Category: history

Posted on

A Look Inside the U.S. Military’s “Doomsday Plane,” Built to Withstand the Aftermath of a Nuclear Blast

The plane is officially known as the U.S. Air Force’s E-4B, but most people just call it the “doomsday plane.” The aircraft is used to take the Secretary of Defense all over the world, and it is a monster of an airplane. The plane is also known as the National Airborne Operations Center.

The E-4B is almost six stories tall, has four enormous engines, and can withstand the immediate aftermath of a nuclear explosion. How’s that for technology? A member of the U.S. Air Force said, “It’s like a backup Pentagon. There’s always one plane on alert and ready to go 24 hours, seven days a week.”

Just like its sister aircraft Air Force One, the E-4B is like a flying command center, and many of the plane’s capabilities are classified. There are four “doomsday planes” that have been in operation since 1980, and they are based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

The aircraft truly is a marvel of technology. The large hump on top of the E-4B is called a “radome” and houses satellite dishes and antennas that allow people onboard to contact submarines, ships, aircraft, and phone lines anywhere in the world. Because of the humongous fuel tanks and the ability to refuel while flying, the E-4B can stay in the air for several days without ever having to land.

The plane can accommodate up to 112 people. It has three levels, 18 bunks, 6 bathrooms, a briefing room, and a conference room. Interestingly, the E-4B is not up-to-date technologically and relies on analog technology.

A crew member said, “It’s a common misconception, but this plane doesn’t have digital touch screens in the cockpit or elsewhere. The conditions that this plane is meant to fly in call for analog, since digital tech would fry during a nuclear war.”

Yikes…

The post A Look Inside the U.S. Military’s “Doomsday Plane,” Built to Withstand the Aftermath of a Nuclear Blast appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Someone Just Designed a Stamp That Lets You Legally Replace Andrew Jackson With Harriet Tubman on $20 Bills

The $20 bill has been the subject of quite a lot of controversy lately. President Andrew Jackson’s visage has graced the bill ever since 1928, but in 2016, plans were announced to replace him on the bill with an image of abolitionist hero Harriet Tubman.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin recently announced, however, that the plans for the 2020 rollout of the Tubman bill would be delayed at least 8 years due to concerns about counterfeiting.

And people are not happy about it.

And, of course, The Onion weighed in on the issue with this brilliant headline.

But then the story took an unexpected turn.

An artist named Dano Wall took it upon himself to create a stamp that replaces Jackson’s face on the $20 bill with Tubman’s likeness.

As you can see, the Tubman stamp perfectly fits over the image of Jackson. Wall is calling the use of the Tubman stamp an act of “civil disobedience.”

Wall said,

“I was inspired by the news that Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, and subsequently saddened by the news that the Trump administration was walking back that plan. So I created a stamp to convert Jacksons into Tubmans myself. I have been stamping $20 bills and entering them into circulation for the last year, and gifting stamps to friends to do the same.”

Wall added, “My goal is to get 5,000 stamps out there. If there are 5,000 people consistently stamping currency, we could get a significant percent of circulating $20 bills (with the Tubman) stamp, at which point it would be impossible to ignore.”

The artist also said he’s been careful to avoid any legal issues: “The basic gist of it is you can’t render a bill illegible. You can’t cover any text or numbers or anything on it to serve as an advertisement. … Anything outside of that — if the bill is still fit for circulation is fine. You can write on it and mark in any way.”

The stamps that Wall designed are currently sold out on Etsy ,but it looks like there are a bunch of other options as well (take a look at THIS PAGE). And I’m sure Wall will have more back up soon!

The post Someone Just Designed a Stamp That Lets You Legally Replace Andrew Jackson With Harriet Tubman on $20 Bills appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

5 Far-Out Facts About Legendary “Rocketman” Elton John

Music icon Elton John’s biopic, Rocketman, is in theaters and  72-year-old singer/songwriter/showman extraordinaire is also in the middle of a three-year-long farewell tour. Safe to say, he’s got a lot going on!

In celebration of his final bow from the stage and the new film based on his life, here are 5 facts about the man, the myth, the legend: Elton John.

1. He’s had the same songwriting partner for over 50 years


John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin have been a team since 1967. Together, the duo is responsible for over 50 Top 40 hits and over 225 million records sold.

2. He released four albums in one year

Between October 1970 and November 1971 John was extremely prolific, releasing four albums – an unheard of number in today’s musical era. He released Tumbleweed Connection, Friends, the live album 17-11-70, and Madman Across the Water during this period, the latter of which featured his enduring hit, Tiny Dancer.

3. That’s not his real name

John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in England. He grew up being called “Reg” or “Reggie” but he legally changed his name in 1972 and didn’t want any association with his birth name after that. John said, “Reg is the unhappy part of my life. If my mother can call me Elton, then everybody else can.”

4. He shared the stage with John Lennon in Lennon’s last ever performance

On November 28, 1974, Elton John convinced John Lennon to join him onstage during a concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden for three songs, including Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and I Saw Her Standing There. It was Lennon’s last public performance.

5. He was a bonafide hit-making machine

During the 1970s, Elton John was on a serious roll. He recorded 15 hit singles between 1973-1976, including fan favorites Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Rocket Man, Crocodile Rock, and Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.

The post 5 Far-Out Facts About Legendary “Rocketman” Elton John appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Epic Twitter Thread Reverses the Roles of Women and Men Throughout History. This Is a Must-Read

Twitter is a place full of strange and interesting things. While it’s usually a place for random, funny thoughts and memes, there are also threads like this one that actually make you think.

Author A.R. Moxon recently posted an epic Twitter thread where he laid out an alternate history and future where the roles of men and women have been reversed. Moxon’s thread makes it abundantly clear that although women have made a lot of headway in recent years, we still have a long way to go and history has been one-sided in terms of power, to say the least.

Here’s the tweet that started the conversation. Let it sink in…

45 male presidents in a row…wrap your head around that. And think of how it must feel to be on the other side and be accused of “identity politics” for simply wanting to have your voice heard.

Moxon continued with his conversation.

There’s no doubt there’s a whole lot of controversy surrounding the Supreme Court right now. How will it look in the next several years? What laws will be passed?

Think about this: women in the U.S. have had the privilege to vote FOR LESS THAN 100 YEARS. Pretty hard to believe when you think about it. When both of my grandmothers were born, women were not allowed to vote. Sobering.

Would that be ok? I think we all know the answer to that question.

And there was more…

These tweets are all crazy hypotheticals, but let it all sink in and think about what women have had to endure in our country.

A pretty powerful Twitter thread, don’t you think? Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments below.

The post Epic Twitter Thread Reverses the Roles of Women and Men Throughout History. This Is a Must-Read appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

10 Awesome Facts That’ll Rock Your World

Are you ready to ROOOOOOOCK????!?

With facts, that is.

Just look at the gentlemen of Black Sabbath above. You know they’re ready for some serious factinating. So let’s rumble, y’all!

1. Fascinating

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

2. Which house do you belong to?

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

3. Cool!

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

4. Beautiful

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source

5. Sign me up!

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source

6. BFF

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source

7. Get on board!

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

8. Sea Peoples

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

9. Trouble makers

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source

10. Strange…

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source

Now you’re rockin! With facts, I mean…

The post 10 Awesome Facts That’ll Rock Your World appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

8 Seriously Stupendous Facts To Impress Your Friends

I’m the type of guy who has never once come across a fact I didn’t like. I love collecting bits of random information, it’s a habit that’s helped me win many a trivia content in my day!

Today, I’m giving the gift of facts to you. Enjoy!

1. It’s that fast

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

2. The Can Opener

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

3. Feisty kitties

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

4. For comfort

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

5. Decoys

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

6. The best

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source

7. Brilliant idea

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

8. Figure it out

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

#TotallyStupendous

The post 8 Seriously Stupendous Facts To Impress Your Friends appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

10 Facts That’ll Totally Open Your Eyes

They say you learn something new every day, but just in case you didn’t today, we’ve got you covered!

Here are 10 incredible facts that you can use to smarten up with right now!

1. Let’s be official about it

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

2. Wow!

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

3. I’d like to see one of those

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

4. Doesn’t sound right…

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source

5. I don’t know if I want one of these…

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source

6. First Amendment

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

7. As they should

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

8. Awwwwww

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

9. That comma is important

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

10. Trippy

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

See what I mean?

The post 10 Facts That’ll Totally Open Your Eyes appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Images from Chernobyl: What Remains of History’s Worst Nuclear Catastrophe

On the evening of April 25, 1986, the Ukrainian town of Chernobyl was rocked by an explosion at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s reactor number four.

That accidental explosion released over 400 times more radiation than the atomic bomb blast that devastated the city of Hiroshima, Japan during WWII.

Dozens of people lost their lives and many more were hospitalized with radiation burns. Millions of people throughout Ukraine, Belarus and Russia were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.

The power plant was reduced to rubble; the surrounding land scorched. Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate, never to return. The loss of life and health was devastating.

The images that emerged–unforgettable.

The Soviet military set up the Exclusion Zone that still exists today.

It is a roughly 18-mile circle around the plant, largely uninhabited due to the high amounts of detectable radiation. The area draws tourists curious about its history and how it looks today.

The remains of the stricken reactor were covered with a “sarcophagus” or Object Shelter to prevent the further spread of radioactive material.

Another shelter on top of that called Chernobyl New Safe Confinement was installed by an international team in 2017. A monument sits in front of that.

Photo Credit: Flickr

The town of Pripyat, adjacent to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, was not evacuated until almost midnight of April 26.

No one in an official capacity wanted to take responsibility for declaring the incident a disaster or call for a total evacuation of citizens. Children went to school while everyone else went about their day not knowing their town was officially radioactive.

Photo Credit: Pxhere

Opened in 1970 as the model communist village, Pripyat is deserted, although tourists and workers can visit for a few hours per day.

Before the disaster, Pripyat was a youthful city of 50,000. The average age of its residents was 26.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Nature has taken over the Exclusion Zone.

With few human beings around, plants and wildlife, like bears, bison and wolves, are reclaiming the territory.

Photo Credit: Picryl

All tourists, guides and workers must get measured for radiation before leaving the Exclusion Zone.

If levels are too high, then clothes must be left behind for disposal.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Over 600,000 responders, both civilian and military have been awarded honorary status of “Chernobyl liquidators” since the explosion.

Reservists weren’t given proper uniforms so they made their own with thick lead sheets protecting their spines and bones. Still, many suffered serious health problems–some deadly.

Photo Credit: Pexels

With permission, you can join a tour group and spend a few hours exploring pre-1991 CCCP.

See hammers and sickles, symbols of the former Soviet Union, as well as a statue of Lenin – non-existent in the rest of Ukraine.

Photo Credit: Flickr

The future of this site is up in the air. It is now part of Ukraine, and the country is showing interest in using the site for dumping its own nuclear waste.

Some would like to see the area become a nature preserve for the abundant wildlife already making themselves at home.

Whatever its future, Chernobyl’s radioactivity is expected to remain at hazardous levels for the next several centuries…so humans won’t be moving back permanently any time soon.

The post Images from Chernobyl: What Remains of History’s Worst Nuclear Catastrophe appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

“The Simpsons” Accurately Predicted the End of “Games of Thrones” Years Ago (Among Other Things)

Game of Thrones is over, and most of the show’s fans are incredibly disappointed. Naturally, a lot of them have turned to other shows and the internet to try to find some kind of closure.

*spoilers* You have been warned.

One of the most shocking/frustrating moments of the last season was the second-to-last episode, The Bells. In a fit of somewhat inexplicable rage, Daenerys Stormborn and her dragon, Drogon, completely torch King’s Landing even after the citizens of the city had already surrendered. Dani goes on to slaughter thousands of innocent men, women, and children, along with her entire character arc.

The insane thing is, this carnage was predicted by The Simpsons back in 2017! It’s as if the show’s creators knew this was coming.

In this episode, “Serfsons” you’ll see Marge, Homer, Bart, and Lisa looking down over their city dressed in medieval clothing.

“Look,” says Bart, pointing out the massive red dragon burning down the city, “the dragon is burning our village.”

“I love our life,” Homer says.

Easy for Homer to say. He’s a cartoon! When this GoT episode aired we were all like, “I hate my life!” No? Just me?

Anyway, moving on. After the showed aired, Twitter immediately clapped back:

It seems The Simpsons have a knack for predicting the future. 18 times, actually! Like when the US beat Sweden in curling at the Olympic games (Episode “Boy Meets Curl”) and the Siegfried and Roy tiger attack (Episode “$pringfield”).

Check out a bunch of other things The Simpsons got right:

Pretty interesting…

The post “The Simpsons” Accurately Predicted the End of “Games of Thrones” Years Ago (Among Other Things) appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

A Dark Family Secret Could Explain Karen Carpenter’s Eating Disorder

Back in the 1970s, Karen Carpenter and her husband, Richard, were a musical force to be reckoned with, selling over 100 million records before Karen’s longstanding battle with anorexia forced her to retire from the stage and eventually ending in her untimely death at the age of 32.

Image Credit: Public Domain

While a CBS documentary called The Karen Carpenter Story (you can rent it on Amazon) makes no mention of the potential reasons for Karen’s struggle with her body image, author Randy Schmidt blames her struggle on her mother, Agnes.

During the making of the documentary Agnes said there was no reason to cast an ugly light on the family, refusing to put any discussion of potential familial negativity – but Schmidt believes the real reason she was uninterested in delving into the past was that Karen’s anorexia stemmed directly from her mother’s “inability to love.” He claims that Agnes withheld affection from her daughter starting at a young age and continuing through high school.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Schmidt’s book, Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter, details Karen’s eating disorder, which began shortly after the “chubby teenager” graduated from high school. Her health took a nosedive after she began performing since she didn’t like the way she looked onstage, and she regularly chose to hide in fluffy blouses or jumpers when she wasn’t in front of an audience.

She was so thin that fans thought she might have cancer, and since anorexia was (and often remains) a taboo topic, no one talked about what was really wrong with her.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Karen herself denied that anything was wrong or that she was ill, and, despite attempts by friends to convince her to see a therapist, her parents’ attitude that psychiatrists were for “crazy people” dissuaded her.

Despite eventual treatment, she continued to harm herself with laxatives and unprescribed thyroid medication, a trend that doctors were unable to reverse when she was finally admitted to a hospital.

She died at just 32 years old, most of her dreams and career aspirations unrealized.

The post A Dark Family Secret Could Explain Karen Carpenter’s Eating Disorder appeared first on UberFacts.