In its 64 years of existence, NASA has tested some truly innovative and inspiring ideas. None, perhaps, were more radically weird than the wingless “flying bathtub,” towed by a hopped up Pontiac Catalina. It was a little remembered low-budget program in a time when NASA and the entire idea of space travel was radically different than what we see today- a time when pure engineering enthusiasm could make a bathtub fly.
The plot of the Rue of Saint Nicaise and its use of an infernal machine played a vital role in the career of Napoleon Bonaparte, and transformed the very concept of assassination, resulting in a new definition of a word all too familiar today: terrorist.
Stories of the suffering, and attempts to celebrate Christmas among soldiers at the front during war, including the 1914 “Christmas truce,” remind us of the blessings of Christmas even in the worst of times. But one Christmas stands out for sheer desperation.
On December 19, 1944 the submarine USS Redfish accomplished a rare feat in the second world war, sinking a Japanese fleet aircraft carrier. It was just one event in the service of a submarine that entered the second world war rather late in the game, but found distinguished service during the second world war and beyond. In fact, there is a good chance you’ve seen USS Redfish, even if you didn’t know it at the time.