TheList 7231

The List 7231

Good Tuesday morning July 8 . .Well off to the dentist to see where I go from here on the saga of the cracked molar. I hope you all have a great day.  The fog was heavy when I got up and is still hanging around the weather guessers are saying that it is clear sunny but they never look out the window It is supposed to hit 87 today and be clear and sunny.

Warm Regards,

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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)

Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/.   Go here to see the director's corner for all 91 H-Grams

July 8

 1777 British frigate HMS Rainbow and brig HMS Flora chase the Continental frigates Boston and Hancock and the captured prize, British frigate HMS Fox, off Halifax, Nova Scotia. Boston escapes but Hancock is captured and renamed HMS Iris.

 1778 The Allied French fleet under Adm. Comte dEstaing arrives in America with reinforcements for the American Revolution and participates in the Battle of Rhode Island and at the Siege of Savannah.

 1879 USS Jeannette departs San Francisco to explore the Arctic, but becomes frozen in the ice pack by September. On June 13, 1881, the bark-rigged wooden steamship sinks after she is crushed in an Arctic ice pack during an attempt to reach the North Pole through the Bering Strait. Of the 33 who set off after the ship went down, only 13 of Jeannette's men survive their adventures and return to civilization.

 1944 The cruisers and destroyers of Task Group 53.18, commanded by Rear Adm. Charles Turner Joy, begin daily bombardment of Japanese defenses on Guam. Battleships join the bombardment group on July 14.

 1960 USS Proteus (AS-19) is recommissioned and serves as a tender for the Polaris Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines.

 

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Today in World History: 8 July

1099 Christian Crusaders march around Jerusalem as Muslims watch from within the city.

1608 The first French settlement at Quebec is established by Samuel de Champlain.

1663 The British crown grants Rhode Island a charter guaranteeing freedom of worship.

1686 The Austrians take Budapest from the Turks and annex Hungary.

1709 Peter the Great defeats Charles XII at Poltava, in the Ukraine, effectively ending the Swedish empire.

1755 Britain breaks off diplomatic relations with France as their disputes in the New World intensify.

1758 The British attack on Fort Carillon at Ticonderoga, New York, is foiled by the French.

1794 French troops capture Brussels, Belgium.

1815 With Napoleon defeated, Louis XVIII returns to Paris.

1822 29-year old poet Percy Bysshe Shelley drowns while sailing in Italy.

1859 The truce at Villafranca Austria cedes Lombardy to France.

1863 Demoralized by the surrender of Vicksburg, Confederates in Port Hudson, Louisiana, surrender to Union forces.

1864 Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston retreats into Atlanta to prevent being flanked by Union General William T. Sherman.

1865 Four of the conspirators in President Abraham Lincoln's assassination are hanged in Washington, D.C.

1879 The first ship to use electric lights departs from San Francisco, California.

1905 The mutinous crew of the battleship Potemkin surrenders to Romanian authorities.

1918 Ernest Hemingway is wounded in Italy while working as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross.

1941 20 B-17s fly in their first mission with the Royal Air Force over Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

1943 American B-24 bombers strike Japanese-held Wake Island for the first time.

1960 The Soviet Union charges American pilot Francis Gary Powers with espionage.

 

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Rollingthunderremembered.com .

July 8

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).

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Thanks to Micro

To remind folks that6these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url below and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip

For Tuesday July 8  . .

July 8:  https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=671

 

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THANKS TO BRETT…..I almost missed this one it just popped in…..skip

Geopolitical Futures

Keeping the future in focus

https://geopoliticalfutures.com

Daily Memo: The Nearing Crisis of Demographics

By George Friedman

Jul 8, 2025

There are moments when I am exhausted by crises that come and go, and remember the next real existential crisis of humanity. It puts things in perspective. Please forgive my momentary indifference to the current crisis of the week.

In my 2009 book, "The Next 100 Years," I forecast that the next major socioeconomic problem would stem from a demographic crisis, with falling birth rates, decreasing death rates and increased life expectancy.

Birth rates are falling in the United States and other parts of the world. Last year, the U.S. birth rate was about equal to the death rate. Next year, the death rate is expected to be slightly higher than the birth rate. According to forecasts, in the next 10 years – perhaps as early as 2033 – declining birth rates will become a long-term reality at the same time that life expectancy increases to 80.4 years from 78.4 years. This seems like a small increase, but given the size of that age group and the contracting birth rate, it implies an era-defining crisis.

My model of American history is that the socioeconomic status quo shifts every 50 years. I forecast that the late 2020s will be when the current cycle ends and the new one begins. If I am right, and the numbers seem to indicate it, then the issues we are obsessed with at the moment will fade into history just as Watergate did.

Economists tell us that the economy pivots on land, labor and capital. If so, we are entering a period in which labor will contract, and, with it, so will capital. I say that because the numbers indicate that the labor force will shrink over the coming years, while the rate of consumption will increase. With death rates falling and life expectancy expanding, consumption will increase in two ways. First, the elderly will continue to consume long after they have stopped working, and second, their consumption habits will be heavily skewed toward health care services. One solution is euthanasia for the elderly, to which I am totally opposed. The other is a radical transformation of the medical system, with the goal of increasing the productivity of the elderly, particularly between the ages of 65 and 80.

Each 50-year cycle is driven by a core technology that emerges to meet a social need. Over the past 50 years, the core technology has been based on the microchip, which supports a range of industries and activities and powers the economy. In the previous period, from about 1930-80, the pivotal technology was the automobile, which enabled a substantially growing population to leave cities for the suburbs yet continue to work in industries centered on cities. In a way, the microchip created, among other things, a communications system that allowed for population dispersion without loss of connectivity.

If this model of socially driven innovation holds, then the next 50 years will pivot on revolutions in medicine. As life expectancy grows, the level of productivity of the elderly must at least match the level of consumption in order to maintain capital flow. We are already seeing significant advances in medicine derived from material science, which enables engineering at the molecular level, aided by artificial intelligence. I do not see AI as the central technology because it is a tool, not the solution. The next breakthrough lies in rethinking the human body through multiple disciplines and technologies.

We need to consider the origins of this crisis. First, medicine is guilty of already extending life expectancy dramatically. Second, the decline in the birth rate is triggered by radical – and related – changes in culture and medicine. Medicine created the birth control pill, which made feminism as a social movement possible. Once women could limit the number of children they had without celibacy (I am not touching abortion), they could more easily enter and remain in the workforce. Indeed, women entering the workforce has, up until now, sustained productivity despite falling birth rates.

The current U.S. administration is obviously aware of this problem and is proposing legislation to encourage more births. Its proposal is to give parents $1,000 for each child born between January 2025 and December 2028 to invest in their future. The legislation also increases the child tax credit to $2,200 from $2,000 per child starting in 2026.

Another current crisis related to the demographic problem is immigration. All advanced industrial nations will face this demographic crisis, and in the early parts of the cycle, before the crisis is in full swing, they will begin competing for workers, particularly at the menial and unattractive levels. That is hardwired in the numbers. Immigrants stabilize labor markets, consumption and capital formation. While we wait for radical medical solutions to be found, we need to think a little about not only how migration can meet demand for low-skilled workers in sectors like agriculture and farming, but also how helpful the educated and integrated children of immigrants will be in the next 50 years.

Again, I apologize for this strange discourse, but after constant study of the actions of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, one needs a break – if not bed rest – then at least a discourse on anything not mentioning one of them.

 

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. Thanks to Interesting Facts

Our Favorite Facts About American History From sea to shining sea, a lot of history has taken place on America's shores. While you may think you're familiar with the country we call home, some of these facts may surprise you. Did you know that you used to be able to send children through the U.S. mail? Or that the Statue of Liberty was originally brown? We've collected some of our top facts about American history from around the site, so be prepared to wonder why you probably never learned any of this in school.

 Remember as in all things on the List  peruse at your leisure and there is no test at the end….skip

Here are the rest   14 - 25

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No U.S. President Has Been an Only Child In the sibling department, every President has had, at minimum, one half-brother or half-sister. However, a few Presidents are sometimes considered to have been raised as only children — most notably Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose only half-sibling (his father's oldest son, James) was 28 years FDR's senior. Bill Clinton's half-brother, Roger, is about a decade younger than him. Barack Obama also has a 10-year age gap with his younger half-sister Maya, although he learned later in life that he possessed at least five more half-siblings on his father's side. Meanwhile, Gerald Ford is the only child his mother and father produced, but he was raised with three younger half-brothers after his mother remarried, and as a teen, he learned that he also had three younger half-sisters, via his father.

 

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The Labor Department Was the First U.S. Cabinet Agency Led by a Woman.  George Washington held the country's first full Cabinet meeting on November 26, 1791. That meeting, and every subsequent Cabinet meeting over the next 142 years, consisted exclusively of men. But all that changed on March 4, 1933, when Frances Perkins became secretary of labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt — and the first woman to hold any position in a presidential Cabinet. The occasion was marked several months later by Time, which put Perkins on the cover of its August 14, 1933, edition. Perkins had previously served under FDR in a similar capacity, having been appointed commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor after Roosevelt was elected governor of New York in 1929.

Perkins' tenure lasted for the entirety of Roosevelt's 12-year administration, making her the longest-serving secretary of labor in U.S. history. Described by historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. as "brisk and articulate" and "intent on beating sense into the heads of those foolish people who resisted progress," Perkins is best known for her role as chairwoman of the President's Committee on Economic Security, which led to the 1935 act that created Social Security. She was also active in issues around child labor, safety, minimum-wage laws, worker's compensation, and more. She resigned in 1945, after Roosevelt's death, and then served on the United States Civil Service Commission under President Truman until 1952.

 

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Alaska's Flag Was Created by a 13-Year-Old Every flag has a story, but few are as endearing as Alaska's. One of the rare places to have a flag before it was actually a state, the Last Frontier held a contest to design its territorial standard in 1926 and 1927 — and a 13-year-old won. (The contest was only open to Alaskan children in the seventh to 12th grade, but still.) Benny Benson lived in an orphanage known as the Jesse Lee Home in Seward, Alaska, when he came up with the winning design, which included a description he wrote himself: "The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaska flower. The North Star is for the future of the state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union.

The dipper is for the Great Bear — symbolizing strength." His design also featured "1867" in commemoration of the year the United States bought Alaska from Russia, although the numbers didn't make the final cut.

 

In addition to being hailed as a local hero, Benson won a watch with his design on it and a $1,000 scholarship. He eventually used that money to attend Hemphill Diesel Engineering School after moving to Seattle in 1936.

He was 45 when Alaska became a state in 1959, fulfilling the hopeful description of his design. Alaska kept its flag rather than adopt a new one, and Benson's work lives on today.

 

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U.S. Elections Used To Be Held Over a 34-Day Window As implied by its name, Election Day is, well, a single day. That wasn't always the case, however: States used to hold elections whenever they wanted within a 34-day period leading up to the first Wednesday in December. This ultimately created some issues, as you might imagine — early voting results ended up holding too much sway over late-deciding voters, for one thing. The current date was implemented by the Presidential Election Day Act of 1845, and federal elections now occur every two years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

 

That may sound arbitrary at first, but the date was chosen quite deliberately. American society was much more agrarian in the mid-19th century than it is today, and it took a full day of traveling for many to reach their polling place. Church made weekends impractical, and Wednesday was market day for farmers, so Tuesday proved ideal. November, meanwhile, worked because weather was still fairly mild, and the harvest was complete by then.

 

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The Last U.S. President With Facial Hair Was William Howard Taft On Inauguration Day in 1913, mustachioed President William Howard Taft passed the presidential baton to clean-shaven Woodrow Wilson. What Taft couldn't have known at the time was that his departure began a long streak of clean-shaven faces occupying the Oval Office.

 

In fact, out of the 46 Presidents in U.S. history so far, only 13 have had any facial hair whatsoever. Although sixth President John Quincy Adams, eighth President Martin Van Buren, and 12th President Zachary Taylor sported impressive mutton chops, the first serious presidential facial fuzz belonged to 16th President Abraham Lincoln — thanks to an 11-year-old girl whose 1860 letter convinced him to grow out his whiskers. After Lincoln, eight of the next 10 Presidents sported some sort of facial hair.

 

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Some Historians Consider Cracker Jack America's First Junk Food Cracker Jack's early marketing warned prospective customers about the effects of the product. "Do not taste it," one 1896 article cautioned. "If you do, you will part with your money easy." Some historians believe that the caramel-coated popcorn and peanut treat jump-started the American snack food industry around the turn of the 20th century. It may even hold the title of the country's first junk food, though the types of junk food popular today didn't make their appearances until the 1950s. It all started with Chicago candy and popcorn peddlers Frederick and Louis Rueckheim, German immigrants who crafted a nonsticky caramelized popcorn as a way to stand out from other popcorn vendors. Their version — with a sweet, crunchy coating that was different from the salted popcorn and kettle corn available at the time — became a hit after it was mass-produced in 1896.

 

It was a song, however, that helped cement Cracker Jack's snack status. In 1908, songwriter Jack Norworth — entirely unknown to the Rueckheims — composed "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" after seeing an advertisement for an upcoming game. The song, which mentions the snack by name, led to a surge in sales that forever linked Cracker Jack with sports. Four years later, the Rueckheims sweetened their popcorn business with a marketing gimmick that would eventually be replicated by cereal brands, fast-food restaurants, and candymakers for decades to come: a toy in every box. By 1916, Cracker Jack was the bestselling snack worldwide.

 

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Before They Built Airplanes, the Wright Brothers Owned a Bicycle Shop The Wright brothers are best known for their historical flight over Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903, but years before the siblings made aviation history, they were busy running a bicycle shop in western Ohio. Wilbur Wright and his younger brother Orville had long dreamed of gliding through the wild blue yonder, but it would take years of work to finance their costly first attempts. In the 1880s, the brothers undertook their first joint business, a small printing shop in Dayton that churned out local newspapers, church pamphlets, and bicycle parts catalogs. By 1892 the brothers had moved from printing for bicycle companies to starting their own, inspired by their shared passion for cycling; Wilbur reportedly loved leisurely rides through the countryside, while Orville was known to participate in bike races.

 

The Wright Cycle Company initially offered repairs and rentals, but as cycling became more popular, the brothers turned to manufacturing their own designs in an effort to compete with the dozens of nearby bike shops. Their first model, the "Wright Special," was released in May 1896, followed by the "Van Cleve." Together, Wilbur and Orville hand-built around 300 bikes per year during their peak production years before 1900, using the profits to fund their flight experiments. By 1908, they had abandoned their shop to focus solely on aeronautics. Today, only five antique Van Cleve bikes exist, two of which remain in the brothers' hometown at the Wright Brothers National Museum in Dayton.

 

21 of 25 The Earliest U.S. Presidents Didn't Wear Pants The very first American Presidents — George Washington included — led the country through the American Revolution and its earliest days without wearing a single pair of pants. That's because the Founding Fathers actually wore breeches, pairs of tight-fitting men's bottoms that cut off at the knee. (Their calves were covered with knee-high stockings.) Breeches were a status symbol; full-length pantaloons were generally reserved for working folk who needed more ease to complete manual labor, which was difficult to do in custom-fitted breeches.

 

Another revolution — in France — eventually led Americans to turn their backside on breeches around the start of the 19th century. French political groups such as the sans-culottes (literally meaning "without knee breeches") stylized longer trousers as the apparel of the everyday man, disparaging breeches as the clothing of the wealthy elite. For a while, American Presidents continued to stick with cropped breeches, though pants slowly crept into everyday style. Americans wouldn't see the country's highest leader don full-length pants until 1825, when John Quincy Adams became the sixth President — and the first to be inaugurated while wearing a pair of trousers. (He also ditched the powdered wig.)

 

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The Library of Congress Has a Piece of Wedding Cake From the 1800s Celebrity weddings — love them or ignore them, they've seemingly always been a topic of fascination for Americans. One famous case: the wedding of Charles Stratton, aka General Tom Thumb, an entertainer known for his particularly small stature. At 40 inches tall, Stratton enjoyed a lucrative career singing, dancing, and acting; part of his success came from employment with famed showman P.T. Barnum, who dubbed him the "smallest man alive." In February 1863, Stratton married the similarly sized "Queen of Beauty," Lavinia Warren, in a dazzling New York display that attracted thousands of onlookers trying to get a glimpse of the couple. After the ceremony, a reception — to which Barnum had sold thousands of tickets — allowed guests to meet the pair in a receiving line. Ladies were handed a boxed slice of brandy-soaked wedding fruitcake on their way out.

 

After the wedding, Stratton and Lavinia were even welcomed at the White House by President Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd. But Lavinia's career dimmed after Stratton's death in 1883, and she used a slice of her wedding cake at least once to help her career. In 1905, she sent the then-42-year-old slice of cake to actress Minnie Maddern Fiske and her husband, an editor at a theater publication, along with a letter that said, "The public are under the impression that I am not living." Lavinia would eventually continue performing until her 70s, even starring in a silent film in 1915 with her second husband, "Count" Primo Magri. Today, two pieces of Stratton and Lavinia's wedding cake have outlived the couple — one donated to the Library of Congress in the 1950s as part of the Fiskes' papers, another at the Barnum Museum in Connecticut.

 

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While President, Ulysses S. Grant Was Arrested for Speeding Nearly 25 years after Ulysses S. Grant's death, a peculiar story hit the pages of the Washington Evening Star. Within the paper's Sunday edition one day in 1908, retired police officer William H. West recounted how he had caught the 18th President speeding through the streets of Washington, D.C. — and decided the only appropriate course of action was to proceed with an arrest.

 

West's tale harkened back to 1872, during a particularly bad bout of traffic issues, when complaints of speeding carriages were on the rise. West had been out investigating a collision when he witnessed Grant — then the sitting President — careening his horse-drawn carriage down the road. The officer flagged down the carriage, issued a warning, and sent Grant on his way. But Grant, who had a reputation for hightailing horse rides, couldn't resist the need to speed. West caught him the very next day once again tearing through the city. Feeling he had no other option, the officer placed the President under arrest. At the police department, Grant was required to put $20 (about $490 in today's money) toward his bond before being released.

 

Historian John F. Marszalek, who oversaw Grant's presidential collection at Mississippi State University, says the situation blew over pretty quickly.

Grant's arrest wasn't the first time he had been cited for speeding. It also wasn't a political quagmire for either party. At the time, West — a formerly enslaved Civil War veteran who became one of just two Black police officers in Washington, D.C., immediately after the war — was commended for his actions in trying to make the city streets safer. And Grant owned up to his mistake — though he did choose to skip his court appearance scheduled for the following day, which meant he forfeited his $20. He didn't face any further consequences, however.

 

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The Last American To Collect a Civil War Pension Died in 2020 Irene Triplett, a 90-year-old North Carolina woman, was the last person to receive a Civil War pension, thanks to her father's service in the Union Army. Mose Triplett was originally a Confederate soldier who deserted in

1863 and later joined a Union regiment, a move that kept him out of the fight at Gettysburg, where 90% of his former infantry was killed. Switching sides also guaranteed Mose a pension for the remainder of his life, which would later play a role in him remarrying after the death of his first wife.

At age 78, Mose married 27-year-old Elida Hall — a move historians say was common during the Great Depression, when aging veterans needing care could provide financial security to younger women. The couple had two children, including Irene, who was diagnosed with cognitive impairments that allowed her to qualify for her father's pension after both parents' deaths. By the time of Irene's own passing in 2020, the U.S. government had held up its duty, paying out Mose Triplett's pension for more than 100 years.

 

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Idaho Has the Only State Seal Designed by a Woman Idaho became the 43rd state on July 3, 1890, formed from a territory that once included land in present-day Montana and Wyoming. Upon statehood, Idaho legislators looked to commission the state seal's design by way of a competition, with a generous $100 prize (about $3,300 today) for the winning artist. Emma Edwards Green, an art teacher who had relocated to Boise after attending school in New York, was in part inspired by the fact that it seemed Idaho would soon give women the right to vote. In March 1891, Green's work was selected as the winner, beating out submissions from around the country.

 

The final design, which is also featured on Idaho's flag, is packed with symbolism. Worked into the design are cornucopias and wheat to represent Idaho's agriculture, a tree meant to be reminiscent of the state's vast timberlands, and a pick and shovel held by a miner. Green's most forward-thinking detail, however, is a man and woman standing at equal heights in the seal's center, a symbol of gender equality that would eventually come with voting rights for all. True to their word, Idaho legislators passed women's suffrage in 1896 — five years after Green's seal became the state's official symbol — making Idaho the fourth state to enfranchise women, more than 20 years before the 19th Amendment gave the same right to women nationwide.

 

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Some bits from 1440

 

Good morning. It's Tuesday, July 8, and we're covering a new round of US import tariffs, a guilty verdict in a case that drew public attention, and much more. .

 

Tariff Goalposts Move

The US is set to impose a 25% blanket tariff on all imports from Japan and South Korea, effective Aug. 1, according to an announcement yesterday from President Donald Trump. He also disclosed new rates for 12 other countries, including Malaysia (25%), Kazakhstan (25%), South Africa (30%), Bangladesh (35%), Laos (40%), and Myanmar (40%). The upcoming measures were communicated through formal letters to the countries' leaders, which Trump shared on social media.

 

Trump yesterday also signed an executive order delaying so-called reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries from tomorrow to Aug. 1. The tariffs had initially been postponed from April to July to give countries more time to negotiate agreements; the US has so far reached deals with the UK and Vietnam, as well as a preliminary framework with China. . 

 

The latest trade updates from the White House reflect the administration's broader strategy of pressuring trading partners into new bilateral deals and reducing the US trade deficit .

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Measles Cases Rise

US measles cases are at the highest level since 1992, before the disease was considered eliminated in 2000. The annual measles tally is 1,277 confirmed cases across 38 states and Washington, DC. At least 155 people have been hospitalized, and three deaths have been confirmed—two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico. .

 

Measles is among the world's most contagious diseases. About 0.2% of measles cases result in death, mainly in children. In 10% of cases, patients experience ear infections that can lead to hearing loss. Measles vaccines are estimated to have saved roughly 94 million lives over the past 50 years. However, vaccination rates have dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic amid skepticism over safety ..

 

Separately, six medical organizations sued the Department of Health and Human Services and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. yesterday over the decision to remove the COVID-19 vaccine from the list of recommended immunizations for healthy children and pregnant women.

 

 

Mushroom Murders Verdict

An Australian woman was convicted yesterday of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth using one of the world's deadliest mushrooms.

 

Erin Patterson, a mother of two who faces a potential life sentence, hosted her estranged husband's parents, aunt, and uncle for a home-cooked lunch in July 2023. She served beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms, which contain amatoxins that cause organ failure and account for 90% of mushroom poisoning deaths. Her in-laws and husband's aunt died within a week; the uncle survived and testified as one of over 50 witnesses.

 

Prosecutors didn't specify a motive during the nine-week trial (see key moments) but suggested familial tensions. Evidence included Patterson's search history and death cap mushroom residue in a food dehydrator she initially denied owning. Testifying in her own defense, Patterson insisted the deaths were an accident.

 

Jurors were sequestered during deliberations last week to avoid outside influence as the trial garnered widespread public attention. ..

 

Scientists Unlock Healthy Aging Breakthrough

 

 

The first signs of aging happen where you can't see them—inside your cells. Beginning in your 30s, the mitochondria, responsible for 90% of your body's energy, begin breaking down. As your cells lose their ability to keep up, energy levels drop, and physical strength fades.

 

Luckily, Swiss scientists have found a way to help reverse this decline. Mitopure®, a clinically proven breakthrough, replaces aging mitochondria and helps to rebuild new ones, giving you your energy back. The results? Studies found that participants saw energy and muscle strength increase, without changing their workouts.*

 

 

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> 2025 FIFA Club World Cup semifinals kick off with Fluminense taking on Chelsea tonight (3 pm ET, DAZN) and Paris Saint-Germain pitted against Real Madrid tomorrow (3 pm ET, DAZN) .

 

> Brad Pitt's "F1" nears $300M at global box office, becoming highest-grossing Apple-produced theatrical film ever .

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Science & Technology

> Twitter and Block founder Jack Dorsey launches Bitchat, a WhatsApp-style messaging service that works entirely over Bluetooth; application doesn't use centralized servers or require personal information .

 

> Researchers enhance a key molecule involved in photosynthesis in plants, boosting its chemical reaction efficiency by up to 25%; results may lead to improved crop yields in certain species (More) | 1440 Science & Technology: Today's deep dive on memory comes out at 8:30 am ET (Join here)

 

> Oldest known pterosaur in North America discovered; the reptiles coexisted with dinosaurs, current specimen pushes their timeline back to about 209 million years ago (More)

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Thanks to American Facts

. The nation's best friends

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Punxsutawney Phil And Other Timeless Animal Celebrities

 

Who hasn't heard of Balto the dog or the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil? Some animals that lived in the U.S. truly ascended to celebrity status after their remarkable feats. Some were commemorated in monuments, paintings, or movies—but others live on only in our stories. Let's talk about famous animals in American history!

 

 

Punxsutawney Phil

Every February 2nd, the eyes of the nation turn to a small town in western Pennsylvania. That's where Punxsutawney Phil, a weather-predicting groundhog, is roused from his burrow on Gobbler's Knob to look for his shadow.

 

According to tradition, if he sees it, we get six more weeks of winter; if not, spring is just around the corner. The quirky ritual began in 1887 and has since grown into a full-blown celebration.

 

 

Balto

In the winter of 1925, a deadly diphtheria outbreak threatened the remote town of Nome, Alaska. It was the sturdy Siberian Husky Balto who helped deliver the lifesaving antitoxin across snow and blizzard conditions to Nome.

 

Although dozens of dogs and mushers contributed to what became known as the Great Race of Mercy, Balto was hailed as a national hero. He even received his own statue in New York's Central Park just a year later—a monument that still stands today, inscribed with the words: "Endurance, Fidelity, Intelligence."

 

 

Seaman (a.k.a. "Scannon")

In 1803, explorer Meriwether Lewis purchased a Newfoundland dog for $20 and named him Seaman. The dog became a four-legged member of the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition.

 

He accompanied the Corps of Discovery as they crossed the North American continent, helping with hunting, standing guard, and even surviving a wound from a beaver attack.

 

The funny bit is that for a long time it was believed that William Clark's journals referred to the dog as "Scannon," but it might have been a dizzy transcription of his handwriting.

 

 

Smoky the War Dog

Found in a foxhole in New Guinea during World War II, Smoky was a Yorkshire Terrier weighing just four pounds—but her size turned out to be her superpower.

 

She was trained by her rescuer, Corporal William Wynne, and famously ran communication wires through a narrow pipe beneath an airstrip in Luzon, Philippines.

 

After the war, Smoky became one of the first recorded therapy dogs, visiting wounded soldiers and performing tricks to lift their spirits. Today, she is honored with memorials in both the U.S. and Australia.

 

 

Sergeant Reckless

During the Korean War, a small Mongolian mare purchased by U.S. Marines for $250 and nicknamed Reckless made multiple trips through enemy fire to deliver ammunition and evacuate wounded soldiers, sometimes entirely on her own.

 

For her bravery, she was promoted to Staff Sergeant, awarded two Purple Hearts, and allowed to eat scrambled eggs, Coca-Cola, and beer with the troops. Today, statues in Virginia and California honor her legacy.

 

 

Cher Ami

In the chaos of World War I, a pigeon named Cher Ami saved nearly 200 men from the "Lost Battalion" by flying a crucial message across enemy lines—despite being shot, blinded in one eye, and wounded in her leg during the flight.

 

Her message arrived, artillery fire was redirected, and the soldiers were rescued. For her bravery, Cher Ami was awarded the French Croix de Guerre and was later taxidermied after her death. You can still visit her at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

 

 

Old Bob

Abraham Lincoln's beloved driving horse, Old Bob, was a familiar sight in Springfield, Illinois, often seen trotting through town pulling the future president's buggy.

 

But his most memorable appearance came in 1865, when he walked riderless and draped in a mourning blanket during Lincoln's funeral procession. The image of the grieving horse moved the nation and was widely reproduced in illustrations and prints.

 

 

Pauline Wayne

Pauline Wayne, a Holstein cow, was the last cow to reside at the White House. Gifted to President William Howard Taft by a Wisconsin senator, Pauline grazed on the White House lawn and provided fresh milk for the First Family.

 

She even survived a brief brush with danger when she was mistakenly sent to a slaughterhouse during a train trip—but was rescued just in time.

 

 

Macaroni

When Lyndon B. Johnson gifted a pony to young Caroline Kennedy in the early 1960s, he probably didn't expect Macaroni to become a national sensation—but that's exactly what happened.

 

The little white Shetland pony often grazed on the White House lawn, delighting photographers and stealing the spotlight during Camelot-era press coverage. Macaroni received fan mail, appeared in Life magazine, and even inspired a song by folk legend Pete Seeger.

 

 

Old Abe

Old Abe was a bald eagle who became the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Perched on a shield-topped staff, he accompanied troops into battle, reportedly screaming whenever gunfire broke out.

 

He survived multiple campaigns and quickly gained legendary status, later appearing on military insignia and even on U.S. war bond posters in both World .

 

 

Fala

Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scottish Terrier, Fala, traveled with him on countless trips, had a press secretary, and even appeared in cartoons and newsreels.

 

One of the most famous White House pets in history, Fala was awarded a unique honor: he is the only presidential pet with a statue near his owner's memorial in Washington, D.C.

 

 

Checkers

In 1952, then–vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon gave a nationally broadcast speech defending himself against accusations of financial impropriety. His emotional turning point was declaring that he would keep one gift no matter what: a black-and-white cocker spaniel named Checkers, beloved by his daughters.

 

Some believe the heartfelt mention of the pet was inspired by the earlier success of Fala. The speech struck such a chord that it is still known today as "the Checkers speech."

 

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From this Day  in History

On July 8, 1776, a 2,000-pound copper-and-tin bell now known as the "Liberty Bell" rings out from the tower of the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, summoning citizens to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Four days earlier, the historic document had been adopted by delegates to the Continental Congress, but the bell did not ring to announce the issuing of the document until the Declaration of Independence returned from the printer on July 8.

 

In 1751, to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of Pennsylvania's original constitution, the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly ordered the bell to be constructed. After being cracked during a test, and then recast twice, the bell was hung from the State House steeple in June 1753. Rung to call the Pennsylvania Assembly together and to summon people for special announcements and events, it was also rung on important occasions, such as King George III's 1761 ascension to the British throne and, in 1765, to call the people together to discuss Parliament's controversial Stamp Act.

 

With the outbreak of the American Revolution in April 1775, the bell was rung to announce the battles of Lexington and Concord. Its most famous tolling, however, was on July 8, 1776, when it summoned Philadelphia citizens for the first reading of the Declaration of Independence.

 

As the British advanced toward Philadelphia in the fall of 1777, the bell was removed from the city and hidden in Allentown to save it from being melted down by the British and used to make cannons. After the British defeat in 1781, the bell was returned to Philadelphia, which served as the nation's capital from 1790 to 1800. In addition to marking important events, the bell tolled annually to celebrate George Washington's birthday on February 22 and the Fourth of July. The name "Liberty Bell" was first coined in an 1839 poem in an abolitionist pamphlet.

 

The question of when the Liberty Bell acquired its famous fracture has been the subject of a good deal of historical debate. In the most commonly accepted account, the bell suffered a major break while tolling for the funeral of the chief justice of the United States, John Marshall, in 1835, and in 1846 the crack expanded to its present size while in use to mark Washington's birthday. After that date, it was regarded as unsuitable for ringing, but it was still ceremoniously tapped on occasion to commemorate important events. On June 6, 1944, when Allied forces invaded France, the sound of the bell's dulled ring was broadcast by radio across the United States.

 

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On July 8, 1951, Paris, the capital city of France, celebrates turning 2,000 years old. In fact, a few more candles would've technically been required on the birthday cake, as the City of Lights was most likely founded around 250 B.C.

 

The history of Paris can be traced back to a Gallic tribe known as the Parisii, who sometime around 250 B.C. settled an island (known today as Ile de la Cite) in the Seine River, which runs through present-day Paris. By 52 B.C., Julius Caesar and the Romans had taken over the area, which eventually became Christianized and known as Lutetia, Latin for "midwater dwelling." The settlement later spread to both the left and right banks of the Seine and the name Lutetia was replaced with "Paris." In 987 A.D., Paris became the capital of France. As the city grew, the Left Bank earned a reputation as the intellectual district while the Right Bank became known for business.

 

During the French Renaissance period, from the late 15th century to the early 17th century, Paris became a center of art, architecture and science. In the mid-1800s, Napoleon III hired civic planner Georges-Eugene Hausmann to modernize Paris. Hausmann's designs gave the city wide, tree-lined boulevards, large public parks, a new sewer system and other public works projects. The city continued to develop as an important hub for the arts and culture. In the 1860s, an artistic movement known as French Impression emerged, featuring the work of a group of Paris-based artists that included Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

 

 

Today, Paris is home to some 2 million residents, with an additional 10 million people living in the surrounding metropolitan area. The city retains its reputation as a center for food, fashion, commerce and culture. Paris also continues to be one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, renowned for such sights as the Eiffel Tower (built in 1889 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution), the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame Cathedral (built in 1163), Luxembourg Gardens and the Louvre Museum, home to Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Mona Lisa."

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This Day in U S Military History…….July 8

 

1760 – The Battle of Restigouche, a naval battle fought during the French and Indian War on the Restigouche River between the British Royal Navy and the small flotilla of vessels of the French Navy, Acadian militia and Mi'kmaq militias. The French vessels had been sent to relieve New France after the fall of Quebec. Supplies were extraordinarily important because France ran their colonies such that the colonies were wholly dependent on products and manufacturing of the motherland. The loss of the Battle of Restigouche and the consequent inability to supply the troops, marked the end of any serious attempt by France to keep hold of their colonies in North America, and it severely curtailed any hopes for a lengthy resistance to the British by the French forces that remained. The battle was the last major engagement of the Mi'kmaq and Acadian militias before the Burying of the Hatchet Ceremony between the Mi'kmaq and the British.

 

1775 – The Olive Branch Petition, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775, was signed by members of the Continental Congress. The petition was a final attempt to avoid a full-blown war between the Thirteen Colonies that the Congress represented, and Great Britain. The petition affirmed American loyalty to Great Britain and entreated the king to prevent further conflict. In August 1775 the colonies were formally declared to be in rebellion by the Proclamation of Rebellion, and the petition was rejected in fact, although not having been received by the king before declaring the Congress-supporting colonists traitors.

 

1776 – In Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell rings out from the tower of the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall), summoning citizens to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, by Colonel John Nixon. On July 4, the historic document was adopted by delegates to the Continental Congress meeting in the State House. However, the Liberty Bell, which bore the apt biblical quotation, "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof," was not rung until the Declaration of Independence returned from the printer on July 8. In 1751, to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of Pennsylvania's original constitution, the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly ordered the 2,000-pound copper and tin bell constructed. After being cracked during a test, and then recast twice, the bell was hung from the State House steeple in June 1753. Rung to call the Pennsylvania Assembly together and to summon people for special announcements and events, it was also rung on important occasions, such as when King George III ascended to the throne in 1761 and to call the people together to discuss Parliament's controversial Stamp Act of 1765. With the outbreak of the American Revolution in April 1775, the bell was rung to announce the battles of Lexington and Concord. Its most famous tolling was on July 8, 1776, when it summoned Philadelphia citizens for the first reading of the Declaration of Independence. As the British advanced toward Philadelphia in the fall of 1777, the bell was removed from the city and hidden in Allentown to save it from being melted down by the British and used for cannons. After the British defeat in 1781, the bell was returned to Philadelphia, which was the nation's capital from 1790 to 1800. In addition to marking important events, the bell tolled annually to celebrate George Washington's birthday on February 22, and Independence Day on July 4. In 1839, the name "Liberty Bell" was first coined in a poem in an abolitionist pamphlet. The question of when the Liberty Bell acquired its famous fracture has been the subject of a good deal of historical dispute. In the most commonly accepted account, the bell suffered a major break while tolling for the funeral of the chief justice of the United States, John Marshall, in 1835, and in 1846 the crack expanded to its present size while in use to mark Washington's birthday. After that date, it was regarded as unsuitable for ringing, but it was still ceremoniously tapped on occasion to commemorate important events. On June 6, 1944, when Allied forces invaded France, the sound of the bell's dulled ring was broadcast by radio across the United States. In 1976, the Liberty Bell was moved to a new pavilion about 100 yards from Independence Hall in preparation for America's bicentennial celebrations.

 

1853 – Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, representing the U.S. government, sails into Tokyo Bay, Japan, with a squadron of four vessels. For a time, Japanese officials refused to speak with Perry, but under threat of attack by the superior American ships they accepted letters from President Millard Fillmore, making the United States the first Western nation to establish relations with Japan since it had been declared closed to foreigners two centuries before. Only the Dutch and the Chinese were allowed to continue trade with Japan after 1639, but this trade was restricted and confined to the island of Dejima at Nagasaki. After giving Japan time to consider the establishment of external relations, Commodore Perry returned to Tokyo with nine ships in March 1854. On March 31, he signed the Treaty of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade and permitting the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Japan. In April 1860, the first Japanese diplomats to visit a foreign power in over 200 years reached Washington, D.C., and remained in the U.S. capital for several weeks, discussing expansion of trade with the United States. Treaties with other Western powers followed soon after, contributing to the collapse of the shogunate and ultimately the modernization of Japan.

 

1947 – In New Mexico the Roswell Daily Record reported the military's capture of a flying saucer. It became known as the Roswell Incident. Officials later called the debris a "harmless, high-altitude weather balloon. In 1994 the Air Force released a report saying the wreckage was part of a device used to spy on the Soviets.

 

1959 – Maj. Dale R. Ruis and Master Sgt. Chester M. Ovnand become the first Americans killed in the American phase of the Vietnam War when guerrillas strike a Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) compound in Bien Hoa, 20 miles northeast of Saigon. The group had arrived in South Vietnam on November 1, 1955, to provide military assistance. The organization consisted of U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps personnel who provided advice and assistance to the Ministry of Defense, Joint General Staff, corps and division commanders, training centers, and province and district headquarters.

 

1960 – The Soviet Union charged Francis Gary Powers, whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the country, with espionage.

 

2010 – An article tilted, "The Runaway General", appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, in which General Stanley McChrystal and his staff mocked civilian government officials, including Joe Biden, National Security Advisor James L. Jones, US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry, and Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke. McChrystal was not quoted as being directly critical of the president or the president's policies, but several comments from his aides in the article reflected their perception of McChrystal's disappointment with Obama on the first two occasions of their meeting. This leads to McChrystal's resignation and replacement as Commander of US forces in Afghanistan by General David Petraeus.

 

2011 – Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program.

 

Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

 

CARNEY, WILLIAM H.

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Wagner, S.C., 18 July 1863. Entered service at: New Bedford, Mass. Birth: Norfolk, Va. Date of issue: 23 May 1900. Citation: When the color sergeant was shot down, this soldier grasped the flag, led the way to the parapet, and planted the colors thereon. When the troops fell back he brought off the flag, under a fierce fire in which he was twice severely wounded.

 

CO-RUX-TE-CHOD-ISH (Mad Bear)

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Pawnee Scouts, U.S. Army. Place and date: At Republican River, Kans., 8 July 1869. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Nebraska. Date of issue: 24 August 1869. Citation: Ran out from the command in pursuit of a dismounted Indian; was shot down and badly wounded by a bullet from his own command.

 

KYLE, JOHN

Rank and organization: Corporal, Company M, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: Near Republican River, Kans., 8 July 1869. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Cincinnati, Ohio. Date of issue: 24 August 1869. Citation: This soldier and 2 others were attacked by 8 Indians, but beat them off and badly wounded 2 of them.

 

*TIMMERMAN, GRANT FREDERICK

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 14 February 1919, Americus, Kans. Accredited to: Kansas. Other Navy award: Bronze Star Medal. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as tank commander serving with the 2d Battalion, 6th Marines, 2d Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Saipan, Marianas Islands, on 8 July 1944. Advancing with his tank a few yards ahead of the infantry in support of a vigorous attack on hostile positions, Sgt. Timmerman maintained steady fire from his antiaircraft sky mount machinegun until progress was impeded by a series of enemy trenches and pillboxes. Observing a target of opportunity, he immediately ordered the tank stopped and, mindful of the danger from the muzzle blast as he prepared to open fire with the 75mm., fearlessly stood up in the exposed turret and ordered the infantry to hit the deck. Quick to act as a grenade, hurled by the Japanese, was about to drop into the open turret hatch, Sgt. Timmerman unhesitatingly blocked the opening with his body holding the grenade against his chest and taking the brunt of the explosion. His exception valor and loyalty in saving his men at the cost of his own life reflect the highest credit upon Sgt. Timmerman and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.

 

*SHEA, RICHARD T., JR.

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company A 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Sokkogae, Korea, 6 to 8 July 1953. Entered service at: Portsmouth, Va. Born: 3 January 1927, Portsmouth, Va. G.O. No.: 38, 8 June 1955. Citation: 1st Lt. Shea, executive officer, Company A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. On the night of 6 July, he was supervising the reinforcement of defensive positions when the enemy attacked with great numerical superiority. Voluntarily proceeding to the area most threatened, he organized and led a counterattack and, in the bitter fighting which ensued, closed with and killed 2 hostile soldiers with his trench knife. Calmly moving among the men, checking positions, steadying and urging the troops to hold firm, he fought side by side with them throughout the night. Despite heavy losses, the hostile force pressed the assault with determination, and at dawn made an all-out attempt to overrun friendly elements. Charging forward to meet the challenge, 1st Lt. Shea and his gallant men drove back the hostile troops. Elements of Company G joined the defense on the afternoon of 7 July, having lost key personnel through casualties. Immediately integrating these troops into his unit, 1st Lt. Shea rallied a group of 20 men and again charged the enemy. Although wounded in this action, he refused evacuation and continued to lead the counterattack. When the assaulting element was pinned down by heavy machine gun fire, he personally rushed the emplacement and, firing his carbine and lobbing grenades with deadly accuracy, neutralized the weapon and killed 3 of the enemy. With forceful leadership and by his heroic example, 1st Lt. Shea coordinated and directed a holding action throughout the night and the following morning. On 8 July, the enemy attacked again. Despite additional wounds, he launched a determined counterattack and was last seen in close hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. 1st Lt. Shea's inspirational leadership and unflinching courage set an illustrious example of valor to the men of his regiment, reflecting lasting glory upon himself and upholding the noble traditions of the military service.

 

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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for July 8, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY

8 July

 

1913: Beckwith Havens made the first long-distance flight in a Curtiss Flying Boat, flying 885 miles on the Great Lakes. (24)

1940: Boeing's 307B Stratoliner, with a pressurized cabin, made its first commercial flight from Burbank, Calif., to Long Island, N. Y. (21) (24)

1941: The RAF used B-17s for the first time in a daylight raid on Wilhelmshaven, Germany. (21)

1943: Col Malcolm G. Grow, an Eighth Air Force surgeon, received a Legion of Merit for designing the flak vest and steel helmet to deflect low velocity missiles from American airmen. (4) (24)

1944: Lt Col Clifford Heflin flew his C-47 on the first mission into France to rescue airmen who had parachuted behind enemy lines. (21)

1950: KOREAN WAR. From radio-equipped jeeps, Lts Oliver Duerksen and Frank Chermak provided the first forward air control to direct air-to-ground attacks. (28)

1955: At Hurricane, Utah, a rocket sled made the first run on the 12,000-foot Supersonic Military Air Research Track (SMART). (24)

1960: Operation NEW TAPE. The Congo's independence from Beligum led to civil war. To help the Africans, the UN started airlift operations. Through January

1964, MATS flew 2,128 missions to move 63,798 people and 18,593 tons to cargo. On 15 July, USAFE also began helping with the airlift operations. (2) (4)

1961: Using three RB-50s and one C-54, a 138-man team from the 1370th Photo Mapping Wing surveyed the Hawaiian archipelago to establish a geodetic position for the Midway and Johnston Islands in relation to the Hawaiian Islands.

1962: Operation DOMINIC. From Johnston Island, a Thor IRBM carried a megaton-plus hydrogen bomb above 200 miles in altitude. The detonation marked the highest thermonuclear blast by a US bomb, and perhaps, the highest of any nation. It also provided the U.S. public with the first display of the major EMP affects of a high-alt nuclear burst. (16) (24)

1965: SYNCOM II and III communications satellites transferred from NASA to the Defense Communications Agency. The USAF also gained control over three telemetry and command stations at the Seychelles Islands, Hawaii, and Guam. These stations maintained control and positioning of the satellites. (21) Hollywood stunt pilot Paul Mantz died in a crash at Buttercup Valley, Ariz., while filming the Flight of the Phoenix. (8: Jul 90)

1966: From Cape Kennedy, a Minuteman II launched, carrying the first Mark 12 Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle. (6)

1969: The first of 25,000 troops to be withdrawn from SEA under President Nixon's new policy were airlifted by C-141s from Vietnam to McChord AFB. (16) (26)

1977: SECDEF Harold Brown decided to end production of the Minuteman III. (12)

1979: Exercise GLOBAL SHIELD I. Through 16 July, SAC exercised every phase of its Single Integrated Operations Plan (SIOP), short of nuclear war. The Global Shield exercise featured full involvement by SAC's active forces and AFRES units as most bombers, tankers, and missiles were placed on alert. Some aircraft also dispersed to preselected bases, while others flew sorties over radar bomb-scoring sites. (1)

1993: At its plant in York, England, Slingsby Aviation rolled out the first T-3A Enhanced Flight Screener for the USAF. (20)

1998: An upgraded T-38C Talon advanced trainer aircraft flew for the first time over Mesa, Ariz. The T-38 received improved avionics under the Avionics Upgrade Program (AUP) and the Pacer Classic initiative. The T-38C took off from the Williams Gateway Airport Runway for a 1 hour 20 minute flight with Boeing test pilot Ed Wilson sitting in the front seat and USAF test pilot, Capt John Deems, in the rear seat. (AFNEWS Article 981017, 14 Jul 98) Exercise BALTIC CHALLENGE '98. Through 9 July, a 445 AW (AFRC) C-141 aircrew from Wright-Patterson AFB airlifted five dolphins, their handlers, and veterinarians from NAS North Island to Palanga IAP, Lithuania, to participate in this joint military land and sea exercise. The dolphins found and marked mines on the Baltic Sea floor and searched for live ordnance from World War II. On 20 July, another 445 AW aircrew returned the dolphins to California. (22)

2001: Boeing's X-32 Joint Strike Fighter successfully completed its flight-test pogram with a series of short takeoffs at NAS Patuxent River. (AFNEWS Article 0942, 12 Jul 2001)

2006: In a ceremony within a Wyoming ANG hangar at Cheyenne, Lt Col Steve Hopkins (USAF) took command of the USAF's new 30th Airlift Squadron. The 30th would be under the operational control of the Wyoming Air Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing and share the latter's C-130 transports, but it would be administratively attached to the 463rd Airlift Group at Little Rock AFB, Ark. The 30th was the first unit of its kind associated with the ANG. (32)

 

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