Illuminati-R-Us

Lance wrote:

Arneb wrote:Eugene Cernan

Back when I worked for the Big Evil oil company, they would occasionally have "Lunch and Learns" with guest motivational speakers. One time one of the shuttle astronauts came in to speak, who also had recently published a book. The name of the astronaut and book escape me at the moment and a quick Google search didn't help.

Anyway, during the course of his talk, he gave away 3 autographed copies of his book to people who correctly answered his trivia questions. I don't recall the first 2 questions but in the audience of several hundred, many hands went up with the answers. He chose whoever he thought got their hand up first.

Then came the third question: "Everyone knows Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon. Who was the LAST?"

I could not believe in that audience I was the _only one_ who knew the answer.

If I knew where the book was now, I could have told you the title and his name. But, alas...

That’s extremely cool. I was at a boring work thing once where Chris Hadfield spoke and was undoubtedly the highlight. Very funny, amazing stories, engaging, I could have listened to him for weeks.

I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t know the answer, but that is way cool.

Heid the Ba wrote:I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t know the answer, but that is way cool.

I did, but I had also just been reading the thread, so I think my answer is tainted.

Sorry forgot to post this yesterday:

19 December 1972, 19:54:58 UTC: Splashdown - The end of the end of the beginning

CMD Eugene Andrew Cernan Mar 3, 1934 - Jan 16, 2017
SMP Ronald Ellwin Evans Jr. , Nov 10, 1933 - April7, 1990
LMP Harrison Hagan Schmitt, b. July 3, 1935



Schmitt was the first scientist on the Moon, and apparently, he took full advantage of his unique position, so much so that media could sometimes get overwhelmed...

21 December 1964 NZ Whalers harpoon their last Whale

Now and again, 21 December is the longest day in Southern Hemisphere - but not in 2022. The longest day this year is tomorrow, 22 December 2022 because

22 December in History - See yesterday's post

25 December throughout the current and previous millennium (the previous few centuries*) in the Christian world.

* https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christmas

tubeswell wrote:25 December throughout the current and previous millennium (the previous few centuries*) in the Christian world.

* https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christmas

Russian Orthodox - 7 Jan
Some Armenian churches - 6 Jan
Other Armenian churches - 19 Jan

Мастер wrote:

tubeswell wrote:25 December throughout the current and previous millennium (the previous few centuries*) in the Christian world.

* https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christmas

Russian Orthodox - 7 Jan
Some Armenian churches - 6 Jan
Other Armenian churches - 19 Jan

True, but OTOH, it's their 25th of December according to the calendar used, isn't it?

I read today that one of the Ukranian Orthodox churches is allowing their members to part with 7 Jan and move to 25 Dec.

Arneb wrote:

Мастер wrote:

tubeswell wrote:25 December throughout the current and previous millennium (the previous few centuries*) in the Christian world.

* https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christmas

Russian Orthodox - 7 Jan
Some Armenian churches - 6 Jan
Other Armenian churches - 19 Jan

True, but OTOH, it's their 25th of December according to the calendar used, isn't it?

In the case of Russia, yes.

For the Armenian churches, it is Jan 6 Gregorian, or Jan 6 Julian (Jan 19 Gregorian).

Apparently, there was some cross-pollination of traditions during the 1800s, when Dec 25 Julian was Jan 6 Gregorian.

78 years ago.

Never forget.

Arneb wrote:77 years ago.

Never forget.

Indeed, although I think you need to practice your arithmetic a bit!

True, too. Corrected.

Oh it can take many of us more than 4 weeks to remember to put the right year on things!

But that's not entirely the point. The point is to remember that it happened. Every January, there are a few less of the survivors left, so it is incumbent on us to continue to refuse to forget.

Two days late - but, here goes.

On 31 January 2023, the last ever Boeing 747 was delivered to the customer Atlas Air, a cargo carrier.

For 37 years, the Boeing 747 was the largest passenger aircraft in the sky, finally eclipsed by the Airbus 380.

Boeing didn’t believe the 747 had much of a future as a passenger aircraft. It was widely thought that the future of passenger travel was supersonic, and a very large but subsonic craft like the 747 was a stopgap measure. However, they did see a future for such craft as cargo aeroplanes, and designed the 747 to be converted easily into a freighter - something Airbus did not do such a good job of decades later.

Apart from it being very large, the cockpit is on a smaller upper deck. As a result, it is possible for a passenger to sit ahead of the pilot on the lower deck (something Мастер has done). The nose can pivot up, allowing cargo to be loaded through the front. The Airbus 380 cannot do this. It is larger, but the two decks are separated by flooring that cannot be removed, because it is needed for the structural integrity of the craft. And, the cockpit is between the upper and lower decks, making it impossible to swivel up. Cargo must therefore not only fit in the upper deck only or the lower deck only - it must also fit through the door. As pleasant as it is as a passenger aircraft, the A380 is a poor freighter.

As it happens, Boeing’s own demand forecasts for passenger variants of the 747 were too pessimistic. The craft sold well. Widespread supersonic travel never happened, and twin-engine craft could not be flown long distances over water. The 747 faced only limited direct competition from the DC-10 (later the MD-11) and the Lockheed L10-11, somewhat smaller tri-engine craft. The 747 ruled the Pacific. While smaller craft were often used between North America and Europe, 747s were easy to find in Asia and Australia.

More than three and a half decades later, Airbus put out the even larger A380, another four-engine craft. But this one came to the market many years too late. It was too big, requiring extensive modifications at airports where it operated. But, the era of quad-engine very large jets was already coming to an end. Engine reliability improved to the point that twin-engine craft are now routinely flown across the wide expanses of the Pacific and other overwater routes. The twin-engine craft are more efficient, require less maintenance, and can operate profitably with smaller passenger loads than the B747 or the A380. Long distance flights are now routinely handled by twin-jets like the B777, B787, and A350. The passenger versions of both the B747 and A380 were discontinued in the last few years, although Boeing continued to make a freighter B747 until Tuesday. Now neither will be built again. If forces conspire to put another very large passenger aircraft into the sky, it will likely be a new design, taking advantage of the more efficient materials and technologies used on the B787 and the A350.

But it will still be possible to fly in a B747, probably for years to come. I believe there are still 31 operating as passenger aircraft (more than one hundred before COVID), with Lufthansa having the largest passenger 747 fleet. So a quick trip to Arnebburg could well put one inside one of these great metal beasts. For A380, there are a lot in the Middle East, including the one Мастер recently took to Doha. But Emirates operating out of Dubai has the largest fleet. (I recently saw one from MH on the ground in KL.)

Three days late, but easier on the math:
90 years ago, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of the German Reich. He did not stage a coup, he wasn't voted in by a majority of the Reichstag. He had not won a landslide victory in an election (on the contrary, he ad lost several points in the last election in November of 1932). He was appointed Chancellor of an extreme right-wing coalition cabinet by the aging, arch-conservative President Paul von Hindenburg, who had become ever more frustrated by the unsuccessfull attempts of the Chancellor originally appointed, Kurt von Schleicher.

As many an elected would-be "leader" with dicatatorial tendencies would like to do nowadays, Hitler never let another free and fair election happen. In the last general election of the Weimr Republic, on 5 March, 1933, dictatorial powers were already in place, yet the NSDAP didn't even win an absoute majority (43.9 % of the vote. That's a lot in a proportional-representation system, but not a majority). He didn't let that stop him.

Arneb wrote:Three days late, but easier on the math:
90 years ago, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of the German Reich. He did not stage a coup, he wasn't voted in by a majority of the Reichstag. He had not won a landslide victory in an election (on the contrary, he ad lost several points in the last election in November of 1932). He was appointed Chancellor of an extreme right-wing coalition cabinet by the aging, arch-conservative President Paul von Hindenburg, who had become ever more frustrated by the unsuccessfull attempts of the Chancellor originally appointed, Kurt von Schleicher.

As many an elected would-be "leader" with dicatatorial tendencies would like to do nowadays, Hitler never let another free and fair election happen. In the last general election of the Weimr Republic, on 5 March, 1933, dictatorial powers were already in place, yet the NSDAP didn't even win an absoute majority (43.9 % of the vote. That's a lot in a proportional-representation system, but not a majority). He didn't let that stop him.

Tosser

Meanwhile, on this day 63 years ago, British Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan gave a speech in Cape Town, saying a "wind of change" was blowing through Africa. That meant not only that the British Government would not stand in the way of independence movements in African colonies but also that while it wished to support South Africa as a fellow member of the Commonwealth, it could not do so while apartheid remained in place. His hosts saw it as a betrayal - they presumably felt somewhat better 20 years later when another British Conservative Prime Minister took a different view of them.

Eighty years ago, Hans and Sophie Scholl were guillotined, together with their friend, Christoph Probst.

There are very few people Germany can be proud of '33-'45. These two, and a number of friends joining them in theirr little pocket of resistance, die Weiße Rose, count among them.

Arneb wrote:Eighty years ago, Hans and Sophie Scholl were guillotined, together with their friend, Christoph Probst.

I saw a picture of Sophie recently. It made me shudder.

But i must disagree with you, there are many people of whom Germany can be proud from 1933 to 1945. Probably none of my relatives, but . . .

Some bit of good news - Uncle Joe has been dead for 70 years already. His pale imitation in today's Kremlin should follow suit sooner rather than later.

Arneb wrote:Some bit of good news - Uncle Joe has been dead for 70 years already. His pale imitation in today's Kremlin should follow suit sooner rather than later.

"Uncle Joe" was a western thing. Domestically, he was Papa Stalin.

But it seems like a suitable occasion to watch "The Death of Stalin" again.

Re his pale imitation, that individual seems to compare himself more to Peter the Great. You know, Peter the Great, the tsar who opened Russia up to Europe?

85 years ago, Atze had a few friends in Wehrmacht garb prepare his upcoming European Tour visit to his new provincial capital, Vienna. His show was greeted by raving crowds

Tosser