Nevada Test Site / Nevada Prooving Ground

This is a small part of the "Nevada Test Site." It lies 90 miles north of Las Vegas. Approximately 8 miles to the east is Groom Lake (i.e. Area 51). Area 51 is the 51st numbered area within the old "Nevada Prooving Ground." All these craters were formed by nuclear testing. The one in the upper right-hand corner is nearly 1/2 mile across!

What if...

What if during the 1930's, after the Battle of Great Brittan, the one Horton Brother who could fly and was behind the idea didn't decide to test pilot their creations? What if ...

We'd have had to fight Stealth Fighters and Bombers, just like out F117 and B2s. The surviving ones were taken apart at the end of WWII and shipped back to the USA to stay underground in CA, and NV. They were then shipped to the Smithsonian - both by Dulles and their other facility by Andrews. Hitler wanted to use the Horton 229 (above - fighter) and the Horton 18 (much larger bomber) to deliver the payload promised by his scientists for 1947-1949 - the nuclear bomb. He wanted to use this against Moscow, England, as well as - and more importantly - New York and Washington.

Finally in 2008 (63 years after discover) they began a test to see if they were stealth. The planes were made of wood - almost entirely. They were also painted with a very high-carbon paint - think grinding charcoal into paint - but VERY high tech for it's day. You can also see the lines are nearly identical to the lines of our stealth planes of today. Amazing.

Thank goodness the Horton brother pilot flew it on its first flight. Just as he was landing, an engine went out and he crashed. The german's not having much money and having a nut leading them quickly cut the funding to the project...

The tests revealed that the planes would have been very difficult to see using the 1930-1940s radar. 20-40% reduction in the detection range... The stealth and speed advantage, it would take half the time of the fighters coming to get it to get in and bomb the targets... From approx 20-30 minute reation time down to almost 2 minutes response time to seeing them on the radar. The war would have changed.

ASCE's 7-wonders of the Modern World

ASCE - American Society of Civil Engineers ranked their 7-wonders of the modern world:

1) Chunnel - Channel Tunnel - 1994-05-06 - UK to France
2) CN Tower - 1976-06-26 - Toronto, ON
3) Empire State Building - 1931-05-01 - NYC, NY
4) Golden Gate Bridge - 1937-05-27 - San Fran, CA
5) Itaipu Dam - 1984-05-05 - Brazil
6) Delta Works - 1997-05-10 - Netherlands
7) Panama Canal - 1914-01-07 - Panama

They have been under consideration to change the list of late to include:
*) Burj Dubai - 2,680 Feet Tall - office building in Dubai (1/2 Mile)
*) Syncude Tailings Dam - Canada - 540,000,000,000,000 Cubic Meters of Water
*) Dubai International Airport - 16,100,000 SQ FEET
*) Jim Yuan Mall (China) - 6,000,000 SQ FEET (Mall of America = 2,500,000)

Boats

Everyone ranted and raved about the RMS Titanic; however, it wasn't the largest ship ever - it was in it's time, but she had two twins, the RMS Olympic and RMS Britannic. And these are some of the comparisons to those ships.

Largest Operating Ships in the World (with Titanic, and Buildings for comparison):
*) 1,815 Feet - CN Tower
1) 1,504 Feet - Sumitomo's Knock Nevis, a supertanker - only 1 in service
*) 1,350 Feet - World Trade Center's twin towers
2) 1,302 Feet - Mearsk's Emma Mearsk, a container ship - 8 in the class
3) 1,245 Feet - Daewoo's Tl Class Supertankers - 4 in the class
4) 1,184 Feet - Royal Caribean's Oasis of the Seas - 1 now, 4 total planned
5) 1,132 Feet - Cunard Line's Queen Mary II
6) 1,125 Feet - Hyundai's Berge Stall - cargo ship
7) 1,123 Feet - USS Enterprise class Aircraft Carriers
8) 1,112 Feet - Royal Caribean's Freedom Class Cruise Ships
9) 1,092 Feet - Hyundai's E-Class Mearsk Ships
10) 1,092 Feet - USS Gerald R. Ford Class Aircraft Carrier (planned)
11) 1,092 Feet - USS Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
12) 1,090 Feet - Daewoo's Sirius Star - cargo ship
13) 1,070 Feet - USS Kitty Hawk class Aircraft Carrier
14) 1,066 Feet - USS Forestal class Aircraft Carrier
15) 1,053 Feet - USS Kennedy class Aircraft Carrier
*) 1,050 Feet - EMPIRE STATE BLDG
16) 1,003 Feet - USS Midway class Aircraft Carrier
17) 990 Feet - Adm Kuznetuv class Aircraft Carrier (Russian Federation)
18) 887 Feet - USS Iowa class Battleships
19) 882 Feet - RMS Titanic
20) 873 Feet - Shinano class Battleships (Imperial Japan) (sunk)

The current largest ship in the world is nearly TWICE the length of the Titanic.

Skeet Shooting

Quote of the Day

Not to know is bad.
Not to want to know is worse.
Not to hope is unthinkable.
Not to care is unforgivable.

-Translated Nigerian Religious Proverb

Useless Facts - 28 November...

28 November, 1095 - First Crusade Begins to conquer the middle east - first holy leader to issue a "war decree" in the world... The Pope.

28 November, 1905 - Sinn Fein is founded by 33-year old Mr. Arthur Griffith. It's goal... Establish a dual monarchy in Ireland. He was the 2nd of 3 people to hold the "President of the Dail" (or President of Parliment) before it was abolished in 1922.

28 November, 1919 - Lady Aster was the first woman to serve as a British MP (member Parliment). 2nd to have been elected after Countess Markiewicz who did not serve.

28 November, 1929 - Mr. Ernie Nevers of the Chicago Cardinals scored ALL of the points in the teams win over the Chicago Bears 40-6. (This one was for you BK)...

28 November, 1943 - Tehran Conference - President FDR, Stalin, and Churchill meet in Iran to discuss war stategy. Iran being an ally...

28 November, 1975 - "As the World Turns" and "The Edge of Night", the last two major soaps to resist going to pre-taped shows, air their last live broadcasts.

28 November, 1984 - 250 years after thier deaths, Mr. William Penn and Mrs. Hannah Callowhill Penn are granted honorary citizenship in the USA. (William Penn - yes, the Penn's Sylvania - Penn).

28 November, 1994 - Jeff Dahmer is clubbed to death in prison gym.



28 November, 1887 - Ernst Rohm is born in Germany. He co-founded the "stormtroopers" of the Germany army. A mid to high level Nazi official, he died in 1934; however, he was a decendant of Otto Rohm who co-founded along with Dr. Haas a nice chemical company. In 1907 this company moved to Philly, but Rohm stayed in Germany. He went on to found Rohm GmBH which supplied much of the gun-powder and explosives used in WWI... The company was later used during WWII and then bought by ... Rohm and Haas in the 50's-60's...

No, no remember the 5th of November

I heard about 1 minute of Keith tonight - and heard him say oh remember remember the 4th of November - don't know if he mentioned this or not but sounded similar to ...

5 November, 1605 - The Gunpowder Plot

Guy Fawkes (Catholic) preapred explosives to destory both Houses of Parliament during the State Opening. It was planned to kill James I, his family, and all the current memebers of the houses (Protestant).

The people of London celebrated the failure of the plot by lighting bon fires. It is still practiced in some places today as Guy Fawkes night.

Unfortunately, the cellar in which Fawkes watched over his gunpowder was demolished in the mid 1800's. His lantern - from which he took the flame to light the gunpowder - is in an Oxford museum.

A mask in the shape of Guy Fawkes face was used in V for Vandetta. They also quoted some of the traditional rhymes...

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I can think of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up the King and Parli'ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason, why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Remember, remember, the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot!
A stick or a stake for King James' sake
Will you please to give us a fagot
If you can't give us one, we'll take two;
The better for us and the worse for you!

Guy, guy, guy
Poke him in the eye,
Put him on the bonfire,
And there let him die

A penny loaf to feed the Pope
A farthing o' cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A fagot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah hoorah!