War Mysteries...

[Mr. Plow]

Good thread. Keep 'em coming.

[mikey23545]

The Disappearance of Flight 19

This strange story actually takes place just a few months after the end of hostilities during World War II, but it’s bizarre enough (and involves military personnel and hardware) that it deserves a place on the list. In December of 1945, Lieutenant Charles Taylor led a flight of five Navy planes on a training exercise out of Fort Lauderdale. Radio broadcasts from Taylor reveal that none of their compasses were working and the entire fleet got lost, never to be seen again. The planes were never recovered and their disappearance helped bolster the legend of the Bermuda Triangle.

[mikey23545]

Where is the Amber Room?

Sometimes called the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the Amber Room was a set of panels carved from lustrous amber and decorated with gold leaf that was commissioned by the king of Prussia in 1701 and given to Tsar Peter The Great of Russia. It was made from more than six tons of amber and covered more than 55 square meters of space, a massive, opulent creation in every way. During World War II, the Germans took it back from Russia, relocating the fragile panels to Konigsberg Castle. From there, the mystery begins. After 1944, the Amber Room was never seen again. Dozens of expeditions have been mounted to find the relic, but only tiny fragments have ever been found, despite the staggering size of the amber panels.

[mikey23545]

Not really a war mystery, but what the hell.




Who invented the bulletproof vest?

The answer might surprise you.

You might imagine the inventor being someone from the Army or a policeman, but the true creator was a pizza delivery man! On July 21st, 1969, Richard Davis was delivering pizzas in Detroit when he was held up at gunpoint.

Luckily for the former marine, Davis had a gun of his own and shot two of the attackers but was hit twice himself. This incident gave him an idea for people like cops to avoid injury by wearing padding of some kind. The first prototype for the bulletproof vest was created by Davis out of a roll of nylon and the straps from his car’s seatbelt.

He went around to police stations shooting himself in the chest to demonstrate its power. Later, Davis created a second vest design using Kevlar, which is 230% stronger than nylon.

[kysirsoze]

Originally Posted by mikey23545

Not really a war mystery, but what the hell.




Who invented the bulletproof vest?

The answer might surprise you.

You might imagine the inventor being someone from the Army or a policeman, but the true creator was a pizza delivery man! On July 21st, 1969, Richard Davis was delivering pizzas in Detroit when he was held up at gunpoint.

Luckily for the former marine, Davis had a gun of his own and shot two of the attackers but was hit twice himself. This incident gave him an idea for people like cops to avoid injury by wearing padding of some kind. The first prototype for the bulletproof vest was created by Davis out of a roll of nylon and the straps from his car’s seatbelt.

He went around to police stations shooting himself in the chest to demonstrate its power. Later, Davis created a second vest design using Kevlar, which is 230% stronger than nylon.

Think about the first time he shot himself. I don't care how much testing you've done, that would be ****ing scary.

[whoman69]

Originally Posted by mikey23545

Not really a war mystery, but what the hell.




Who invented the bulletproof vest?

The answer might surprise you.

You might imagine the inventor being someone from the Army or a policeman, but the true creator was a pizza delivery man! On July 21st, 1969, Richard Davis was delivering pizzas in Detroit when he was held up at gunpoint.

Luckily for the former marine, Davis had a gun of his own and shot two of the attackers but was hit twice himself. This incident gave him an idea for people like cops to avoid injury by wearing padding of some kind. The first prototype for the bulletproof vest was created by Davis out of a roll of nylon and the straps from his car’s seatbelt.

He went around to police stations shooting himself in the chest to demonstrate its power. Later, Davis created a second vest design using Kevlar, which is 230% stronger than nylon.

You're just messing with us on this one. There were attempts at a bulletproof vest long before the 60s, going back to the late middle ages.

[mikey23545]

Originally Posted by whoman69

You're just messing with us on this one. There were attempts at a bulletproof vest long before the 60s, going back to the late middle ages.

"Second Chance is a body armor manufacturing company and was the first one to use kevlar for body armor. The company was founded in the early 1970s by former U.S. Marine and pizza delivery owner/driver Richard Davis. Davis developed the idea of a bulletproof vest after shooting three armed robbers during a delivery out of self defense. This incident was later documented in a 1995 book written by firearms instructor Massad Ayoob called The Ayoob Files: The Book.

Davis started his company out of his garage. In early sales demonstrations, he would put on one of his vests and then shoot himself, usually with a firearm provided by whatever agency he was demonstrating for."


I guess he was the first one to use Kevlar, so maybe the writer considered it to be the first successful/modern day vest...

[mikey23545]

Mike the Headless Chicken

On September 10, 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen of Fruita, Colorado, United States, had his mother-in-law around for supper and was sent out to the yard by his wife to bring back a chicken. Olsen chose a five-and-a-half-month-old cockerel named Mike. The axe missed the jugular vein, leaving one ear and most of the brain stem intact.

Despite Olsen's botched handiwork, Mike was still able to balance on a perch and walk clumsily; he even attempted to preen and crow, although he could do neither. After the bird did not die, a surprised Mr. Olsen decided to continue to care permanently for Mike, feeding him a mixture of milk and water via an eyedropper; he was also fed small grains of corn.

When used to his new and unusual center of mass, Mike could easily get himself to the highest perches without falling. His crowing, though, was less impressive and consisted of a gurgling sound made in his throat, leaving him unable to crow at dawn. Mike also spent his time preening and attempting to peck for food with his neck.

Fame

Once his fame had been established, Mike began a career of touring sideshows in the company of such other creatures as a two-headed calf. He was also photographed for dozens of magazines and papers, featuring in Time and Life magazines.

Mike was on display to the public for an admission cost of twenty five cents. At the height of his popularity, the chicken earned US$4,500 per month ($48,000 in 2010 dollars) and was valued at $10,000. Olsen's success resulted in a wave of copycat chicken beheading, but no other chicken lived for more than a day or two.

[Rain Man]

I bet that Amber Room was installed in the library of some ultra-rich Rothschild or something, and they complain about how it causes glare on the TV.

[Jerm]

Has anyone read about or know much about the supposed buried Civil War Confederate treasure that's spread all over to this day still?

I know Brad Meltzer did an episode of Decoded on this...always been interesting to me.

[notorious]

The chicken thing is disturbing.

[mikey23545]

Originally Posted by notorious

The chicken thing is disturbing.

Listen closely...What is that sound coming from under your bed?!!??!?!

It's like some kind of clucking, gurgling noise....

NOOOO!!!!!!!

[Mosbonian]

Rather than try to post all the info on this, I will post this Wiki link to the loss of the USS Scorpion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Scorpion_(SSN-589)