I thought today I’d reach back for some rocket geekery.
First up: “The Space Age: Dr. Goddard to Project Gemini”. This is a 1965 film sponsored by the Metropolitan Life Company about the early days of rocketry. Includes some home movies of Dr. Goddard that I think are pretty neat.
Bonus video #1: “Report From Aerojet”, a promo video for Aerojet General, “a subsidiary of the General Tire and Rubber Corporation”.
Bonus video #2: “All Systems Go”, a 1963 NASA promo film about Gemini.
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.)
And another, even though the (original) lyrics are a little dated:
All right, one more:
Steve Dalkowski, minor league pitcher. This is actually one of those sad stories: he was famous for spending nine seasons in the minor leagues, mostly with the Baltimore Orioles’ teams. He apparently had an amazing fastball, but was also erratic as a pitcher. (“He walked batters almost as often as he struck them out..”) Supposedly, he inspired “Nuke LaLoosh”, the pitcher in “Bull Durham”.
He also had problems with alcohol. At the time of his death, he’d been in a nursing home with “alcohol-induced dementia” for 26 years.
And they’ve put up their “Basic Rifleman’s Course”, which is broken up into neat 15-minute chunks.
Here’s part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Part 5:
Part 6:
And Part 7:
Sorry this is so long, but I feel like at least a few of my readers will find these educational. If you don’t like it, come back tomorrow: I promise something that’s not related to marksmanship.
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.
“If you were against the New Deal and its wholesale buying of pauper votes, then you were against Christian charity. If you were against the gross injustices and dishonesties of the Wagner Labor Act, then you were against labor. If you were against packing the Supreme Court, then you were in favor of letting Wall Street do it. If you are against using Dr. Quack’s cancer salve, then you are in favor of letting Uncle Julius die. If you are against Holy Church, or Christian Science, then you are against god. It is an old, old argument.”
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.
She did a lot of theater work (and won a Tony), did some movie work, and a whole bunch of TV (winning three Emmy awards). No “Mannix”, but she did appear on a lot of Quinn Martin productions.
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.
Tom Lester. He didn’t have an extensive list of credits, but is perhaps best known as “Eb Dawson”, the farmhand on “Green Acres”. He was apparently the last surviving member of the original cast.
I did finally make it down to Cabela’s on Monday. They were open, but with the standard measures in place: limiting the number of people allowed inside, social distancing (you had to take a number and wait behind a rope just to even approach the gun counter), etc.
They were pretty much cleaned out of handgun ammo. Some rifle ammo and what appeared to be plenty of shotgun ammo with smaller shot. (Think birds and skeet, not self-defense.) Some used pistols, but less than usual. Not a whole lot of used rifles: a fair number of Mosins and a bunch of Savage rifles that they seemed to be clearing out, but very few rifles beyond those. There were obvious holes in the new gun stock, but they weren’t totally sold out.
I saw two pre-Model 27 Smiths, one for $800 and one for $900. Of the two, I liked the $800 one better, and a pre-27 is high on the want list, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to pull the trigger on it. I have the money, but I also had planned a trip for mid-June and was holding on for hotel expenses and possible purchases there.
Then I came home and found out the event I was going to in June was cancelled. So much for that.
(This is kind of cool. It is SA/DA, which fits the criteria I’m looking for to shoot Karl’s “Historical Handgun” class eventually. But I already have one .40 S&W (a Glock 35) and can easily convert my M&P in .357 SIG to .40 S&W as well. I really want something in 10mm (like a S&W 1076/1006), not .40, so I can check that box on my gun hipster bingo card. Also, to be honest, that big “40 TACTICAL” on the slide is kind of a turn-off.)
I’m still thinking accessories instead of new (to me) guns, though, unless I see something at a really compelling price. Also, if things get better, Mike the Musicologist and I are talking about hitting Wanenmacher’s in November…