Interesting historical facts

[Flibster]

During the development of the Supermarine Spitfire, a version was built with entirely flush head rivets (Prototype K5054). This took a long time, and was more expensive, but increased the speed of the Spitfire.

Naturally, the government wanted them built faster and cheaper. In order to do that, Supermarine needed to find out how many of those flush head rivets could be replaced with normal dome head rivets. So every rivet head was covered in glue and a split pea. Then there was a test flight.

It was 22mph slower.

Over the next few flights they slowly removed the split peas and eventually found where they could use normal rivets and not affect the speed of the Spitfire.



Another plane fact... (I'm a geek...)

At normal operating altitude, the air around Concorde was around -60°C
But as it was moving at around Mach 2.04 (~1560mph) the skin temperature was around 125°C

This temperature differential caused Concorde in flight to expand. By around a foot. This was by design. Expansion areas were included in the airframe. The main one was inbetween the flight engineers console and the bulkhead. That's why a few of grounded Concordes have the Captains hat wedged in there. Placed in there during the final flight and then left.

Another area that shows the expansion was in the floor. Under the carpet there are sliding panels. If you could see sky, you should tell someone.

 

[Hades]

All coal in the world was made at the same time in history - 300m years ago.

 

[Edrof]

The Indian katar (a form of punch dagger) was used as a part of men's dress for centuries but it was also used for HUNTING TIGERS. How insane must you be to get that close to an angry tiger? The above, with a wootz steel blade and gold hilt, is currently in my collection and might date to as early as the 1600s.

 

[NVP]

The Indian katar (a form of punch dagger) was used as a part of men's dress for centuries but it was also used for HUNTING TIGERS. How insane must you be to get that close to an angry tiger? The above, with a wootz steel blade and gold hilt, is currently in my collection and might date to as early as the 1600s.

Oh wow! That's ancient! Sikhs used this style Katar daggar back in their soldier days before they evolved to a Kirpan.

Where did you get it? How much you want for it?

 

[adam cool dude]

During the development of the Supermarine Spitfire, a version was built with entirely flush head rivets (Prototype K5054). This took a long time, and was more expensive, but increased the speed of the Spitfire.

Naturally, the government wanted them built faster and cheaper. In order to do that, Supermarine needed to find out how many of those flush head rivets could be replaced with normal dome head rivets. So every rivet head was covered in glue and a split pea. Then there was a test flight.

It was 22mph slower.

Over the next few flights they slowly removed the split peas and eventually found where they could use normal rivets and not affect the speed of the Spitfire.



Another plane fact... (I'm a geek...)

At normal operating altitude, the air around Concorde was around -60°C
But as it was moving at around Mach 2.04 (~1560mph) the skin temperature was around 125°C

This temperature differential caused Concorde in flight to expand. By around a foot. This was by design. Expansion areas were included in the airframe. The main one was inbetween the flight engineers console and the bulkhead. That's why a few of grounded Concordes have the Captains hat wedged in there. Placed in there during the final flight and then left.

Another area that shows the expansion was in the floor. Under the carpet there are sliding panels. If you could see sky, you should tell someone.

I always remember our chemistry teacher used to explain things to us using visual aids. One was showing how the blackbird leaked like a sieve on the ground but everything came together as it reached speed at altitude.

 

[shadow_boxer]

The Indian katar (a form of punch dagger) was used as a part of men's dress for centuries but it was also used for HUNTING TIGERS. How insane must you be to get that close to an angry tiger? The above, with a wootz steel blade and gold hilt, is currently in my collection and might date to as early as the 1600s.

That’s s lovely. Whats the story behind this one and where you got it from?

 

[Flibster]

I always remember our chemistry teacher used to explain things to us using visual aids. One was showing how the blackbird leaked like a sieve on the ground but everything came together as it reached speed at altitude.

Beautiful aircraft. I got lucky and was visiting RAF Mildenhall when the SR-71 was there many years ago. Got invited into the hanger to see her, she was constantly dripping from pretty much everywhere. She looked shiny because she was wet with oil, fuel, coolant.. god knows what else. Then the crew came in with their space suits on and whistling handbags. Got high fived and they climbed in and were towed out and started up. Got to see the green flame from the engine start with the TEB. Then the take off and a quick flypast then off to who knows where.

It's lovely that the USAF have lent IWM Duxford one for display in the American Air Museum section. Along with a U2. Would love to have a F-117a there, but they're going to be destroyed and buried instead. The SR-71 at Duxford is still leaking fluids and she's been 'dry' for a nearly 30 years.

 

[NVP]

"Invaded" is a bit too deep for the map, considerably tangible, but the spirit of it is quite a realisation.

 

[Blackjack Davy]

All coal in the world was made at the same time in history - 300m years ago.

Trees evolved lignin and there wasn't anything that could break them down so it accumulated in huge depths and eventually buried it took at least 50my for fungi to evolve the enzymes to break it down.

 

[Edrof]

Oh wow! That's ancient! Sikhs used this style Katar daggar back in their soldier days before they evolved to a Kirpan.

Where did you get it? How much you want for it?

That’s s lovely. Whats the story behind this one and where you got it from?

I collect antique weapons so I see such delights quite often. This one is actually listed for sale on my little site as it's a bit too good for me to justify keeping but the old wootz steel, the thick gold overlay and the fact it has Arabic panels (a very rare form of decoration for these) means it's expensive though! Sikhs love their antique weaponry and it's a sentiment that I wholly agree with.

"Invaded" is a bit too deep for the map, considerably tangible, but the spirit of it is quite a realisation.

Ahh, makes one proud to be British! Honestly, I'd much rather have been invaded by the British Empire than any other because, in general, after all of the terrible stuff you at least ended up with far better administration and infrastructure than you got with the other powers.

 

[NVP]

I collect antique weapons so I see such delights quite often. This one is actually listed for sale on my little site as it's a bit too good for me to justify keeping but the old wootz steel, the thick gold overlay and the fact it has Arabic panels (a very rare form of decoration for these) means it's expensive though! Sikhs love their antique weaponry and it's a sentiment that I wholly agree with.

Oooof, just a tad the south indian one with the elephants is more my style can't justify 6 bills whilst on the dole though

We are warriors so makes sense.

How do you decide the value? Material + age + uniqueness?

 

[Fire_fly]

A good video on the activities of the West Africa squadron in ending the Atlantic slave trade.

 

[explicit4u]

Ahh, makes one proud to be British! Honestly, I'd much rather have been invaded by the British Empire than any other because, in general, after all of the terrible stuff you at least ended up with far better administration and infrastructure than you got with the other powers.

I'm going to guess most would prefer not to be invaded in the first place. Plenty of reasons to be proud of what Britain has done, I'd say this isn't one of them.

 

[NVP]

You should be proud if this, though.

Commercial production of tea was first introduced into India by the British, in an attempt to break the Chinese monopoly on tea. The British, "using Chinese seeds, plus Chinese planting and cultivating techniques, launched a tea industry by offering land in Assam to any European who agreed to cultivate tea for export." Tea was originally only consumed by Anglicized Indians, it was not until the 1950s that tea grew widely popular in India through a successful advertising campaign by the India Tea Board.

 

[Angilion]

I'm going to guess most would prefer not to be invaded in the first place. Plenty of reasons to be proud of what Britain has done, I'd say this isn't one of them.

It's worth noting that the map is so devoid of context that it's more clickbait than anything else. For example, it includes everywhere liberated from Nazi occupation in WW2 as long as there were any UK soldiers involved in any way. It also includes everywhere liberated by any part of the UK at any point in history. It also includes everywhere in which any military action by any part of the UK ever happened, including those in which it was requested by people in the country where it happened. It also includes all the cases in which the choice was limited to which more powerful country invaded, when the UK was usually the better choice. It also includes cases in which any force in any way related to the UK in any way attacked anything owned by any other major power which had conquered anywhere. So, for example, if a pirate who maybe possibly perhaps was ignored by the UK authorities as long as they only attacked Spanish ships attacked a Spanish ship within a few miles of the shores of land occupied by the Spanish empire in south America, that's counted as the UK invading whatever country owns that land now, even if that country didn't even exist at the time.

It's often portrayed as a map of aggression and conquest, which it isn't. History is almost always a lot more complicated and the book from which that map is taken was stated as "a bit of fun" by the person who wrote it. It was never intended to be taken seriously. It's not history.

 

[RxR]

I'm going to guess most would prefer not to be invaded in the first place. Plenty of reasons to be proud of what Britain has done, I'd say this isn't one of them.

The world is an unfinished sentence. It is premature to pronounce final judgement using an interim subtotal. By necessity higher order functions are never evident till later.

 

[cu3ed]

The Australian Army lost a war against Emus... Its the most hilarious thing I have ever read about.

 

[RxR]

The Australian Army lost a war against Emus... Its the most hilarious thing I have ever read about.

That's because 25% of them were Irish?

 

[RxR]

Australian General, Monash, an engineer, lawyer and architect revolutionised warfare in WWI by adopting and implementing the engineering approach to combat emulated by every modern military today.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Monash

Moved and disgusted by the poor treatment received by returned Australian war veterans, in retirement he spearheaded services to soldiers, including their honour, and crowdfunded using the technology of the day the Australian war memorial in the capital, Anzac Day (national day of commemoration for the fallen), leading to the RSL - returned services league support club network and other services to veterans.

 

[TJM]

That's because 25% of them were Irish?

Irish Emus are quite tough.