Archives: Today in History

25 July 1962 – “The third launch attempt of a nuclear warhead in Operation Fishbowl, as part of Operation Dominic, aboard an Douglas SM-75 Thor IRBM, 58-2291, vehicle number 180, from Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean, named Bluegill Prime. After the 2 June 1962 failure of the first attempt, Bluegill, also fails when, due […]

24 July 1965 – Four F-4 C Phantoms escorting a bombing raid at Kang Chi are the targets of SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air antiaircraft missiles in the first such attack against American planes in the Vietnam War. One is shot down and the other three sustain damage. (1) Source: (1)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Aviation/Anniversaries/July_24

July 23, 1956 – Lieutenant Colonel Frank Kendall “Pete” Everest, United States Air Force, became “The Fastest Man Alive” when he flew the USAF/NACA/Bell X-2 rocket plane, serial number 46-674, to Mach 2.87 (1,957 miles per hour, 3,150 kilometers per hour) at 87,808 feet (26,764 meters). The X-2 was air-dropped from Boeing EB-50D Superfortress 48-096,