To All
Good Friday morning June 26. Same weather different day. The clouds are clearing by 10 and we are heating up to 78 by 1
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Thanks to Scout
Please pass to all that Frenchy's Ceremony at Miramar National Cemetery starts at 1230 on Friday July 10; not 1300.
Will have a fly-over.
All will need to be in line by 1215.
Thanks, Scout
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Go here to see the director’s corner for all 97 H-Grams
June 26
1945 USS Bears (DD 654), USS John Hood (DD 655), USS Jarvis (DD 799), and USS Porter (DD 800) sink three Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers and a guardboat and damage a fourth auxiliary submarine chaser south of Okekotan, Kurils.
1945 USS Parche (SS 384) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks gunboat Kamitsu Maru and freighter Eikan Maru seven miles of Todo Saki, southern Honshu.
1950 After North Korean invaded South Korea, USS Mansfield (DD 728) and USS De Haven (DD 727) evacuates 700 Americans and friendly foreign nationals from Inchon, Korea.
1962 U.S. Naval Facility, Cape Hatteras, N.C., makes the first Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) detection of a Soviet diesel submarine…And as we know from the recent news on the missing sub it is still working
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Today in World History June 26
363 Roman Emperor Julian dies, ending the Pagan Revival.
1096 Peter the Hermit's crusaders force their way across Sava, Hungary.
1243 The Seljuk Turkish army in Asia Minor is wiped out by the Mongols.
1541 Former followers murder Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish Conqueror of Peru.
1794 The French defeat an Austrian army at the Battle of Fleurus.
1804 The Lewis and Clark Expedition reaches the mouth of the Kansas River after completing a westward trek of nearly 400 river miles.
1844 Julia Gardiner and President John Tyler are married in New York City.
1862 General Robert E. Lee attacks George McClellan's line at Mechanicsville during the Seven Days' campaign.
1863 Jubal Early and his Confederate forces move into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
1900 The United States announces it will send troops to fight against the Boxer Rebellion in China.
1907 Russia's nobility demands drastic measures be taken against revolutionaries.
1908 Shah Muhammad Ali's forces squelch the reform elements of Parliament in Persia.
1916 Russian General Aleksei Brusilov renews his offensive against the Germans.
1917 General Pershing arrives in France with the American Expeditionary Force.
1918 The Germans begin firing their huge 420 mm howitzer, "Big Bertha," at Paris.
1926 A memorial to the first U.S. troops in France is unveiled at St. Nazaire.
1924 After eight years of occupation, American troops leave the Dominican Republic.
1942 The Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter flies for the first time.
1945 The U.N. Charter is signed by 50 nations in San Francisco, California.
1951 The Soviet Union proposes a cease-fire in the Korean War.
1961 A Kuwaiti vote opposes Iraq's annexation plans.
1963 President John Kennedy announces "Ich bin ein Berliner" at the Berlin Wall.
1971 The U.S. Justice Department issues a warrant for Daniel Ellsberg, accusing him of giving away the Pentagon Papers.
1975 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is convicted of election fraud.
1993 Roy Campanella, legendary catcher for the Negro Leagues and the Los Angeles Dodgers, dies.
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Thanks to Carl
Brings back some great memories.
Mine's Bigger Than Yours
The modern V8 engine experienced explosive growth from 1955 to 1963 - not just in sales volume, but in displacement. Among the low-priced brands (Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth), who had the biggest? That depends on the year (charted above), as things never stayed static for very long during that exciting time in the auto industry. While displacement jumped 160 percent, horsepower grew even more. Pontiac, as GM's performance brand, is included for comparison even though their prices were several hundred dollars above the others.
By Philip Doucet
As if on steroids, America's new, affordable overhead-valve (OHV) V8 engines grew from 265 to 427 cubic inches in less than a decade. Not only was that amazingly quick, but a lot of fun for drivers piloting their new powerhouses ever faster down the country's brand new interstate highway system. In this article, we'll take a look at the phenomenal growth of the modern V8 during its early years, focusing on standard full-size cars from Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth. Those, along with Pontiacs, are the vehicles that were racing in NASCAR and on drag strips across America, hoping to win and drive customers to their dealers' showrooms.
But wait a minute, you say? Cadillac introduced the first modern OHV engine in 1949 with 331 cubic inches (ci), the same year Oldsmobile came out with their 304. Chrysler debuted their famous Hemi at 331 ci in 1951. By 1955, Packard beat all those with its 354. All true, but bragging rights for having the biggest V8 was going to cost you serious money with those brands - such cars were out of reach for the average American, although hot rodders grabbed what they could from junkyards for little money. It would be up to mass-market leaders Ford, Chevrolet and Plymouth to make big cubes affordable to everyone. (We haven't included American Motors in this article because, while they did have competitive V8s available in the mid-to-late 1950s, they stayed on the sidelines while the horsepower race heated up.)
Surprise! Were you expecting to see Chevrolet's revolutionary 1955 small block here? It's not because, at 265 ci, it fell just a hair short of Ford's 272 ci Y-block, pictured above in a 1955 Fairlane Crown Victoria. More importantly, Ford would bump that to 312 ci the following year while Chevy would always be a step behind except for 1961 - '62.
The Quest for Cubic Inches
One often hears reference to the "horsepower wars" of the late 1950s and 1960s. While fans of performance like to quote horsepower figures, the reality in the car market of the era was, as had always been the case from the invention of the automobile, an engine's displacement was more important to most buyers than its actual power output. While many cars have worn (and continue to do so) badges prominently proclaiming their engine displacement, how many have had horsepower figures similarly displayed (if you know of any, please tell us)? Granted, once you had opted for the biggest V8, there were usually options to tempt you, such as upgrading from a 2-barrel to a 4-barrel carburetor, or high-compression versions rather than one that could run on regular-grade gasoline. Those often included hotter camshafts, helping to boost power output. But even if you had the lowliest version, at least you still had bragging rights as having the biggest V8 that was offered.
Emblems announcing underhood content were even popular in the 1920s, as on this 1929 Cadillac. The following year, Cadillac would introduce a V16, and then a V12 in 1931. Prominent emblems for each saved one the trouble of lifting those heavy center-hinged hoods to see what resided inside, and what the owner was able to afford. In 1932, Cadillac V8s started around $3,000. Every extra 4 cylinders added about $700 (more than the cost of Ford's new V8 models), so close to $4,000 for a V12 and $5,000 for the V16s, which were also larger cars.
Ford beat Chevrolet to market with an OHV V8, offering the 239 ci Y-block in its 1954 models. They must have known Chevrolet's plans to introduce a new V8 at 265 ci for 1955 and immediately bored and stroked the 239 up to 272 ci in order to have a bigger displacement. (A 292 was available in the Thunderbird, but that was a premium-priced car.) While Chevy's top offering was rated at 180 hp, Ford's 272 bested that by an additional 2 hp - anything to one-up the competition. Rival Plymouth also offered their first V8 in 1955's models. The 277 ci "A-series" engine, a mere 5 cubic inches bigger than Ford's, was also rated 5 horsepower higher at 187.
Ford vs Chevy vs Plymouth, Round One
Which was better in '55 - Ford's 272 or Chevy's 265? Thanks to its thin-wall casting, stamped steel ball-and-stud rocker arms, hollow pushrods and other unique features, Chevy's "small block," as it would come to be known, weighed a good 100 pounds less than the Ford and quickly garnered a following among performance enthusiasts. However, the Y-block engines in Fords and Mercurys were dominating NASCAR. On the downside, Ford's Y-block would get a reputation for upper-end lubrication problems, while the Chevy had some initial production hiccups and quality problems. Long term, though, the Chevy vastly outlived the Ford as it could eventually be enlarged to 400 ci while Ford's Y-block topped out at 312. Ford would need to create a whole new family of small block V8s, aka the "Windsors," for their 1962 models. Meanwhile, the small-block Chevy quickly grew in popularity to the point nothing else would ever catch it.
What about Plymouth? Prior to 1955's attractive new models, the brand had a rather stodgy image that would take a couple years to turn around. Buick's sales outpaced Plymouth in 1955 and 1956 to take over third spot in total car sales, but Plymouth would regain the spot from 1957 - 1960, perhaps as much due to those outrageous fins as what was under the hood. Though a competent engine, the A-series, which grew to 318 cubic inches by 1957, suffered the same fate as Ford's small block and was limited to a maximum 326 ci. Chrysler's LA series ("Light A" due to its lighter weight), introduced for 1964, would carry the Pentastar torch to the early 1990s in such memorable displacements as 318, 340 and 360 cubic inches.
The 1958 Chevrolet Impala was a big car, so it needed that new 348-cubic-inch big-block to move it. Note the three wingnuts on the air cleaner - this 348 is packing three 2-barrels to make it, with 280 hp, the quickest of them all. Improvements would boost that setup to 335 hp by 1960.
Arrival of the Big Blocks
The Big Three automakers were perfectly in sync for 1958, all introducing new big-block V8s: Ford's FE-series (debuting at 352 ci), Chevrolet's W-series (at 348 ci) and Chrysler's B-series (at 350 ci for Plymouth). Not wanting to be in last place as with their small-block debut, Chevrolet took top horsepower honors at 315, with Plymouth second at 305, and Ford last at 300. While Plymouth upped the ante for 1959 and 1960, offering 361 and 383 cubic inch versions of their B-series engine, Ford and Chevy held firm with their 352 and 348, with horsepower increasing to 335 for the Chevy and 360 for the Ford, though it should be noted that 360 figure was a super rare option intended to make Ford competitive in racing. In reality, almost all 352s were delivered with 300 or fewer horses, the same as it had been in 1958.
While Chevrolet's 348 may have offered, at least on paper, 5 more horses than Plymouth's 383, the latter's Sonoramic Commando ram induction system offered a much more impressive sight under the hood, as in this 1960 Plymouth Fury.
Ford vs Chevy vs Plymouth, Round Two
Ford was sitting out the racing scene from 1958 to 1960 on account of the American Automobile Association's (AMA) ban on automakers' direct involvement in racing of any kind. Chevrolet didn't make the performance crowd happy with its new big block, which not only weighed about 125 pounds more than the small-block, but lacked high-rpm power as it was intended to power light trucks as well as full-size cars. Some commented that perhaps Chevrolet had copied Ford in taking the AMA anti-racing edict a little too seriously. Chrysler, being 3rd among the Big Three, did not feel so constrained and quickly set about enlarging their new big block. By 1960, helped by an additional 35 cubic inches and the tuned ram induction system, a Plymouth's 383 cranked out 330 hp (only 5 less than Chevy's 348) and a remarkable 460 lbs-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. Chevy's 348 could only manage 362 lb-ft at a much higher 3,600 rpm. More torque offers better acceleration, so you can guess who won that contest!
Chevrolet's legendary 409 first appeared in 1961 sporting 360 horsepower. It reached its peak in 1963 - '64 offering 425 hp courtesy of a dual-quad intake, 11.0:1 compression and solid lifters. Shown above installed in a 1964 Impala SS, if you look closely you'll spot the tiny yellow decal on the air cleaner announcing 425 hp.
Chevrolet seriously upped its game for the 1961 model year, adding a whopping 61 cubic inches to the 348 to produce the 409 and, in the process, creating the stuff of legend with even the Beach Boys singing its praises - "She's real fine my 409." Not to be left behind, Plymouth's 383 B-series made way for the RB-series ("Raised Block") at 413 ci for 1961, which continued to offer the unique ram induction system.
Ford somehow missed the mark for 1961, enlarging their 352 to a mere 390, being the only one not to break the 400-cubic-inch mark. That not only left them in third place in the "whose is bigger" contest, but also on America's drag strips. Drag racing was fast becoming one of the country's most popular motorsports, given how easy it was to build a strip (or use an old airport) compared to what was needed for an oval track. The strips attracted all the local gearheads, and winning brands quickly gained a reputation that turned into sales. Meanwhile, Chevrolet with their 409, and Plymouth with a 413, won the race for capturing the hearts and minds of those who wanted the fastest street machines.
It wasn't until the 1960s, when everyone offered a big-block V8, that it became necessary to announce exactly how far up the cubic-inch ladder one had climbed. Having finally broken the 400-cubic-inch barrier for 1962, Ford created one of the more attractive emblems for its "Thunderbird" V8, available in any full-size Ford but oddly not in a Thunderbird, which continued using the 390. It's shown above on a 1962 Galaxie 500.
How Much Bigger Can We Go?
Quickly realizing their mistake, Ford bored out the 390 to 406 cubic inches for 1962. Though we're not specifically covering them here, Pontiac was starting to clean up at the drags in 1962 with their 421 installed in lightweight Catalinas. Now that everyone was about even in the displacement race, what was next? Who would make the next big jump, perhaps to something over 450 cubic inches? Would we ever hit 500? As it turned out, no one (at least in this price class - Cadillac was the only one to ever do so, for 1970.). Thanks for putting an abrupt stop to ever-larger displacements goes to, of all people, NASCAR who, taking note of the rapid increase in power outputs, decided to limit engine displacement to 7 liters (427 cubic inches) for the 1963 season. That would turn out to be a short-lived band-aid when Chrysler dropped the 426 Hemi on them in 1964, but that's a story for another day.
The Magic Numbers - 426 and 427
Given the new NASCAR regulation, it didn't take long for all three automakers to respond. Ford once again increased the bore on the 406 to get 425.98 cubic inches, a 426 which it decided to advertise as the legal limit - "427." Halfway through the model year, the Galaxie 500 received a new fastback ("Sports Hardtop") design. With improved high-speed aerodynamics, Ford’s 427-equipped Galaxies won the 1963 NASCAR Championship. Out on the streets, nearly 5,000 Galaxies were sold with the 427, most of the 410-hp variety, but some with the dual-quad "R-code" option rated at 425 hp. Ford was back in the game, both on the tracks and out in the streets.
Was this the hottest production car for 1963? Ford's Galaxie may have had the hottest engine, but 2 tons was still a lot of weight to haul around.
Chevrolet promptly enlarged their 409 to 427, debuting the engine at the 1963 Daytona 500. Though it's said to have made more horsepower than the Ford, nearly all failed either in practice, qualifying, or the 500-mile race itself. None were ever offered to the public, and a 427 wasn't available in Chevrolets until 1966. That 427 would be a new design, called the Mark IV, that started life as the very popular 396. Until then, Chevy performance fans had to make do with the 409 (though the high-compression, dual-quad version was rated at 425 hp) or the 396 introduced for 1965.
Not to be left behind, Chrysler bored out their 413 to 426 cubic inches for 1963. With an actual displacement of 425.6 ci, they correctly chose to call it a "426," thereby differentiating it from Ford and Chevy's big blocks - something that would turn out to be a great move from a marketing standpoint. The iconic 426 Hemi, introduced for racing duty in 1964 but not available to the public until 1966, would use the identical 4.25-inch bore and 3.75-inch stroke as the 426-ci wedge engine. Plymouths could be optioned with the wedge-style 426 from 1963 through 1965, and the ram induction system was available through 1964.
And the Winner Is...
By the end of our story here in 1964, John Z. DeLorean at Pontiac had taken, and won, a big gamble by offering their 389 - a decent-sized block by any standards, even if not the biggest - in their newly-redesigned intermediate-size Tempest, creating the GTO and marking the start of the muscle car era. After that, the full-size models of the past quickly fell behind the new, lighter, mid-sized fighters for who was quickest on the street and the strips. But if size is what mattered most to you, a new-car buyer in 1964, you were on your way to your local Ford dealer, who could hook you up with 427 cubic inches having 410 ("Thunderbird 4V") or 425 ("Thunderbird 8V") horsepower. Plymouth was a close second with their "Commando 426," though rated at only 365 hp. As a Belvedere, though, with its 116-inch wheelbase carrying only 3,600 pounds was much lighter than a 4,000 pound Galaxie 500 riding on 119 inches, the Plymouth was very competitive.
For 1964, Ford was selling "Total Performance." For 1964, at least, they were able to deliver on that promise.
No, we didn't forget about Chevrolet fans. You guys could order your 1964 Biscayne (at 3,700 a few pounds lighter than a Bel Air or Impala) with a 425-hp 409 packing 11.0:1 compression and dual quads and go out and probably beat both the Fords and the Plymouths. But you certainly wouldn't be able to say "Mine's bigger than yours!"
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June 26
Hello All,
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
Links to all content can now be found right on the homepage http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com. If you scroll down from the banner and featured content you will find "Today in Rolling Thunder Remembered History" which highlights events in the Vietnam war that occurred on the date the page is visited. Below that are links to browse or search all content. You may search by keyword(s), date, or date range.
An item of importance is the recent incorporation of Task Force Omega (TFO) MIA summaries. There is a link on the homepage and you can also visit directly via https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/task-force-omega/. There are 60 summaries posted thus far, with about 940 to go (not a typo—TFO has over 1,000 individual case files).
If you have any questions or comments about RTR/TFO, or have a question on my book, you may e-mail me directly at acrossthewing@protonmail.com. Thank you Dan
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url elow and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip
June 26: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1210
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear’s Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady’s work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend . The site works, find anyone you knew in “search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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From The Incandescent Lightbulb To Mickey Mouse: 12 World-Changers
America has had its fair share of trailblazers, empire builders, inventors, artists, and many other brilliant individuals who have changed the world in various ways. Take a look at the following 12 individuals who have achieved significant milestones from backgrounds as diverse as the human race itself. Which one inspires you the most?
George Washington
The first name on the list belongs to the Father of Our Nation and first president. As commander of the colonial troops during the Revolutionary War, Washington led the struggle against Great Britain with intelligent military strategy and unwavering leadership.
Quite possibly, his greatest contribution lies in his refusal to become a king or dictator, instead choosing to lay the foundations of a democratic republic.
Martin Luther King Jr.
This icon of the civil rights movement used nonviolent resistance to combat racial discrimination. Through peaceful protest strategies, King led demonstrations, boycotts, and marches that helped transform the social landscape of America.
His "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963 in Washington, D.C. became a huge milestone in the struggle for equality and an inspiration for millions all over the world.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
A steady guide through challenging times, Franklin D. Roosevelt led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II. Through his New Deal programs, he introduced revolutionary social and economic reforms, including the creation of social safety nets like Social Security.
His leadership during World War II helped establish the United States as a global power committed to supporting democracy.
Susan B. Anthony
A relentless activist in the struggle for women’s suffrage, Susan B. Anthony organized campaigns, wrote extensively, and spoke passionately in support of gender equality. Although she did not live to see it passed, her efforts laid the groundwork for the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
Thomas Edison
Life as we know it would not be the same without his inventions. And, while the lightbulb would have been reason enough for him to be present on this list, Edison was responsible for numerous innovations—he held over 1,000 patents, including for the phonograph, motion picture camera, and electric power distribution systems—that helped change the course of history forever.
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead’s pioneering work in psychology and anthropology helped develop the understanding that children learn through imitation, particularly by observing their parents and community.
In addition to her academic contributions, she was a vocal advocate for women’s rights and greater sexual openness, influencing the cultural shifts that led to the sexual revolution of the 1960s.
Henry Ford
Thank him for the popularization of the automobile and the introduction of the 40-hour, five-day workweek. America would not be the same without Henry Ford and his revolutionary industrial ideas, which transformed manufacturing and daily life.
Betty Friedan
Women’s rights owe much to Betty Friedan, whose groundbreaking work challenged the limited roles assigned to women in mid-20th-century America. Her book The Feminine Mystique gave voice to the dissatisfaction of the American housewife and sparked a national conversation about the validity of traditional gender roles.
Andrew Carnegie
Largely considered as one of America’s greatest self-made men, Andrew Carnegie played a pivotal role in shaping the nation's industrial identity. His leadership in the steel industry helped propel the United States into a position of global economic dominance in the early 20th century.
Orville and Wilbur Wright
Transportation would never have been the same without Orville and Wilbur Wright, brothers from Ohio, who changed the world forever by inventing powered flight on the shores of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Alexander Graham Bell
That black rectangular device near you is the modern evolution of Alexander Graham Bell’s original invention, one that would change the way humans communicate in profoundly lasting ways.
Walt Disney
Walt Disney’s influence on the childhoods of generations of Americans is undisputed. He forever changed the world of entertainment for both children and adults through his iconic characters and innovative theme parks, which now exist all over the world.
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Dolly Parton wrote “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” in one day.
Is there a word for the opposite of writer’s block? If there isn’t, Dolly Parton should get to coin it, since the country music legend says she penned “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene” in one day. “That was a good writing day” is how the ever-humble fan favorite described the process of writing the two eventual Billboard Country Music No. 1 hits in 1972. They remain two of her best-known songs a full half-century later, with “I Will Always Love You” taking on a second life when Whitney Houston covered it for the 1992 blockbuster The Bodyguard. Parton, who used some of her royalties from the cover to invest in a Black neighborhood in Nashville, is a fan of Houston’s version and has said she “would’ve loved” to perform a duet with Houston even though “she’d have outsung me on that one for sure.”
Dolly Parton has several tattoos.
IT'S A FACT
Though she’s never revealed them publicly, Parton has “a few little tattoos here and there.” The singer apparently scars easily, and has used her ink — including beehives, butterflies, and ribbons — to cover them up.
“Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” aren’t the only megahits in history that were written quickly, of course. It took Mariah Carey and songwriter Walter Afanasieff just 15 minutes to co-write “All I Want for Christmas,” while the Beatles’ “Yesterday,” Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance,” the Guess Who’s “American Woman,” and several other famous tunes were all put together in around 10 minutes. Sometimes when inspiration strikes, it really strikes.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Dolly Parton albums sold worldwide (as of 2014)
100 million
Number of Parton’s No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, the most of any woman
25
Free books delivered by Parton’s Imagination Library
226 million
Copies sold worldwide of the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard”
45 million
Dolly Parton’s father paid the doctor who delivered her with a sack of oatmeal.
Dolly Parton is Miley Cyrus’ godmother.
By the time Miley Cyrus was born in 1992, Dolly Parton had been a country music icon for more than two decades. Thanks to Parton’s close friendship with Miley’s dad, “Achy Breaky Heart” singer Billy Ray Cyrus, she was chosen as Miley’s godmother. “When Miley came along, I said, ‘She’s got to be my fairy goddaughter,’” Parton recalled in an interview. Parton has also said that the “Wrecking Ball” singer “just had a light about her” from a young age. The relationship is both personal and professional, and Parton appeared on Hannah Montana with her goddaughter several times. And though Cyrus has elicited occasional controversy throughout her career, Parton has vowed to “never, ever bad-mouth Miley, no matter what she does. I just always hope she comes out the other end alright.”
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Thanks to Barrel
Implosions
Here is one explanation of what happens when a vessel, like the mini-sub Titan, under great pressure implodes. When a submarine hull collapses at depth, it moves inward at about 1,500 miles per hour or 2,200 feet per second. A modern nuclear submarine’s hull radius is about 20 feet, so the time required for complete collapse is 20/2,200 seconds = about 1 millisecond. A mini-sub’s radius is much smaller. A human brain responds instinctually to stimulus at about 25 milliseconds. Human rational response, that is, sense → reason → act, is at best 150 milliseconds. The air inside a sub has a fairly-high concentration of hydrocarbon vapors. When the hull collapses, it behaves like a very large piston in a very large diesel engine (no spark plugs). The air auto-ignites and an explosion follows the initial rapid implosion. Biological large blobs of fat (humans) incinerate and are turned to ash quicker than you can blink your eye. As tragic as their deaths are, the souls onboard Titan likely would not have sensed their demise coming and, therefore, would not have suffered. May they rest in peace.
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Thanks to Boysie ... and Dr. Rich
Genius
A man in a Florida supermarket tried to buy half a head of lettuce.
The very young produce assistant told him that they sell only whole heads of lettuce.
The man persisted and asked to see the manager.
The boy said he'd ask his manager about it.
Walking into the back room, the boy said to his manager, “Some ‘jerk’ wants to buy half a head of lettuce.”
As he finished his sentence, he turned to find the man standing right behind him, so he added,
'And this gentleman has kindly offered to buy the other half.'
The manager approved the deal, and the man went on his way.
Later the manager said to the boy, “I was impressed with the way you got yourself out of that situation earlier. We like people who think on their feet here. Where are you from, son?'
“Canada, sir,” the boy replied.
“Well, why did you leave Canada?” the manager asked.
The boy said, “Sir, there's nothing but ‘prostitutes’ and hockey players up there.”
“Really?” said the manager. “My wife is from Canada.”
“No kidding?” replied the boy. “Who'd she play for?”
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Time has flown and we have all changed
Thanks to Jim
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ6B0izz2lI/
Sent from my iPhone
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A couple from 1440
Good morning, it's Friday, June 26. The US Supreme Court issued immigration-related rulings yesterday.
Also in today's Digest: child actors' "Peppa Pig" contracts (Need To Know), dating app Bumble reportedly looking for a sale (Bus. & Mkts.), a ship attacked in the Gulf of Oman (Pol. & World Affairs), World Cup players' favorite shoe color (Etc.), and much more.
Need To Know
SCOTUS Immigration Rulings
The Supreme Court handed down two immigration rulings yesterday, allowing the Trump administration to revive a border asylum policy and immediately move forward with ending deportation protections for migrants from Haiti and Syria.
In the first case, the court ruled migrants turned away before setting foot on US soil cannot apply for asylum. The decision restores the "metering" policy, which limits daily asylum processing at the US-Mexico border, a policy that was rescinded under President Joe Biden. In the second case, the court said the administration may immediately end Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians while legal challenges continue. Created in 1990, TPS protects migrants from deportation if their home countries face war, natural disasters, or other emergencies, with protections intended to end when conditions improve.
Separately, the court struck down Hawaii's restriction on carrying firearms onto private property open to the public and limited state-law failure-to-warn lawsuits against Bayer over its Roundup weedkiller. See how SCOTUS decides its cases here.
Deadly Double Quake
Rescue crews are searching for thousands of people reported missing after powerful twin earthquakes struck Venezuela less than a minute apart Wednesday evening. At least 188 people are dead as of this writing, and hundreds more are injured.
The first, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, struck west of Caracas, putting stress on another fault line roughly 3 miles away and triggering a 7.5-magnitude quake 39 seconds later. The second quake was the strongest Venezuela has experienced in over a century. The nation sits on a border where the Caribbean tectonic plate slides along the South American plate (see map). The tremors were felt in Brazil's Amazon, roughly 1,050 miles from Caracas, where buildings, power, and cell service all went down. (Learn how scientists determine where a quake originated here.)
Interim President Delcy RodrÃguez is reportedly coordinating aid with several countries, including the US, which has backed her since capturing former President Nicolás Maduro. The United Nations is also calling on RodrÃguez to lift digital media restrictions imposed by Maduro to facilitate the flow of lifesaving information.
🫶 Humankind: Tennessee college student designs custom 3D-printed dentures for thousands of people in need, reducing turnaround time from three months to a few hours.
Every Great Idea Starts Half Baked
Airbnb started with air mattresses on a living room floor. Stripe began as a side project. Most of the startup stories you read today have been polished by years of success—but the most interesting part is what they looked like before anyone knew they would work. When the idea was half baked.
That’s why 130,000+ people read Half Baked, a free daily newsletter uncovering original startup ideas, emerging trends, and fascinating stories from founders. Each edition explores the ideas, industries, and opportunities that most people haven’t discovered yet—from AI and e-commerce to bioengineering and niches you never knew existed.
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Thanks to Billy and Dr. Rich
No pictures but a great story that was in the List a long time ago.
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!!
EYE CANDY subscriber, Norm S, sent me a memory jog! He mentioned a dare-devil flight of a drunk pilot from back in NY in 1956. I recalled there were TWO such flights and did some digging. Hopefully, you will n’joy a look back when ‘men were men!’… I apologize for some duplication, but am too lazy to edit it out.
"Surprise airplane landings always make headlines. Who will forget Capt. Chesley Sullenberger steering a US Airways jetliner onto the Hudson River in 2009? Then there was a Long Island man who touched down on Rockaway Beach in 2011 and, more recently, a stunt pilot who coasted down safely onto a Suffolk County road.
But the remarkable drunken landings of Tommy Fitz have all but slipped into oblivion. The pilot, Thomas Fitzpatrick, turned a barroom bet into a feat of aeronautic wonder by stealing a plane from a New Jersey airport and landing it on St. Nicholas Avenue in northern Manhattan, in front of the bar where he had been drinking.
TWICE!! Giving substance to the title “Stunt Pilot!"
As if that were not stupefying enough, the man did nearly the exact same thing two years later. Both landings were pulled off in incredibly narrow landing areas, in the dark – and after a night of drinking in Washington Heights taverns and with a well-lubricated pilot at the controls. Both times ended with Mr. Fitzpatrick charged with wrongdoing.
The first of his flights was around 3 a.m. on Sept. 30, 1956, when Mr. Fitzpatrick, then 26, took a single-engine plane from the Teterboro School of Aeronautics in New Jersey and took off without lights or radio contact and landed on St. Nicholas Avenue near 191st Street.
The New York Times called it a “fine landing” and reported that it had been widely called “a feat of aeronautics.”
The second flight was on Oct. 4, 1958, just before 1 a.m.
Again he took a plane from Teterboro and this time landed on Amsterdam and 187th Street in front of a Yeshiva University building after having “come down like a marauder from the skies,” in the words of Ruben Levy, the magistrate at Mr. Fitzpatrick’s ensuing arraignment. Newspapers reported that Mr. Fitzpatrick jumped out of the landed plane wearing a gray suit and fled, but later turned himself in.
Mr. Fitzpatrick told the police that he had pulled off the second flight after a bar patron refused to believe he had done the first one.
That first flight, Mr. Fitzpatrick admitted, was the result of a barroom bet, according to articles in The New York Times. (He died in 2009 at age 79.)
“The story goes, he had made a bet with someone in the bar that he could be back in the Heights from New Jersey in 15 minutes,” said Jim Clarke, 68, who had lived near the first landing spot and recalls seeing the plane in the street.
“Supposedly, he planned on landing on the field at George Washington High School but it wasn’t lit up at night, so he had to land on St. Nicholas instead,” said Mr. Clarke, who now lives in Chatham, N.J.
After the first flight, Mr. Fitzpatrick was arraigned on grand larceny charges, which were dropped after the plane’s owner declined to sign a complaint. He was also charged with violating the city’s administrative code, which prohibits landing a plane on the street. Mr. Fitzpatrick was only fined $100.
But after the second landing, a judge, John A. Mullen, sentenced him to six months in jail for bringing a stolen item into the city. The judge told him, “Had you been properly jolted then, it’s possible this would not have occurred a second time.”
Sam Garcia, 68, who as a child saw the plane resting on 191st Street, said, “If it happened today, they would call him a terrorist, and locked him up and thrown away the key.”
Mr. Garcia, who now lives in Puerto Rico, said, “I thought maybe they had trucked it in, as a practical joke, because there was no way a man had landed in that narrow street.”
After the second flight, Mr. Fitzpatrick told the police that he had held a pilot’s license but that it had been suspended after the first flight and he had never renewed it because “I did not want to fly again.”
A Washington Heights native, Mr. Fitzpatrick was living in New Jersey at the time of the flights, but still hung around with friends who were regulars in the bars, recalled Fred Hartling, 76, who remembered Mr. Fitzpatrick from the neighborhood.
Mr. Fitzpatrick was a good friend of Mr. Hartling’s older brother Pat, Mr. Hartling said.
Mr. Fitzpatrick was a charismatic, adventurous type who would “butter up my mother” to let him sleep over at the Hartlings’ apartment or convince her to let Pat go out to the bars, he said.
“Tommy had a crazy side,” he said. “The whole group of them, my brother’s friends, were a wild bunch.”
According to an obituary about Mr. Fitzpatrick published in a New Jersey newspaper, he was a Marine during the Korean War and received a Purple Heart. He worked as a steamfitter for 51 years, it said, had three sons and lived in Washington Township, N.J. He remained married for 51 years to his wife, Helen, who, when contacted recently, hung up on a reporter who asked about the flights.
Mr. Hartling, now a retired logistics engineer living in Charlottesville, Va., said Mr. Fitzpatrick “pulled off a miracle” by landing the plane.
It “landed on a street with lampposts and cars parked on both sides,” he said. “It was a wonder – you had to be a great flier to put that thing down so close to everything.’’
Flights
edit
While intoxicated, Fitzpatrick, a resident of Emerson, New Jersey, stole a single-engine plane from the Teterboro School of Aeronautics at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey at approximately 3 a.m. on September 30, 1956, and flew without lights or radio before landing on St. Nicholas Avenue near 191st Street in front of a New York City bar where earlier he had been drinking and made an intoxicated barroom bet that he could travel from New Jersey to New York City in 15 minutes. The New York Times called the flight a "feat of aeronautics" and a "fine landing". For his illegal flight, he was fined $100 (equivalent to $1,120 in 2023) after the plane's owner refused to press charges.
On October 4, 1958, just before 1 a.m., Fitzpatrick, again intoxicated, stole another plane from the same airfield and landed on Amsterdam and 187th street in front of a Yeshiva University building after another bar patron disbelieved his first feat. For his second stolen flight, Judge John A. Mullen sentenced him to six months in prison, stating, "Had you been properly jolted then, it's possible this would not have occurred a second time." Fitzpatrick said "it's the lousy drink" that caused him to attempt the stunt.
Local resident Jim Clarke believed that Fitzpatrick's goal was to land on the field of George Washington High School. He lived to age 79.
On September 30th, 1956, during a drunken argument in a New York City Bar, a man named Thomas Fitzpatrick claimed he could fly an airplane from New Jersey to New York in under 15 minutes. To prove himself, Fitzpatrick left the bar, stole an airplane from a New Jersey airfield at 3am, flew without lights or radio completely intoxicated, and landed the airplane in the street in front of the bar.
Blue Skies & Tailwinds….
Https://CaptainBillyWalker.com
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This day in US Military History
June 26
1917 – During World War I, the first 14,000 U.S. infantry troops land in France at the port of Saint Nazaire. The landing site had been kept secret because of the menace of German submarines, but by the time the Americans had lined up to take their first salute on French soil, an enthusiastic crowd had gathered to welcome them. However, the “Doughboys,” as the British referred to the green American troops, were untrained, ill-equipped, and far from ready for the difficulties of fighting along the Western Front. One of U.S. General John J. Pershing’s first duties as commander of the American Expeditionary Force was to set up training camps in France and establish communication and supply networks. Four months later, on October 21, the first Americans entered combat when units from the U.S. Army’s First Division were assigned to Allied trenches in the Luneville sector near Nancy, France. Each American unit was attached to a corresponding French unit. Two days later, Corporal Robert Bralet of the Sixth Artillery became the first U.S. soldier to fire a shot in the war when he discharged a French 75mm gun into a German trench a half mile away. On November 2, Corporal James Gresham and privates Thomas Enright and Merle Hay of the 16th Infantry became the first American soldiers to die when Germans raided their trenches near Bathelemont, France. After four years of bloody stalemate along the Western Front, the entrance of America’s well-supplied forces into the conflict was a major turning point in the war. When the war finally ended on November 11, 1918, more than two million American soldiers had served on the battlefields of Western Europe, and more than 50,000 of these men had lost their lives.
1944 – Coast Guard LCDR Quentin R. Walsh and his small commando/reconnaissance unit forced the surrender of Fort du Homet, a Nazi stronghold at Cherbourg, France, and captured 300 German soldiers and liberated 50 U.S. paratroopers who had been captured on D-Day. For his heroic actions Walsh was awarded the Navy Cross.
1948 – In response to the Soviet blockade of land routes into West Berlin, the United States begins a massive airlift of food, water, and medicine to the citizens of the besieged city. For nearly a year, supplies from American planes sustained the over 2 million people in West Berlin. On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all road and rail travel to and from West Berlin, which was located within the Soviet zone of occupation in Germany. The Soviet action was in response to the refusal of American and British officials to allow Russia more say in the economic future of Germany. The U.S. government was shocked by the provocative Soviet move, and some in President Harry S. Truman’s administration called for a direct military response. Truman, however, did not want to cause World War III. Instead, he ordered a massive airlift of supplies into West Berlin. On June 26, 1948, the first planes took off from bases in England and western Germany and landed in West Berlin. It was a daunting logistical task to provide food, clothing, water, medicine, and other necessities of life for the over 2 million fearful citizens of the city. For nearly a year, American planes landed around the clock. Over 200,000 planes carried in more than one-and-a-half million tons of supplies. The Soviets persisted with the blockade until May 1949. By then, however, it was apparent to everyone concerned that the blockade had been a diplomatic fiasco for the Russians. Around the world, the Soviets were portrayed as international bullies, holding men, women, and children hostage in West Berlin and threatening them with starvation. The unbelievably successful American airlift also backfired against the Russians by highlighting the technological superiority of the United States. By the time the Soviets ended the blockade, West Germany had become a separate and independent nation and the Russian failure was complete.
1950 – Far East Air Forces cargo planes began the evacuation of 700 U.S. State Department and Korean Military Advisory Group employees and their families. FEAF also sent ten F-51 Mustang fighters to the ROK forces.
1951 – The Soviet Union proposed a cease-fire in the Korean War.
1959 – In a ceremony presided over by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II, the St. Lawrence Seaway is officially opened, creating a navigational channel from the Atlantic Ocean to all the Great Lakes. The seaway, made up of a system of canals, locks, and dredged waterways, extends a distance of nearly 2,500 miles, from the Atlantic Ocean through the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Duluth, Minnesota, on Lake Superior. Work on the massive project was initiated by a joint U.S.-Canadian commission in 1954, and five years later, in April 1959, the icebreaker D’Iberville began the first transit of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Since its official opening, more than two billion tons of cargo, with an estimated worth of more than $300 billion, have moved along its canals and channels. Twenty-eight Naval vessels sail from Atlantic to Great Lakes, arrive to mark the formal opening of Saint Lawrence Seaway to seagoing ships.
1962 – NAVFAC Cape Hatteras makes first Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) detection of a Soviet diesel submarine.
1973 – Navy Task Force 78 completes minesweeping of North Vietnamese ports.
1992 – Navy Secretary H. Lawrence Garrett III resigned, accepting responsibility for a “leadership failure” that resulted in the Tailhook sex-abuse scandal.
Thanks to Dan and the one below appears to be yet another. In response to Dan’s note we started Identifying these men by looking at the time and place of the action. Generally all of them took place in the Italian campaign and there are a lot of them.
Skip,
I don't know where you get the list of people who earned the Medal of Honor, each day, but here is a question. The summary format on "The List" for each person who earned the Medal of Honor is the same, except for those who are Japanese-American. For everyone else, the unit of assignment is given, such as "Company, Battalion, Division, etc. However, the unit of assignment, for those with Japanese-American names, is never given. I have noticed this in dozens of "The List", including todays "List".
Almost all of the Japanese-Americans who served in WWII, were assigned to the 442nd Infantry, a Hawaiian military unit which is now part of the Hawaiian National Guard, and which served in Italy and Southeastern Europe during WWII. They became the most decorated military unit in the U.S. Army during WWII, and served while many had members of their families who were held at Internment Facilities (such as Manzanar, in California). Almost all were "Nisei", or second generation, Hawaiian residents (decades before Hawaii became a state).
I know their history, because I served with many "Nisei" and "Sansei" (3rd generation) in Hawaii, in 1968, and then with a "Sansei", in 1972-73. In 1968, at the peak of our involvement in Vietnam, and because of civilian antipathy towards everything military, the U.S. government elected to mobilize the Hawaiian National Guard, as a test case to deploy the reserve forces in Vietnam. They chose the Hawaiian National Guard because there was nowhere else in the country where the military had greater support by the general civilian population, than in Hawaii.
If anyone doubts their valor, let them visit the military museum at Ft. DeRussey, HI, in the heart of Wakiki Beach.
Excuse my diatribe, but they deserve to have their unit of assignment identified in "The List", so that everyone recognizes their unit of assignment, and the role that unit played in WWII.
Dan
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*MURANAGA, KIYOSHI K.
Private First Class Kiyoshi K. Muranaga distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 26 June 1944, near Suvereto, Italy. Private First Class Muranaga’s company encountered a strong enemy force in commanding positions and with superior firepower. An enemy 88mm self-propelled gun opened direct fire on the company, causing the men to disperse and seek cover. Private First Class Muranaga’s mortar squad was ordered to action, but the terrain made it impossible to set up their weapons. The squad leader, realizing the vulnerability of the mortar position, moved his men away from the gun to positions of relative safety. Because of the heavy casualties being inflicted on his company, Private First Class Muranaga, who served as a gunner, attempted to neutralize the 88mm weapon alone. Voluntarily remaining at his gun position, Private First Class Muranaga manned the mortar himself and opened fire on the enemy gun at a range of approximately 400 yards. With his third round, he was able to correct his fire so that the shell landed directly in front of the enemy gun. Meanwhile, the enemy crew, immediately aware of the source of mortar fire, turned their 88mm weapon directly on Private First Class Muranaga’s position. Before Private First Class Muranaga could fire a fourth round, an 88mm shell scored a direct hit on his position, killing him instantly. Because of the accuracy of Private First Class Muranaga’s previous fire, the enemy soldiers decided not to risk further exposure and immediately abandoned their position. Private First Class Muranaga’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
WILLIAMS, JOHN
Rank and organization: Captain of the Maintop, U.S. Navy. Born: 1828, New Orleans, La. Accredited to: Louisiana. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation: Serving as captain of the maintop of the U.S.S. Pawnee in the attack upon Mathias Point, 26 June 1861, Williams told his men, while lying off in the boat, that every man must die on his thwart sooner than leave a man behind. Although wounded by a musket ball in the thigh he retained the charge of his boat; and when the staff was shot away, held the stump in his hand, with the flag, until alongside the Freeborn.
CALLEN, THOMAS J.
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date. At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25-26 June 1876. Entered service at: Boston, Mass. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 24 October 1896. Citatlon: Volunteered and succeeded in obtaining water for the wounded of the command; also displayed conspicuously good conduct in assistlng to drive away the Indians.
GOLDIN, THEODORE W.
Rank and organization: Private, Troop G, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 26 June 1876. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 25 July 1855, Avon, Rock County, Wis. Date of issue: 21 December 1895. Citation: One of a party of volunteers who, under a heavy fire from the Indians, went for and brought water to the wounded .
GREAVES, CLINTON
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company C, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Florida Mountains, N. Mex., 24 January 1877. Entered service at: Prince Georges County, Md. Birth: Madison County, Va. Date of issue: 26 June 1879. Citation: While part of a small detachment to persuade a band of renegade Apache Indians to surrender, his group was surrounded. Cpl. Greaves in the center of the savage hand-to-hand fighting, managed to shoot and bash a gap through the swarming Apaches, permitting his companions to break free .
SCOTT, GEORGE D.
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25-26 June 1876. Entered service at: Mt. Vernon, Ky. Birth: Lancaster County, Ky. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
STIVERS, THOMAS W.
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25-26 June 1876. Entered service at: Mt. Vernon, Ky. Birth: Madison County, Ky. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
WELCH, CHARLES H.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25-26 June 1876. Entered service at: Ft. Snelling, Minn. Birth: New York, N.Y. Date of issue 5 October 1878. Citation: Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for June 26
FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR June 26 THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
26 June
1909: Glenn H. Curtiss flew his first Curtiss airplane in exhibitions at the Aeronautical Society's meet at Morris Park aerodrome. These were the first flights over New York City. (24)
1942: The F6F Hellcat first flew.
1944 – Coast Guard LCDR Quentin R. Walsh and his small commando/reconnaissance unit forced the surrender of Fort du Homet, a Nazi stronghold at Cherbourg, France, and captured 300 German soldiers and liberated 50 U.S. paratroopers who had been captured on D-Day. For his heroic actions Walsh was awarded the Navy Cross.
1945: B-29s started nighttime raids on Japanese oil refineries. (20)
1946: The Aeronautical Board agreed that the US AAF and US Navy would use the knot and nautical mile as standard aeronautical units of speed and distance. (20)
1948: KEY EVENT--Operation VITTLES. An airlift began with C-47s in response to the blockade of Berlin. At Furstenfeldbruck, Germany, SAC had a 30l BG squadron with B-29s in place for training. SAC also ordered two other 30lst squadrons to Furstenfeldbruck along with the 28 BG from Rapid City AFB and 307 BG from MacDill AFB to England for alert duty. (1) (2) The 7 BG at Carswell AFB received SAC’s first B-36A Peacemaker (44-92004). With its 160- foot length and 230-foot wingspan, the six-engine Peacemaker was the world’s largest warplane. The bomber had an intercontinental capability. (1) (12) (21)
1950: President Truman ordered the USAF and US Navy to aid South Korea, which had been invaded by the North Korean Communist forces. The 68th Fighter All-Weather Squadron flew F-82 Twin Mustangs to provide cover for a Norwegian ship evacuating US citizens from Seoul, Korea, by sea. SB-17 planes then covered the ship’s movement from Inchon to Japan. In continued preparation for air evacuation of US citizens from Korea, FEAF traded C-54s for C-47s from all over the Far East to permit operations on smaller airfields. (21) (28)
1954: Operation WOUNDED WARRIOR. Through 17 July, airlift aircraft from FEAF and MATS carried 509 French Foreign Legion veterans from Saigon, Vietnam, to Paris, France, and Oran, Algeria, by way of Tokyo and Westover AFB, Mass. The 14,000-mile airlift had to follow an eastern route for political reasons. (18)
1956: An aircraft flew the first mission in the CARTRAC air traffic control tests conducted at Shaw AFB. This test continued through 15 December.
1957: TAC's first WB-66 weather reconnaissance aircraft arrived for duty with the 9th Reconnaissance Squadron, 363d TRW, at Shaw AFB.
1962: At Vandenberg AFB, a 389 SMS crew of Francis E. Warren AFB successfully launched an Atlas D in the first test of the Army's Nike-Zeus interceptor. The interception failed. (6)
1963: A Thor-Delta rocket launched NASA’s SYNCOM II communications satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral. Five hours later, an apogee kick motor fired to place the satellite into a synchronus orbit. (16)
1964: Through 24 July, C-130s delivered over 950 tons of food to remote areas in Pakistan in affected by flooding. (18)
1971: The last F-100 unit in Southeast Asia, the 35 TFW at Phan Rang AB in S. Vietnam, ceased operations. (17)
1972: The Air Force unveiled the F-15 superiority fighter in ceremonies at the McDonnell Douglas facility in St. Louis. (30)
1983: Through 1 July, three USAF C-130s moved 170 tons of food, medicine, and other relief supplies to help victims of a flood in northwestern Peru. (16)
1994: A 60 AW C-5 from Travis AFB flew a 34-ton Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine to Chernobyl, Ukraine. There, medical specialists used the machine to treat victims of the 1986 nuclear reactor meltdown. (16)
2001: Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld proposed a one-third cut in USAF’s fleet of 93 B-1B bombers. Under that initiative, which surprised Congress and the National Guard Bureau, the ANG B-1B units in Georgia and Kansas would lose their B-1s and unit funding by 1 October 2001. (32)
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