1944: Weapons-grade plutonium, for the very heart of the Fat Man atomic bomb used to obliterate Nagasaki, Japan, is first produced at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in south-central Washington state. Twenty-seven years later, in 1971, the Atomic Energy Commission detonates the largest U.S. underground hydrogen device, during testing in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
The development of weapons-grade [...]
Posts Tagged ‘President Richard’
Nov. 6, 1944 & 1971: A Double Nuke Anniversary
November 6th, 2009 |
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5 little-known facts about the Moon landing
July 22nd, 2009 |
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In a new report, National Geographic News has outlined 5 little-known facts about the Moon landing.
So, 40 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, here are some of the facts that you probably didn’t know about the historic event:
1. Aldrin took secret communion: Before leaving the Apollo 11 moon-landing module, US astronaut Edwin “Buzz†Aldrin [...]
What am I bid? Nothing! Watergate Hotel fails to sell
July 21st, 2009 |
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An attempted auction of the Watergate Hotel, part of a Washington landmark made famous by a presidential scandal, has failed to attract any bids.
The opening price on the hotel was $25m (£15.2m), but none of the 10 people registered to bid did so.
The Watergate Hotel is part of the US capital’s Watergate Complex.
It housed the Democratic National Committee headquarters, which were broken into in the scandal leading to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.
Four of the burglars stayed at the hotel before the 1972 break-in.
A company called Monument Realty, which bought the Watergate in 2004, closed the hotel two years ago but ran out of funds while trying to renovate it.
The firm had originally tried to convert the hotel into luxury flats.
Joseph Cooper, president of Alex Cooper Auctioneers, said before the auction started that it was a chance to invest in "one of the city’s most famous landmarks".
The auction attracted dozens of spectators, including journalists and residents of the complex.
PB Capital Corp, which had loaned $40m to Monument Realty, will take back the property and attempt to find a buyer.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Watergate Hotel To Hit Auction Block Tuesday Morning
July 21st, 2009 |
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WASHINGTON — The Watergate Hotel that is part of a complex made famous by a presidential scandal is heading to the auction block.
Alex Cooper Auctioneers is scheduled to start the sale of the landmark at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday. According to…
US TV news legend Cronkite dies
July 18th, 2009 |
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The former US TV newscaster Walter Cronkite, known to millions as "the most trusted man in America", has died at the age of 92.
An executive for the CBS news channel said Mr Cronkite died at his New York home with his family at his side.
He was reported to have been ill for some time.
Mr Cronkite presented the evening news programme for CBS from 1962 to 1981, helping the programme to become the most watched bulletin in the US.
His career covered such major global events as the assassination of former US President John F Kennedy, the moon landing, Watergate, former President Richard Nixon’s resignation and the fall of Saigon.
In 1972, he was deemed by a poll of the US public to be, "the most trusted man in America", beating presidents, members of congress and other journalists.
He ended his broadcasts with his signature sign-off: "That’s the way it is."
Mr Cronkite’s opinion was so trusted by the US public that when he criticised the war in Vietnam, President Lyndon B Johnson is reported to have said: "If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America."
Linda Mason, the vice-president of CBS, said Mr Cronkite had died at 1942 local time (2342 GMT) on Friday after a long illness. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.