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Post up facts and things that hardly anyone knows...... (for entertainment purposes only. NO need to fact check)

Kern Dog said:
I picked that meme from another site. I know very little about aircraft.
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Not that I'm fact checking, but at least the part about Betty Lou's fall is true.

The longest freefall survived in an elevator is 75 stories (over 300 meters or 1,000 feet). This record is held by Betty Lou Oliver, who survived a plunge in the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945, after a B-25 bomber crashed into the building, severing the elevator cables.
 
One more for Betty Lou!

As a young 20 year old bride, Betty Lou Oliver was the elevator operator of elevator #6 in the Empire State Building when Lt. Col. Willian F. Smith's B-25 hit the north side of the building between the 79th and 80th floor on July 28th, 1945. Seriously injured, she was put in an elevator for evacuation to medical help. Unbeknownst to everyone, the right engine of the plane smashed its way through an elevator door and went crashing down the elevator shaft, severing cables as it went. This was the very same shaft of the elevator that Betty Lou Oliver had been put in. The car and elevator operator plunged 1,000 feet (75 stories) into a sub-basement. The freefall of the elevator was broken by the massive coils of cables that had fallen to the bottom of the shaft. Despite suffering a broken back and legs, the operator survived. She had to be cut from the mangled wreckage. July 28th was supposed to be her last day on the job. She recovered in less than eight months, and returned to Ft. Smith, AR, with her husband Oscar Lee Oliver. She had three children and seven grandchildren. She died November 24, 1999, and is buried alongside her husband (who died in 1986) in the Ft. Smith National Cemetery, Ft. Smith, AR
 
An office tower built in London managed to singe people's hair, melt plastic on a car and crack slate tiles, just because of its shape.

20 Fenchurch Street, the official name, is often called the "Walkie-Talkie" tower due to its shape.
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Unfortunately, insufficient solar modelling meant that the curved facade of mirrored glass ended up acting like a parabolic mirror, focusing sunlight on the street.
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This was noticed before the construction was even completed, in 2013.
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Melted mirror on a Jaguar:
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A sunshade solution was used to fix the problem.
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That is interesting. I like seeing mistakes in engineering that surely inspire phrases like....I never thought of that !

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Carved into the arid plains of Iran's central plateau, these mysterious formations are part of an ancient Persian innovation known as a qanat system—one of humanity’s earliest and most enduring feats of hydraulic engineering. These vertical shafts, some dating back over 2,500 years, stretch for kilometers beneath the desert surface, channeling groundwater from distant aquifers to thirsty farmlands.
Each circular depression is a vertical access well, cut by hand through layers of rock and soil. When connected via gently sloping tunnels, they form a sustainable, gravity-fed system that transports water across vast distances without evaporation—ideal for dry, sun-scorched climates. This subterranean network nourished cities, fields, and caravans alike, ensuring survival in otherwise inhospitable terrain.
From the sky, they resemble a line of celestial craters or fossilized footprints of a forgotten colossus. Yet beneath lies a tale of resilience, science, and adaptation—a legacy of invisible rivers that still flow, silently binding past to present beneath the dust of time.
 

The red trolley on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” traveled 5,000 miles annually​

 
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You Might Not Ever Guess
Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 as age 76 , which is odd, because he always looked to be 76. (DOB: 6/27/27 ) His death reminded me of the following story.
Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3 and 4 star generals at Arlington National Cemetery . His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else. Here's a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer:
I always liked Lee Marvin, but didn't know the extent of his Corps experiences.
In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in the armed forces often in rear echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war bond promotions.
Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima. There is only one higher Naval award... the Medal Of Honor
If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.
Dialog from "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson": His guest was Lee Marvin Johnny said, "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima ..and that during the course of that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."
"Yeah, yeah... I got shot square in the bottom and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting' shot hauling you down. But Johnny, at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew... We both got the cross the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. Bullets flying by, with mortar rounds landing everywhere and he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his men's safety was more important than his own life.
That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to me, lying on my belly on the litter and said, where'd they get you Lee?' Well Bob.. if you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse!"
Johnny, I'm not lying, Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew.
The Sergeant's name is Bob Keeshan. You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."
On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth.
But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed kills to his name. He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV, to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps. He was a master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat.
After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life. He hid away the tattoos and his past life and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm.
America's real heroes don't flaunt what they did; they quietly go about their day-to-day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy.
Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst.
Often, they are the ones you'd least suspect, but would most like to have on your side if anything ever happened.
Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom. With encouragement they could be the next Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers.
 
Reminds me: A little man, a friend of mine worked for my best friends auto repair shop for fifty years. Wonderful little guy, very generous to all his friends. I found out later in our friendship that before wwII he was a pretty good professional boxer, and that he enlisted the week of pearl harbor.
He went to Africa for the first US mission in Europe, was captured by the Afrika Corp, POW, escaped, recaptured, spent the rest of the war in a prison camp.
He talked of NONE of this, learned details from his daughter, after alzheimers took him away.
R.I.P, Johnny.
 
33 IMP said:
Reminds me: A little man, a friend of mine worked for my best friends auto repair shop for fifty years. Wonderful little guy, very generous to all his friends. I found out later in our friendship that before wwII he was a pretty good professional boxer, and that he enlisted the week of pearl harbor.
He went to Africa for the first US mission in Europe, was captured by the Afrika Corp, POW, escaped, recaptured, spent the rest of the war in a prison camp.
He talked of NONE of this, learned details from his daughter, after alzheimers took him away.
R.I.P, Johnny.
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That reminds me of a guy I worked with the last 15 years I worked. We worked in Canada, Asia, and Mexico together. He was quite easy going guy, that would do anything for you. A joy to work with. He was an Army Ranger that did 4 tours in Nam.
RIP Sam.
 
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