Tag: airplanes

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Elm Farm Ollie, The Cow Who Once Flew Over St. Louis

This is why people use the phrase “when pigs fly,” not “when cows fly.”

After The “Miracle On The Hudson,” Captain “Sully” Sullenberger Had To Deal With A Lost Library Book

The story of the famous airplane landing has quite a postscript for book and library lovers.

When Boris Yeltsin “Overslept” And Missed A Diplomatic Visit To Ireland

Back in 1994, Irish leaders were set to give a warm welcome to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, only his plane just circled above the airport for an hour, for complicated reasons.

Pope Stephen VI Put A Papal Cadaver On Trial For Heresy

We start our third season with a timely story, about a new pope. Though unlike popes of this time, this one decided the best way to use his new job was to exhume his predecessor’s remains and put them on trial for heresy.

“Wing Walker” Gladys Ingle Could Change An Airplane’s Tire In The Middle Of The Sky

Today in 1899, the birthday of Gladys Ingle. She was called a “wing walker," which meant she could walk on the wings of a plane in mid-flight and perform some of the most daring and death-defying stunts you could imagine.

During World War II, The US Used Trampolines To Train Pilots

Today in 1945, George Nissen received the patent for a “tumbling device” which we now call the trampoline.  And during World War II that invention became a key part of training fighter pilots.

Edith Keating Let The World See What The World Looked Like From The Air

Today in 1884 was probably the birthdate of a pioneer in aerial photography, Edith Keating.

Margaret Horton Hung Onto The Tail Of A British Warplane As It Took Off And Flew

This week in 1945, a fascinating fact for anyone who didn’t have to live it firsthand: wartime airplane mechanic Margaret Horton accidentally ended up airborne on the tail of a plane.

Jimmy Doolittle Proved Pilots Can Fly Completely By Instruments

Today in 1929, Lieutenant James H. Doolittle did what no other pilot had done before: take off, fly and land only using instruments and radio.

Long Before Photoshop, Photographers Knew How To “Photoshop” Photos

For National Photography Day, a look at the many ways people in the pre-computer days could make photos look like something they weren't, for fun or for not so honorable reasons.

William Rankin Fell Through A Thundercloud And Lived

Today in 1959, Marine Corps pilot William Rankin passed through the middle of a thundercloud after having to eject from his plane. And despite the storm’s best efforts, he made it through in one piece.

Tom Stuker Used His Lifetime Airline Ticket To Travel More Than 24 Million Miles

Summer travel comes and goes for most of us, but Tom Stuker, the "world's most frequent flyer," bought a lifetime plane ticket in 1990 and has been up in the air a lot since then.