Many Chinese launch centres are situated inland, which has sometimes been disastrous for the people living in the area… “Intelsat 708 was a telecommunications satellite built by the American company Space Systems/Loral for Intelsat. It was destroyed on 15 February 1996 when the Long March 3B launch vehicle failed while […]
You’ve done it. You’ve made it to the Olympics. The only problem is, you can’t compete… “Eric Moussambani Malonga (born 31 May 1978) is an Equatoguinean swimmer. Nicknamed Eric the Eel by the media, Moussambani won brief international fame at the 2000 Summer Olympics for an extremely unlikely victory. Moussambani, […]
The bridge has collapsed – but in the nighttime fog, some motorists don’t realise until it’s too late… “The Tasman Bridge disaster occurred on the evening of 5 January 1975, in Hobart, the capital city of Australia’s island state of Tasmania, when a bulk ore carrier travelling up the Derwent […]
Blimps are going extinct! But what’s causing this to happen? And is there any hope for the future of the airship? “A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is an airship (dirigible) without an internal structural framework or a keel. Unlike semi-rigid and rigid airships (e.g. Zeppelins), blimps rely on the pressure […]
In 1940, after an accidental collision, two planes found themselves lodged together a thousand feet in the air. So what happened to the crew? “On 29 September 1940, a mid-air collision occurred over Brocklesby, New South Wales, Australia. The accident was unusual in that the aircraft involved, two Royal Australian […]
A plane isn’t going to make it very far after losing both its wings – but how could the wings just fall off? “In 2002, two large airtankers – a Lockheed C-130 Hercules and a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer – crashed about a month apart while performing aerial firefighting operations. These […]
The Codex Gigas is otherwise known as the Devil’s Bible – but why? “The Codex Gigas (“Giant Book”; Czech: Obří kniha) is the largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript in the world, at a length of 92 cm (36 in). Very large illuminated bibles were a typical feature of Romanesque monastic […]
With the Space Shuttle fleet temporarily grounded after the Challenger Disaster, this production plant was left with two years worth of excess ammonium perchlorate – which is unstable and highly flammable. Watch what happens when the plant catches fire. “On May 4, 1988, a fire followed by several explosions occurred […]
The eyes are always watching – but why? “The cat’s eye design originated in the UK in 1934 and is today used all over the world. The original form consisted of two pairs of retroreflectors set into a white rubber dome, mounted in a cast iron housing. This is the […]
Watch this court’s reaction to the judge challenging the attorney to a physical fight, before the two get into it! “The Speedy Trial Clause of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that “[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public […]
