saganshy62

[saganshy62]

Officer's Uniform of the 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry from the British Empire dated to 1857 on display at the National Army Museum in London, England

This uniform belonged to Captain John Malcolmson who participated in the capture of the port of Buchire in December 1856. At Khoosh-ab, 8th February 1857, the largest battle of the Persian War (1856 - 1857), he won the Victoria Cross after his unit charged and broke a square of Persian infantry.

This conflict was due to the British and Russian Empires fighting for control over Persia, especially what is now modern day Afghanistan in what was called the Great Game. While Britain and Russia did not fight directly they caused conflicts in the region that led to the deaths of many of the people living there.

Photographs taken by myself 2024

[saganshy62]

Roman brass parade helmet uncovered at the Trimontium Roman Fort near Newstead, Scotland, 1st century AD

from The National Museum of Scotland

[saganshy62]

USS NEW YORK (BB-34) at the New York Navy Yard nearing completion.

Note: she does not have her final coat of paint.

Photographed sometime between January and March, 1914.

Library of Congress: LC-B2- 3010-13

[saganshy62]

Selfie -- 1913 by Jim Griffin Via Flickr: Taken by William Davis Hassler (1877-1921), collection of the Museum of the City of New York

[saganshy62]

A Trophy of War by Wooway1 Via Flickr: On January 4, 1917, FSLt JC Croft was shot down in combat with several German aircraft and became a prisoner of war. He was a member of 8 Squadron RNAS and was flying Sopwith Pup A626.

[saganshy62]

Ralph Horace Eells by snelson951

[saganshy62]

Indianapolis IN Pumper Co. 23 by Steve Hagy Via Flickr: Indianapolis IN Pumper Co. 23 1920 Stutz 600 GPM Shop #Car 123 In November of 1920 Indianapolis ordered 35 pieces of apparatus from Stutz. The order was for: 18 600-gpm pumper; 7 750-gpm pumpers; 10 city service trucks. Of the 35 units, Pumper 23 was the first delivered.

[saganshy62]

B-24M Mad Russian by TK622 Via Flickr: B-24M S/N 44-41846 of the 65th Bomb Squad, 43rd Bomb Group, 5th Air Force. The Mad Russian artwork was commissioned by Pilot and later the Squadron's Operations Officer 1/Lt Andrew Burochonock, a New Yorker with Russian roots, who went by that nickname himself. The artwork was designed by S/Sgt Sarkis E. Bartigan and painted Sgt Enoch H. Wingert. The aircraft was assigned to the 65th BS on 20 January 1945. It survived the war and returned to the US in November 1945. Eventually scrapped at RFC Kingman, Arizona. Photo taken on Ie Shima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan in October 1945.

[saganshy62]

New York NY Ladder 13 by Steve Hagy Via Flickr: New York NY Ladder 13 1959 Mack 85' Aerial One of eleven purchased. These were equipped with Maxim aerial ladders. Two Mack 100' aerials were also purchased and those were equipped with Magirus aerial ladders.

[saganshy62]

Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse with his daughters Elizabeth and Alix and son Ernest. St-Petersburg. 1888. by Tatiana Zakharova Via Flickr:

[saganshy62]

Hanover Twp. PA Engine 2 by Steve Hagy Via Flickr: Hanover Twp. at Wilkes Barre PA Engine 2 1949 IH/Seagrave 500 GPM #E-2415 or E-2416 One of two purchased.

[saganshy62]

F.D.N.Y. Engine 307 - 1934 Seagrave by Steve Hagy Via Flickr: New York NY Engine 307 1934 Seagrave 1000 GPM #76343 Ten Seagrave engines were purchased by the F.D.N.Y. in 1934. Five were standard pumps and 5 had high pressure pumps. This is one of the high pressure units.

[saganshy62]

Wilmington DE Engine 10 by Steve Hagy Via Flickr: Wilmington DE Engine 10 1929 Ahrens-Fox 800 GPM - Quad #5014 Model: GN-80-4

[saganshy62]

Five Clowns Images Wall Art by Mark Edwards Via Flickr: Part of a planned series of images I’m working on, this one is designed to grab attention and is just two clowns. I know for some, this image will evoke a shiver or two. Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, is surprisingly common and often rooted in childhood memories. It's fascinating how this seemingly innocent figure has become a symbol of unease for many. Filmmakers have long tapped into this phobia, creating unforgettable and chilling scenes. One of the most recent and notable examples is the Joker from the Batman films, whose haunting presence continues to captivate and unsettle audiences.

[saganshy62]

Act like Megalochelys atlas and smile, because it’s Fossil Friday! One of the largest known land turtles, scientists think this massive reptile could reach heights of 5.9 ft (1.8 m)—tall enough to look a grown human in the eye. This specimen’s shell measures some 7.4 ft (2.3 m) long and in life, it may have weighed more than 2,000 lbs (907 kg). Megalochelys lived during the Late Pliocene about 2 million years ago. The fossil on display in the Museum’s Hall of Vertebrate Origins was found in 1922 in Chandigarh, India.  

Photo: © AMNH

[saganshy62]

Oldest Wine Ever Discovered in Liquid Form Found in Untouched Roman Tomb

A 2,000-year-old Roman funerary urn unearthed in southern Spain has been shown to contain the oldest wine ever found still in liquid form.

Discovered during home renovations at a property in Carmona in 2019, the contents of the urn were analyzed by a team of scientists from the University of Cordoba in a study published Monday.

Study lead author José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola, a professor of organic chemistry at the university, said that the urn was found to contain cremated remains, burned ivory thought to come from a funeral pyre and around 4.5 liters (1.2 gallons) of reddish liquid.

“When the archaeologists opened the urn we almost froze,” he said. “It was very surprising.”

The team then carried out a chemical analysis of the liquid and found that it was wine.

This was a big surprise, because wine normally evaporates quickly and is chemically unstable, Ruiz Arrebola said.

“This means it is almost impossible to find what we have found,” he said, explaining that the wine had been preserved by a hermetic seal that prevented it from evaporating, but it is not clear how the seal formed.

Further chemical analysis allowed the team to identify the liquid as a white wine, as it didn’t contain syringic acid, a substance only present in red wines, Ruiz Arrebola said.

It also has a similar mineral salt composition to the fino wines produced today in the region, he added.

“It’s something unique,” said Ruiz Arrebola. “We have been lucky to find it and analyze it – it’s something you only see once in your life.”

The researchers believe their discovery dethrones the current holder of the record for oldest wine in a liquid state, the Speyer wine bottle, found in Germany, which is thought to be around 1,700 years old. However, the age of the Speyer bottle has not been confirmed by chemical analysis.

The vessel was one of six funerary urns containing remains found in the mausoleum.

The discovery of a gold ring and other valuable artifacts suggest it was built by a family of considerable wealth, Ruiz Arrebola said.

However, little else is known about their lives, because cremation would have destroyed any DNA, he explained, adding that this means it is impossible to say whether the six people were related.

Ruiz Arrebola now plans to try to work out which modern-day local wine it was most similar to, although there are hundreds to work through.

By Jack Guy.

[saganshy62]

A Sword from the arsenal of the Venetian Council of Ten

Blade Length: 37.5 in/95.3 cm

Venice, Italy, ca. 1475-1500, from Olympia Auction House.