Operation Frequent Wind

Well, not aware of what Operation Frequent Wind was; it was the name given to the final evacuation during the Fall of Saigon: the final days of the US-Vietnam War. This operation is one of the largest military evacuations ever and the largest done using helicopters as the primary means of evacuation. This rescue operation is known as a logistical success for the US because a few dozen helicopter pilots were somehow able to rescue and evacuate more than 7,000 people in just 18 hours. Well, it’s impressive for sure, and what makes it more impressive is the fact that mass evacuation was never supposed to involve helicopters.

Operation Frequent Wind is now well known for being the most successful mass helicopter evacuation ever done using helicopters. The primary means of evacuation was never the plan – well, to surprise you more, it wasn’t even the backup plan. It was the backup to the backup to the backup plan. Woohoo!!

It was initially known as Operation Talon Vise until spies from North Vietnam got to know about it. The plans for a mass evacuation from Vietnam had been in place for many years and originally supposed to involve the use of commercial and military aircraft to evacuate citizens at risk and military personnel, with the estimated total number of people evacuated was around 2 million.

But why did marines dumped helicopter worth millions of dollars

The South Vietnamese air force major Buang Lee was trying to escape Vietnam because if he had stayed, he would have been executed. He was able to commandeer a small Cessna plane, and under heavy fire, he somehow took off and fled out of the country with two adults and five children in the tiny slow-moving plane.

He headed towards the sea in search of any ship to land on. After about an hour, he finally saw the USS Midway.

But he wasn’t able to land because there was not sufficient space to land on the ship, because of dozens of helicopters on board. He somehow was able to throw notes on the ship, that read: Can you please move the helicopters on the other side, so that I can land on your runway, Please rescue my family and me.

After reading the note, the captain of the vessel, Lawrence Chambers, had to make a decision. While it was possible to move some of the helicopters but not all of them. But seeing the courage of Major Buang, young captain Chambers made a decision to move the helicopter that could be moved and dump the rest in the sea. In total, nearly $65 million worth helicopters were ditched to save Major, his wife, and five children.

Well, this is the brave story of Major Buang and Captain Lawrence Chambers. This brave act by Lawrence Chambers has made a lot of Americans proud.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 16, 1922, Schulz was an introvert as a child. The young boy’s timidity, compounded with the freezing temperatures of the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, gave Schulz a deeply isolated childhood. Schulz further struggled to find friends in school as, being incredibly bright for his age, he was skipped ahead two grades and could never find companionship with the older kids in his class. As an adult, Schulz looked back at his childhood and saw it as preparation for his career as a cartoonist. In interviews and talks on the humor in his strip, Schulz said that the best comedians are those that came from troubled environments.

Throughout the loneliness of his childhood, Schulz found solace in comic strips. The young boy, with the encouragement of his father, read all the strips in the four newspapers of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. It didn’t take long for Schulz to decide to pursue a career as a cartoonist and he honed his artistic skills in high school. Schulz took jobs as an art teacher and letterer for a Catholic publishing company after coming home from World War II. Eventually, Schulz secured a job with the Minneapolis Tribune to draw a comic strip entitled Li’l Folks, the precursor to Peanuts.

After several years, Schulz was able to get Li’l Folks syndicated nationally. Publishing giant United Features Syndicate made the cartoonist change the strip’s name to Peanuts as Li’l Folks was too similar to the title of other strips. While making it to the big leagues, Peanuts was not without controversy, particularly for 50s audiences. The strip dealt with many taboo topics, such as depression, and was the first to give audiences the inner thoughts of an animal. While disliked by many, Peanuts became a household name within a decade of its first run and Schulz himself recognized as one of America’s leading cartoonists.

In crafting his characters, Schulz was inspired by his own personality. The frequent worrier Charlie Brown represents Schulz’s anxieties while Linus is the personification of the artist’s religious center. Schulz also created characters to represent the changing landscape of America. In 1966, inspired by the feminist movement, Schulz introduced the sports-loving tomboy Peppermint Patty. Two years later, after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Schulz introduced Franklin, Charlie Brown’s friend and the first African American character in the strip.

The last original Peanuts strip was published on February 13, 2000, a day after the death of its beloved creator. Although Peanuts came from a place of sadness and loneliness in Schulz’s mind, the persistence and resiliency of its young characters gives hope to generations.

In colonial days, individuals running for office would often send letters to potential voters, and occasionally visit them in person at their home. On election day, politicians were expected to be at the place of voting, and to great each voter personally.

The events leading up to elections were also quite different from today. Campaigners would often throw parties. When George Washington ran for the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758, he gave potential voters alcohol. Prior to voting, Washington provided seventy gallons of rum punch, thirty-five gallons of wine, forty-seven gallons of beer, and two gallons of cider. He won the election with 310 votes.

In New York, it was common for candidates to rent entire taverns and throw wild parties on election day. Once everyone was liquored up, impromptu parades would form as voters walked through the streets to the polling places. Voters who had traveled to town for the election often brought their families, who would watch the mayhem, and sometimes participate. After the election concluded, voters would crowd into the closest tavern, and the winner of the election was expected to provide food and drink. Election cake, a special sweet bread, was also served on election days.

Although they could not vote in official elections, African Americans also held election day festivities. Beginning in the 1700s, free and enslaved African Americans held festivals that included African traditions, foods, and dances. In Boston, African Americans would gather to drink, dance, and gamble on election day. In some cities, African American communities would elect their own leaders, which included sheriffs, a lieutenant governor, and justices of the peace.

Elections weren’t all fun and games, however. Candidates sometimes would bully potential voters, and brawls were not infrequent. One such brawl in Philidelphia broke into a full-scale riot in 1742. In response to rumors that Quaker politicians were cheating in elections, a group of sailors gathered around the courthouse. The sailors, who were pro-Anglican, became violent. The event is now known as the Bloody Election.

Many political academics believe that America should revive the tradition of election day festivities. The fight to make election day a federal holiday is growing in support and some political scientists believe that celebrations can increase voter turnout. Historian Holly Jackson believes that a return to the celebratory spirit of election day is important for the democratic process.

To help you understand the origin story of Frank Sinatra, we’ve created a brief overview of this incredibly influential artist’s life:

A Family of Immigrants and a Tumultuous Childhood

Frank Sinatra was born on December 12th, 1915 to Marty and Dolly Sinatra. He came from a family of Italian immigrants and the spirit of Italy was always present in his upbringing. However, his birth wasn’t as smooth as one might have hoped. Frank had to be pulled out of his mother’s womb with forceps, a process that ended up harming his face and causing permanent damage to his left eardrum.

Despite Frank Sinatra being known as one of the most well-known male pop stars, he had a rough childhood with regards to looks. For example, the complications of his birth forced him to undergo an intense childhood operation that ended up scarring his face even more, leading children to bully him for his looks.

Pure Passion

One of the things to understand about Frank Sinatra is that he always had a passion for music. When he was only 11 years old, Frank would sing on the streets to earn extra cash, captivating people with his stellar voice. This seemingly natural ability to captivate people that he had was worrisome to his family, as they did not support the idea of him becoming a full-time musician.

However, Frank continued to persevere and would sing throughout his time at school. He would continue to sing with various groups until getting his first big break in 1939 as a lead singer in the Tommy Dorsey band in Chicago. This would earn him $125 a week and helped him transition into being a professional musician!

A Nationwide Phenomenon

After working with a few other jazz bands, Frank Sinatra would make his debut performance as a solo singer on December 30th, 1942. This was the beginning of the star being a complete phenomenon, with many of his fans going to ridiculous ends to get as close to the singer as possible. This was also the time during which he would begin to break into Hollywood films, allowing him to communicate with the public in a new medium.

A Lasting Legacy

Though he would go on to have some controversies later in his life, Frank Sinatra continues to represent a golden era of pop music for many people. Since his early upbringing to his time as one of the most famous men in the world, Frank Sinatra has shown many others how important it is to always chase your dreams!

Ships made with bones of humans

French soldiers that got prisoned during the Napoleonic war found an unusual hobby when they were left alone for many years at the start of the 19^th century. This unusual hobby was of fashioning ornate replicas of British ships, out of human bone and bovine. The French soldiers used any bones they came across to create these fascinating models. The rare bone ship models tend to sell for tens of thousands of dollars at auctions because collectors of these macabre historical relics go nuts.

How did prisoners of war make such accurate ship models out of such bizarre materials? French prisoners obtained beef and mutton bones from the food rations that were issued to them by their English captors. After acquiring bones for use in building replicas of ships, prisoners boiled the bones and bleached them in the sunlight to make the bones easier to shape and carve. The French prisoners of war used any bones they found, no matter what or whom they might have belonged to.

Even the pigs around the POW (prisoners of war) camp also helped to supplement the French prisoners’ bone supply by uncovering human skeletons buried in shallow graves.

Cobbling all the things together

In addition to human, cattle, and mutton bones, French prisoners of war made use of their own hair to fashion sail ringing to create sails. On some occasions, visitors to the camp from nearby villages and British officers would smuggle in pieces of turtle shells, tools, metal, and silk for the Frenchman to use.

To build the structure of the ship models, Frenchmen used the larger bones, and for smaller pieces, they used wood scraps for the finely detailed cannons of masts.

Mechanisms into models

Many of the Frenchmen artists built mechanisms into their models and replicas. There were some popular models of the ships whose mechanism attracted huge sales. The French prisoners of war attempted to make the ships at scale, but they often failed. Their craftsmanship far exceeded this shortcoming.

So this article was all about how French prisoners of war showcased their craftsmanship by building up models of ships using bones of humans. Besides humans, they also used bones that they used to come across, no matter what and who they belonged to. The models crafted by these French prisoners of war became very popular and used to get sold for huge amounts of money.

It turned out that it was the latter. While a treasure map must be every archaeologist’s dream (as they surely chose to become an archaeologist after watching movies like Indiana Jones) it turns out that a shopping list still caused a lot of excitement. After all what could be on a shopping list from 400 years ago? Did they ask for a few snickers and a can of coke?

Looking at the images of the letter both the writing style and words used do send shivers through your body. It is clearly from a different time, one that we have often recreated in movies but now see in true reality. The letter starts with “Mr Bilby, I pray pvide to be sent too morrow in ye Cart some Greenfish” Already it sounds like something that would be uttered in Pride and Prejudice (which is set in the early 1800s). These opening words which sound so fancy, so smart, so sophisticated are essentially asking someone to pick up some fish.

The letter then goes on to say “The Lights from my Lady Cranfeild[es] Cham[ber] 2 dozen of Pewter spoon[es]: one greate fireshovell for ye nursery”. It took time for the archaeologists to decipher what this sentence meant exactly but it turns out that this was not exactly a shopping list but a moving list. The man in question Robert Draper had moved house and was sending Mr. Bilby to buy some items but also to retrieve some things from the old house. Here he is asking for lightbulbs, spoons, and a shovel. If you are wondering if they had fires in nurseries back in the 1700s (we were) then you are misunderstanding the last part of this message. The nursery referred to is likely the garden and Mr. Bilby may in fact be a gardener or handyman for the estate.

The letter wraps up with the final part stating “and ye o[t]hers which were sent to be exchanged for some of a better fashion, a new frying pan together with a note of ye prises of such Commoditie for ye rest. Your loving friend Robert Draper Octobre 1633 Copthall”. Here Robert Draper is saying that he wants Mr. Bilby to replace some of the things that were getting old, including a new frying pan as well as some things for Mr. Bilby’s own quarters that he needs. Robbery Draper signs the letter and marks the date, October 1633.

It is incredible to think such a simple note has survived so long. When I consider the silly things that I have written in the last twenty years I can’t imagine what archaeologists would think if they found it. Luckily what I write usually doesn’t last a day nevermind 400 years. The paper used back in 1633 by the wealthy was closer to a fabric material and explains how it was kept in such good quality. As for why it was buried under the floorboards it appears that was just chance. Experts guess that it likely slipped between the boards and has long been forgotten.

George Hull was a traveling salesman. He moved around a lot of the states of America and would try to sell the cigars that he made wherever he could. Once in Iowa while trying to sell some cigars to a preacher he became embroiled in a debate about God. The man he was talking to believed that every word in the bible was to be taken literally while Hull, an atheist, felt that the words were intended as stories to teach lessons. The preacher he was talking to was so convinced that he even believed that there were once giants ten feet tall, as it said so in the bible. 

Hull left that conversation astonished at the man’s beliefs and started to think of a way to prank the man, show the fallacies of religion and perhaps make some money. In the space of two years, Hull designed and orchestrated the production of a giant man, made from gypsum. He hoped to convince people that it had become petrified and frozen in stone.

Hull then spoke to his cousin in New York and asked if he could bury the statue on his land. The cousin gladly agreed as long as he could see a share of the profits. He was a farmer and there were plenty of options for places to bury it. They chose a spot near the barn where there were plenty of weeds growing so that it would appear as if the ground had been untouched for a long time. 

A year later the farmer hired some locals to dig a hole by the barn to help him build a well. After a few hours of digging, they hit a stone foot. Once they found it they immediately got excited with one shouting that he had found a buried Indian. Soon the whole town arrived to see the giant man. There had been fossil deposits found in Cardiff years earlier so many were happy to presume that this giant had been petrified by the sewage nearby. The story was taking off. The giant was now real.

When one science lecturer came to say that the statue was simply a statue, our farmer played his part perfectly. He said he was tired of the debate and would simply bury it again. However, locals would not stand for it. They were proud of the statue found in their town and ‘convinced’ the farmer of its worth. He agreed and put it on display for a small price. Soon a group of businessmen offered to buy the statue for $30,000. He gladly accepted the offer and the statue started to travel across America as one of the new wonders of the world. Geologists from New York were now even believing the hype with some calling it the most remarkable find of the century!

Soon though learned people started to point out how it was clearly a fraud and that the story made no sense at all. At the same time, others were trying to get in on the money. One man offered to buy the statue but the sale was refused. Without a care in the world, this same man went and build his own replica and started to tour it around America as well. Soon fake giants were popping up in every state across the country. None of them realized that the frauds they were building were built on a fraud itself.

After a few years though people began to suspect every statue of being a fraud. Hull himself had come out at this point and admitted his scheme. He later tried to repeat the prank with a statue that had a tail in another small town but he was quickly discovered this time and lost a lot of money. He died without riches or fame but delighted in the fact that he had once fooled all of America.

Although the 1916 Summer Olympics were canceled due to the First World War, the sport was still included in the track and field events of the 1906 Intercalated Games. During the first two Olympics, five or six individuals competed for each team. For the 1908 Summer Olympics, eight individuals competed for each team. According to Time, the rules of the game required that the teams pull their opponents six feet away from them.

If both teams failed to perform their tasks, the judges would give the competitors another five minutes to try and make their move. The winner would then be declared based on the points scored. The sport caught the attention of Olympic officials due to its controversial nature. For instance, the American team that won the gold medal in 1904 was allegedly composed of Chicago ringers.

Another controversy occurred during the 1908 Summer Olympics when the American team accused the British team of using illegal shoes. The team members claimed that the British players’ shoes had illegal traction. Alan Knott, a member of the English Tug-of-War Association, said that the Liverpool Police team was supposed to pull their American rivals in bare feet, but they declined. The Americans then withdrew from the competition. Great Britain, on the other hand, won the gold, silver, bronze, and fourth prizes.

Due to the withdrawal of several countries from the competition, the only match involving the two teams was between Sweden and Great Britain. However, after the British team sat down during the second pull, they were disallowed from participating in the match.

What Happened to the Sport After the Olympics?

After 1920, tug-of-war was officially dropped from the Olympics. Great Britain won the most medals during the event’s history. Following the Summer Olympics in 1920, various countries started their own tug-of-war associations. The Amateur Athletic Association of the UK was the first to organize the sport in the country. After the English Tug-of-War Association was founded in 1958, other similar organizations were established in Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

The TWIF was established in 1960 after a meeting between Swedish and British tug-of-war officials in London. It has since grown to include over 50 member nations. Since its inception, international tournaments have been held every year at various levels.

The International Olympic Committee recognizes tug-of-war as a recognized sport. TWIF is working to get the sport reinstated in the Olympic program. Currently, it is held every four years at the World Games. This event is carried out under the IOC’s patronage.

During the early Olympic Games, tug-of-war was only held at Catchweight. Nowadays, it’s held in different weight classes for both men’s and women’s teams. In recent years, mixed-gender teams have also been introduced. These teams are composed of women and men with an equal number of members.

The TOWA supports the idea of bringing back tug-of-war to the Olympics. It’s easy to understand and can be enjoyed by everyone. Also, the results of the matches do not rely on the subjective scoring system. This sport can be easily accessible to everyone since it doesn’t require a huge amount of equipment or facilities.

The Olympic motto is “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” With that in mind, tug-of-war fits the bill perfectly. The TOWA is hoping that the sport will be brought back to the Olympics someday. It is a sport that all countries can enjoy.

The story

A Christmas Carol is a well-loved tale with a protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit, the boss of misery. Both lived different lives – Bob lived a life in poverty; on the other hand, Scrooge a comfortable life. Tim belonged to the family of the Cratchits; he has iron bars on his legs and always struggled with the crutch. However, it is not mentioned what illness he had.

As the story progresses, Scrooge got a surprise visit of four ghosts who showed him that there are errors in his misery. Also, during their last visit, the Ghost of Christmas showed Scrooge that Tiny Tim died of his ailments. Later, Scrooge repents and becomes more generous with the Cratchit family.

In the next chapter, Scrooge’s kindness is altered and transfers him into a “second father” to Tiny Tim, who survived.

The culprit of Tim’s death

Most of the scholars have suggested several ailments like TB, cerebral palsy, spine injury, nutritional deficiency, renal tubular acidosis, rickets, and polio, with which Tim might be affected. All these diseases have destructive effects on the skeleton, but it can be reversed with simple alkaline salts treatment.

Each of the disorders mentioned above is the result of poor nutrition and hygiene that might have led to the death of tiny Tim. Have a look at the other factors responsible for Tim’s death.

The living conditions of Tim

Tim lived in the worst parts of London. He lived with his low-income family in the filthy, shady, and crowded place with a soot-filled sky. Because of the burning of the coal, the atmosphere gets layered with sulfur and other harmful particles. Soot-filled sky made it difficult for London’s inhabitants to have enough Vitamin D. Thus, the people were most likely to get affected by the diseases. Having proper diet became the only reasonable way for the people to get appropriate Vitamin D.

The diet is another reason

The poor were not able to get hold of food, which is rich in Vitamin D like the fish, milk or eggs, liver, and healthy fats. Thus, the sparse population of London became susceptible to diseases like rickets. Tim belonged to the inferior parts of London; therefore, he couldn’t afford to buy Vitamin D rich food. And he became vulnerable to various diseases that took away his life.

He faced problems with Co-occurring diseases

The children with rickets were quite prone to get respiratory ailments like TB and pneumonia. And according to some studies, it was concluded that Tim was going through both of the conditions.

How money helped the poor kids?

With the simple addition of dairy products and fish in Tim’s diet, Scrooge worked on his newfound generosity. He provided him with sufficient Vitamin D so that Tim’s immune system improves, and he gets treated from his rickets problem.

But that didn’t stop Thomas Fitzgerald from making an ill-advised bet at the bar. This WWII veteran did the impossible not just once, but twice. Today, he’s a legend in New York City.

Thomas Fitzgerald, Veteran and Airplane Mechanic

Thomas Fitzgerald was born in New York City in the year 1930. In WWII, he served as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. After the war was concluded, he joined the U.S. Army and served in the Korean War.

One purple heart and many stories later, Fitzgerald returned to civilian life. He’d already had adventures on land and sea, so he decided to take to the air instead.

Thomas enrolled in the Teterboro School of Aeronautics in New Jersey. He gained his pilot’s license and began working at an airplane mechanic.

One Drunken Night at the Bar

At the age of 26, Thomas Fitzgerald was a veteran of two wars and a licensed pilot. He also liked to spend time at the bar with his friends.

On a September evening in Washington Heights, Fitzpatrick made a drunken bet with another patron at a local tavern. He claimed that he could drive to New Jersey from the Heights and be back in 15 minutes. Of course, no one believed him.

An Impossible Landing

Fitzpatrick went out to his car and drove to his old flying school. There, he commandeered a single-engine plane and flew it back to Washington Heights.

His plan was to land the plane on the football field of a local high school. Unfortunately, it was 3:00 am, and the field was too dark to see.

Not wanting to risk the safety of the aircraft, and with time running out on his bet, Fitzgerald made what seemed like a logical decision. He flew to the bar and landed his plane on the street.

Local Uproar

In the morning, Washington Heights woke to find a plane parked neatly on St. Nicholas Avenue. Most people who saw the plane thought it had to be a joke; no one could thread an aircraft of that size between the narrow buildings of Manhattan.

But it wasn’t a joke, and Fitzgerald had actually managed to land that plane. The owner of the aircraft didn’t press charges, to Fitzgerald walked away with nothing more than $100 fine and a suspension of his pilot’s license. There’s no word on whether the other guy at the bar paid up.

Doing It All Again

As a judge later noted, if Fitzgerald had been properly charged for his antics, he might not have tried to do it again. But two years later, he decided to recreate his feat.

This time, the bet was with a man from Connecticut. Thomas had been drinking again, and this fellow didn’t believe that he had actually landed the plane. Rather than pull out a newspaper clipping, Thomas decided to prove his piloting skills in person.

The two drove back to New Jersey, and Fitzgerald selected a fresh single-engine plane for his new exploit. Once again, he flew between Manhattan’s buildings and landed smoothly in the street.

This latest stunt had witnessed. Several New Yorkers were startled as a plane came swooping over their heads. One bus driver dove to the floor of his vehicle.

Fitzgerald fled the scene, leaving an aircraft in the middle of the road.

Legal Consequences

This time, local authorities were not nearly so lenient with Fitzgerald. In addition to pulling an aerial stunt, he’d also fled the scene and lied to authorities about his involvement. It was only when he was identified by witnesses that he admitted to piloting the craft.

Thomas Fitzgerald’s charges included grand larceny, reckless piloting, flying within city limits, and flying without a license. His reward was six months in jail and story in every major news publication.

Although he was obviously a talented pilot, Fitzgerald never got his license back. He got married, settled down, and had three children. Fitzgerald finally died in 2009, going down in history as the first and only man to successfully land a plane in New York City.