The next time you're cycling and curse the local council for not repairing pot-holes, spare a thought for Thomas Stevens.
Starting in 1884, this American-based Englishman set off from Sacramento to circumnavigate the world - on a Penny-Farthing:
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Those "ordinary" bicycles were obviously made to last as, in 20 months and 13,500 miles, the worst damage his machine suffered was when soldiers in Persia temporarily confiscated his bike and disassembled it, breaking spokes on the main wheel which, thankfully, an Afghan handyman was subsequently able to repair.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Stevens_(cyclist)
I always find it odd that Britain's most famous female aviator of the period (or aviatrix, as they were described at the time) Amy Johnson is so rarely mentioned in articles such as this. She died flying an Airspeed Oxford for the ATA.A male member of the RAF once made a complaint about Moggridge after observing her reading while she was flying the plane he was on. “He reportedly said: ‘It was dreadful weather and I can’t believe not only was a woman flying me here, but she was reading a book’.”
According to the exhibition, Moggridge’s response was: “Oh no, I wasn’t reading a novel. Those were my ATA notes. I hadn’t flown this type of plane before” – at which point her erstwhile passenger “nearly threw up”.
On 5 January 1941, while flying an Airspeed Oxford for the ATA from Prestwick via RAF Squires Gate to RAF Kidlington near Oxford, Johnson went off course in adverse weather conditions. Reportedly out of fuel, she bailed out as her aircraft crashed into the Thames Estuary near Herne Bay.
A convoy of wartime vessels in the Thames Estuary spotted Johnson's parachute coming down and saw her alive in the water, calling for help.[27] Conditions were poor – there was a heavy sea and a strong tide, snow was falling and it was intensely cold.[28] Lt Cmdr Walter Fletcher, the Captain of HMS Haslemere,[Note 3] navigated his ship to attempt a rescue.[28] The crew of the vessel threw ropes out to Johnson but she was unable to reach them and was lost under the ship. A number of witnesses believed there was a second body in the water.[27] Fletcher dived in and swam out to this, rested on it for a few minutes then let go. When the lifeboat reached him he was unconscious and as a result of the intense cold he died in hospital days later.[28][29] Johnson's watertight flying bag, her log book and cheque book later washed up and were recovered near the crash site.[30][22]
A memorial service was held for Johnson in the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields on 14 January 1941. Walter Fletcher was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal in May 1941.[28]
Disputed circumstances
In 1999, it was reported that Johnson's death may have been caused by friendly fire.[31] Tom Mitchell, from Crowborough, Sussex, claimed to have shot Johnson's aircraft down when she twice failed to give the correct identification code during the flight. Mitchell explained how the aircraft was sighted and contacted by radio. A request was made for the signal. She gave the wrong one twice. "Sixteen rounds of shells were fired and the plane dived into the Thames Estuary. We all thought it was an enemy plane until the next day when we read the papers and discovered it was Amy. The officers told us never to tell anyone what happened."[31]
In 2016, Alec Gill, a historian, claimed that the son of a ship's crew member stated that Johnson had died because she was sucked into the blades of the ship's propellers; the crewman did not observe this to occur, but believes it is true.[32]
As a member of the ATA with no known grave – her body was never recovered – Johnson is commemorated (under the name Amy V. Johnson) by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede.[33]
I collect strange and weird stuff. A couple of years ago I came across (online) a teaspoon that had been a part of a cutlery set belonging to Hitler. While I do own some things others may find questionable, this item I passed on.As disturbing as the Nazi atrocities were/are, this man has an astonishing collection of nasty stuff from that era. I wouldn't want to collect any of this stuff myself but ... WARNING ... here's his collection.
Wow, thats horrific. I found myself thinking the only thing that could drag this even lower is if he had a cannister of Zyklon B. And then...As disturbing as the Nazi atrocities were/are, this man has an astonishing collection of nasty stuff from that era. I wouldn't want to collect any of this stuff myself but ... WARNING ... here's his collection.
I collect strange and weird stuff. A couple of years ago I came across (online) a teaspoon that had been a part of a cutlery set belonging to Hitler. While I do own some things others may find questionable, this item I passed on.
Wow, thats horrific. I found myself thinking the only thing that could drag this even lower is if he had a cannister of Zyklon B. And then...
It reminds me of a certain episode of Father Ted.
And those pincer devices for dragging prisoner's corpse's around. I've never even heard of those before until seeing this macabre collection. I'm not enthusiastic about researching whether those were invented because of concentration camps or not. I definitely wouldn't want to own a pair considering what they've been used for in the past so I'm not sure if this bloke's a neo nazi or if he's genuinely not glamorising this stuff but instead revealing it to the world as he claims ?. It is educational we have to admit even though it's horrible. It makes me wonder about the kind of people he knows to even get hold of this stuff.And a cyanide capsule dispenser!
I suppose if his exhibits were in a bona fide museum no-one would bat an eyelid (and many of them are), but as a private collection the volume and type are more than a bit disturbing. One Zyklon B canister would be more than enough, but there were a few. He'd better hope they don't corrode anytime soon.And those pincer devices for dragging prisoner's corpse's around. I've never even heard of those before until seeing this macabre collection. I'm not enthusiastic about researching whether those were invented because of concentration camps or not. I definitely wouldn't want to own a pair considering what they've been used for in the past so I'm not sure if this bloke's a neo nazi or if he's genuinely not glamorising this stuff but instead revealing it to the world as he claims ?. It is educational we have to admit even though it's horrible. It makes me wonder about the kind of people he knows to even get hold of this stuff.
Like the nasty store owner in Falling Down?Wow, thats horrific. I found myself thinking the only thing that could drag this even lower is if he had a cannister of Zyklon B. And then...
If you have a spare £3½ million you could be in the market for Hitler’s gold watch which was looted from Berghof, his mountain hideout, by a French soldier called Sgt Robert Mignot during the closing weeks of the Second World War.I collect strange and weird stuff. A couple of years ago I came across (online) a teaspoon that had been a part of a cutlery set belonging to Hitler. While I do own some things others may find questionable, this item I passed on.
It has stayed in the soldier’s family ever since but is now set to come up for auction with an estimated price tag of £3.4m.
The watch was manufactured by Swiss luxury watchmaker LeCoultre and features the Nazi leader’s initials, the Swastika and the regime’s notorious eagle.
It also bears three dates, Hitler’s birthday, the date he was appointed chancellor of Germany, and the date of the Nazi party’s 1933 election victory.
The watch will go under the hammer at Alexander Historical Auctions in Maryland, in the United States.
Bill Panagopulos, president of the auction house, said it was the first time a watch belonging to Hitler had been offered for public sale.
‘The watch was given to Hitler probably in 1933 after he was made chancellor of Germany and essentially gained full authority over every aspect of the administration of the country,’ he said.
‘It was given to him most likely by the Nazi party itself in recognition of his achievement and in thanks for elevating the party to power.’
Mr Panagopulos said while other items belonging to Hitler such as pieces of tableware, clothing and furniture had come up for sale in the past, the watch was was unique and came with ‘solid provenance’.
Sgt Mignot, took the watch from the Berghof on May 4, 1945.
His unit, the Regiment de Marche du Tchad, had stormed the building slightly ahead of American troops but found it recently abandoned.
After bringing the watch back to France, Sgt Mignot later sold it to his cousin, whose grandson has now put the heirloom up for auction.
My organ's even smaller than that!The World's Smallest Organ (1933)
Really surprising that they're only asking 3-1/2 million!If you have a spare £3½ million you could be in the market for Hitler’s gold watch which was looted from Berghof, his mountain hideout, by a French soldier called Sgt Robert Mignot during the closing weeks of the Second World War.
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Interesting - these women didn't seem to realize the Titanic was going down?Interviews with Titanic survivors:
I thought there were laws governing the selling of stolen property by Auction Houses, especially when the item has clearly been looted ?Really surprising that they're only asking 3-1/2 million!
Guess that's nothing compared to what he did?I thought there were laws governing the selling of stolen property by Auction Houses, especially when the item has clearly been looted ?
Update - It sold for $1.1 million to an anonymous buyer, substantially less than it's 2 - 4 million estimate.If you have a spare £3½ million you could be in the market for Hitler’s gold watch which was looted from Berghof, his mountain hideout, by a French soldier called Sgt Robert Mignot during the closing weeks of the Second World War.
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My husband has a big tin box full of stuff from his family history, that his great aunt gave him. Amongst it all is a copy of what we realised was the first ever edition of the Daily Mail. I'd like to kill it with fire but husband thinks we should put it on eBay to raise £s for a cause they'd hate. Only thing is - who'd buy it? Maybe I will kill it with fire...I collect strange and weird stuff. A couple of years ago I came across (online) a teaspoon that had been a part of a cutlery set belonging to Hitler. While I do own some things others may find questionable, this item I passed on.
https://www.dmarge.com/qantas-concordeThe Concorde, a ‘supersonic’ passenger aircraft that flew faster than the speed of sound, made its last commercial flight almost 20 years ago.
Since 2015, rumours of the Concorde returning to the skies continue to swirl around and the word Concorde is still the biggest buzzword today when it comes to ultra-fast flights.
Concorde flew its last commercial flight back in 2003, a demise brought upon by financial problems, high maintenance costs and a major Air France crash in 2000 which tragically killed all 113 passengers on board.
8-legged official examinations?
Yes! I don't know either8-legged official examinations?
Sounds a bit... octopoid...Yes! I don't know eitherI'll try to ask ...