As the US honed in on what it hoped would be its notable first in manned space exploration, a problem arose that required a unique solution. Surprisingly, the answer to this problem of cutting edge technology turned out to be an obsolete piece of equipment that came as the result of the vision of a daring private entrepreneur, with the help of a few two-by-fours.
More Essex class aircraft carriers were built than any other capital ship in the 20th century, and the class would be witness to events that would come to define the modern world, and the age of the aircraft carrier.
The Reconquista, or Christian reconquest of Iberia, took nearly 800 years. The fighting did not come without great attempts by Muslim powers across the strait trying to reestablish their presence in mainland Europe. The last gasp of that effort came in the 1330s, when the powerful Marinid sultanate of what is modern Morocco invaded in an attempt to reverse Christian gains and secure the perilous position of the Sultanate of Granada.