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Piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, who first conceived of the craft and sketched it on the back of a napkin in 1981, the Rutan Voyager was the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. It took off from Edwards Air Force Base in the Majave Desert on December 14, 1986, and landed there nine days later. The aircraft more than doubled the previous record of un-refueled flight set by a US Air Force B-52 in 1962.
How much does the Rutan Voyager weigh? More...
Historic Trivia pick - Sir Isaac Newton's Cat
THE INSPIRATION FOR THE CAT DOOR
Physicist Sir Isaac Newton was one of history's greatest mathematicians and theorists. During his lifetime he made numerous contributions to science, including developing the laws of celestial mechanics, co-developing calculus, and conducting groundbreaking work on everything from the nature of light spectra to measurements of the speed of sound. But few realise that Newton was also a pet lover - or that sometimes his numerous animal friends could drive him to distraction. For instance, he once suffered an emotional breakdown when a favourite dog knocked over a candle on his desk, burning some of his important research notes.
His dealings with an annoying cat yielded happier results. The world's felines (and canines, for that matter) owe an everlasting debt of gratitude to this overbearing pet, whose name is lost to history. According to legend, it constantly interrupted Newton with its demands to be let in and out of the house. Frustrated, the scientist quickly designed and implemented a solution - the pet door. Today, every feline blessed with the ability to enter and leave a room without troubling his or her human friends has Newton (and his restless charge) to thank.
Rutan Voyager Completes First Nonstop Flight around the World without Refueling
Piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, who first conceived of the craft and sketched it on the back of a napkin in 1981, the Rutan Voyager was the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. It took off from Edwards Air Force Base in the Majave Desert on December 14, 1986, and landed there nine days later. The aircraft more than doubled the previous record of un-refueled flight set by a US Air Force B-52 in 1962.
How much does the Rutan Voyager weigh? More...
- 1994 - Organized crime boss Whitey Bulger goes into hiding
The convicted murderer stayed out of sight for 16 years causing great embarrassment to the American Federal Bureau of Investigations. He was finally arrested in 2011. - 1990 - Slovenian referendum on independence from Yugoslavia
The Eastern European country had joined the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as a socialist republic state in 1945. Actual independence for the country did not occur until June of 1991, when the Slovenians rejected Yugoslavian interference in the form of a 10-day war that ended on July 7, 1991. A new constitution for the country came into force on December 23, 1991. - 1975 - Metric Conversion Act signed by U.S. President Gerald Ford
The act made the metric system the preferred system of weights and measures in the United States. Today, the metric system is predominantly only used by scientists and academics in the U.S. Common people tend to follow the customary units that were developed before American Independence. The U.S. is 1 of 3 countries in the world that do not use the metric system. Liberia and Burma are the other two. - 1958 - Tokyo Tower opened to the public
At 333 meters tall, it is world's tallest, self-supported steel tower. It is based on the Eiffel Tower and is used for communication purposes. - 1888 - Vincent van Gogh cuts off his ear
It is now believed that the Dutch painter was suffering from a psychotic break at the time of the event. After cutting off his left ear, van Gogh bandaged his head and took the severed ear to a prostitute for safekeeping.
Historic Trivia pick - Sir Isaac Newton's CatTHE INSPIRATION FOR THE CAT DOOR
Physicist Sir Isaac Newton was one of history's greatest mathematicians and theorists. During his lifetime he made numerous contributions to science, including developing the laws of celestial mechanics, co-developing calculus, and conducting groundbreaking work on everything from the nature of light spectra to measurements of the speed of sound. But few realise that Newton was also a pet lover - or that sometimes his numerous animal friends could drive him to distraction. For instance, he once suffered an emotional breakdown when a favourite dog knocked over a candle on his desk, burning some of his important research notes.
His dealings with an annoying cat yielded happier results. The world's felines (and canines, for that matter) owe an everlasting debt of gratitude to this overbearing pet, whose name is lost to history. According to legend, it constantly interrupted Newton with its demands to be let in and out of the house. Frustrated, the scientist quickly designed and implemented a solution - the pet door. Today, every feline blessed with the ability to enter and leave a room without troubling his or her human friends has Newton (and his restless charge) to thank.
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