NOËL COWARD SAYS
NOËL COWARD was the most flamboyant wit of the 20th century. As confirmed in A Last Encore, he was also a rare combination of social satirist and patriot. Sir Noël … Continue reading
THE ROADS OF ROSE AND RAKEMAN
AS PART of the U.S. Sesquicentennial in 1926, the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads assembled an historical exhibit on American roads. Its dioramas evolved into a book published in the … Continue reading
AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER MADE OF ICE?
I WAS researching the aircraft of Sir Winston Churchill (a tale that’ll appear anon) when I encountered the story of a proposed World War II aircraft carrier made of ice. … Continue reading
SARAH BRIGHTMAN—COSMONAUT
THE WOMAN loved by the Phantom of the Opera has fallen in love with space tourism. And not just the concept, but the actual thing. Classical crossover/musicial theater soprano Sarah … Continue reading
THE DANUBE
THE BEST travel books offer historical nuggets and personal insights as well as trip details. Nick Thorpe’s The Danube is a fine example. Why upriver? Thorpe says he’s following a … Continue reading
AUTOGYROS IN SONG, LEGEND AND THE NEWS
OUTSPOKEN ENTHUSIASTS of fixed-wing aircraft claim that helicopters don’t really fly, they’re just so ugly that the Earth repels them. I wonder if this same opinion applies to another form … Continue reading
CLEARING THE FUEL-CELL AIR
FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve been enthusiastic about automobile fuel-cell propulsion since the early 1990s when I learned about this means of producing electric energy. Not that my enthusiasm has been universally … Continue reading
IT’S GOOD TO BE HOME
“SHOW ME a person’s home,” someone or other must have said, “and I’ll tell you who that person is.” Homes can be modest or grand, elegantly traditional or jarringly post-modern. … Continue reading
DOMINGUEZ HILL 1910—AMERICA’S FIRST AIR MEET
AIRLINE PASSENGERS using LAX, Los Angeles’s major airport, may not realize it, but they’re near historic ground in pioneer aviation. The first air meet in the U.S. took place January 10 – 20, … Continue reading
POLITICAL NAME-CALLING
THE BBC World Service reported today a British Liberal Party spokesman said that political coalition could “give the Conservative Party a heart and Labour a brain.” Being an outsider to the … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 