Old Sailors' Almanac

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

Week 29, 2018

Previous Week   July 16, 2018 - July 22, 2018  Next Week

Armstrong walks on moon on July 20, 1969

Armstrong walks on moon on July 20, 1969

Armstrong walks on moon: At 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, speaks these words to more than a billion people listening at home: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Stepping off the lunar landing module Eagle, Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon.

The American effort to send astronauts to the moon has its origins in a famous appeal President John F. Kennedy made to a special joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961: “I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.” At the time, the United States was still trailing the Soviet Union in space developments, and Cold War-era America welcomed Kennedy’s bold proposal.

In 1966, after five years of work by an international team of scientists and engineers, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted the first unmanned Apollo mission, testing the structural integrity of the proposed launch vehicle and spacecraft combination. Then, on January 27, 1967, tragedy struck at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, when a fire broke out during a manned launch-pad test of the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn rocket. Three astronauts were killed in the fire.

Despite the setback, NASA and its thousands of employees forged ahead, and in October 1968, Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, orbited Earth and successfully tested many of the sophisticated systems needed to conduct a moon journey and landing. In December of the same year, Apollo 8 took three astronauts to the dark side of the moon and back, and in March 1969 Apollo 9 tested the lunar module for the first time while in Earth orbit. Then in May, the three astronauts of Apollo 10 took the first complete Apollo spacecraft around the moon in a dry run for the scheduled July landing mission.

At 9:32 a.m. on July 16, with the world watching, Apollo 11 took off from Kennedy Space Center with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins aboard. Armstrong, a 38-year-old civilian research pilot, was the commander of the mission. After traveling 240,000 miles in 76 hours, Apollo 11 entered into a lunar orbit on July 19. The next day, at 1:46 p.m., the lunar module Eagle, manned by Armstrong and Aldrin, separated from the command module, where Collins remained. Two hours later, the Eagle began its descent to the lunar surface, and at 4:18 p.m. the craft touched down on the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong immediately radioed to Mission Control in Houston, Texas, a famous message: “The Eagle has landed.”

At 10:39 p.m., five hours ahead of the original schedule, Armstrong opened the hatch of the lunar module. As he made his way down the lunar module’s ladder, a television camera attached to the craft recorded his progress and beamed the signal back to Earth, where hundreds of millions watched in great anticipation. At 10:56 p.m., Armstrong spoke his famous quote, which he later contended was slightly garbled by his microphone and meant to be “that’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” He then planted his left foot on the gray, powdery surface, took a cautious step forward, and humanity had walked on the moon.

“Buzz” Aldrin joined him on the moon’s surface at 11:11 p.m., and together they took photographs of the terrain, planted a U.S. flag, ran a few simple scientific tests, and spoke with President Richard M. Nixon via Houston. By 1:11 a.m. on July 21, both astronauts were back in the lunar module and the hatch was closed. The two men slept that night on the surface of the moon, and at 1:54 p.m. the Eagle began its ascent back to the command module. Among the items left on the surface of the moon was a plaque that read: “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the moon–July 1969 A.D–We came in peace for all mankind.”

At 5:35 p.m., Armstrong and Aldrin successfully docked and rejoined Collins, and at 12:56 a.m. on July 22 Apollo 11 began its journey home, safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean at 12:51 p.m. on July 24.

There would be five more successful lunar landing missions, and one unplanned lunar swing-by, Apollo 13. The last men to walk on the moon, astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of the Apollo 17 mission, left the lunar surface on December 14, 1972. The Apollo program was a costly and labor intensive endeavor, involving an estimated 400,000 engineers, technicians, and scientists, and costing $24 billion (close to $100 billion in today’s dollars). The expense was justified by Kennedy’s 1961 mandate to beat the Soviets to the moon, and after the feat was accomplished ongoing missions lost their viability.

History Channel / Wikipedia / Encyclopedia Britannica / NASA / Smithsonian National Air and Space.edu / Linar and Planetary Institute.edu / Space.com / Apollo 11 (YouTube search) video


U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier USS Washington (U.S.Navy.mil)

The Old Salt’s Corner

Chart Vault

This area, not physically located in CVIC, includes a large collection of navigational and aircraft plotting maps useful in the mission planning process. The most used chart however, are stored in CVIC. Coverage of the charts will usually correspond regionally to where the CVBG is normally assigned.

FAS.org / Module 6 — Intelligence WORK CENTERS


“I’m Just Sayin’”

“I’m Just Sayin”

“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth

and compassion against injustice and lying and greed.

If people all over the world would do this,

it would change the earth.”

“You cannot swim for new horizons

until you have courage to lose sight of the shore”

~ William Faulkner


“Thought for the Day”

“Thought for the Day”

“Life is the sum of all your choices.”

“Man is always prey to his truths.

Once he has admitted them,

he cannot free himself from them.”

~ Voltaire


“What I Have Learned”

“What I Have Learned”

“A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't like the tune.”

~ Anonymous


Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good – real news story)

Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good – real news story)

World's Ugliest Dog 2018 : Zsa Zsa the English bulldog takes top prize

World's Ugliest Dog 2018 : Zsa Zsa the English bulldog takes top prize

Dog owners are encouraged to flaunt their pets' imperfections

The winner of The World's Ugliest Dog 2018 is a nine-year-old English bulldog.

The unattractive pooch, named Zsa Zsa, won the title at Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, California.

The annual competition started as a parody of more traditional pure-breed dog contests, with hounds flaunting their hairless bodies, lolling tongues or unusual eyes.

The dogs and their handlers walk down a red carpet and are evaluated by a panel of judges.

But there is an incentive for people to enter their pups in this fairly ridiculous annual event.

Zsa Zsa’s owner, Megan Brainard of Anoka, Minnesota, will receive an impressive $1,500 for the win.

Independent UK (06/25/2018) video


What’s the Difference Between Prison and Jail?

Mr. Answer Man Please Tell Us: What’s the Difference Between Prison and Jail?

Many people use the terms jail and prison interchangeably, and while both terms refer to areas where people are held, there's a substantial difference between the two methods of incarceration. Where a person who is accused of a crime is held, and for how long, is a factor in determining the difference between the two—and whether a person is held in a jail or a prison is largely determined by the severity of the crime they have committed.

A jail (or, for our British friends, a gaol) refers to a small, temporary holding facility - run by local governments and supervised by county sheriff departments - that is designed to detain recently arrested people who have committed a minor offense or misdemeanor. A person can also be held in jail for an extended period of time if the sentence for their offense is less than a year. There are currently 3163 local jail facilities in the United States.

A jail is different from the similarly temporary “lockup” - sort of like “pre-jail” - which is located in local police departments and holds offenders unable to post bail, people arrested for public drunkenness who are kept until they are sober, or, most importantly, offenders waiting to be processed into the jail system.

A prison, on the other hand, is usually a large state - or federal-run facility meant to house people convicted of a serious crime or felony, and whose sentences for those crimes surpass 365 days. A prison could also be called a “penitentiary”, among other names.

To be put in a state prison, a person must be convicted of breaking a state law. To be put in a federal prison, a person must be convicted of breaking federal law. Basic amenities in a prison are more extensive than in a jail because, obviously, an inmate is likely to spend more than a year of his or her life confined inside a prison. As of 2012, there were 4575 operating prisons in the U.S.—the most in the world. The country with the second highest number of operating prisons is Russia, which has just 1029 facilities.

Bureau of Justice.govHG.org Legal ResourcesMental FlossQuoraMichigan Law SchoolWikipedia Prison and Jail? (YouTube) video


NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang - U.S. Navy

NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang

Transistor Theory:: Naval explanation for how electrons travel backwards and holes actually carry electrical current. Just press the I Believe button. (Often referred to by civilian instructors when explaining to baffled sailors the haphazard components that seem to work by sheer magic such as transistors, zener diodes, joint effect field effect transistors, shockley diodes, metal oxide field effect transistors, etc.).

Trap: A fixed-wing arrested landing on an aircraft carrier. In the helo world, the Rapid Securing and Transfer (RAST) on the deck of a “small boy”.

Trice Up a rack: “"All hands heave out and trice up.” Or jump out of your rack and make it. (Originally referred to hammocks, in days of yore before berthing spaces.). More correctly, the "trice" is the bottom (third) rack, being built to fold up against the bulkhead/stanchion (see above), so when the command “Trice-up” was given, the rack would be folded up, allowing compartment cleaners to sweep and swab under that bottom rack.

Triced Up: Trapped in a rack more cramped then usual, as a result of shipmates opening one's rack while one is sleeping in it (after they discover one forgot to secure it shut before getting in). (It is usually impossible to be triced up in a top rack, as top racks usually have no ceiling.)

Trident: Special Warfare Insignia earned by Navy SEALS. Also the name of the current submarine-launched nuclear missile and its systems.

Tronchaser: Those in the AT (primarily I Level) rate who work on Navy avionics.

TSC: Tactical Support Center, shore-based briefing/debriefing/analysis and operational control center for VP (patrol aviation) missions. See also ASWOC.

Tube steak: Hot dogs (also, called “dangling sirloin”).

Turd Chasers: Nickname for individuals assigned to the Hull Maintenance Technician (HT) and Seabees Utilities Man (UT) rating because their shipboard and base duties include plumbing. An E-7 HT is an HTC, “Head Turd Chaser”.

Turkey: Slang for the F-14 Tomcat

Turn-to: Get to work.

Tweek and Peak: To fine tune something (uniform, rack, hair, etc); usually for inspection preparation.

Tweeker:

(1) (Submarine Service) An electronics rating; any engineering rating not gronking a wrench. (Rarely applied to rates such as ET and AT who "tweek" electronic components to make them work again.)

(2) (Aviation) An AT who spends most of his time complaing about how cold it is in the AIMD tunnel to those that work in open air spaces in or around the desert.

Tweener (Submarine Service): Affectionate term for Missile Technicians on Ballistic Missile Submarines. Usually called out during the “Coner” and “Nuke” throwbacks, since the Missile Compartment is “between” the Forward (Coner) and Engineering (Nuke) spaces.

Twidget: Sailor in the Electronics or Electrical fields of job specialties.

Twig: Medical Service Corps officer. So named for the slanting stem attached to their device.

Two-block: To have all the work one can handle. Derived from when the blocks on a block and tackle are together and can not lift any higher. “My guys are two-blocked.”

Two-Digit Midget: Sailor with 99 or less days until his/her “End of Active Obligated Service”, or EAOS.

Tubes (Submarine Service): (nickname for) The senior torpedoman (now MM-Weapons) onboard. This individual is in charge of the torpedoes and the torpedo tubes, hence the name.

Tuna Boat: A sub tender or other non-combat ship that is crewed primarily by female sailors. See also “Love Boat”. “We're going to have great liberty this port: A tuna boat just pulled in!.”

Turn 'n' Burn: &ldHurry up! Let's get going!” The term alludes to the practice of bombers over enemy territory turning after they have dropped their bombs and igniting their afterburners so as to exit hostile territory more quickly.

TWAT: (old term for) a TWT.

TWT: Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier : A component used in DECM/ECM equipment.

Tweak: An Aviation Electronics Technician or AT.

UA: TUnauthorized absence: (Navy term for) AWOL.

Uncle Sam's Canoe Club: The U.S. Coast Guard.

Uncle Sam's Confused Group (USCG): The U.S. Coast Guard. So called because it is the 5th branch of the armed forces, yet falls under the control of the Department of Homeland Security.

Uncle Sam's Misguided Children (USMC): The Marines.


Just for MARINES - The Few. The Proud.

Just for you MARINE

Yut or Yut Yut: A motivational saying similar to Oorah.


Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

VFA-137 - “Kestrels”
Naval Air Station Lemoore, Kings County and Fresno County, California. Lemoore Station, California - Established July 2, 1985


Where Did That Saying Come From

Where Did That Saying Come From?

Where Did That Saying Come From? &ldquoCool as a cucumber”

Cool as a cucumber:”  Meaning: Calm and unruffled.

History: Cool here means imperturbable rather than having a low temperature.

Cucumbers are cool to the touch.

Despite sounding like a modern-day phrase, Cool as a cucumber actually first appeared in John Gay's Poems, New Song on New Similies, in 1732:

“I ... cool as a cucumber could see The rest of womankind.”

Phrases.org UK


Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Bomb Squads Practice Their Skills at This Robot Rodeo - Robot handlers and their specialty bots practice investigating downed planes in this annual rodeo in New Mexico.I Hacked My Body So You Don't Have To (Science from the BS. But if I ended up stronger, smarter, faster, healthier, calmer, more creative, and more productive, that would be okay, too.)America's Best National Parks for Camping - Where to pitch your tent this year.Every Kind of Bike Is Going Electric - Two wheels, three top speeds, no exhaust. E-bikes are about to be everywhere.You Should Finally Learn To Solve a Rubik's CubeThis Tactical Pen Is for More Than Just Writing - It can also help you smash, slice, and shine your way out of any sticky situation.

Popular Mechanics


The Strange, Mysterious or Downright Weird

The Strange, Mysterious or Downright Weird

World Cup 2018: Mexico fans may have caused earthquake celebrating win over Germany

World Cup 2018: Mexico fans may have caused earthquake celebrating win over Germany

Tremors are recorded in Mexico City after Hirving Lozano fired in the winning goal past German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Mexico football fans are believed to have caused a minor earthquake as they celebrated their team's shock win over Germany at the World Cup.

Tremors were recorded in Mexico City after Hirving Lozano fired the winning goal past German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in Russia, according to seismic monitoring agency Simmsa.

“The earthquake detected in Mexico City originated artificially”, the Mexican engineering and mining firm said.

“Possibly by massive jumps during the goal....of Mexico in the World Cup”

The agency said at least two sensors detected the earthquake inside Mexico City at 11.32am Mexican time.

World Cup 2018: Mexico fans may have caused earthquake celebrating win over Germany

Thousands of football fans had gathered in the capital to watch Mexico's surprise 1-0 win over World Cup holders Germany.

Spectators watched the match on a big TV screen in the central Zocalo square and after the game they converged around the iconic Angel of Independence monument waving Mexico flags.

Supporter Miguel Paez, who donned a Mexican wrestling mask in the colours of the national flag, said: “We aspire to win a World Cup this time.”

Mexico play their next fixture against South Korea on Saturday, before taking on Sweden on 27 June.

Germany, meanwhile, face an uphill task to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups in 56 years.

Sky (05/09/2018) video


© CEASAR CHOPPY by cartoonist Marty Gavin - archives Ceasar Choppy's Navy! “© CEASAR CHOPPY” by Marty Gavin

SONG FACTS

“Imagine” - John Lennon 1971

“Imagine” - John Lennon
Album: Imagine
Released 1971 video

Lennon was asking us to imagine a place where things that divide people (religion, possessions, etc.) did not exist. He felt that would be a much better place.

This song is a strong political message that is sugarcoated in a beautiful melody. Lennon realized that the softer approach would bring the song to a wider audience, who hopefully would listen to his message.

Lennon took the sole songwriter credit on this track, but later said that his wife, Yoko Ono, should have been credited as well, as he got the initial idea from her book Grapefruit, which is a book of instructions with things like “Imagine the sky crying...” or “Imagine you're a cloud.”

“I was a bit more selfish, a bit more macho, and I sort of omitted to mention her contribution”, he told the BBC. “If it had been Bowie, I would have put Lennon-Bowie... I just put 'Lennon' because she's just the wife and you don't put her name on, right?”

On June 14, 2017, the National Music Publishers' Association announced that Yoko would finally be added as a songwriter for “Imagine”. This took place at a ceremony where Yoko was given the Centennial (song of the century) award for her contribution, which was followed by a Patti Smith performance of the song.

Some people have wondered if Lennon included a message in the video for this song as well. In the video, Lennon is dressed as a cowboy and Yoko Ono is dressed as an Indian squaw. This could be a kind of message about all cultures getting along.

Lennon wrote this on a brown Steinway upright piano. In 2000, George Michael paid over $2 million for the piano that Lennon wrote this on, and then returned it to the Beatles museum in Liverpool. John's piano has since been “on tour” to various world locations promoting peace.

This was not released as a single in the UK until 1975, when it hit #6. Shortly after Lennon's death in 1980, it was re-released in the UK and hit #1. It was replaced at #1 by Lennon's “Womanvideo, marking the first time an artist replaced himself on top of the UK charts since The Beatles followed “She Loves Youvideo with “I Want To Hold Your Handvideo.

This is credited to The Plastic Ono Band, the name Lennon used for some of his recordings after leaving The Beatles. Ringo Starr played drums on this and Klaus Voorman played bass.

Lennon said this song is “virtually the Communist Manifesto”. That's usually the last we see of the quote, but Lennon added: ”even though I am not particularly a communist and I do not belong to any movement”.

John Lennon official site / Billboard / All Music / Song Facts / Ultimate Classic Rock / John Lennon

Image: “Imagine (album)” by John Lennon


Trivia

Trivia

● Before the Beatles formed their own record label, Apple Records, in 1968, they had most of their hits on one record label in Britain and a different label in the U.S.. Can you name these two record labels?

PARLOPHONE / CAPITOL.

● In the Beatles' song, Michelle, what was the line sung in French? “SONT LES MOTS QUI VONT TRES BIEN ENSEMBLE” these are words which go together well, my michelle...

“SONT LES MOTS QUI VONT TRES BIEN ENSEMBLE” these are words which go together well, my michelle...

● When she married her fifth cousin, she didn't have to change her last name. Who was this President's wife?

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, born October 11, 1884. She married her 5th cousin, Franklin Roosevelt, in New York City on St. Patrick's Day, 1905. Her godfather, President Theodore Roosevelt. gave the bride away in marriage.


Jeopardy

A Test for People Who Know Everything

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “AN 'F' IN SCIENCE” ($200):

“This compound can help prevent cavities when added to drinking water at concentrations of 1 part per million.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer Medical Dictionary

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “AN 'F' IN SCIENCE” ($400):

“There are static & kinetic types of this force on objects that are in contact with each other.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer Encyclopedia Britannica

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “AN 'F' IN SCIENCE” ($1,000):

“This technology has virtually replaced copper wire in long-distance telephone lines.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer Encyclopedia Britannica


Answer to Last Week's Test

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “TRAILER PARK” ($200):

“A hatching dinosaur is a highlight in a trailer for this 1993 blockbuster movie.”

● Answer: Jurassic Park. YouTube

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “TRAILER PARK” ($600):

“In a trailer for this animated feature from 1999 Satan is in bed with Saddam Hussein.”

● Answer: South Park. YouTube

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “U.S. COINS” (DD $1,000):

“When it appeared in 1913, it was the first animal besides the eagle to appear on a U.S. circulating coin.”

● Answer: The Buffalo. U.S. Mint


Joke of the Day

Joke of the Day

“Eli's Dirty Jokes - Pirate Barrel”

“Eli's Dirty Jokes - Pirate Barrel”

“Why English Is Tough.”

Joke of the Day

Twenty-one reasons why English is hard to learn.

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.

2. The farm was used to produce produce.

3. The dump was so full it had to refuse more refuse.

4. We must polish the Polish furniture.

5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7. Since there was no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10. I did not object to the object.

11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12. There was a row among the oarsmen on how to row.

13. They were too close to the door to close it.

14. The buck does funny things when does are present.

15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.

19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?