User:The Bushranger/DYK

Nominations
 * ... that although Abkhazia is not recognised by any nation, the Abkhazian Air Force had a reported roster of 250 men and seven aircraft in 2001?
 * ... that the planned St. Johns-Indian River Barge Canal would have covered 35.2 mi and linked the St. Johns River with the Intracoastal Waterway?
 * ... that in September 1969, the Little River in northwest Florida rose 21 ft in 24 hours due to rainfall from a tropical disturbance?
 * ... that during the construction of Lake Seminole in 1948, archaeologists discovered the site of San Carlos de los Chacatos, a Spanish mission that Colonel James Moore had sacked during Queen Anne's War?
 * ... that one of the reasons the U.S. Navy cancelled the Curtiss XSB3C dive-bomber project was the aircraft's requirement for the use of 115/145-octane avgas?
 * ... that the training ship USS Recruit (TDE-1) at the Naval Training Center San Diego was also known as "Building 430"?
 * ... that the United States Navy built the battleship USS Recruit in New York City's Union Square?
 * ... that Kenn Kaufman was the youngest person ever to win birding's highest honor, the Ludlow Griscom Award?
 * ... that the Grumman XTSF was the only aircraft design ever designated as a torpedo scout by the U.S. Navy?
 * ... that Sewall Pettingill studied the last three Heath Hens, and later assisted in filming four Walt Disney nature films, one of which won an Academy Award?
 * ... that the U.S. Army Air Corps cancelled the Douglas XP-48 because its performance figures seemed to be too good to be true?
 * ... that Thomas Edison hailed George de Bothezat rotorcraft, the "Flying Octopus", as "the first successful helicopter"?
 * ... that the aerodynamic work of Hans Multhopp on lifting bodies assisted in the design of the Space Shuttle?
 * ... that USNS Zeus was the first cable repair ship to be specifically built for the United States Navy?
 * ... that the nose of the F+W C-3605 had to be stretched by six feet (1.8 m) to balance its center of gravity?
 * ... that the Tupolev ANT-37 bomber Rodina was used to set a flight distance record by an all-female crew in 1938?
 * ... that although two prototypes of the Interstate XBDR flying bomb were ordered, only a 1/17-scale model was ever built?
 * ... that the Shcherbakov Shche-2 was used by the Soviet Air Force to resupply partisan forces during World War II?
 * ... that the Spanish floating battery Duque de Tetuán was considered a failure as a ship of war?
 * ... that the Saab 18 bomber could be fitted with a 57 mm cannon under the nose for strafing missions?
 * ... that the Italian ship Castore was commissioned as a gunboat, but was later redesignated as a barge, a minelayer, and a torpedo training vessel?
 * ... that the North American XB-21 outperformed its competitor for a U.S. Army Air Corps bomber contract, but lost on price?
 * ... that the battleships of Spain included the smallest dreadnoughts ever built?
 * ... that the Italian protected cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Giovanni Bausan was designed to destroy battleships?
 * ... that in 1931, frame-by-frame analysis of a movie was used to determine why the Gee Bee Model Z crashed?
 * ... that the de Lackner Aerocycle was intended to be flown by infantrymen after only 20 minutes of flight training?
 * ... that despite proving promising in wind tunnel testing, no examples of the Focke-Wulf Fw 42 were ever built?
 * ... that the propellers of the Dornier Do 29 could be tilted downwards by up to 90 degrees?
 * ... that the LTV L450F spyplane was developed from a sailplane, and was then further developed into a drone?
 * ... that the Sikorsky S-97 scout helicopter is intended to be able to fly with one, two, or no pilots?
 * ... that the cabin of the Heli-Sport CH-7 was designed by the creator of the Lamborghini Countach, while the helicopter's frame is the work of Argentine inventor Augusto Cicaré?
 * ... that the Culver Aircraft Company built over 3,000 target drones for the United States military during World War II?
 * ... that production of the Naval Aircraft Factory TDN, a World War II assault drone, was subcontracted to a company better known for making bowling balls and billiard tables?
 * ... that during World War II, the U.S. Navy planned to equip eighteen squadrons of assault drones with a thousand Interstate TDR and TBF Avenger aircraft?
 * ... that the Radioplane RP-77D target drone was planned to be capable of launching target drones itself?
 * ... that British spies helped sink some German minesweepers of the Sperrbrecher type, through determining how to adjust the fuses on magnetic mines?
 * ... that Michael Stroukoff, a Russian emigrant from Kiev, designed the largest glider ever built in the United States, as well as its first jet-powered transport?
 * ... that the U.S. Army's Parachute Rigger Badge first appeared in action during Exercise Swarmer?
 * ... that the second CIA spyplane developed under Project Isinglass was designed to fly at Mach 22?
 * ... that Chase Aircraft lost the contract to produce its C-123 transport aircraft due to a scandal involving Henry J. Kaiser, that also resulted in Chase's CEO starting his own company?
 * ... that the Platt-LePage Aircraft Company, formed after one of its founders was impressed by a Nazi rotorcraft, beat Sikorsky for the contract to supply the first American military helicopter?
 * ... that silos for the Advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile were intended to be 10 times harder than those used by Minutemen?
 * ... that the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Car was designed to not only hide the MGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM from Soviet attack but also to act as a platform for launching the missile?
 * ... that one design for a Flight deck cruiser was described as a cross between a Brooklyn-class light cruiser and the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7)?
 * ... that the High Virgo ballistic missile was launched from a B-58 bomber at a speed of Mach 2?
 * ... that after the Cornfield Bomber landed in a field, one of the members of the 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron received a call from a sheriff who got excited when the plane started moving?
 * ... that the Bold Orion air-launched ballistic missile was the first missile ever to intercept an artificial satellite?
 * ... that the Have Dash II missile was an attempt to develop a stealthy air-to-air missile?
 * ... that the Hopi missile could carry a nuclear warhead of up to 400 kilotons yield?
 * ... that the Wagtail missile, upon being launched, fired retrorockets to allow the carrier aircraft to escape the effects of its own weapon?
 * ... that the Advanced Strategic Air-Launched Missile was intended to be effective against both hardened ground targets and AWACS aircraft?
 * ... that the Alpha Draco rocket, developed as part of Weapons System 199, evaluated the lifting body principle for reentry vehicles?
 * ... that the U.S. Navy purchased a Russian missile for use as a target drone after the AQM-127 SLAT failed seven of eight test firings?
 * ... that the Pratt & Whitney J48 turbojet engine was originally designed by Rolls-Royce, who abandoned it in favor of a different project?
 * ... that the name of the Brazo Anti-Radiation Missile was intended as a pun?
 * ... that the stabilizing fins of the MQR-16 Gunrunner rocket were made from plywood?
 * ... that the LOCAT rocket, intended to provide 50% savings in target practice costs, was constructed from plastic and paper tubing?
 * ... that the Ballistic Missile Target System target rocket could be launched in any of four different configurations?
 * ... that the Gimlet rocket may have been given its name because it was a small rocket for use against MiGs?
 * ... that the Sky Scorcher air-to-air missile would have carried a two-megaton nuclear warhead?
 * ... that the GTR-18 rocket, used extensively by the U.S. military, is made using phenolic paper and styrofoam?
 * ... that the Grumman XSBF was designed to the same specification that produced the SBD Dauntless of World War II fame?
 * ... that the Ram was the first air-launched rocket to carry a shaped charge warhead?
 * ... that despite being designated as an X-plane by NASA, the Gulfstream X-54 project does not otherwise involve the space agency?
 * ... that the U.S. Coast Guard's HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft have been used for search and rescue, oil spill monitoring, and sea-turtle transport?
 * ... that the Bombardment Aircraft Rocket carried a 20 kiloton nuclear warhead, was unguided, and was launched using an "idiot loop" manoeuvre?
 * ... that the British Sea Wolf SAM was considered a possibility for meeting the U.S. Navy's Shipboard Intermediate Range Combat System missile requirement?
 * ... that the development of the BQM-108 UAV was a response by the U.S. Navy to the threat of attack by advanced cruise missiles?
 * ... that the Diamondback air-to-air missile was originally known as the "Super Sidewinder"?
 * ... that although the Vought XSO2U was judged superior to the Curtiss XSO3C by the U.S. Navy in a competition for a new scout aircraft for operation from cruisers, the Curtiss aircraft won the contract?
 * ... that the Stearman XOSS observation biplane was equipped with full-span flaps on its upper wing, allowing its pilot better control at low speeds?
 * ... that the Terasca sounding rocket's three stages were a combination of the existing Terrier, ASROC and Cajun rockets, respectively?
 * ... that the Creative Research On Weapons project proved the practicality of the solid-fueled ramjet engine?
 * ... that over 400 species of birds have been recorded in the American state of Georgia?
 * ... that the Douglas XCG-17 glider was converted from a C-47 transport that had originally flown for Northwest Airlines?
 * ... that the Vought XSB3U was designed as a result of the U.S. Navy's reluctance to embrace the monoplane for carrier operations?
 * ... that the Hall XPTBH, a patrol torpedo bomber, was the only aircraft that ever received three mission designation letters in the U.S. Navy's aircraft designation system?
 * ... that the 3.5-Inch FFAR, developed by the U.S. Navy as an anti-submarine weapon, lacked an explosive warhead?
 * ... that during World War II, bomber pilots of the United States Navy learned how to launch aerial rockets using SCARs?
 * ... that the Cornelius XBG-3 "bomb glider", an early guided missile designed in 1942, would have used a forward-swept wing?
 * ... that the Piper LBP and Taylorcraft LBT were both developed during World War Two in response to a U.S. Navy requirement for a "Glomb", an unmanned glider bomb?
 * ... that the Pratt-Read LBE glider bomb was intended to be guided by television signals and radio control?
 * ... that the AGR-14 ZAP rocket would have used flechettes to destroy anti-aircraft guns?
 * ... that the GT-1 could deliver a torpedo up to 25 mi from its launching aircraft?
 * ... that the United States Air Force enlisted Tarzon to destroy North Korean bridges?
 * ... that the JB-4 missile was guided via television?
 * ... that the Pterodactyl I unmanned aerial vehicle can use synthetic aperture radar to conduct reconnaissance missions?
 * ... that Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey placed third in his class in the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race, won overall by a team comprising drivers Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Graham Rahal and Joey Hand?
 * ... that the AAM-A-1 Firebird was the first air-to-air missile to be developed following the end of World War II?
 * ... that during the 1950s, the United States Navy intended to use Gorgons to deliver chemical weapons?
 * ... that the SSM-A-3 Snark and SSM-A-5 Boojum cruise missiles were named after beasts from Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark?
 * ... that Andy Lally and Brian Keselowski are competing for Rookie of the Year in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?
 * ... that replicas of the Harley J. Earl Trophy, named after NASCAR's second commissioner, are sculpted by John Lajba and awarded to the winners of the Daytona 500?
 * ... that Patrick Sheltra, the 2010 ARCA Racing Series champion, was the first owner-driver to win the series title since Benny Parsons in 1969?
 * ... that the guidance system of the AA.20 air-to-air missile was based on that of missiles intended for use against tanks?
 * ... that Jeff Krogh was credited with winning a NASCAR Winston West Series race even though he finished 35th in the event?
 * ... that in 2010, three survivors of the Titanic were rescued by the USCGC Chincoteague (WPB-1320)?''
 * ... that a new Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle could be used for relaying targeting information for ballistic and cruise missiles to destroy enemy ships?
 * ... that Grant Enfinger will compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2012 for a team owned by an Argentine businessman?
 * ... that despite winning the 2011 ARCA Racing Series championship by 340 points, Ty Dillon lost the series' rookie of the year title by two points?
 * ... that the AHRLAC is intended to be a less expensive manned alternative to reconnaissance drones?
 * ... that pilot fatigue was a likely factor in the crash of Lufthansa Flight 502 in 1959?
 * ... that in 1959, a Douglas Dakota flew into a Spanish mountain and killed 32 people?
 * ... that the 1953 crash of a Vickers Viking in Belfast killed 27 people?
 * ... that NASCAR "road course ringer" Chris Cook was the youngest chief instructor ever hired by the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving?
 * ... that RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66) was sunk by a typhoon with two names?
 * ... that when a DC-7 crashed into a pine forest in France in 1959, rescue workers were hindered by a lack of roads in the area of the accident?
 * ... that the U.S. Navy's Sparoair sounding rocket could be launched by any aircraft capable of launching the Sparrow air-to-air missile?
 * ... that an airliner version of the supersonic B-58 bomber was expected to carry 52 passengers at over Mach 2?
 * ... that Max Gresham, the 18-year-old 2011 NASCAR East Series champion, started racing at the age of 8?
 * ... that the factory in which the Messerschmitt P.1112 would have been built was occupied by Allied troops before construction of the aircraft's prototype could be started?
 * ... that Brad Sweet will be competing in both NASCAR stock car racing and World of Outlaws sprint car racing in 2012?
 * ... that NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Joey Gase won two short track racing championships before graduating from high school?
 * ... that the Ingalls 4-S was the only locomotive ever built by Ingalls Shipbuilding?
 * ... that the United States manufactured over 2,500,000 M8 barrage rockets during World War II?
 * ... that Brazilian-born NASCAR drivers Miguel Paludo and Nelson Piquet Jr. will be driving for the same team in the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series?
 * ... that Jeb Burton will share a ride in the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with his father Ward?
 * ... that racing legend Bobby Allison's sons, Davey and Clifford Allison, both died within the span of eleven months in 1992–1993?
 * ... that Richard Childress Racing driver Tim George Jr. was originally a professional chef?
 * ... that third-generation stock car driver Ryan Blaney, who will compete in NASCAR for Tommy Baldwin Racing this year, won his first race at age nine?
 * ... that John King win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' 2012 event at Daytona International Speedway was only the third victory of his racing career?
 * ... that the T37 rocket could be fired by "Cowcatcher", "Woofus", "Whiz Bang" and "Grand Slam"?
 * ... that the Cybele-class mine destructor vessels were designed to sweep mines by being towed through minefields?
 * ... that NASCAR driver David Mayhew drove for Kevin Harvick Incorporated in two Camping World Truck Series races in 2011, and finished third in both races?
 * ... that the father, grandfather, and great-grandfather of NASCAR driver Mikey Kile were all racing drivers as well?
 * ... that according to Life, Florida's Bubble Houses are hurricane-proof, despite being built using an inflatable balloon?
 * ... that on January 19, 1977, snow fell in south Florida and the Bahamas, and the Florida citrus industry was "nearly wiped out"?
 * ... that the United States Navy used Old Faithful to prepare enemy beaches for amphibious assault?
 * ... that the Japanese squid fishing vessel Ryou-Un Maru was sunk by gunfire from a United States Coast Guard cutter?
 * ... that Wallace Neff's Bubble Houses in Litchfield Park, Arizona, were built in a community planned and owned by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company?
 * ... that NASCAR powerhouse team Richard Childress Racing sold one of its race teams to Virginia car dealer Joe Falk?
 * ... that the Fleet class USVs are the first unmanned vessels to receive U.S. Navy hull numbers?
 * ... that the Jarvis launch vehicle was designed to deliver up to six satellites into different orbits on a single flight?
 * ... that Reckless Roy Hall beat Big Bill France to win the first racing event held at Seminole Speedway?
 * ... that the National Stock Car Racing Association and NASCAR would have merged had Bruton Smith not been drafted to serve in the Korean War?
 * ... that Paul and Tim Andrews are the first father-and-son crew chief and driver combination in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since 1987?
 * ... that Ed Samples took up stock car racing because he deemed the sport to be safer than moonshine-running?
 * ... that Darrell Wallace Jr. was the first African American to win a NASCAR Rookie of the Year award?
 * ... that Soapy Castles and Tiny Lund were the only drivers ever to win the NASCAR Grand National East Series season championship?
 * ... that Eddie Sharp raced hydroplanes before winning the 1999 ARCA Racing Series championship as a crew chief?
 * ... that Tia Norfleet is the first African American woman to receive a NASCAR racing license?
 * ... that Fain Skinner won the 1999 World Karting Association national championship?
 * ... that Robbie Faggart won two races in five days at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1992?
 * ... that the M16 rocket was used in only a single engagement of the Second World War?
 * ... that stock car driver Casey Roderick was described as a "legitimate protege of Bill Elliott"?
 * ... that the open-wheel racing career of Emerson Newton-John was put on hold for over a decade by the September 11 attacks?
 * ... that the only NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that Dan Pardus competed in was delayed by both fire and rain?
 * ... that Tim Schendel was the last driver to win the NASCAR Midwest Division Championship?
 * ... that Florida watermelon farmer Ross Chastain scored a top 10 finish in his very first NASCAR race?
 * ... that the first SCCA E Production class racing championship won in a Mazda Miata was won by Terry McCarthy?
 * ... that stock car racer Joey McCarthy started racing at age ten?
 * ... that Tim Bainey Jr. plans to compete in a NASCAR race held on a track he co-owns?
 * ... that Victor Gonzalez Jr. was the first Puerto Rican driver to compete in a major NASCAR event?
 * ... that David Stremme placed the Inception Motorsports car 16th on the grid in the team's very first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race attempt?
 * ... that Lance Norick was the first driver in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to drive on rain tires in official competition?
 * ... that ARCA driver Darrell Basham race shop was demolished by a tornado in March 2012?
 * ... that the death of racer Pete Orr was a driving force for insurance reform in Florida?
 * ... that Kyle Larson won the first stock car race he ever competed in?
 * ... that Zac Efron and Bryan Silas drove the same race car on the same day in July 2011?
 * ... that Leavine Family Racing is headquartered in Texas but races from a shop in North Carolina?
 * ... that Cale Yarborough won the 1976 Gwyn Staley 400 by beating both Richard Petty and the pace car out of the pits?
 * ... that Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville described Casey Elliott as "a super, super kid"?
 * ... that C. E. Falk beat NASCAR stars Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin to win the latter's own charity race?
 * ... that Go Green Racing used 14 different drivers in competition during the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season?
 * ... that Tim George, who gained only 28 yards in 20 games played in the National Football League as a wide receiver, was elected into two halls of fame?
 * ... that the Conroy Virtus, intended to carry the Space Shuttle orbiter, would have used two B-52 bomber fuselages in its construction?
 * ... that Brett Moffitt was the youngest driver ever to win in NASCAR touring series competition, but held that honor for less than a year?
 * ... that Hideo Fukuyama was the first Japanese driver to qualify for a NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship race?
 * ... that the Fort Gates Ferry has been featured in both a commercial with Paul Newman and in the "world's worst commute"?
 * ... that Dexter Bean`s BlackJack Racing team, which he drove for in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, was so named because his father formed the team after winning big in Vegas?
 * ... that the Drayton Island Ferry was limited to a capacity of six people after reports were received of its operator carrying 40 passengers on board?
 * ... that Mike Chase hoped to be NASCAR Rookie of the Year in the Winston Cup Series in 1995, but was released from his team after failing to qualify for the year's first race?
 * ... that Brad Teague was fastest in third-round qualifying for the 1989 Daytona 500, but did not compete in the event?
 * ... that in 2002, Randy and Teri MacDonald were the first brother-sister combination to compete against each other in NASCAR since Ethel and Tim Flock in 1949?
 * ... that the Astor Bridge was considered "one of the most hazardous road sections in Florida" in the 1970s?
 * ... that NASCAR driver Mike Olsen is known for being sponsored by Little Trees?
 * ... that in 1977, the Douglas Stenstrom Bridge in Indian Mound Village, Florida, replaced the Osteen Bridge, a 1920s hand-turned swing bridge that had become an unsafe driving hazard?
 * ... that despite being the son of a two-time NASCAR champion and brother of a Daytona 500 winner, Randy Baker never finished better than 17th in NASCAR competition?
 * ... that NASCAR star Kyle Busch praised then 14-year-old John Hunter Nemechek after they raced against each other?
 * ... that the death of hydroplane racer Dean Chenoweth led to enclosed cockpits being adopted for Unlimited class hydroplanes?
 * ... that wild monkeys can be seen in Florida along the Silver River?
 * ... that NASCAR driver Jeff Choquette`s grandfather, Jack Choquette, won the 1954 NASCAR Modified Division championship?
 * ... that Roz Howard 1958 NASCAR season was cut short by a highway crash that left him in a body cast?
 * ... that the United States Navy planned to use Orioles and Meteors to shoot down enemy aircraft?
 * ... that the Fleetwings BQ-1, Fleetwings BQ-2 and Fairchild BQ-3 were all planned for use by the United States Army Air Forces as remote-controlled flying bombs?
 * ... that Kevin Ray Boudreaux's Butt Paste Ford had the fifth-scariest paint scheme in NASCAR history, according to ESPN The Magazine?
 * ... that Johnny Ray set a world speed record for tractor-trailers in 1975 at Talladega Superspeedway?
 * ... that Slick Johnson best finish in NASCAR competition occurred because he failed to qualify for the Daytona 500?
 * ... that the Ford Credit 125 was both the first NASCAR Truck Series race to be broadcast on network television and the shortest race in series history?
 * ... that the 1992 running of the Galaxy Food Centers 300 at Hickory Motor Speedway set two NASCAR records for cautions?
 * ... that Stephen Rhodes was the first openly gay driver in NASCAR competition?
 * ... that Norm Benning singlehandedly made the 2013 Mudsummer Classic a success by nearly getting wrecked three times?
 * ... that four-time NASCAR Sportsman Division champion Rene Charland became better known as "The Champ" than by his real name?
 * ... that Dale Jarrett kissed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's yard of bricks after winning the 1996 Brickyard 400?
 * ... that racing driver Mason Mingus was a three-sport athlete in high school?
 * ... that the Boeing CQM-121A Pave Tiger and CGM-121B Seek Spinner were intended to disrupt enemy air defences, sometimes explosively?
 * ... that Kerry Teague once quit his ride in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, saying he didn't have enough experience to compete?
 * ... that Kelly Tanner and Chris Raudman were among the championship winners during 1996 in NASCAR?
 * ... that Daniel Suárez won the first three races he competed in in 2014, across two different racing series?
 * ... that despite winning the Baja 1000 four times (twice overall) in off-road competition, Mark Stahl never finished better than 16th in NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock cars?
 * ... that Camden County, Georgia was considered as a launch site by NASA in the early 1960s, but Spaceport Camden did not see its first launch until 2017?
 * ... that A. J. Foyt praised Arlene Hiss for "what a fine job [she'd] done" after racing against her?
 * ... that the Bacon Super T-6 was described as looking like the result of "an illicit hangar affair between a T-33 and a T-6"?
 * ... that the first test flight of the TD2N Gorgon target drone ended in a crash due to a failure of the aircraft's radio control?
 * ... that the Radioplane OQ-17 target drone was claimed to be able to match the maneuverability of any fighter aircraft of the mid-1940s?
 * ... that the Panoz Avezzano, unveiled at the 2016 Petit Le Mans, is named after a town in Italy that was destroyed by an earthquake?
 * ... that the United States Navy placed orders for the Gorgon IIA and Gorgon IIC missiles with the Singer Manufacturing Company, better known for its sewing machines?
 * ... that Facebook's Aquila solar-powered drone is intended to provide internet access to remote regions of Earth using no more electricity than three blow dryers?
 * ... that a "Japanese cruiser" was built in Southern California in 1943?
 * ... that the Gorgon IV was the first ramjet-powered aircraft to successfully fly in the United States?
 * ... that Project Flying Cloud was expected to affect an area "comparable in size to that affected by a low-yield nuclear weapon"?
 * ... that the Orchard Pond Parkway is Florida's first privately-built toll road?
 * ... that the Kaman K-16B tiltwing aircraft was built from an existing Grumman Goose to save time and money?
 * ... that the first successful drone developed in the Netherlands was the Aviolanda AT-21?
 * ... that the "Fat Albert" sounding rocket had its name changed to Aries because the Naval Research Laboratory considered it "more dignified"?
 * ... that Ping-Pong was said to be "the free world's only round-trip ballistic missile"?
 * ... that targets for the ASM-N-6 Omar missile were put in a spotlight?
 * ... that the Republic SD-3 Snooper reconnaissance drone used airbags to cushion its landings?
 * ... that Wayne Jacks and Ben Hess were among the 86 drivers who attempted to qualify for the inaugural Brickyard 400?
 * ... that mutant squirrels and "cat-faced" trees can be found in Ochlockonee River State Park?
 * ... that peanut farmer Harris DeVane won the first race held on Atlanta Motor Speedway's present configuration by 0.023 seconds, leading only the last 100 yd of the event?
 * ... that some 500,000 photographs and drawings are included in the collections of the Historical Model Railway Society?
 * ... that in an attack on Cologne on 28 May 1944, German gunners thought that crashing GB-1 glide bombs were aircraft they were shooting down?
 * ... that during World War II, the United States Navy's Glomb project evaluated the use of gliders as flying bombs?
 * ... that the United States Navy tested a Flyrt for distracting radar-guided missiles from its ships?
 * ... that the U.S. Army's Plato and FABMDS programs for anti-ballistic missiles evolved into the well-known Patriot missile?
 * ... that over seven hours of rain delays resulted in the 1998 NAPA 500 becoming the first night race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway?
 * ... that the Aequare was a remotely piloted vehicle intended to be used by F-4 Phantom II fighter-bombers to find and designate targets?
 * ... that the Jaguar multi-stage sounding rocket was designed to be launched using a toss bombing maneuver from a B-57 bomber?
 * ... that the company developing the SSM-A-23 Dart anti-tank missile changed ownership twice while the project was underway?
 * ... that the Skydart target rocket used the same launching rails as the missiles used to shoot it down?
 * ... that the Republic SD-4 and Fairchild SD-5 reconnaissance drones were designed to provide targeting data for tactical ballistic missiles?
 * ... that the AAM-N-10 Eagle air-to-air missile was intended to be tested using an aircraft nicknamed "Snoopy"?
 * ... that prototypes of the JB-3 Tiamat air-to-air missile were the first missiles to be launched at the Wallops Flight Facility by the Langley Research Center?
 * ... that the Typhon surface-to-air missile was developed as part of a system to replace the United States Navy's "3T"s?
 * ... that James Longstreet was mauled by pelicans?
 * ... that the United States Navy considered calling on Zeus to defend a battleship?
 * ... that aerial torpedo-carrying missiles developed for the US Navy under Project Kingfisher included the Petrel, Diver, Grebe, and Puffin?
 * ... that the McDonnell Douglas DC-X experimental SSTO rocket was launched twelve times but never flew higher than 3.14 km?
 * ... that the addition of the Ally 400 to the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule was considered a surprise as the host venue, the Nashville Superspeedway, had been up for sale since 2012?
 * ... that after twelve years of attempts, Kyle Larson won the Chili Bowl Nationals back-to-back in the first two years in which he ran the event for his own team?
 * ... that Daryn Pittman was the first American to win the World Series Sprintcars championship and the first Oklahoman to win the World of Outlaws title?
 * ... that the Knoxville Raceway will host the first NASCAR nationally sanctioned race in its 120-year history in 2021, joining a race at Bristol Motor Speedway as dirt-track races on the NASCAR Truck Series schedule?