Today’s lunchtime news chum focuses on history, and some historical items in the news:
- Connie Flies Again. The VC Star has an interesting article on a “Connie” Spy Plane (specifically, a a retired Lockheed EC-121T Warning Star Super Constellation that has completed refurbishment, and is being returned to the Yanks Air Museum in Chino. The Connie was originally designed to be a commercial aircraft. It was later retrofitted with high-tech surveillance equipment for use in the cold war, Korean war, and Vietnam wars, staying in the air for 23 hours at a time. The radar and surveillance equipment monitored telemetry for satellites, missiles and space shots. They also gathered data on weather, communications and radar signals. At 113.5 feet long, the craft could fit 31 people, two bunks, tables and booths, a kitchenette, a bathroom, seats and lots of technology. The refurbishment overhaulled every system, and included removal of remove extensive corrosion on the wings and installation of new skins on the rudders.
- Centaurs in a Museum. USA has an interesting article on the skeletons of mythological creatures being displayed in a museum (including a photo of a centaur skeleton). This is a display at Tucson’s International Wildlife Museum called “Mythological Wildlife” that aims to make folks think about how we know what is real and what is not. It looks at the potential scientific origins of legendary creatures.
- Hello, Guv’nor. Today’s Mental Floss addresses the question: “When did Americans lose their British accent?”. The answer may surprise you.
Music: Genius + Soul = Jazz (Ray Charles): Birth of the Blues
