Tag Archives: 17 July

17 July 1962

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Nuclear weapons testing: The “Small Boy” test shot Little Feller I becomes the last atmospheric test detonation at the Nevada National Security Site.

Operation Dominic was a series of 31 nuclear tests conducted in 1962, during the height of the Cold War, to demonstrate the capabilities of the United States’ nuclear arsenal. The purpose of these tests was to gather data on nuclear weapons performance and explore various weapon designs.

The “Small Boy” test shot, specifically named Little Feller I, was notable because it involved the testing of a lightweight, deliverable nuclear warhead intended for use with artillery systems. The goal was to evaluate the feasibility of employing nuclear weapons in a battlefield or tactical scenario.

The Little Feller I test involved the detonation of a low-yield nuclear device with an estimated yield of around 0.022 kilotons (22 tons of TNT equivalent). The yield was relatively small compared to other nuclear tests, and this was intentional to create a low-yield, tactical weapon that could be used in combat situations with reduced collateral damage.

During the test, a 155mm M-28 nuclear artillery shell was fired from a howitzer cannon to demonstrate the use of nuclear weapons in a field artillery context. The shell successfully detonated at the designated target area, demonstrating the ability to employ small nuclear warheads with conventional artillery systems.

The Little Feller I test was part of the U.S. government’s efforts to develop and enhance its nuclear arsenal during the Cold War. It also showcased the versatility and flexibility of nuclear weapons deployment, as the United States sought to maintain a credible nuclear deterrence posture against potential adversaries.

17 July 1902

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Willis Carrier creates the first air conditioner.

On July 17, 1902, a young research engineer initialed a set of mechanical drawings designed to solve a production problem at the Sackett & Wilhelms Lithography and Printing Company in Brooklyn, New York. These were not the first drawings that 25-year-old Willis Carrier had prepared on behalf of his new employer, the Buffalo Forge Company. Since graduation from Cornell University a year earlier, this modest but gifted engineer had turned out designs for a heating plant, a lumber dry kiln and a coffee dryer, among others. Such products were the stock-in-trade of Buffalo Forge, a respected supplier of forges, fans and hot blast heaters.

This new design was different—so novel, in fact, that it would not only help to solve a problem that had long plagued printers, but would one day launch a company and create an entire industry essential to global productivity and personal comfort.

he problem began with paper. In the spring of 1902, consulting engineer Walter Timmis visited the Manhattan office of J. Irvine Lyle, the head of Buffalo Forge’s sales activities in New York. Timmis’ client, Sackett & Wilhelms, found that humidity at its Brooklyn plant wreaked havoc with the color register of its fine, multicolor printing. Ink, applied one color at a time, would misalign with the expansion and contraction of the paper stock. This caused poor quality, scrap waste and lost production days, Timmis said. Judge magazine happened to be one of the important clients whose production schedule was at risk. Timmis had some ideas about how to approach the problem but would need help. Was Buffalo Forge interested?

One of Lyle’s great skills was his ability to assess new business opportunities, and he grasped this one immediately. He knew that engineers had long been able to heat, cool and humidify air. Sometimes, as a result of cooling, they had also been able to reduce humidity. But precise control of humidity in a manufacturing environment—that was something entirely new. Lyle also had an innate ability for sizing up people. In this case, he believed he knew the engineer who could tackle this problem, a recent Cornell University graduate who had already impressed many people at Buffalo Forge. So, Lyle accepted Timmis’ challenge and sent the problem to Willis Carrier, the first step in a long and prosperous collaboration.

Lyle’s bet paid off. On October 21, 1903, he reported in a letter to his home office that, “The cooling coils which we sold this company have given excellent results during the past summer.” This confirmed his faith in both the opportunity, and in the exceptional talent of the young engineer who had directed the project. Willis Carrier had demonstrated the intellect, creativity and vision to assemble everything that had gone on before him, improve upon it, and create something entirely new.

The drawings were dated July 17, 1902. After that, nothing would be the same. Modern air conditioning was born.

17 July 2014

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Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shot down near the border between Ukraine and Russia.

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A Malaysia Airlines passenger jet crashed in a rebel-controlled part of eastern Ukraine on Thursday, spurring swift accusations from Ukrainian officials that “terrorists” shot down the aircraft.

The United States has concluded a missile shot down the plane, but hasn’t pinpointed who was responsible, a senior U.S. official told CNN’s Barbara Starr.

The Boeing 777 with 298 people aboard fell from the sky near the town of Torez in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, officials said. A top Ukrainian official said the plane, which was on the way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was flying at about 10,000 meters (nearly 33,000 feet) when the missile hit.

A radar system saw a surface-to-air missile system turn on and track an aircraft right before the plane went down, the senior U.S. official said. A second system saw a heat signature at the time the airliner was hit, the official said. The United States is analyzing the trajectory of the missile to try to learn where the attack came from, the official said.

The Obama administration believes Ukraine did not have the capability in the region — let alone the motivation — to shoot down the plane, a U.S. official told CNN’s Jake Tapper.