Here’s a little bit more Bell System history for you.
“Challenge of Change”, from 1961. I think this is noteworthy as a very early depiction of the first modem (among other things). That punch-card dialing system is pretty neat for 1961, too.
Bonus video #1: This goes out to all the radio people and “Mannix” fans out there: “Mobile Telephones”, or: what cell phone technology looked like in the late 1940s. Show this to your children.
Bonus video #2: “The Far Sound”, a Bell Labs history of the development of long distance service.
We’ve heard from various organizations and individuals in this series. But do you know who we haven’t heard from until now?
The intelligence community.
Unless you’re as geeky as I am (or more) you’ve probably never heard of CORONA/DISCOVERER. CORONA was an early satellite reconnaissance program: DISCOVERER was the name of the disinformation program associated with it, which claimed to be a technology development program.
CORONA shot photos on film – actual, physical film. But how do you get the film back from space for development? CORONA would eject a capsule containing the film, which would re-enter the atmosphere…
Here’s a vintage video from Lockheed of “DISCOVERER”, which (of course) doesn’t discuss CORONA at all. But it does show the capsule retrieval process.
Bonus video #1: “Oceanography: Mining Minerals In The Ocean” from Martin Marietta. This is pretty much what it says on the tin: exploring deep undersea using early remote operated vehicles to find deposits of underwater mineral nodules.
I can’t tell when this video was made, so I’m not clear on whether it was pre or post the Project Azorian revelations. I’m guessing it was some time during the 1970s, because that music.
Bonus video #2: from 1964, “Undersea Pilot”, about the Reynolds Aluminum built deep sea vehicle Aluminaut. This doesn’t have quite as many intelligence implications as the other two videos, but Aluminaut did see some military use. (It is a well known fact that it was used in recovery operations after the 1966 Palomares B-52 crash. Some other books I’ve read on Navy deep sea operations in the 1960s and 1970s lead me to believe it was involved in other classified missions as well.)
I thought Aluminaut and Trieste and Alvin were incredibly cool, back when I was in the single digit age range. (I’m pretty sure I read about them in a How and Why Wonder Book, thought I don’t remember which one.)
To be fair, these are not random YouTube recommendations. This is something I ran across a few months ago, and that became part of a small project I’m working on. I want to bookmark these here for my own reference, but I also think some of my readers (especially those with children) may enjoy these. Admittedly, they are about an hour each, but that’s why this is Science Sunday. And how long are your children’s normal school classes?
Between 1956 and 1964, the Bell System (you remember the Bell System, don’t you?) produced nine specials about various aspects of science. These were broadcast on television in prime time, and the first couple got pretty good audience ratings.
Frank Capra (yes, thatFrank Capra) produced and wrote the first four, and directed the first three.
I thought I’d continue with yesterday’s theme. I’ve decided that tomorrow is Science Sunday, so if you’re not interested in gun stuff, feel free to skip over today’s entry.
For those of you who are still reading, you might find this an interesting contrast: “Fundamentals of Rifle Marksmanship”. This one is from the United States Marine Corps, and dates to 1999.
Bonus video #1: “Fundamentals of Rifle Marksmanship”, an Army training film from 1971. I’ll warn you: the audio and video quality on this one aren’t great. Really, the only reason I’m putting it here is so that my readers can compare it with the previous video.
Bonus video #2: something a little less military, and a little more nostalgia. “The Making of a Shooter”, a vintage video from the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer’s Institute (SAAMI). Produced by the Jam Handy Organization, a name that’s probably familiar to MST3K fans and other film buffs.
Before I link today’s videos, I want to give a tip of the Hatlo hat to great and good FoTB (and official firearms trainer to WCD) Karl, who has actually been linking some of my posts on the KR Training FaceBook page. Thanks, Karl!
As a thank you and tribute to Karl: “Combat Firing With Hand Guns” from 1944.
“Being a good shot on a range doesn’t mean that a man will be the same good shot when the target is moving or firing back at him.”
Bonus video #1 and 2: posting these as a hat tip to Bayou Renaissance Man. They’re also pretty long, but we are entering the weekend. Think about your next range trip.
I haven’t done anything super geeky in a little while, so today’s the day.
“An Introduction to Digital Computers”, from the UNIVAC division of Sperry Rand sometime in the 1960s.
Bonus video #1: it seems only fair to give the other guys their turn. This is a compilation put together by the Computer History Archives Project of promotional videos for the IBM System/370.
Okay, that’s kind of a trick question: very few people other than military aviation buffs remember the XB-70. It was an amazing concept: a plane capable of sustained flight at Mach 3 and 70,000 feet.
Sadly, the project was overtaken by events: they ended up building only two planes, and one was lost in a mid-air collision. The other one is in the Air Force Museum in Dayton.
I didn’t know that there was video of the XB-70 in flight. Until last night, that is.
Bonus video #1: since that one was a little short, I’m going to go a little long with this one. “Ejection Decison – A Second Too Late!”. Basically, the point of this training film is: decide before you start flying under what circumstances you’re going to eject. There’s some good video of actual ejections, as well as testimony from pilots who planned and followed through.
Bonus video #2: a short history of the ejection seat from Martin-Baker.
I think today’s featured video falls squarely into the “educational” category. It is also a little better quality than usual.
“Range Safety For Firearms Instructors”, from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC, because I’m not going to keep typing that out). I’m actually quite serious about the educational value of this one: if you’re an NRA certified instructor, all of this is probably covered in your training. But if you’re just a guy taking new or inexperienced shooters to the range, you might get some useful tips out of this.
(It is a little over 15 minutes, but if you’re pressed for time, you can probably skip over the part where they specifically talk about the Uzi. Unless you’re taking new shooters to the range to shoot your full-auto Uzi submachine gun, in which case I want to go with you. Please?)
Bonus video #1: if you’re more pressed for time, here’s a basic introduction to range safety from the National Shooting Sports Foundation that would be good to show to new and inexperienced shooters.
Bonus videos #2 and #3: more from the good folks at FLETC. “Rounds of Authority”, about various types of shotgun ammunition. If you ever wanted to see folks shoot various types of shotgun rounds (including some of the exotics) into various objects (ballistic gel, car doors, soft body armor, etc.) this is the video for you.
In a similar vein, “.40 Caliber Ammunition”, focusing specifically on the .40 S&W and the various tactical and training loads available at the time (1998). And yes, this features more video of stuff being shot.
Keep in mind that these last two are pretty old (23 and 22 years, respectively) and represent what was available at the time, and what the thinking at the time was. Don’t take this as revealed gospel truth today.
Not just bombs – though what high explosives fan can resist the biggest booms of all – but atomic energy in general. The early power reactors. Atoms for peace. Project Plowshare.
I have personal reasons for this, but in my mind, it also ties in to something I call “The Future We Could Have Had”. A lot of folks have written about facets of that future, and someday I may do a longer blog post on the idea.
Today is not that day. But here are some vintage atomic videos to hold you.
First up, “First Reactor In Space…SNAP 10A”. SNAP 10A was an experimental reactor launched almost exactly 55 years ago (April 3, 1965) and was the first nuclear reactor in orbit.
Bonus video: “Power For Continent Seven”. Yes, there was a reactor at McMurdo Station (PM-3A) that operated for about 10 years.
Slight spoiler: if you read the Wikipedia entries, you’ll find that neither one of these projects was, shall we say, 100% successful.
Two of my favorite things written by Neal Stephenson:
Cryptonomicon, a book that seems scientifically designed to push the maximum number of my buttons.
“Mother Earth, Mother Board”, Stephenson’s long but fascinating essay about submarine cables. This was originally published in Wired almost 24 years ago, and (interestingly enough) is reprinted as part of the back matter to the Kindle edition of Cryptonomicon.
I mention these things because this came across my YouTube recommendations, and I thought it was worth running on a Sunday: “The Voice Beneath The Sea”, about laying a trans-Atlantic cable to link the US, Canada, and the UK. Brought to you by “The American Telephone and Telegraph Company Long Lines Department”.
Man, I miss the days of organizations like the “Long Lines Department” and people with names like “Wildman Whitehouse” (even if the latter was grotesquely incompetent).
Bonus video #1: This seems oddly appropriate in these days of Zoom and Skype and WebEx: “Face to Face”, a 1970s promo film from AT&T for the Picturephone.
This is weird, but: I have a really vivid memory of seeing a Picturephone demonstration on TV when I was very young. Specifically…on “Captain Kangaroo”. I kid you not. I guess there were a lot of five to seven year old kids in the target market for AT&T’s service. Or perhaps it was really targeted at all the stay-at-home moms who were watching the show with their small children?
Bonus video #2: “Tools of Telephony”, produced by Western Electric.
I have another video or two along the long lines line (see what I did there?) that I want to put up, but I’m waiting for it to get hot again: I’m hopeful that at least one of those videos will cool you down a bit.
Back on the beat today, since it is Saturday: I have some lighter stuff to post, but I’m saving that for the Sabbath. These will be good to watch if you get tired of tonight’s “Most Shocking” marathon on the Justice Network (or if it is an episode you’ve already seen). They are also a bit longer (but it’s a weekend, so you don’t have to worry about fitting these into your coffee breaks). And I’ll warn everyone: the effects in these, especially the second one, are a little graphic.
First up: “Officer Survival: High Risk Patrol Tactics”. I think this title is a little misleading, as it deals less with patrol: the instructional point of this video is basically how to deal with armed, barricaded suspects.
Bonus video: “Vehicle Stop Tactics”. This one features a lot of the mistakes police officers made in “routine” stops. The latter part of this one (roughly the second half) also demonstrates how to do a high-risk felony stop correctly, so it kind of overlaps “Felony Vehicle Stop“.
This one goes out to all the high explosives fans out there.
“Demolition: Electric Priming”, an Army training film from the 1950s giving you everything you need to know to prime and detonate explosives with electric blasting caps.
Bonus video #1: This is a little long, but I know there are several people who are going to want to watch this: a 1993 interview with Carlos Hathcock, Marine sniper.
Bonus video #2: for this one, I’m going to send you over to Lawrence. He’s put up a pilot for an unsold 1959 “Nero Wolfe” TV series…with William Shatner as Archie Goodwin. To which I can only say: ain’t that a kick in the head?
All of these are just a little outside my target run length, but that’s okay. I hope everyone can deal with that.
First up: this might be just a little too much, even for my readers who are people of the gun. But I wanted to put it up because it is a nice slice of history from around the time I was born.
“Target Vs.”, a 1965 film from the Williams Gun Sight company about the 1965 National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio.
I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough to compete at Camp Perry, but I’d like to visit there one of these days while the matches are going on. Just to take in the scene.
Bonus video #1: “No Points For Second Place”. This is apparently a Grumman produced tribute to the F-14. With some handy tips on dogfighting thrown in.
Bonus video #2: “Police Pursuit Driving Part 2”. I guess this is a sequel (at least thematically) to “Police Pursuit“, but it lacks Jack Webb. I think it also lacks Smith and Wessons, though there is one ridiculous bit in here (you’ll know it when you see it).
I cannot tell a lie: “Some guys stay rookies forever.” gets a rise out of me.
Our first video today is a little longer than usual, and also not exactly a random YouTube find. This one was recommended to us by great and good FOTB (and official firearms trainer of WCD) Karl Rehn. (Speaking of stuff rescued from obscurity, that NRA pistol manual is pretty spiffy, too.)
“It Could Happen to You!”, a NRA film from the 1970s for women. The archive.org notes say it doesn’t have any guns in it: “Women are shown rather defending themselves with hairpins, their nails, and by locking themselves in their cars with handkerchiefs as SOS flags.”
Bonus video #1: This one should fit a little more comfortably into the coffee break time slot. “The Blackbirds Are Flying”.
No, this isn’t a nature video. This one is from Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, and shows off all three of the Blackbirds.
Bonus video #2: “The Petrified River: The Story of Uranium”. This is a Department of Interior – Bureau of Mines product, but was apparently filmed with the cooperation of the old Union Carbide Corporation. There’s some really nice plane video at the start, RoadRich…