Vought F4U Corsair crashes on the deck of a carrier when the arresting gear failed

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. From the first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured by Vought, in 16 separate models, in the longest production run of any piston-engined fighter in U.S. history (1942–53)

Former first lady Jackie Kennedy offers her condolences to Coretta Scott King at Martin Luther King Jr funeral

The bigger picture of the tank man on Tienanmen square, 1989

A man who stood in front of a column of tanks on June 5, 1989, the morning after the Chinese military had suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 by force, became known as the Tank Man or Unknown Protester. The tanks maneuvered to pass by the man, and he moved to continue to obstruct them, in something like a dance. The incident was filmed and seen worldwide.

Currently, there is no reliable information about the identity or fate of the tank man.

 

First morning after Sweden changed from driving on the left side to driving on the right, 1967

1918: A German dispatch dog carries a message to the front lines after jumping over a trench

Man and woman towing a cargo-boat through a ship-canal. The Netherlands, 1931

Survivors of the Titanic row to the Carpathia, 1912

A British merchant being carried by a Sikkimese lady on her back. West Bengal circa 1903

The liner "Queen Elizabeth" bringing American troops into NY Harbor at the end of WWII, 1945

Cigarette vending machine in England delivered a lit cigarette for a penny, 1931

Dracula (1931, USA)

Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker^.
Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread the undead curse, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
Dracula has been assigned to many literary genres including vampire literature, horror fiction, the gothic novel and invasion literature. The novel touches on themes such as the role of women in Victorian culture, sexual conventions, immigration, colonialism, and post-colonialism. Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, he defined its modern form, and the novel has spawned numerous theatrical, film and television interpretations.

The ruins of Dresden after WWII

Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area with 2.4 million inhabitants

 

Fun to see a 'real' (non-posed) photo, catching the mood of a dinner party, c 1860

A young Angelina Jolie stepping out at the Academy Awards with dad Jon Voight, 1986

Construction of The Twin Towers, 1970

Mrs. A.W. (Pauline) Barrett and boatman Jim Gardner with the black sea bass she had caught, 1901

Fire in the Madame Tussaud Wax Museum in London, 1930

Melted and damaged mannequins after a Fire in the Madame Tussaud Wax Museum in London, 1930

The Giant Sand Drawings of Jamie Wardley

Sand sculptor Jamie Wardley transforms beaches into canvases for his art, as he tries to send important messages through his giant sand drawings.

Jamie first came into contact with the world of sand sculpting, as a young boy, on a trip in Norway. He met a sand sculptor who managed to turn two sand blocks into The Queen and Mr. Bean, in just a few hours, and Jamie was amazed by his talent, so he started asking the master all kinds of questions about his art. One thing led to another and before he knew it, the young boy had sand carving tools in each of his hands and was working on his very first sculpture. The sand sculptor was very impressed with his work, and told Jamie he could attend some of his classes, if ever returned to Norway.

It was years before Jamie Wardley contacted the talented sculptor, but when he did, he was welcomed back to the land of fjords, to start his apprenticeship as a sand sculptor. Along the way, the young Brit started making ice sculptures as well as impressive sand drawings, and now he’s one of the world’s most famous beach artists in the world.

Basically, Jamie and his team create these spectacular sand drawings by raking the sand while coordinating themselves perfectly, but he admits there are some trade secrets he only reveals during workshops. He and his team at “Sand in Your Eyes” create incredibly detailed sand drawings, up to 800 meters large. While they only last a few hours, before the tide sweeps over them, Jamie’s works can clearly be seen from the air and on the ground, during this short period of time.

Jamie Wardley’s company creates commercial sand drawings, like for companies who want to promote their products, but also takes interest in preserving the environment, and honoring history. Over the years they’ve created various sand drawings in protest to global warming and pollution.

 

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The Giant Sand Drawings of Jamie Wardley was originally posted at Oddity Central

Brass Van – Probably the World’s Heaviest Art Car

The Brass Van is a unique art car completely covered with various brass items. Also known as the “California Fantasy Van”, this artwork on four wheels took 22 years to complete.

Hunter Mann is the present owner of the Brass Van, but it was actually his late godfather, Ernie Steingold, who created it. A vacuum-cleaner repairman, Steingold first started adding brass to his 1975 GMC van, in the early 1980s and continued doing so for the next 20 years or so. It all started one day, when he decided to attach three brass elephants to the hood, as ornaments. Then he got it into his head to cover the vehicle with brass coins, and he did just that – around $15,000 worth of coins, at the time he finished the job. From there on in, he just kept adding brass.

Mann, the current owner of the Brass van, says there are around 5,000 pieces of brass presently attached to his vehicle, weighing about 10,000 pounds. In fact, this car is so heavy, its tires have to be changed every 4,000 miles, and I don’t even want to think about the mileage…

As you would expect, Hunter Mann gets pulled over by police, about once every five days. Most of the officers just want to ask him about his Brass van and take photos with it. Even though he gets asked the same questions every time, Mann never gets tired of answering them.

When it’s not on tour, the Brass Van can be found at ArtCar World, a museum for art cars, in Douglas, Arizona. Just in case you were wondering about how much such a unique vehicle costs, the Brass van was appraised at $350,000.

 

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Brass Van – Probably the World’s Heaviest Art Car was originally posted at Oddity Central