by .
The only remaining town gate of Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate was modelled after the propylaeum of the Athenian Acropolis. Originally topped with the "Quadriga of Victory", a statue of a chariot drawn by four horses, it was heavily damaged in World War II but was later restored in 1961. The Berlin Wall blocked access to it for both eastern and western Germans, but it was reopened in 1989 with the reunification of East and West Berlin.
The gate was the backdrop for what historic speeches? More...
Historic Trivia pick - Acoustic Kitty
THE CAT THE CIA TURNED INTO A BUG
The mysterious world of espionage reached its pinnacle during the darkest days of the Cold War. As the Soviet Union and the West struggled for worldwide military and economic supremacy, no intelligence-gathering scheme seemed too wild or harebrained if it offered a chance, however small, of gaining vital information.
Yet, even in the context of those desperate times, the CIA's plan to turn a stray cat into an electronic intelligence gathering platform still sounds rather, well, nuts.
The project was revealed to the public in 2001, when it was mentioned in a passel of heavily censored documents declassified by the CIA's Science and Technology Directorate. According to experts, the scheme, hatched during the 1960s, was to wire felines with listening equipment so they could eavesdrop on conversations. The prototype, called Acoustic Kitty, was surgically implanted with microphones, batteries, and a radio receiver, along with an antenna running up its tail. The $16 million project came to an abrupt end, however, during field trials. The bionic cat was released near a park and was promptly run over by a taxi.
It was a merciful finale for the poor creature.
Berlin's Brandenburg Gate Reopens
The only remaining town gate of Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate was modelled after the propylaeum of the Athenian Acropolis. Originally topped with the "Quadriga of Victory", a statue of a chariot drawn by four horses, it was heavily damaged in World War II but was later restored in 1961. The Berlin Wall blocked access to it for both eastern and western Germans, but it was reopened in 1989 with the reunification of East and West Berlin.
The gate was the backdrop for what historic speeches? More...
- 2010 - Don't ask don't tell was repealed
President Obama signed the repeal of the don't ask, don't tell policy that governed the recruitment and service of LGBTQ members in the United States military. The policy was put in place by the Clinton Administration in 1994. - 1989 - Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu overthrown
The Communist President was ousted after widespread demonstrations in the country. Ceaușescu and his wife Elena tried to flee the country, but were captured, tried and executed by a firing squad. The Romanian Revolution was the only violent overthrow of a communist government in the 1980s. - 1937 - Lincoln Tunnel opens
The 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) long tunnel passes under the Hudson River and connects New Jersey to New York City. - 1891 - First asteroid discovered through astrophotography
323 Brucia was discovered by Max Wolf and was named after Catherine Wolfe Bruce, an American patron of astronomy. - 1882 - First Christmas tree to be illuminated by electric lights displayed
Edward H. Johnson, an associate of inventor Thomas Edison and the Vice President of the Edison Electric Light Company, became the first person to decorate a Christmas tree with electric lights at his home in New York City.
Historic Trivia pick - Acoustic KittyTHE CAT THE CIA TURNED INTO A BUG
The mysterious world of espionage reached its pinnacle during the darkest days of the Cold War. As the Soviet Union and the West struggled for worldwide military and economic supremacy, no intelligence-gathering scheme seemed too wild or harebrained if it offered a chance, however small, of gaining vital information.
Yet, even in the context of those desperate times, the CIA's plan to turn a stray cat into an electronic intelligence gathering platform still sounds rather, well, nuts.
The project was revealed to the public in 2001, when it was mentioned in a passel of heavily censored documents declassified by the CIA's Science and Technology Directorate. According to experts, the scheme, hatched during the 1960s, was to wire felines with listening equipment so they could eavesdrop on conversations. The prototype, called Acoustic Kitty, was surgically implanted with microphones, batteries, and a radio receiver, along with an antenna running up its tail. The $16 million project came to an abrupt end, however, during field trials. The bionic cat was released near a park and was promptly run over by a taxi.
It was a merciful finale for the poor creature.
by 
61-BLUES
