Jewish Second Temple courtyard’s ‘regal’ floor tiles restored by archaeologists

The Jewish Second Temple replica.

Dattatreya Mandal 

Researchers from the Jerusalem-based Temple Mount Sifting Project has accomplished quite a feat by restoring a unique architectural scope of the once-monumental Second Jewish Temple. This fascinating ambit mainly entails the richly decorated floor tiles that adorned the porticoes on the Temple Mount. Simply put, these ancient specimens probably played their decorative role along the courtyards of the huge temple complex, corresponding to the period when King Herod ruled over the Roman client realm of Judea (circa 37 – 4 BC). Now interestingly if the project is assessed to be accurate, this would be the first time that archaeologists had been able to successfully restore any element from the Second Temple.

New pterosaur species discovered in the Patagonia region of Argentina

Reconstruction of a ptesosaur. Credit: Gabriel Lío

Posted By: Dattatreya Mandal 

Researchers announced the discovery of a new (extinct) species of pterosaur from the Patagonia region of South America. The discovery was made from the cranial remains of a specimen that were found to be a pretty well preserved condition, probably dated from the Early Jurassic period (around 200 – 175 million years ago). Interestingly enough, the new species was named as the Allkauren koi, from the native Tehuelche language – with ‘all’ roughly translating to ‘brain’ and ‘kauren’ meaning ‘ancient’.

The very name ‘Pterosaur’ comes from the Greek for ‘winged lizards’. These astounding flying reptiles ruled the skies between the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period; and quite unsurprisingly, one of the largest known flying animals of all time – Quetzalcoatlus, comes from this extinct clade. In terms of size, the larger variant of Quetzalcoatlus’ is estimated to have had an incredible wingspan of over 36 ft. But interestingly this was just one end of the size spectrum, with some Pterosaur specimens also showcasing the diminutive dimensions of small sparrows.

31 Rolls Of Film From A WWII Soldier Were Found & Processed; The Results Are Extraordinary

Joris Nieuwint

 

Just one of the amazing pictures uncovered from the mysterious rolls of film by the Rescued Film Project. (Image captured from the vIdeo below)

 

The Second World War is considered to be one of the most filmed and photographed conflict in recorded history. There were photographers attached to the armies, recording every battle. They filmed and photographed destroyed cities, piles of bodies, scared and shaken citizens and starving Holocaust survivors.
Recent studies show that there were many individuals filming the conflict, but that most of those films were either lost during the war or were not developed in the years following.
Photographer Levi Bettwieser discovered an amazing set of rolls in 2014. He runs the ‘Rescued Film Project’, paying tribute to the unknown photographer who had created the film during the war.
The Rescued Film Project is a short documentary about the processing of these mysterious film rolls. The process itself was quite an exhilarating experience for him, but when he developed and saw the pictures, he was astonished by his discovery.

A 1,200-year-old Viking sword found in Norway could still be used today

While hiking an old mountain trail in Haukeli (on the border of Telemark County, Norway),  Goran Olsen was surprised to discover a 1250 year old Viking sword among some rocks near the road when he sat down to rest. The sword was in excellent condition, especially considering its immense age.
The sword was taken to Hordaland County Council, where local archaeologists working for the council were elated to have the opportunity to study such a beautiful artifact. County conservator Per Morten Ekerhovd said, “It’s quite unusual to find remnants from the Viking age that are so well-preserved. It might be used today if you sharpened the edge

VB-107 Attacks U-848 Off Ascension Island, South Atlantic

wwii0202.jpg

Caption: 

U-848 is bracketed by five depth charges dropped by United States Navy PB4Y-1 Privateer "107-B-4" flown by Lieutenant Samuel K. Taylor of Patrol Bombing Squadron VB-107. Lieutenant Taylor attacked from seventy feet (21 meters) at 225 knots (415 kilometers per hour). This ninth attack in one day on U-848 was followed by another run by Lieutenant Taylor, who destroyed the U-Boat with two depth charges. U-848, a Type IXd2 U-Boat, was commissioned on February 20, 1943 under the command of Korvettenkapitan Wilhelm Rollman (August 5, 1907 - November 5, 1943).

2800-year old ancient seeds discovered in eastern Anatolia, to be resurrected

Posted By: Dattatreya Mandal September 5, 2016

Haykaberd (or Çavuştepe in Turkish) is an archaeological site in Van Province in Turkey’s Eastern Anatolia region, known for its ancient 8th century BC fortifications and royal palace of the Urartian kings. But this time around, beyond ramparts and walls, archaeologists are interested in seeds. Originally discovered in 2014, from the Çavuştepe Castle that was constructed by Urartian King Sarduri II (circa 8th century BC), these batches of wheat and sesame seeds are almost 2800-years old. And now the researchers are looking forth to resurrect these ancient specimens inside a laboratory environment.

Professor Rafet Çavuşoğlu (Archaeology Department) from the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, said –

How Erwin Rommel Earned Germany’s Highest Honor, as a Mere Lieutenant!

 Gabe Christy

By Bundesarchiv / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de,

Erwin Rommel was undoubtedly one of the finest generals of the Second World War, his strategic mind and patient approach led his men to victory after victory early in the war. But, while his fame and glory came as a General and Field Marshal, it was as a Lieutenant in the First World War that he earned his greatest honor.

These Jews Took Up Arms Against Nazi Germany & Fought Back Without Hope

 2016 Heather Fishel

Stroop Report original caption: "Forcibly pulled out of dug-outs". Captured Jews are led by German troops to the assembly point for deportation.

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Life in a Ghetto was the unfortunate fate of many Jewish citizens during the Nazi Party’s reign over Germany and its many occupied territories. Crammed into hastily built quarters, packed amongst other people and families all forced to leave their homes, little about life in these ghettos was desirable.
Yet in one ghetto, the Jewish residents held within its walls refused to accept the terrible fate the Germans planned for them. In 1942, Warsaw Ghetto decided to fight back against the execution of its people, and the Warsaw Ghetto uprising became the largest revolt of Jewish people to occur during World War II.
Unfortunately, the uprising led to the total destruction of the ghetto and the deaths of so many of its residents – but before its buildings burned and smoke filled the streets, its people made history.

The Revolutionary War Veterans Who Lived Long Enough To Have Their Pictures Taken

August 26, 2016 content Lifestyle 3

PetaPixel has a wonderful post by Michael Zhang with rare photographs of Revolutionary War veterans who actually lived long enough to have their photographs taken. It’s an amazing post, so don’t miss it.  
Photography was invented in the 1820s and 1830s, and the Revolutionary War ended decades before, in 1783. This meant that most Revolutionary War veterans didn’t live long enough to have their photographs taken. That being said, there were a few war veterans who did live long enough to be immortalized in portraits.
In 1864, a full 81 years after the war ended, Reverend E. B. Hillard and two photographers went to New England to interview and photograph the six men known to have survived. All of the veterans were over 100 years old. These amazing photographs were made into a book called The Last Men of the Revolution. This is a fascinating look into history that we’re lucky to have.

WILLIAM HUTCHINGS

VB-107 Attacks U-848 Off Ascension Island, South Atlantic

wwii0202.jpg

Caption: 

U-848 is bracketed by five depth charges dropped by United States Navy PB4Y-1 Privateer "107-B-4" flown by Lieutenant Samuel K. Taylor of Patrol Bombing Squadron VB-107. Lieutenant Taylor attacked from seventy feet (21 meters) at 225 knots (415 kilometers per hour). This ninth attack in one day on U-848 was followed by another run by Lieutenant Taylor, who destroyed the U-Boat with two depth charges. U-848, a Type IXd2 U-Boat, was commissioned on February 20, 1943 under the command of Korvettenkapitan Wilhelm Rollman (August 5, 1907 - November 5, 1943). Rollman was a U-Boat ace who sank over 100,000 tons while the commander of U-34.

Oh Yes! Inside the Panzer VII Maus – It Has a Massive 44 Litre Engine!

Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (“Mouse”) was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in late 1944. It is the heaviest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built. Only two hulls and one turret were completed before the testing grounds were captured by the advancing Soviet forces.
These two prototypes – one with, one without turret – underwent trials in late 1944. The complete vehicle was 33 ft 6 inches long, 12 ft 2 inches wide, and 11.9 ft high. Weighing 188 metric tons, the Maus’s main armament was the Krupp-designed 128 mm gun. This 128 mm gun was powerful enough to destroy all Allied armored fighting vehicles then in service, some at ranges exceeding 3,800 yards.

While His Maniac Brother was Busy Killing Jews, Albert Goring Worked Tirelessly to Save Them

• INSTANT ARTICLES
• WORLD WAR II

Aug 31, 2016 Heather Fishel

 

 

What would happen to your family should one of your siblings join a deadly political beast? If you were a member of the Göring family in the first half of the 1900s, you would find your entire family divided. This was the situation between Albert and Hermann Göring, two brothers torn apart by World War II. While one brother, Hermann, became a proud member of the Nazi Party, the other, Albert, chose an entirely different direction.

German Ace Stumbled Across a Crippled a B-17 and Escorted It Back to England. The Pilots Are Friends Now!

 William Mclaughlin

Truly touching moments of humanity, ethics and morals are rather rare in warfare. The Christmas Truce of WWI was an excellent example of such humanity, as were the heroic actions of German Luftwaffe fighter pilot Franz Stigler on December 20^th, 1943. His actions got nine men home for Christmas.
Charlie Brown of the USAAF was a Lt. flying his first mission as an aircraft commander flying a B-17, “Ye Olde Pub” on a bombing run over Bremen. Brown’s bomber occupied the especially dangerous left of the formation, sometimes called the Purple Heart Corner. Bremen was defended by a large contingent of fighters and well-manned flak guns. Two B-17s were quickly struck by heavy flak, and many went down. Brown’s bomber was hit at least once in the left wing. The crew had to shut down an engine which took them out of the formation. Soon they were met by about eight enemy fighters.
The B-17 was sometimes referred to as the flying porcupine and Ye Olde Pub sure lived up to The name. the gunners took out at least one of the fighters and as many as three, all on their own. The remaining fighters were still able to take the fight to the bomber, however, and bullets tore through Ye Olde Pub.

This Rogue Nazi General Committed High Treason To Stop The Reign of Terror in Croatia

Heather Fishel Many heroes’ names line the pages of WWII history. Many of these men and women were not recognized and known to the public during their lifetimes – some were secret agents, some worked within underground resistance groups, and some conducted their plans hidden in plain sight. One man in particular fought back from within the Nazi Party, reporting its atrocities and plotting to bring them down from the inside. That man was Edmund Glaise-Horstenau, a general within the Austrian military and respected Nazi leader. Though so many of his fellow Nazis facilitated the concentration camps and various other horrors conducted during the war, Glaise-Horstenau did not – he wanted the reign of terror to end, even if he had to die to make this dream a reality.

The Black Dispatches From the Civil War Spies

 Jinny McCormick

 

The south steps of the Confederate White House teeming with Southern officers and soldiers. Freedwoman Mary Bowser, posing as a slave, often spied here for the Union.

 

The typical Southern officer’s opinion of African Americans was that they were an inferior subhuman race, lacking in intelligence or cunning. Their ignorance and subsequent disregard of the slaves in their midst led to the most successful intelligence gathering of the Civil War.
The black men and women that provided information to the Union did so at extreme peril and risk that they would never outlive, even long after the war was over. They did this gambling that the pay-off would be winning the war and trusting that they would hopefully gain their freedom. There would be no accolades or acknowledgment. Such attention, even long after the South fell, would put them in danger of retaliation from disgruntled former Confederates.

Made from parts from B-25s, B-29s & a Waco glider, we give you the ‘Flying Crane’

• Self-Propelled

Great image here for the scale of the ‘flying crane’. source

OK, it looked ugly and strange but it worked – kind of. Made from parts from various WWII warbirds the Hughes XH-17 “Flying Crane”  was by far ,the most impressive of all rotor-craft in the early 1950s was a strange monster designated XH-17. This was planned and taken through the design process by Kellett, but hardware trials were transferred to Hughes Aircraft at Culver City. Already the aircraft firm of billionaire Howard Hughes had a reputation for being quite undeterred by the most formidable development problems, and certainly the XH-17 made sense on paper. In any case, it was part-funded by the USAF. It was a flying crane, the specialized category pioneered by the German Fa 284 and intended to lift cargo weighing up to 27,000 lb more than ten times as much as any other rotorcraft of its day. To do so it had a radically new form of lift power.

Howard Hughes (second from left) standing under the blade of the XH-17, Flying Crane with L-R: Rea Hopper, Director of the Aeronautical Division, Hughes Aircraft Company; Hughes; Clyde Jones, Director of Engineering, Hughes Tool Company Aeronautical Division; Warren Reed, Assistant; Colonel Carl E. Jackson, Air Research and Development Headquarters; Gale. J. Moore, Pilot; Chal Bowen?, Flight Engineer/Co-Pilot; unidentified pilot. source

Scroll down for video

The prototype was finished in 1949, ahead of schedule and one of the reasons being that it was made from parts poached from WWII warbirds.  The XH-17 was a heavy-lift rotorcraft that was designed to lift loads in excess of 15 metric tons.
To speed construction, parts of the XH-17 were scavenged from other aircraft. The front wheels came from a B-25 Mitchell and the rear wheels from a C-54 Skymaster. The fuel tank was a bomb bay-mounted unit from a B-29 Superfortress. The cockpit was from a Waco CG-15and the tail rotor from a Sikorsky H-19 was used for yaw control.
In the late 1940s, Hughes developed an interest in helicopters. In August 1947, helicopter manufacturer Kellett sold his design for the giant XH-17 Sky Crane to Hughes, who commissioned the development of the XH-17 Flying Crane research vehicle. In 1948, the XH-17 began to take shape. The giant helicopter was tested in Culver City, California over a three-year period beginning in 1952. The XH-17 flew in 1953 at a gross weight in excess of 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg). It still holds the record for flying with the world’s largest rotor system. Only one unit was built, since the aircraft was too cumbersome and inefficient to warrant further development.

Engines: two GE J35 turbojets
Weight fully loaded: 52,000 lb
Cruising speed: 60 mph
Range: 40 miles
Number of seats: 2. source

The propulsion system was unusual. Two General Electric J35 turbojet engines were used, sending bleed air up through the rotor hub. The blades were hollow, and the hot compressed air traveled through the blades to tip jets where fuel was injected. In flight, the rotors spun at a sedate 88 rpm. Since the rotor was driven at the tips rather than the hub, little torque compensation was required.

The XH-17 employed an unusual gas-turbine and rotor-tip combustion combination to provide power to spin the gigantic rotors.

Thus, the XH-17 had a very small tail rotor compared to its main rotor. This drive system was inefficient, limiting the test aircraft to a range of only 40 miles. Finally, having received the Air Force serial 50-1842, the XH-17 was first flown by Gale Moore at Culver City on 23 October, 1952. That flight, however, had to be cut short after the XH-17 had been airborne for barely a minute as directional control forces were excessive. While correction of this deficiency could be made quickly, difficulties uncovered later in the trials required more time. In particular, high vibratory stresses in the main rotor blades were difficult to correct and the XH-17 was repeatedly grounded while modifications were incorporated. The off and on test programme ended when the rotor blades reached their design life in December 1955 writes aviastar.org

Hughes experimental helicopters XH-17 at the front XH-28 mock up at the rear. source

By the end of the test program the XH-17 had proved its concept, that it could fly, and that it could carry a considerable payload – exceeding the original requirement. However it fell short, well short, of the Air Force’s range requirement. Mainly due to its appalling fuel consumption, and there was little which could be done to improve it.
In the end it became a bit of an engineering cul-de-sac. One derivative, the XH-28, an even larger version, was proposed. But it never got further than a wooden mock-up. The sole XH-17 prototype was eventually scrapped, and sadly nothing remains of this unusual giant except for photos and some video footage.

Ground tests began towards the very end of 1949, and immediately the sheer size and complexity of the rotors, and their unusual powersource began to throw up some issues for the engineers. However the project continued to develop at a satisfactory pace. source

The giant rotors promised a huge lifting capacity, so they were attached to stilt-like legs and a box-like fuselage. source

Entry to the cockpit required a pair of tall ladders attached to the forward landing gear legs. source

Η Ελλάδα στο χάρτη του Ισλαμικού Χαλιφάτου

Δείτε τι τύπωσε και μοίρασε στους «μαχητές» του το «Ισλαμικό Κράτος» - Με μαύρο χρώμα αποτυπώνονται οι περιοχές που θεωρεί το ISIS ότι θα πρέπει να εμπεριέχονται στην ίδρυση ενός μελλοντικού ισλαμικού χαλιφάτου.

Ντοκουμέντο: Ο χάρτης που τύπωσε και μοίρασε στους «μαχητές» του το «Ισλαμικό Κράτος» και κυκλοφόρησε στο Διαδίκτυο. Με μαύρο χρώμα αποτυπώνονται οι περιοχές που θεωρεί το ISIS ότι θα πρέπει να εμπεριέχονται στην ίδρυση ενός μελλοντικού ισλαμικού χαλιφάτου. Μεταξύ αυτών των περιοχών συμπεριλαμβάνονται τόσο η Ελλάδα όσο και η Κύπρος. Τα σύνορα του χαλιφάτου φτάνουν μέχρι τον Ατλαντικό στα δυτικά, έως την Αυστρία στα βόρεια, συμπεριλαμβάνουν ολόκληρη την Αφρική βόρεια της Σαχάρας, την Αραβική Χερσόνησο, την Ινδία, μέρος της Κίνας και το σύνολο των χωρών των λεγόμενων τουρκόφωνων περιοχών της Ασίας

Made from parts from B-25s, B-29s & a Waco glider, we give you the ‘Flying Crane’

• Self-Propelled

Great image here for the scale of the ‘flying crane’. source

OK, it looked ugly and strange but it worked – kind of. Made from parts from various WWII warbirds the Hughes XH-17 “Flying Crane”  was by far ,the most impressive of all rotor-craft in the early 1950s was a strange monster designated XH-17. This was planned and taken through the design process by Kellett, but hardware trials were transferred to Hughes Aircraft at Culver City. Already the aircraft firm of billionaire Howard Hughes had a reputation for being quite undeterred by the most formidable development problems, and certainly the XH-17 made sense on paper. In any case, it was part-funded by the USAF. It was a flying crane, the specialized category pioneered by the German Fa 284 and intended to lift cargo weighing up to 27,000 lb more than ten times as much as any other rotorcraft of its day. To do so it had a radically new form of lift power.

Howard Hughes (second from left) standing under the blade of the XH-17, Flying Crane with L-R: Rea Hopper, Director of the Aeronautical Division, Hughes Aircraft Company; Hughes; Clyde Jones, Director of Engineering, Hughes Tool Company Aeronautical Division; Warren Reed, Assistant; Colonel Carl E. Jackson, Air Research and Development Headquarters; Gale. J. Moore, Pilot; Chal Bowen?, Flight Engineer/Co-Pilot; unidentified pilot. source

Scroll down for video

The prototype was finished in 1949, ahead of schedule and one of the reasons being that it was made from parts poached from WWII warbirds.  The XH-17 was a heavy-lift rotorcraft that was designed to lift loads in excess of 15 metric tons.
To speed construction, parts of the XH-17 were scavenged from other aircraft. The front wheels came from a B-25 Mitchell and the rear wheels from a C-54 Skymaster. The fuel tank was a bomb bay-mounted unit from a B-29 Superfortress. The cockpit was from a Waco CG-15and the tail rotor from a Sikorsky H-19 was used for yaw control.
In the late 1940s, Hughes developed an interest in helicopters. In August 1947, helicopter manufacturer Kellett sold his design for the giant XH-17 Sky Crane to Hughes, who commissioned the development of the XH-17 Flying Crane research vehicle. In 1948, the XH-17 began to take shape. The giant helicopter was tested in Culver City, California over a three-year period beginning in 1952. The XH-17 flew in 1953 at a gross weight in excess of 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg). It still holds the record for flying with the world’s largest rotor system. Only one unit was built, since the aircraft was too cumbersome and inefficient to warrant further development.

Engines: two GE J35 turbojets
Weight fully loaded: 52,000 lb
Cruising speed: 60 mph
Range: 40 miles
Number of seats: 2. source

The propulsion system was unusual. Two General Electric J35 turbojet engines were used, sending bleed air up through the rotor hub. The blades were hollow, and the hot compressed air traveled through the blades to tip jets where fuel was injected. In flight, the rotors spun at a sedate 88 rpm. Since the rotor was driven at the tips rather than the hub, little torque compensation was required.

The XH-17 employed an unusual gas-turbine and rotor-tip combustion combination to provide power to spin the gigantic rotors.

Thus, the XH-17 had a very small tail rotor compared to its main rotor. This drive system was inefficient, limiting the test aircraft to a range of only 40 miles. Finally, having received the Air Force serial 50-1842, the XH-17 was first flown by Gale Moore at Culver City on 23 October, 1952. That flight, however, had to be cut short after the XH-17 had been airborne for barely a minute as directional control forces were excessive. While correction of this deficiency could be made quickly, difficulties uncovered later in the trials required more time. In particular, high vibratory stresses in the main rotor blades were difficult to correct and the XH-17 was repeatedly grounded while modifications were incorporated. The off and on test programme ended when the rotor blades reached their design life in December 1955 writes aviastar.org

Hughes experimental helicopters XH-17 at the front XH-28 mock up at the rear. source

By the end of the test program the XH-17 had proved its concept, that it could fly, and that it could carry a considerable payload – exceeding the original requirement. However it fell short, well short, of the Air Force’s range requirement. Mainly due to its appalling fuel consumption, and there was little which could be done to improve it.
In the end it became a bit of an engineering cul-de-sac. One derivative, the XH-28, an even larger version, was proposed. But it never got further than a wooden mock-up. The sole XH-17 prototype was eventually scrapped, and sadly nothing remains of this unusual giant except for photos and some video footage.

Ground tests began towards the very end of 1949, and immediately the sheer size and complexity of the rotors, and their unusual powersource began to throw up some issues for the engineers. However the project continued to develop at a satisfactory pace. source

The giant rotors promised a huge lifting capacity, so they were attached to stilt-like legs and a box-like fuselage. source

Entry to the cockpit required a pair of tall ladders attached to the forward landing gear legs. source

ΑΠΑΝΤΗΣΗ ΣΕ ΟΣΟΥΣ ΛΕΝΕ ΤΗΝ ΦΡΑΣΗ «Ντρέπομαι που είμαι Έλληνας»

Δεν χρειάζεται να ντρέπεστε που είστε Έλληνας, ντρέπονται άλλοι για σας. Οι Έλληνες οι πρόγονοι σας !

Είπες πώς ντρέπεσαι που είσαι Έλληνας; Μήπως η λέξη Έλλην πρέπει να ντρέπεται που εκπροσωπεί εσένα,  που δεν θυμίζεις τίποτα από τον Ηρωισμό, την Τόλμη, την Αρετή,  των προγόνων σου!

P.1000 Ratte – Was It a Paper Tiger or a Nazi Super tank?

 Nikola Budanovic

 

 

As the beginning of the war swept over Europe, with lightening speed, Hitler felt invincible, at least for the first two years of the war. He was known for his megalomaniac ambitions, but the most telling example of his unrestrained hubris was endorsing the Landkreuzer P.1000, which he nicknamed The Rat (Ratte).
It was supposed to be more than five times heavier than its predecessor, Panzer VIII Maus, a super tank, built in late 1944. About 1,000 metric tons was the predicted weight, 35 meters long, 11 meters high and 14 meters wide it was to be the biggest land war machine ever created.