original group. Some 78 percent of the women who had arrived on the Mayflower had died during the first winter, a far higher percentage than for men or children.
“For the English, [the first Thanksgiving] was also celebrating the fact that they had survived their first year here in New England,” Tom Begley [of Plymoth Plantation] points out.
The Plymouth colonists were likely outnumbered more than two-to-one at the event by their Native American guests. Winslow’s account records “many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men.” Massasoit (who was actually named Ousemequin) was the sachem (leader) of the Pokanoket Wampanoag, a local Native American society that had begun dealings with the colonists earlier in 1621.
[Image from here, historical commentary from here.
Related posts here.]
In 1915, The U.S.S. North Carolina Became The 1st US Aircraft Carrier.
Monday, 25 November 2019
[The] catapult was installed on board the U.S.S. North Carolina during the late summer of 1915. The first test was made with a plane which carried no pilot, with the controls lashed in flying position. The experiment was successful so far as the catapult was concerned, although the plane stalled at the end of the track and spun into the water. This was sufficient proof for Lieutenant Commander Mustin, commandant of the station, and he ordered the second plane aboard to be prepared for a catapult shot. Climbing in and warming up the engine he flew the first plane off a catapult mounted on a ship. After several live shots, the next attempt was to catapult a plane while the ship was definitely under way. Lieutenant A. A. Cunningham, U.S. Marine Corps, was selected for this experiment. This shot, however, failed and the plane struck the water with one wing and turned over. Fortunately, the pilot swam out from under and was picked up by a boat.
