Kahn, Khan, and Thermonuclear War

This is more about words than it is about nuclear war. But it’s trivia that has been lodged in my brain for years. Herman Kahn Herman Kahn was a well-known military strategist who published On Thermonuclear War in 1960.  Kahn, considered a major spear-rattler in the Cold War, was parodied by Walter Matteau in Fail-Safe.… Continue reading Kahn, Khan, and Thermonuclear War

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Where Is the Missing $3 Million From the Lost Hawaii Clipper?

It’s strange enough that a boat-plane with $3,000,000 in cash would go missing. It’s also strange that it would be so underreported. PanAm Clippers were flying passenger boats that flew from mainland U.S. to China. Because of the Clippers’ limited range, the Clippers hopped from island base to island base, much like a toad hopping… Continue reading Where Is the Missing $3 Million From the Lost Hawaii Clipper?

PanAm Yankee Clipper Cutaway Drawing, ca 1930s

  This cutaway drawing shows the PanAm Yankee Clipper (B-314), which was built by Boeing on the base of an XB-15 bomber fuselage.  On December 21, 1937, Boeing delivered the first Yankee Clipper to PanAm. The Yankee Clipper was the result of over 6,000 engineering drawings, 50,000 parts, and one-million rivets.  But with such complexity… Continue reading PanAm Yankee Clipper Cutaway Drawing, ca 1930s

Frank Soltesz, King of Cutaway Drawings

Not just cutaway drawings, but king of practically all other areas of commercial illustration through the 1930s-1960s, it seems. Soltesz’ life is told in detail by his son, Ken Soltesz (Frank Soltesz:  Biography of a Commercial Illustrator).  If you can somehow define the “look” of commercial illustration during that great mid-century period in the United… Continue reading Frank Soltesz, King of Cutaway Drawings

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