Fun On this date in history...

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ALSO ON FEBRUARY 4th:

In 1783, Britain’s King George III proclaimed a formal cessation of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War.

In 1789, electors chose George Washington to be the first President of the United States. He remains the only President to be unanimously elected by the Electoral College.

In 1861, delegates from six southern states that had recently seceded from the Union met in Montgomery, AL, to form the Confederate States of America.

In 1895, actor Nigel Bruce, best-known for playing Dr. Watson opposite Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes, was born in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

In 1915, actor William Talman, best-known for playing District Attorney Hamilton Burger on the TV series “Perry Mason” was born in Detroit, MI.

In 1918, actress/writer/director Ida Lupino was born in Camberwell, London, England.

In 1919, Congress established the U.S. Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the Navy Cross.

In 1920, actress/voice artist Janet Waldo was born in Yakima, WA. She’s probably best-known for playing Judy on “The Jetsons”.

In 1932, New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt opened the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, NY, the first Winter Games held in the U.S.

In 1940, writer/director George A. Romero was born in the Bronx. The “Living Dead” movies would come along later.

In 1941, the United Service Organizations (USO) came into existence.

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta.

In 1948, Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka) became independent within the British Commonwealth.

Also in 1948, actor/singer/songwriter Alice Cooper was born in Detroit, MI.

In 1962, a rare conjunction of the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn occurred.

In 1966, the Disney cartoon short “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree” was released in the U.S.

In 1970, the movie “Patton”, starring George C. Scott in the title role, premiered in New York City.

In 1974, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst, age 19, was kidnapped in Berkeley, CA, by the radical Symbionese Liberation Army.

Also in 1974, the Provisional IRA exploded a bomb on a bus carrying off-duty British Armed Forces personnel in Yorkshire, England. Nine soldiers and three civilians were killed.

In 1977, a Chicago Transit Authority elevated trail rear-ended another train and derailed, killing 11 and injuring 180 in the worst accident in the agency's history.

In 1987, pianist Liberace died at his Palm Springs, CA, home at age 67.

In 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica, CA, found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

In 1999, unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo was shot dead by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, inflaming race relations in the city.

In 2003, The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was officially renamed the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and adopted a new constitution.

In 2004, the social networking website Facebook had its beginnings as Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched “Thefacebook.”

In 2016, aviator/engineer/astronaut Edgar Mitchell, LM Pilot for Apollo 14, died in West Palm Beach, FL at age 85.

In 2018, the teaser trailer for the “Star Wars” movie “Solo” premiered on NBC-TV, during their coverage of Super Bowl LII.

 

If I may...

ALSO ON FEBRUARY 5th:

In 1597, a group of early Japanese Christians were killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society.

In 1723, minister/educator/Founding Father John Witherspoon was born in Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland. He’d later serve on the NJ delegation to the Second Continental Congress, and was one of the signers of both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.

In 1778, South Carolina became the second state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.

In 1783, Sweden recognized the independence of the United States.

In 1837, evangelist Dwight L. Moody, founder of the Moody Church and Moody Bible Institute, was born in Northfield, MA.

In 1900, politician/diplomat Adlai Stevenson was born in Los Angeles. He’s perhaps best-known for his confrontation with Soviet U.N. representative Valerian Zorin during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In 1906, actor John Carradine was born in New York City. He’d frequently be a much better actor than some of his movies deserved.

In 1917, Mexican President Venustiano Carranza proclaimed the modern Mexican constitution, which promised the restoration of lands to native peoples, the separation of church and state, and dramatic economic and educational reforms.

Also in 1917, with more than a two-thirds majority, Congress overrode President Woodrow Wilson’s veto and passed the Immigration Act, requiring a literacy test for immigrants and barring laborers from East Asian countries, except for those from countries with special treaties or agreements with the U.S., such as the Philippines.

In 1919, movie studio United Artists was incorporated by Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith and Charles Chaplin.

In 1921, production designer Ken Adam was born in Berlin, Germany. He’s best-known for his work on many of the James Bond movies, including the oft-parodied hollowed-out volcano base from “You Only Live Twice”.

In 1922, the first edition of Reader's Digest was published.

In 1930, radio host John A. Gambling was born. Listeners in the NY/NJ/CT Tri-State area remember him as the second of three generations of Gamblings on the airwaves.

In 1934, baseball player Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron Jr., best-known for breaking Babe Ruth's legendary record of 714 home-runs, was born in Mobile, AL.

In 1936, the Charlie Chaplin silent comedy “Modern Times” premiered in New York City.

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices; the proposal, which failed in Congress, drew accusations that Roosevelt was attempting to "pack" the nation's highest court.

In 1939, Generalísimo Francisco Franco became the 68th "Caudillo de España", or Leader of Spain. And, as of today, he’s still dead.

In 1940, Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded "Tuxedo Junction" for RCA Victor's Bluebird label.

Also in 1940, surrealist artist H.R. Giger was born in Chur, Graubunden, Switzerland. Years later, he’d help create the creature that would cause so much trouble for the crew of the Nostromo.

In 1943, the Western “The Outlaw” premiered in San Francisco. Directed by Howard Hughes, it’s more famous today for star Jane Russell’s…attributes.

In 1953, Walt Disney's animated feature "Peter Pan" was first released in the U.S.

In 1956, the science fiction/horror film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” was released in the U.S.

In 1957, Bill Haley and His Comets arrived in London for a tour and were mobbed by fans.

In 1967, the comedy-variety series "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1973, services were held at Arlington National Cemetery for U.S. Army Col. William B. Nolde, the last official American combat casualty before the Vietnam cease-fire took effect.

In 1985, Ugo Vetere, the mayor of modern Rome, and Chedli Klibi, the mayor of modern Carthage, signed a treaty ending the Punic Wars after more than 20 centuries.

1989, the Soviet Union announced that all but a small rear-guard contingent of its troops had left Afghanistan.

In 1994, white separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, MS, of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963, and was immediately sentenced to life in prison. (Beckwith died Jan. 21, 2001 at age 80.)

In 2013, make-up designer/artist Stuart Freeborn, best-known for his work on the original “Star Wars” trilogy, died in London at age 98.

In 2015, after 94 years of existence, electronics retailer Radio Shack filed for bankruptcy.

In 2018, the second teaser trailer for the “Star Wars” movie “Solo” was released on-line, following a premiere showing on “Good Morning, America” on ABC-TV.

In 2020, actor/producer/writer/director Kirk Douglas died in Beverly Hills at age 103.

 

7 February 1920: Joseph Sadi-Lacointe was the first pilot to set a new Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Speed Record after the end of World War I. At Villacoublay, France, Sadi-Lecointe flew an Avion Nieuport—Type Gordon Bennett 1920 over a 1 kilometer (0.621 mile) course at an average speed of 275.86 kilometers per hour (171.41 miles per hour).
With the Fall of France in WW2, Sadi-Lacointe joined La Résistance française, and operated with the group, Rafale Andromède. He was captured and tortured by the Gestapo at Paris, and died as a result, 15 July 1944.
Joseph Sadi-Lecointe, Commandeur Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur, was awarded the Croix de Guerre in three wars. He was posthumously awarded the Médaille de la Résistance. The Aéro-Club de France awarded him its Grande Médaille d’Or de l’Aéro-Club de France. During his flying career, Sadi-Lecointe set seven World Records for Speed, and three World Records for Altitude.

7 February 1964: At 1:20 p.m. EST, The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, arrived in America at John F. Kennedy International Airport from London aboard Pan American World Airways’ Flight 101, a Boeing 707-331, serial number 17683, N704PA, named Jet Clipper Defiance. They were welcomed by an estimated 4,000 fans and 200 journalists.

7 February 1984: During mission STS-41-B, NASA astronauts Captain Bruce McCandless II, United States Navy, and Colonel Robert L. Stewart, United States Air Force, left the Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) on the first untethered space walk.
McCandless tested each of the Manned Maneuvering Units (MMU) while Stewart tested a work station. For 5 hours, 55 minutes, they used the nitrogen-fueled Manned Maneuvering Units (MMU) to move about the outside of the space ship. At the farthest, McCandless was 320 feet (98 meters) away from Challenger.

 

8 February 1918: General Order 299 specified that all U.S. Army Air Service airplanes assigned to the AEF would be marked with a roundel (or cocarde) of three concentric circles. The outer circle was to be painted red and have a diameter approximately equal to the chord of the wing. A blue circle had a diameter two-thirds the length of the chord, and an inner white circle was one-third the chord in diameter. Two roundels were painted on the upper surface of the airplane’s top wing, just inside the aileron. Two more roundels were painted on the lower surface of the bottom wing.
In addition the airplane’s rudder was painted with three red, white and blue vertical stripes, with the red stripe adjacent to the rudder post and the blue stripe on the rudder’s trailing edge.
This national insignia was similar to the roundels used by France and England, though the order of the colors varied.
The new roundel was short-lived. It was replaced in 1919.

8 February 1933: Boeing test pilot Leslie R. (“Les”) Tower and United Air Lines Captain Louis C. Goldsmith made the first flight of the Boeing Model 247, NX13300, a twin-engine airline transport, at Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington. The first flight lasted 40 minutes and Tower was quite pleased with the airplane. He took it up a second time later in the day.
The 247 is considered to be the first modern airliner because of its all-metal semi-monocoque construction, cantilevered wing and retractable landing gear. It was 50 miles per hour (80.5 kilometers per hour) faster than its contemporaries, and could climb on one engine with a full load of 10 passengers.
The Boeing 247 had a maximum speed of 200 miles per hour (321.9 kilometers per hour) with a cruising speed of 188 miles per hour (302.6 kilometers per hour. It had a range of 745 miles (1,199 kilometers) and a service ceiling of 25,400 feet (7,742 meters).
75 Model 247s were built. 60 were bought by Boeing Air Transport.

 

If I may...

ALSO ON FEBRUARY 6th:

In 1788, Massachusetts became the 6th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1815, the state of New Jersey issued the first American railroad charter to John Stevens, who proposed a rail link between Trenton and New Brunswick. (The line, however, was never built.)

In 1820, the first 86 African-American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society departed New York to start a settlement in present-day Liberia.

In 1862, forces under the command of Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew H. Foote give the Union its first victory of the war, capturing Fort Henry, TN.

In 1895, baseball player George Herman “Babe” Ruth was born in Baltimore, MD. He’d build his house in New York years later.

In 1899, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain was ratified by the U.S. Senate.

In 1908, screenwriter Michael Maltese, best-known for his work with the Warner Bros. animation department, was born in New York City.

In 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was born in Tampico, Ill.

In 1914, voice actor/singer Thurl Ravenscroft was born in Norfolk, NE. Years later, he’d sing about just how mean Mr. Grinch was.

In 1918, British women over the age of 30 who met minimum property qualifications, got the right to vote when the Representation of the People Act 1918 was passed by Parliament.

In 1922, actor Patrick Macnee was born in Paddington, London, England. Years later, one of his characters would remind Mrs. Peel that they were needed.

In 1931, actress Mamie Van Doren was born in Rowena, SD.

In 1933, The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the so-called "lame duck" amendment, was proclaimed in effect by Secretary of State Henry Stimson.

In 1951, The Broker, a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train derailed near Woodbridge Township, NJ. The accident killed 85 people and injured over 500 more. The wreck is one of the worst rail disasters in American history.

In 1952, Britain's King George VI died at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England; he was succeeded as monarch by his elder daughter, who became Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1958, a British European airlines flight crashed just after takeoff from Munich Airport. Twenty-three people were killed, including eight players from the Manchester United soccer team, which had just qualified for the semifinals of the European Cup.

In 1959, Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments filed the first patent for an integrated circuit.

Also in 1959, the first successful test firing of a Titan ICBM was accomplished at Cape Canaveral, FL.

In 1971, during the second of two Lunar EVAs for the Apollo 14 mission, Mission Commander Alan Shepard hit the first golf shot on the Moon.

In 1974, the movie “Zardoz” was released. And it has confused audiences ever since.

In 1976, composer/musician Vince Guaraldi died in Menlo Park, CA at age 47.

In 1978, The Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor’easters in New England history, hit the region, with sustained winds of 65 mph and snowfall of four inches an hour.

In 1990, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the episode featuring the movie “Untamed Youth” premiered on the Comedy Channel. Coincidentally, it was also the birthday of the movie’s star, Mamie Van Doren.

In 1995, the space shuttle Discovery flew to within 37 feet of the Russian space station Mir in the first rendezvous of its kind in two decades.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill changing the name of Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

In 2014, Jay Leno said goodbye to NBC's "The Tonight Show" for the second time, making way for Jimmy Fallon to take over as host.

In 2017, actor/comedian/activist “Professor” Irwin Corey, “The World’s Foremost Authority”, died in New York City at age 102.

 

If I may...

ALSO ON FEBRUARY 7th:

In 1795, The 11th Amendment, dealing with each state’s sovereign immunity, to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.

In 1804, businessman John Deere was born in Rutland, VT. Years later, five generations of the family of your humble correspondent would drive a John Deere Model M tractor.

In 1812, author Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England.

In 1904, a fire began in Baltimore that raged for about 30 hours and destroyed more than 15-hundred buildings.

In 1906, Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, was born in Beijing.

In 1908, athlete/actor Larry “Buster” Crabbe, the original Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, respectively, was born in Oakland, CA.

In 1932, astronaut Alfred M. Worden, CSM pilot for Apollo 15, was born in Jackson, MI.

In 1935, the classic board game Monopoly was first sold by Parker Brothers. It’s unclear if the shoe and thimble were included in that edition.

In 1936, President Roosevelt authorized a flag for the office of the vice president.

In 1940, the second full-length animated Walt Disney film, “Pinocchio”, premiered in New York City.

In 1944, during World War II, the Germans launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy.

Also in 1944, Bing Crosby and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra recorded "Swinging on a Star" in Los Angeles for Decca Records.

In 1947, voice actor/sound effects editor Wayne Allwine was born in Glendale, CA. He’s best-known for voicing Mickey Mouse from 1977-2009.

In 1962, the United States banned all Cuban imports and exports.

In 1974, the island nation of Grenada won independence from Britain.

Also in 1974, the Mel Brooks comedy “Blazing Saddles” was released in the U.S.

In 1979, the PLANET Pluto moved inside the planet Neptune’s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.

In 1986, the Philippines held a presidential election marred by charges of fraud against the incumbent, Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Also in 1986, Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled his country, ending 28 years of his family’s rule.

In 1990, the Central Committee of the Soviet Union's Communist Party agrees to endorse President Mikhail Gorbachev's recommendation that the party give up its 70-year long monopoly of political power.

In 1991, Haiti’s first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was sworn in.

Also in 1991, the Provisional IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street in London, the headquarters of the British government. Prime Minister John Major and his War Cabinet were unharmed, while four other people received minor unjuries.

In 1995, Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.

In 1999, Jordan’s King Hussein died of cancer in Amman at age 63; he was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah.

In 2009, Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in what was then the worst natural disaster in Australia's history.

In 2013, Mississippi officially certified the Thirteenth Amendment, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery.

In 2014, the opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics was held in the Russian city of Sochi.

In 2017, actor Richard Hatch, best-known for his work on both the original and reimagined versions of “Battlestar Galactica”, died in Los Angeles at age 71.

 

If I may...

ALSO ON FEBRUARY 8th:

In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1693, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA was granted a charter by King William III and Queen Mary II.

In 1820, Gen. William Tecumsah Sherman was born in Lancaster, OH. Reportedly, the South has still not forgiven him his March to the Sea.

In 1828, author Jules Verne was born in Nantes, France.

In 1837, Richard Johnson became the first Vice-President of the U.S. chosen by the U.S. Senate.

In 1862, the Civil War Battle of Roanoke Island, NC, ended in victory for Union forces led by Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside.

In 1865, Delaware voters rejected the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and voted to continue the practice of slavery. (Delaware finally ratified the amendment on February 12, 1901.)

In 1904, the Russo-Japanese War, a conflict over control of Manchuria and Korea, began as Japanese forces attacked Port Arthur.

In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated.

In 1914, screenwriter/comics writer Bill Finger, the long-uncredited and now-acknowledged co-creator of Batman, was born in Denver, CO.

In 1915, D.W. Griffith's groundbreaking, as well as controversial, silent movie epic about the Civil War, "The Birth of a Nation," premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1922, actress Audrey Meadows was born in New York City. Years later, one of her characters received entirely-empty threats regarding a trip to the Moon.

In 1928, actor/producer/screenwriter Jack Larson was born in Los Angeles, CA. He’s best-known for playing a cub reporter at a great metropolitan newspaper.

In 1931, actor James Dean was born in Marion, IN.

In 1932, composer/conductor John Williams was born in Floral Park, NY.

In 1937, composer/musician Joe Raposo was born in Fall River, MA.

In 1942, during World War II, Japanese forces began invading Singapore, which fell a week later.

Also in 1942, actor/comedian/singer Robert Klein was born in the Bronx.

In 1943, Japanese troops evacuated Guadalcanal, leaving the island in Allied possession after a prolonged campaign.

In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed her accession to the British throne following the death of her father, King George VI.

In 1960, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name Mountbatten-Windsor.

In 1965, Eastern Air Lines Flight 663, a DC-7, crashed shortly after takeoff from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport; all 84 people on board were killed.

In 1968, three college students were killed in a confrontation with highway patrolmen in Orangeburg, South Carolina, during a civil rights protest against a whites-only bowling alley.

Also in 1968, the sci-fi movie “Planet of the Apes”, starring Charlton Heston, premiered in New York City.

In 1974, the last three-man crew of the Skylab space station (Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson and William R. Pogue) returned to Earth after spending 84 days in space.

Also in 1974, the BBC announced that Jon Pertwee would be leaving the role of the Doctor on “Doctor Who” at the end of the program’s 11th series.

In 1976, the drama “Taxi Driver”, starring Robert DeNiro and directed by Martin Scorsese, was released in the U.S.

In 1985, the crime drama "Witness," starring Harrison Ford, was released in the U.S. by Paramount Pictures.

In 1989, 144 people were killed when an American-chartered Boeing 707 filled with Italian tourists slammed into a fog-covered mountain in the Azores.

In 1993, General Motors sued NBC, alleging that "Dateline NBC" had rigged two car-truck crashes to show that some GM pickups were prone to fires after certain types of crashes. (The suit was settled the following day by NBC.)

In 1996, The U.S. Congress passed the Communications Decency Act.

In 2006, composer/educator Akira Ifukube, best-known for his film scores for Toho, died in Tokyo at age 91.

In 2013, a blizzard disrupted transportation and leaves hundreds of thousands of people without electricity in the Northeastern United States and parts of Canada.

 

From one of John Williams' lesser-known scores:

 

8 February 1973: At 02:33:12 UTC, the Skylab 4/Apollo command module undocked from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit, after 83 days, 4 hours, 38 minutes, 12 seconds. After several orbits, the Apollo capsule reentered the atmosphere and landed in the Pacific Ocean southwest of San Diego California, at 15:16:53 UTC. The crew was recovered by USS Okinawa (LPH-3), a helicopter carrier. Today, the Apollo capsule is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum.
Skylab was an orbital laboratory built from a Saturn S-IVB third stage. It was launched from Cape Canaveral 14 May 1973 as part of a modified Saturn V rocket. The Skylab 4 crew was the third and final group of astronauts to live and the space station.
Skylab’s orbit gradually decayed and it re-entered the atmosphere near Perth, Australia, 11 July 1979.

8 February 2012: End of an era. NASA 911, the Boeing 747-146 that has been used as a space shuttle carrier, made its last flight on Wednesday, 8 February 2012, a 20-minute hop from Edwards Air Force Base to Palmdale Plant 42. In 38 years, this airplane accumulated 33,004.1 flight hours, which is relatively low time for an airliner.
While carrying a space shuttle, the SCA (shuttle carrier aircraft) maximum speed is 0.6 Mach (432 miles per hour, or 695 kilometers per hour). The service ceiling is 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) and its range is 1,150 miles (1,850.75 kilometers).

 

9 February 1914: Second Lieutenant Henry Burnet Post, 25th Infantry Regiment, United States Army, was “Killed in hydroplane No. 10 accident at Signal Corps Aviation School, San Diego, Calif., at 9.35 a.m. Feb. 9, 1914. (in line of duty)”
Lieutenant Post had just returned from 15 days’ compassionate leave (22 January–5 February 1914). His father, Henry Albertson Van Zo Post, had died at the family home in Manhattan, New York City, 25 January 1914.
ARMY FLIER KILLED AS MACHINE BREAKS
Lieutenant Post Plunges To Death In San Diego Bay
Beachey Blames The Government
SAN DIEGO, California – February 9, 1914 – Lieutenant Henry B. Post of the First Aero Corps, considered one of the most skillful United States Army aviators, plunged to his death in San Diego Bay today, when the right wing of his hydro-aeroplane crumpled. Lieutenant Post died after establishing an American altitude record of 12,120 feet. He fell 600 feet into shallow water and was dead when Francis Wildman, another aviator, reached the spot in a flying boat.
Lieutenant Post left the North Island hangars at 8:50 o’clock this morning after having declared his intention of breaking the American altitude record for hydro-aeroplanes. Within an hour he had attained a height of 12,120 feet, the barograph showing this figure when recovered from the wreckage.
A series of wide spirals was a feature of the descent, the machine appearing to be under perfect control. When within 600 feet of the water the plane was seen to collapse, then careen. The next instant the pilot was hurled from his seat and the machine dropped like a bullet. Post fell into five feet of water, the wrecked craft disappearing from sight a few feet away.
— The New York Times, 10 February 1914, Page 1.

9 February 1963: Boeing’s Chief Test Pilot, Samuel Lewis (“Lew”) Wallick, Jr., made the first flight of the prototype Boeing Model 727 jet airliner, N7001U (c/n 18293), from Renton Municipal Airport, Renton, Washington. Richards Llewellyn (“Dix”) Loesch, Jr., was the airliner’s co-pilot, and Marvin Keith (“Shuly”) Shulenberger was the flight engineer.
After completing the flight test and certification program, N7001U was delivered to United Air Lines, 6 October 1964. United operated N7001U for 27 years before retiring after 64,495 flight hours, and 48,060 takeoffs and landings.
In 1991, United Air Lines donated the 727 to The Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington. N7001U has been restored and is currently on display. According to the Museum, United purchased the 727 for $4,400,000, and during its service life, it generated more that $300,000,000 in revenue.
The Boeing 727s were very fast airliners with a maximum speed in level flight of 549 knots (632 miles per hour/1,017 kilometers per hour). The Design Cruise Speed (VC) was 530 knots (610 miles per hour/981 kilometers per hour) at 25,000 feet (0.88 Mach). The airplane was certified with a Maximum Mach Number (MMO) of 0.92 Mach. (During flight testing, a Boeing 727 achieved 0.965 Mach in level flight.) The airliner’s service ceiling was 37,400 feet (11,400 meters) and the range was 2,600 nautical miles (2,992 statute miles/4,815 kilometers).
Boeing had expected to sell approximately 250 727s. (200 were needed for the manufacturer to cover its costs.) In production from 1962 to 1984, Boeing built 1,832 Model 727s, making it one of the most successful airliners in history.

9 February 1969: At 11:34 a.m., Boeing Chief Test Pilot Jack Wadell, with Engineering Test Pilots Brien Singleton Wygle, co-pilot, and Jesse Arthur Wallick, flight engineer, took off from Paine Field, Everett, Washington, aboard RA001, the prototype Boeing 747-121, FAA registration N7470, and made a 1 hour, 15 minute test flight. The ship was named City of Everett after the home of the factory where it was built.
The 747 was the first “wide body” airliner and was called a “jumbo jet”. It is one of the most widely used airliners and air freighters in service world-wide, and is still in production after 45 years. The latest version is the 747-8, the “Dash Eight.” As of December 2012, Boeing had built 1,458 747s.
City of Everett last flew in 1995. It is on static display at The Museum of Flight, Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington.

 

10 February 1947: At Patterson Field, Dayton, Ohio, Major Ernest Murray Cassell, Jr., Air Corps, United States Army, flew a Sikorsky YR-5A helicopter, serial number 43-46628, to an altitude of 5,842 meters (19,167 feet), setting a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Altitude Record for helicopters.
Major Cassell took off from Patterson Field at 11:05 a.m., and landed at 12:02 p.m. He said that he knew the helicopter had reached its absolute ceiling. “She just wouldn’t go any higher. At the peak I dived to pick up speed, pulled up and the ship just quivered in a tip-stall as if to say, ‘That’s all I can do.’ ”
At that altitude, Cassell encountered winds of 40–50 miles per hour (18–22 meters per second), and an air temperature of -19 °C. (-2.2 °F.). He wore an electrically-heated flight suit.

10 February 1952:
MEDAL OF HONOR
GEORGE ANDREW DAVIS, JR.
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Major George Andrew Davis, Jr. (ASN: 0-671514/13035A), United States Air Force, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Wing, Fifth Air Force in action against enemy forces near Sinuiju-Yalu River, Korea, on 10 February 1952. While leading a flight of four F-86 Saberjets on a combat aerial patrol mission near the Manchurian border, Major Davis’ element leader ran out of oxygen and was forced to retire from the flight with his wingman accompanying him. Major Davis and the remaining F-86’s continued the mission and sighted a formation of approximately twelve enemy MIG-15 aircraft speeding southward toward an area where friendly fighter-bombers were conducting low level operations against the Communist lines of communications. With selfless disregard for the numerical superiority of the enemy, Major Davis positioned his two aircraft, then dove at the MIG formation. While speeding through the formation from the rear he singled out a MIG-15 and destroyed it with a concentrated burst of fire. Although he was now under continuous fire from the enemy fighters to his rear, Major Davis sustained his attack. He fired at another MIG-15 which, bursting into smoke and flames, went into a vertical dive. Rather than maintain his superior speed and evade the enemy fire being concentrated on him, he elected to reduce his speed and sought out still a third MIG-15. During this latest attack his aircraft sustained a direct hit, went out of control, then crashed into a mountain 30 miles south of the Yalu River. Major Davis’ bold attack completely disrupted the enemy formation, permitting the friendly fighter-bombers to successfully complete their interdiction mission. Major Davis, by his indomitable fighting spirit, heroic aggressiveness, and superb courage in engaging the enemy against formidable odds exemplified valor at its highest.

 

10 February 1960: Delta Air Lines’ Superintendant of Flight Operations, Captain Thomas Prioleau Ball, Jr., made the delivery flight of Delta’s first Convair 880 jet airliner, Ship 902, named Delta Queen, FAA registration N8802E, from San Diego, California, to Miami, Florida.
The official flight time was 3 hours, 31 minutes, 54 seconds, for an average speed of 641.77 miles per hour (1,032.83 kilometers per hour) over the 2,266 mile (3,647 kilometers) route. This was a new United States National Record for Speed Over a Commercial Airline Route. The 880 cut 27 minutes, 1 second, off the time of an Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-8B over the same route, 4 January 1960.

10 February 1994: First Lieutenant Jean Marie (“Jeannie”) Flynn, United States Air Force, the first woman selected by the Air Force for training as a combat pilot, completed six months of training on the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle with the 555th Fighter Wing (“Triple Nickel”) at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Her call sign is “Tally.”

10 February 2009, 16:55:59.806 UTC: Two artificial satellites orbiting Earth, Cosmos 2251 and Iridium 33, collided with each other at a closing speed of 26,170 miles per hour (42,117 kilometers per hour, 490 miles (789 kilometers) above Siberia. Because of the relative speeds of the satellites, this was termed a “hypervelocity collision.”
These satellites had been routinely tracked and estimates were that they would pass at a distance of 584 meters (1,916 feet).
Cosmos 2251 (Космос-2251) was a Strela 2M military communications satellite. It had been launched from Plesetsk, Russia, at 04:20:00 UTC, 16 July 1993, but was no longer active and was not controlled. The satellite weighed approximately 900 kilograms (1,984 pounds). It was in a 783 × 821 kilometers (486.5 × 510.1 miles) orbit, with an inclination, relative to Earth’s axis, of 74.0°. It completed one orbit every 1 hour, 41 minutes.
Iridium 33 was commercial communications satellite which was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 01:36:54 UTC, 14 September 1997. It was built by Lockheed Martin for Iridium Satellites LLC. weighed 1,234 pounds (560 kilograms). Iridium 33’s orbit was 522 × 541 kilometers (324.4 × 336.2 miles). It had an orbital inclination of 86.6° and orbited the Earth in 1 hour, 34.9 minutes.
According to a report by Thoman S. Kelso, Ph.D., of the Center for Space Standards & Innovation, light flashes captured on video “suggest that at least two MMAs (Main Mission Antennas. . . at the bottom of the satellite) on that object survived the collision relatively intact.”
Subsequently 406 pieces of Iridium 33 and 960 pieces of Cosmos 2251 were tracked as they spread in orbit. While some of the debris has re-entered the atmosphere, perhaps 50% of the total remains in Earth orbit.

 

If I may...

ALSO ON FEBRUARY 9th:
In 1773, William Henry Harrison, briefly the 9th President of the U.S., was born in Charles City County, VA.

In 1775, the British Parliament declared the colony of Massachusetts in rebellion.

In 1825, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes.

In 1861, Jefferson Davis was elected provisional president of the Confederate States of America at a congress held in Montgomery, Alabama.

In 1870, the U.S. Weather Bureau was established.

In 1889, US president Grover Cleveland signed a bill elevating the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to a Cabinet-level agency.

In 1895, the first intercollegiate basketball game was played as Minnesota State School of Agriculture defeated the Porkers of Hamline College, 9-3.

In 1901, actor Brian Donlevy, best-known for both his “film noir” roles and as the first cinematic incarnation of Prof. Quatermass, was born in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

In 1928, artist Frank Frazetta was born in Brooklyn.

In 1936, actor Clive Swift was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. Years later, he’d play Richard Bucket (not Bouquet) on “Keeping Up Appearances”, one of my Mom’s favorite Brit-Coms.

In 1942, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff held its first formal meeting to coordinate military strategy during World War II.

Also in 1942, Daylight-saving "War Time" went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward.

In 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an Allied victory over Japanese forces.

In 1945, HMS Venturer sank U-864 off the coast of Fedje, Norway, in a rare instance of submarine-to-submarine combat.

In 1950, in a speech in Wheeling, WV, Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI), charged the State Department was riddled with Communists.

In 1960, the official groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The first star to be dedicated on the historic walkway belonged to the actress Joanne Woodward.

In 1964, The Beatles made their first live American television appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," broadcast from New York by CBS-TV. Others featured on the program included impressionist Frank Gorshin, the comedy team of Charlie Brill & Mitzi McCall, and the Broadway cast of “Oliver!”, including future Monkee Davy Jones.

In 1965, the first United States troops with a combat mission, a Marine Corps Hawk air defense missile battalion, were sent to South Vietnam.

In 1969, the first test flight of the Boeing 747 took place.

In 1971, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in California's San Fernando Valley claimed 65 lives.

Also in 1971, the crew of Apollo 14 (Alan B. Shepard, Jr.; Stuart A. Roosa and Edgar D. Mitchell) returned to Earth after man's third landing on the Moon.

In addition in 1971, pitcher Leroy "Satchel" Paige becomes the first Negro League veteran to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1984, Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov, age 69, died in Moscow, 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev; he was followed by Konstantin U. Chernenko.

In 2002, Britain's Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, died in London at age 71.

In 2006, actor Phil Brown, best-known for playing Uncle Owen in “Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope”, died in Woodland Hills, CA at age 89.

In 2009, Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees) admitted that he had taken banned substances from 2001 to 2003.

 

If I may...

ALSO ON FEBRUARY 10th:

In 1763, Britain, Spain and France signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the Seven Years' War (also known as the French and Indian War in North America).

In 1840, Britain's Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

In 1841, Upper Canada and Lower Canada were proclaimed united under an Act of Union passed by the British Parliament.

In 1870, the YWCA was founded in New York City.

In 1893, actor/singer/comedian Jimmy Durante was born in Manhattan. It was years later that he’d tell us to look under the Big W.

In 1906, actor Lon Chaney, Jr. was born in Oklahoma City. The lycanthropic roles would come later.

In 1929, composer/conductor Jerry Goldsmith was born in Los Angeles.

In 1933, the first singing telegram was introduced by the Postal Telegram Co. in New York.

In 1939, actor/TV host Peter Purves was born in Preston, Lancashire, England. He’s known to British audiences for his tenure on the children’s series “Blue Peter”, and worldwide for playing Companion Steven Taylor on “Doctor Who”.

Also in 1939, the Western “Stagecoach” premiered in Miami. Directed by John Ford, it starred Claire Trevor and John Wayne.

In 1940, The Soviet Union began mass deportations of Polish citizens from occupied eastern Poland to Siberia.

Also in 1940, MGM released the animated short "Puss Gets the Boot," the debut of Tom and Jerry (although in this cartoon, the cat is called "Jasper" by its owner while the mouse was dubbed "Jinx" by creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera).

In 1942, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra received a gold record for their recording of "Chattanooga Choo Choo," which had sold more than one million copies. It was the first gold record ever presented to an artist.

In 1947, actor Michael Keating, best-known for playing Vila on “Blake’s 7”, was born in North London, England.

In 1949, Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman" opened at Broadway's Morosco Theater with Lee J. Cobb as Willy Loman.

In 1956, Little Richard recorded “Long Tall Sally” at the J&M Studio in New Orleans.

In 1959, a major tornado tore through the St. Louis area, killing 21 people and causing heavy damage.

In 1962, the Soviet Union exchanged captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for Rudolf Abel, a Soviet spy held by the United States.

In 1962, the Rat Pack movie “Sergeants 3” was released in the U.S.

In 1964, the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne collided with and sank the destroyer HMAS Voyager off the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, killing 82.

In 1967, the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, dealing with presidential disability and succession, was ratified as Minnesota and Nevada adopted it.

In 1968, U.S. figure skater Peggy Fleming won America's only gold medal of the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France.

In 1971, the album “Tapestry” by Carole King was released in the U.S.

In 1983, the action/adventure movie “Yor, Hunter from the Future” was released in Italy. Reaching the U.S. the following August, it starred Reb Brown and, yes, there are railing kills.

In 1989, Ron Brown was elected the first black chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

In 1989, the science fiction movie “Slipstream” premiered in London. It starred Mark Hamill, Bill Paxton and Bob Peck.

In 1995, the British suspense movie “Shallow Grave” was released in the U.S. Its cast included Christopher Eccleston before he received his Doctorate, and Ewan McGregor before he received his officer’s commission in the Grand Army of the Republic.

In 1996, in the first game of a six-game match, an IBM computer dubbed “Deep Blue” became the first machine to beat a reigning world chess champion, Garry Kasparov. (Kasparov went on to win the match 4-2.)

In 1999, recording for the soundtrack of “Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace”, conducted by composer John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, began at Abbey Road Studios.

In 2005, Playwright Arthur Miller died in Roxbury, Connecticut, at age 89 on the 56th anniversary of the Broadway opening of "Death of a Salesman."

In 2007, then-Illinois senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy for U.S. Presidency in the 2008 elections.

In 2012, the 3-D version of “Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace” was released in the U.S.

In 2014, actress/singer/dancer/businesswoman/diplomat Shirley Temple died in Woodside, CA at age 85.

In 2015, NBC News suspended Brian Williams, then the anchorman and managing editor of the “NBC Nightly News”, for six months without pay for his misrepresenting of events concerning an Iraq War story. The story was found to be untrue.

 

If I may...

ON FEBRUARY 11th:

In 1534, Henry VIII of England was recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.

In 1812, Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting law favoring his Democratic-Republican Party — giving rise to the term "gerrymandering."

In 1858, a French girl, Bernadette Soubirous, reported the first of 18 visions of a lady dressed in white in a grotto near Lourdes. (The Catholic Church later accepted that the visions were of the Virgin Mary.)

In 1862, the Civil War Battle of Fort Donelson began in Tennessee. (Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured the fort five days later.)

In 1926, actor Leslie Nielsen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Years later, people would forget that he started out as a pretty good dramatic actor.

In 1929, the Lateran Treaty was signed, with Italy recognizing the independence and sovereignty of Vatican City.

In 1934, actress/singer/author Tina Louise was born in New York City. She’s best-known for playing a passenger on a particular three-hour tour.

In 1936, actor/director Burt Reynolds was born in Waycross, GA. He’d later make it very cool to drive a black Trans Am.

In 1937, a six-week-old sit-down strike against General Motors ended, with the company agreeing to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union.

In 1938, BBC Television produced the world's first ever science fiction TV program, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Capek play “R.U.R.”, that coined the term "robot".

In 1943, during World War II, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was selected to command the allied armies in Europe.

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement, in which Stalin agreed to declare war against Imperial Japan following Nazi Germany's capitulation (in return, the Soviet Union would acquire territories lost to Japan in the Russo-Japanese War).

In 1960, “Tonight Show” host Jack Paar walked off the show during that night’s program, protesting NBC’s censorship of a joke he told the previous night. (He returned to the show on March 7th.)

In 1963, author/poet Sylvia Plath committed suicide in London at age 30.

Also in 1963, The Beatles recorded all of the tracks for their first album to be released in the U.K., "Please Please Me." John Lennon had a bad cold and belted out "Twist and Shout" in one take.

In 1964, The Beatles performed their first U.S. concert, at the Coliseum in Washington.

In 1972, McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. and Life magazine canceled plans to publish what had turned out to be a fake autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes.

Also In 1972, David Bowie first performed as "Ziggy Stardust," at a show in Tollworth, England.

In 1975, Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of Britain's opposition Conservative Party.

In 1989, Rev. Barbara C. Harris became the first woman consecrated as a bishop in the Episcopal Church, in a ceremony held in Boston.

In 1990, South African black activist Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity.

In 1994, actor/producer/director William Conrad died in Los Angeles at age 73.

In 1996, author Brian Daley died in Maryland at age 48. He’s well-known to “Star Wars” fans for his trilogy of Han Solo novels, as well as writing the scripts for the radio adaptations of the original “Star Wars” Trilogy.

In 2011, during the “Arab Spring”, the first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminated in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak from the presidency, and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 18 days of protests.

In 2012, singer/songwriter/producer/actress Whitney Houston died in Beverly Hills at age 48.

In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation during a routine morning meeting of Vatican cardinals. (The 85-year-old pontiff was succeeded by Pope Francis.)

In 2015, journalist Bob Simon, correspondent for CBS news, died in a car accident in New York City at age 73.

Also in 2015, a university student was murdered as she resisted an attempted rape in Turkey, sparking nationwide protests and public outcry against harassment and violence against women.

In 2016, scientists announced the first detection of gravitational waves predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

In 2017, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile across the Sea of Japan.

 

I might not post 50 facts a day but I’ll try to post at least 5


2011 - In San Francisco, CA, a five-foot-wide fiberglass heart depicting Yoda was temporarily installed in Union Square Park for a fundraiser.


2015 - The comic Darth Vader #1 was published.

1943 - General Dwight David Eisenhower was selected to command the allied armies in Europe.

1945 - During World War II, the Yalta Agreement was signed by U.S. President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin.

1993 - Janet Reno was appointed to the position of attorney general by U.S. President Clinton. She was the first female to hold the position.

2002 - U.S. First Lady Laura Bush appeared on the "Tonight Show" with host Jay Leno.

 

8–11 February 1914: Aeronaut Hans Rudolph Berliner and two others, Alexander Haase and A. Nicolai, departed Bitterfeld, Germany, aboard Berliner’s gas balloon. They were carried across the Baltic Sea and into Russia. After encountering rain storms, gale force winds and howling wolves, their balloon came to rest in deep snow near the town of Kirgischan in the Ural Mountains.
In 47 hours, the men had traveled 3,052.7 kilometers (1,896.9 miles), setting a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Absolute Record for Distance. This record remained unsurpassed until 1978.

10–11 February 1929: At Mines Field, Los Angeles, California (now, Los Angeles International Airport—better known simply as LAX), Evelyn (“Bobbie”) Trout set a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record for Duration with an overnight endurance record of 17 hours, 5 minutes, while flying the prototype R. O. Bone Co. Golden Eagle Monoplane.
Having saved $2,500.00 for training, at the age of 22 Bobbie Trout began her flight lessons at the Burdett Air Lines School of Aviation at Los Angeles. She soloed four weeks later. On 21 January 1929, trout was awarded a pilot certificate by the National Aeronautic Association of the U.S.A, on behalf of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Her license was carried by space shuttle pilot Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Marie Collins aboard Discovery (STS-63) in February 1995.

11 February 1939: Barely two weeks after its first flight, First Lieutenant Benjamin Scovill (“Ben”) Kelsey, U.S. Army Air Corps, took the prototype Lockheed XP-38, 37-457, on a record-breaking transcontinental flight from March Field, Riverside, California, to Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York.
Kelsey was overhead Mitchel Field, New York at 4:55 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, but his landing was delayed by other airplanes in the traffic pattern.
On approach, the XP-38 was behind several slower training planes, so Lieutenant Kelsey throttled back the engines. When he tried to throttle up, the carburetor venturis iced and the engines would not accelerate, remaining at idle. The airplane crashed on a golf course short of the airport.
The XP-38 was damaged beyond repair, but its performance on the transcontinental flight was so impressive that 13 YP-38s were ordered from Lockheed by the Air Corps.
Designed by an engineering team led by Hall L. Hibbard, which included the legendary Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson (SR-71, U-2, F-104 etc), the XP-38 was a single-place, twin-engine fighter designed for very high speed and long range.
The P-38 Lightning was one of the most successful combat aircraft of World War II. By the end of the war, Lockheed had built 10,037 Lightnings.

 

1978 - "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" was published. It was the first expanded universe novel.

 

12 February 1935: The United States Navy rigid airship USS Macon (ZRS-5), under the command of Lieutenant Commander Herbert Victor Wiley, crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Monterey Bay, on the central California coastline. The airship soon sank to the sea floor, approximately 1,500 feet (457 meters) below. Of the crew of 76 men, 74 survived.

During an earlier transcontinental flight, USS Macon had encountered severe turbulence while crossing mountains in Arizona. A diagonal girder in one of the ring frames failed. Temporary repairs were made, but permanent repairs were deferred until the next scheduled overhaul.
On 12 February 1935, the airship flew into a storm near Point Sur, California. The ring frame failed and the upper vertical fin was lost. Pieces of broken girders punctured several of the aft helium cells.
One sailor jumped from the airship, but did not survive the fall. Another swam back to the sinking ship to collect personal belongings and drowned.
Survivors were rescued by three U.S. Navy Omaha-class light cruisers, USS Cincinnati (CL-6), USS Richmond (CL-9), and USS Concord (CL-10), which had responded to Macon‘s distress signal. Lieutenant Commander Wiley was commended by Claude A. Swandon, Secretary of the Navy, for his handling of the accident, and he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for personally rescuing a member of the crew at the risk of his own life.
USS Macon was the U.S. Navy’s last rigid airship. For the next twenty years, all lighter-than-air craft were non-rigid “blimps”.
USS Macon was built by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation at Akron, Ohio. It was launched 21 April 1933, and commissioned 23 June 1933. Macon was constructed of duralumin ring frames and girders, covered with a fabric envelope. The rigid airship was 785 feet (239.3 meters) long with a maximum diameter of 132 feet, 10 inches (40.488 meters). The overall height was 146 feet, 2 inches (44.552 meters). The airship displaced 7,401,260 cubic feet of air (209,580 cubic meters). Lift was provided by 6,500,000 cubic feet (184,060 cubic meters) of non-flammable helium gas contained in 12 rubberized fabric gas cells.
The airship had a maximum speed of 75.6 knots (87.0 miles per hour/140.0 kilometers per hour).
USS Macon was armed with eight Browning .30-caliber machine guns for defense.

It also carried five Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division F9C-2 Sparrowhawk reconnaissance airplanes in an internal hangar bay. These were small single-place, single-engine biplanes, with a length of 20 feet, 7 inches (6.274 meters) and wingspan of 25 feet, 5 inches (7.747 meters).


The Last Peacemaker: This gigantic airplane, a Convair B-36J-75-CF Peacemaker, serial number 52-2827, was the very last of the ten-engine strategic bombers built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics at Fort Worth, Texas. It was completed 1 July 1954. On 14 August, it was delivered to the Strategic Air Command, 92nd Bombardment Wing, Heavy, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. In April 1957, 52-2827 was assigned to the 95th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, at Biggs Air Force Base, El Paso, Texas.
The last one built, 52-2827 was also the last operational B-36.
On 12 February 1959, after 4 years, 5 months, 30 days service, the Air Force returned the bomber to Fort Worth. 52-2827 departed Biggs Air Force Base at 11:00 a.m., under the command of Major Frederick J. Winter. Other pilots were Colonel Gerald M. Robinson, commanding the 95th Wing, and Captain Wilson P. Smith. (Colonel Robinson flew as first pilot during the takeoff, while Major Winter flew the landing.) The bomber’s crew were hand-picked, and included two navigators, two flight engineers, an observer, two radio operators, two gunners and a crew chief. Ten newspaper, radio and television reporters were on board as well.
The B-36 touched down at Amon Carter Field at 2:55 p.m. The Peacemaker’s log book was closed out with a total of 1,414 hours, 50 minutes, flight time.
After a ceremony attended by thousands, the bomber was officially retired. A bugler blew “Taps,” and then the Peacemaker was towed away.
It was put on display at Amon Carter Field. After decades of neglect, the bomber was placed in the care of the Pima Air and Space Museum at Tucson for restoration and display.
Between 1946 and 1954, 384 B-36 Peacemakers were built. They were never used in combat. Only four still exist.

 

I saw one of the last remaining B-36s at the Air Force Musueum near Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH. I freely admit I wanted to see it after watching "Strategic Air Command".

 

If I may...

ALSO ON FEBRUARY 12th:

In 1554, Lady Jane Grey, who'd claimed the throne of England for nine days, and her husband, Guildford Dudley, were beheaded after being condemned for high treason.

In 1733, Englishman James Oglethorpe founded Georgia, the 13th of the original Thirteen Colonies, and its first city at Savannah (known then as Georgia Day).

In 1809, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born in present-day Larue County, Kentucky.

Also in 1809, naturalist/geologist Charles Darwin was born in The Mount, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

In 1818, Chile officially proclaimed its independence, more than seven years after initially renouncing Spanish rule.

In 1893, General of the Army Omar Bradley was born in Randolph County, MO.

In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded.

Also in 1909, New Zealand's worst maritime disaster of the 20th century happened when the SS Penguin, an inter-island ferry, sank and exploded at the entrance to Wellington Harbor.

In 1914, the groundbreaking took place for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

In 1915, the cornerstone was laid for the Lincoln Memorial.

Also in 1915, actor Lorne Greene was born in Ottawa. Later on, he’d be known for playing the main focus of the “Cartwright Curse”.

In 1924, George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" premiered in New York.

In 1931, the Universal Horror movie “Dracula”, starring Bela Lugosi, premiered in New York City.

In 1936, actor Joe Don Baker was born in Groesbeck, TX.

In 1940, actor Ralph Bates, best-known for his work with Hammer Films and on the BBC series “Poldark”, was born in Bristol, England.

In 1946, the comedy/crime movie “Live Wires” was released in the U.S. It was the first “Bowery Boys” movie, starring Leo Gorcey as “Slip” Mahoney and Huntz Hall as “Sach” Jones.

In 1961, Soviet Union launched Venera 1 towards Venus.

In 1940, the radio serial "The Adventures of Superman" debuted on WOR-AM in New York City, with Bud Collyer as the Man of Steel.

In 1945, actor Gareth Thomas, best-known for playing Blake on “Blake’s 7”, was born in Wales.

In 1950, actor/director/writer Michael Ironside was born in Toronto. Years later, his characters would, respectively, make people’s heads explode and fight alien insects.

In 1954, the Universal Horror movie “Creature from the Black Lagoon” was released in, respectively, Denver, CO; and Detroit and Lansing, MI.

In 1959, the redesigned Lincoln penny — with an image of the Lincoln Memorial replacing two ears of wheat on the reverse side — went into circulation.

In 1963, a Northwest Orient Airlines Boeing 720 broke up during severe turbulence and crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 43 people aboard.

In 1964, the thriller “Seven Days in May”, starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, was released in the U.S.

In 1967, police raided the English country home of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards in a search for drugs. Singer Mick Jagger was there at the time. They were both charged three months later.

In 1973, Operation Homecoming began as the first release of American prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict took place.

In 1980, actress Christina Ricci was born in Santa Monica, CA.

In 1993, the comedy “Groundhog Day”, starring Bill Murray, was released in the U.S.

In 1993, the comedy “Groundhog Day”, starring Bill Murray, was released in the U.S.

In 1993, the comedy “Groundhog Day”, starring Bill Murray, was released in the U.S. (Okay, that’s enough, pal.)

In 1999, the Senate voted to acquit President Bill Clinton of perjury and obstruction of justice.

In 2000, cartoonist Charles M. Schulz died in Santa Rosa, CA at age 77.

In 2001, the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touched down in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.

In 2002, former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic went on trial at The Hague, Netherlands, on charges of genocide and war crimes in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. (Before a verdict was reached, he was found in his cell dead of an apparent heart attack in 2006.)

In 2004, the city of San Francisco began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom.

In 2014, actor/writer Sid Caesar, best-known for his work on “Your Show of Shows”, died in Beverly Hills at age 91.

In 2017, singer Al Jarreau died in Los Angeles at age 76.

In 2019, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia officially renamed itself as the Republic of North Macedonia.