74 years ago

Amelia Earhart declared dead
On this day in 1939, the American aviator Amelia Earhart was declared dead after disappearing in July 1937 during an attempted round the world flight. Earhart was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic. She was a powerful figure in women’s groups, and was an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment. It is still unknown what happened to Earhart and theories about her disappearance contribute to the enduring fascination with her.

Via:  Today in History

The Nachthexen or Night Witches

The Nachthexen or Night Witches, was a nickname for the Female Aviators of the Soviet 588th Night Bomber Regiment. The regiment was formed by Colonel Marina Raskova and led by Major Yevdokia Bershanskaya. Starting in 1942 the regiment flew precision bombing missions over German forces lasting until the war ended in 1945. At its largest size, it had 40 two-person crews. It flew over 23,000 sorties and is said to have dropped 3,000 tons of bombs. It was the most highly-decorated female unit in the Soviet Air Force, each pilot having flown over 1,000 missions by the end of the war and twenty-three having been awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title. Thirty of its members died in combat. The regiment most often flew in Biplane Polikarpov Po-2’s. Which were frequently in a rundown state that produced much noise and stalling. The Night Witches used this to their benefit by idling engines over targets before releasing bombs as the older planes had a lower speed than the stalling point on many German models, making them difficult to shoot down. For more information, 1 and for a special bbc article with documentary 2.

Via: Cool Chicks From History

Ali Spagnola

Ryan sent me a link. I was not gonna watch the whole thing, but I was convinced at around 4 minutes mark, watched whole thing and decided to support her art and what she stands for.

Besides I like drinking as you can tell from the tittle of my blog.

She is quite an artist according to her regular sites Ah.. no wonder I was getting familiar feeling from watching her video...She is a former art student...