Ukrainian refugees given meals, clothes in Krakow, Poland Wiki Commons The EU is pro-fake-refugees, but wants to send Ukrainian men back to the meatgrinder. Unlike many economic migrants that flood

Credit: Jacksonville Police Department A Florida police officer is winning nationwide praise for his message to an illegal alien p*dophile that he busted earlier this week. On Thursday, the Jacksonville

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U.S. Air ForceThe crew that flew on the 25th mission of the Memphis Belle in May 1943. On June 14, 1943, the Memphis Belle made history. The plane became the first World War II bomber to complete 25 missions and land safely back on U.S. soil. Commanded by Robert Morgan, the Memphis Belle overcame all odds during its time in Europe. At the time, nearly 20 percent of U.S. airmen were killed in action, and statistically, a heavy bomber didnt make it to its 20th mission before it was shot down. But the plane and its crew all returned home and they became instant celebrities.Back in the U.S., the Memphis Belle embarked on a nationwide tour to sell war bonds and boost public morale. Crowds flocked to see the aircraft and the heroes who had flown it. The release of a documentary about the plane in 1944 which was later adapted into a Hollywood movie only added to the media frenzy.Today, the Memphis Belle is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, as a lasting symbol of World War II.The Heroic Crew Of The Memphis BelleThe Memphis Belle was a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress that was built in 1942 for the United States Army Air Forces. Pilot Robert K. Morgan named the plane after his girlfriend, Margaret Polk, who was from Memphis, Tennessee. Before the plane departed for war, Morgan contacted pin-up artist George Petty, who sent over an illustration from the April 1941 issue of Esquire that fit the name of the aircraft. National Museum of the United States Air ForceThe crew of the Memphis Belle celebrates after safely landing from their 25th successful mission.The artwork was transferred to the planes fuselage just in time for its first mission on Nov. 7, 1942. The original crew consisted of Robert Morgan, Robert Hanson, Vince Evans, James Verinis, Charles Leighton, Cecil Scott, Eugene Adkins, Harold Loch, John Quinlan, and Bill Winchell. However, dozens of men flew aboard the Memphis Belle throughout its tour of duty, and no single airman participated in all 25 of the planes missions.They were joined by a mascot, a Scottish terrier named Stuka. The dog didnt fly with the crew on combat missions, but she did ride along on some low-altitude flights and the post-war tour.National Museum of the United States Air ForceThe Memphis Belle crew in Washington, D.C., during their first stop of the war bond tour, with Stuka pictured in the first row.While these men were lauded as heroes when they returned to the United States, they didnt think of themselves as such. We werent heroes, Morgan wrote in his memoir, as reported by the National World War II Museum. We were just us, a unit of military men whod been given a job to do and who tried to do it well.Morgan continued, We were simply young men who flew bombing missions and played poker and looked out for each other and maybe drank too much and chased too many women sometimes, but who had dreams of coming home and resuming decent, ordinary lives.But first, they had 25 missions to complete. And there was a good chance that at least some of them wouldnt make it home.The Bomber That Made History During World War IIAccording to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the odds of returning safely from a 25-mission tour were small for both the aircraft and the crewmen. During the time when the Memphis Belle was soaring above the skies of Europe, the Eighth Air Force lost one bomber every 18 sorties (defined as one aircraft flying in one mission). Whats more, roughly one in every five airmen was killed in combat during the war. With a crew of 10, it was statistically likely that at least two men aboard the Memphis Belle would die in action. But that didnt happen. Ken LaRock/U.S. Air Force The restored cockpit of the Memphis Belle, a B-17F heavy bomber.There were certainly close calls. The Memphis Belle flew 25 missions over Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and the plane was damaged on seven occasions. A bullet from an enemy airplane went right through my little compartment, tail gunner John P. Quinlan later recalled. If I had still been leaning forward in shooting position that bullet would have gone straight through my leg.And radio operator Robert Hanson once said, We have been in some pretty tight spots. There was the time that six Focke-Wulfs appeared from nowhere, and all six cut loose on us and [we] had to slug it out with them.But in the end, the Memphis Belle landed safely from its 25th and final mission in Lorient, France, on May 17, 1943. The bomber had beaten all odds and it was going home. The 26th Mission Of The Memphis BelleAfter the successful 25th mission of the Memphis Belle, U.S. Army General Jacob Devers told the crew, You are being sent on another mission, perhaps the most important of the many on which you have flown in this famous plane It is to carry a message which should hearten a great people.National Museum of the United States Air ForceThe Memphis Belle being loaded with practice bombs for training purposes after its American tour.The Memphis Belle and its crew were deployed on a war bond tour with 30 stops across America. The tour, which lasted from June to August 1943, was meant to boost morale during the Allied forces strategic bombing campaign in Europe, as many heavy bomber crewmen had been injured or killed during their missions that year.The men instantly became national celebrities, along with Stuka, who was dubbed the 11th crew member. During this 26th mission, they encouraged the public to buy war bonds to fund military efforts. Their fame only grew after the tour with the 1944 release of The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, a documentary filmed during the heavy bombers next-to-last mission on May 15, 1943. In 1990, this film was adapted into the Hollywood war drama Memphis Belle, a fictional account of the planes final mission and the film debut of Harry Connick Jr. National Museum of the United States Air ForceWilliam Wyler (center) directed the 1944 documentary about the Memphis Belle. After the war, the Memphis Belle was purchased by the city of Memphis, where it was displayed at the citys National Guard armory. However, it deteriorated while sitting outside for years, and vandals stole all of its instruments and interior components. In 2005, it was moved to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, and underwent an intensive restoration. By 2018, the Memphis Belle was ready for display once again, and it remains in the museum to this day.Although Robert Morgans relationship with the planes namesake didnt survive the war, the Memphis Belle still stands today as a powerful representation of the skill, courage, and sacrifice of the men who flew the bombers 25 missions and of every airman who never made it home.After reading about the Memphis Belle and its successful World War II campaign, look through these World War II photos you may not have seen before. Then, learn about the Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary Black pilots of World War II.The post The Heroic Story Of The Memphis Belle, The First American Bomber To Return Home After 25 Successful Missions appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Most people learned this popular nursery rhyme as children: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall/Humpty Dumpty had a great fall/All the kings horses and all the kings men/Couldnt put Humpty together again. But what does the rhyme about Humpty Dumpty mean, exactly?Library of CongressHumpty Dumpty falling from a wall in a 1913 political cartoon.While most envision the character as an egg, thanks to contemporary depictions, the truth behind Humpty Dumpty is a bit murkier. The rhyme may refer to clumsy drunks, or it may have its roots in English history.We all know what happened to Humpty Dumpty on the wall. These are some theories of how he got up there.The Origins Of The Popular Nursery Rhymein pastel/flickrA 1916 illustration of Humpty dumpty falling from a wall.The Humpty Dumpty rhyme first emerged in 1797 when it was recorded by Samuel Arnold, an English composer and organist. From there, American Songwriter reports that it was included in National Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs (1870) and performed in a Broadway production.These early versions of the Humpty Dumpty rhyme were slightly different from the one most people recognize today, however. The 1797 version went:Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.Four-score Men and Four-score more,Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before.Whereas a slightly later version read: Humpty Dumpty sate on a wall,Humpti Dumpti had a great fall;Threescore men and threescore more,Cannot place Humpty dumpty as he was before.Significantly, neither of these earlier versions depict Humpty Dumpty as an egg. That didnt come until 1871, when Lewis Carrolls Through the Looking-Glass presented him as an egg-like character for the first time.Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carrolls Through The Looking Glass (1871).the egg only got larger and larger, and more and more human: when she had come within a few yards of it, she saw that it had eyes and a nose and mouth; and when she had come close to it, she saw clearly that it was Humpty Dumpty himself, Carroll wrote. It cant be anybody else! she said to herself. Im as certain of it, as if his name were written all over his face.'So what did these rhymes about Humpty Dumpty mean? If not originally an egg, then what was he? The answer might lie in old English slangThe Literal Meaning Of Humpty DumptyAs History Daily explains, the phrase humpty dumpty wasnt just invented as a funny turn of phrase. It comes from the 17th and 18th centuries, when humpty dumpty referred to someone who was overweight and clumsy. Public DomainHumpty Dumpty is depicted as an egg today, but thats not what the phrase always meant.Whats more, the phrase could also refer to a strong alcoholic drink popular in the 18th-century. Back then, a humpty dumpty was a drink made by boiling brandy and ale. Given that the meaning of Humpty Dumpty was once both a drink and an overweight, clumsy man, some have speculated that the original nursery rhyme refers to an overweight drunk who fell off a wall. In this version, Humpty Dumpty might simply have been too drunk and clumsy to get back up where he was before.Is this the true Humpty Dumpty story? Perhaps, but the nursery rhyme may also be a callback to one of two important events in English history.Historical Meanings Of Humpty DumptyHumpty Dumpty may be largely seen as an unlucky egg today, but its possible that the phrase is actually a reference to King Richard III, a 15th-century monarch, or to the English Civil War, which started in 1642.King Richard came to power through questionable means in 1483, when he is said to have locked his two young nephews the legal heirs to the English throne in the Tower of London, and possibly even had them killed. His stint as king was short-lived, however, as Henry Tudor defeated Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Public DomainSome speculate that the true meaning of Humpty Dumpty has to do with King Richard III.So, what does King Richard III have to do with the Humpty Dumpty origin story? Humpty Dumpty may have been a cruel name for the king, who suffered from scoliosis and a hunched back. Whats more, his horses name at the Battle of Bosworth Field was allegedly Wall, and Richard reportedly fell from his horse during the battle. Since the king died on the battlefield, his men would have been unable to put him back together again. Yet its also possible that the true Humpty Dumpty meaning has to do with a different period in English history, the English Civil War, which took place between 1642 and 1651.During that conflict, legend states that a cannon dubbed Humpty Dumpty was mounted on the walls protecting the town of Colchester, which was held by forces loyal to the king. As they battled with Parliamentarians, the cannon purportedly fell from the wall and shattered. And thus the kings men couldnt put Humpty Dumpty back together. Did one of these events lead to the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme? Today, its unclear. Maybe Humpty Dumpty was a clumsy, chubby drunk; maybe Humpty Dumpty was meant to represent the English king or an important English battle. Or maybe someone just thought the words sounded funny put together and jotted down a rhyme. Whatever the true meaning of Humpty Dumpty, the nursery rhyme has certainly proved its staying power. After emerging more than 200 years ago, it seems to be as popular as ever. After reading about the meaning of Humpty Dumpty, discover the grisly meaning behind the popular childrens rhyme London Bridge Is Falling Down. Or, go inside the strange question of whether or not the true story of the Muffin Man has to do with a London serial killer.The post What Is The Meaning Of Humpty Dumpty? Inside The Origins Of The Popular Nursery Rhyme, From Rude Slang Words To King Richard III appeared first on All That's Interesting.