Short story about how (sometimes) smoking can save your life (7 pictures)
One guy’s great grandfather got shot in the chest in the battle of the Somme in the WWI. But the bullet hit his metal cigarette case that saved his life.
Tagged: military
Famous guns in cinema and pop culture history by Federico Mauro (49 pictures)
Award-winning director Federico Mauro continues his “Famous…” series with a piece on iconic guns and the characters who toted them. This list covers a unique range of the more memorable guns in cinema and pop culture history.
Daily life in the area of nuclear testing in Nevada. Instructions for residents
War in Asia caused the United States to reconsider testing nuclear weapons in the Pacific Ocean and to look for a continental test site. Conflict in Korea justified a less-expensive continental testing site in order to maintain U.S. nuclear weapons superiority. A Nevada site north of Las Vegas was chosen because of its safety features, which included low population density, favorable meteorological conditions (a prevailing easterly wind blowing away from the populous west coast), and good geographical features.
25 most powerful weapons in history
What makes a weapon powerful? The word powerful can be very subjective in this case. Causing massive annihilation is powerful but so is inciting fear in a prolonged and painful manner. Anything that can destroy lives and properties is powerful, conversely anything that can protect lives and properties from these 25 most powerful weapons in history is also equally powerful. There is no stopping any country or institution from proving to the world how powerful they can be whether by destroying their enemy or protecting their own.
Prison tattoos and their meaning (15 pictures)
There are many different symbols and numbers that represent multiple gangs or groups. Certain images like spider webs can represent the length of sentences. The well-known teardrop tattoo may mean one for each murder performed. Tattoos are also used to communicate who the inmates are as people – for example, white supremacists will display prominent tattoos to show their beliefs.
The moral dangers of non-lethal weapons
Pepper spray and tasers are in increasing use by both police and military, and more exotic non-lethal weapons such as heat rays are in the works. In this talk, ethicist Stephen Coleman explores the unexpected consequences of their introduction and asks some challenging questions.