Posts by Marc Liebman
The Threat No One Wants to Discuss
The MANPADS threat is real. MANPADS are available on the black market and are cheap. Depending on the age of the weapon and its condition, some public sources say they can be bought for less than $10,000. The reality is that no government or airline wants to state publicly that MANPADs are a serious threat to civil aviation. They are afraid the danger will scare away potential passengers.
Read MoreBenjamin Stoddert’s Difficult Task
Stoddert began a ship building program. While most have heard of the famous “Six Frigates” – Chesapeake, Congress, Constellation, Constitution, President, United States – he also established six formal Navy yards to support the new U.S. Navy. Stoddert realized that in order to have an effective navy, the country needed an infrastructure to keep the ships manned, equipped, and maintained.
Read MoreThe First’s First 15 Words
In the first 15 words, the writers of the Constitution prevented the government from establishing a national religion AND enabled any resident of the country to practice whatever religion they preferred. This had never been done in modern history.
Read MoreThe Dumbest Flight I Ever Made
Taking off on a flight right after you learn your mother only has months to live is, well dumb. Then, to fly into IFR conditions, well that’s dumber. And then, to scud run down a mountain valley is even dumber. But I survived to tell the tale. Now you can learn and read from it!!!
Read MoreMost Dangerous Evolution in Naval Aviation – the Fly Off
At the end of a cruise, Naval Aviators take chances they would never take in normal operations, or even in combat. The desire to get home overcomes common aviation sense.
Read MoreContinental Army Mutinies At Jockey Hollow and Pompton
Twice, the Continental Army mutinied over the lack of pay, food and supplies. Despite defeats and deprivation, it never refused to fight the British which says a lot about the men’s determination to win independence.
Read MoreThe Hard Winter
Washington picked Jockey Hollow as his 1779-1780 winter camp because it placed his army between the British in New York and the rebel capital of Philadelphia. Little did he know that his army was going to endure conditions worse that what it experienced the year before at Valley Force that almost tore his army apart.
Read MoreOrigins of the Monroe Doctrine
While Monroe gets the credit, President Madison first stated what we know as the Monroe Doctrine because he was afraid that European leaders would try to suppress independence movements or take back colonies by force.
Read MoreThe Origin of the U.S. Census
Asymptotic population growth during and after the American Revolution led the U.S. Constitutional Convention to include the clause requiring a census every 10 years.
Read MoreCalculus and Slide Rules in the 18th Century
Back in the old days, before computers and calculators, math was done by hand. One of the tools for engineers, as far back as the 1600s was the slide rule.
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