Cool 😎 Strange 🤪 or obscure 🙃 / interesting things...

Best known for roles in films like 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', Jimmy Stewart was drafted in 1941.

Already an established actor when he showed up at Draft Board No. 245 in West Los Angeles in February 1941, the 6'3" Stewart weighed only 138 pounds, 5 pounds under the required weight level. He was turned down for service. Wanting to serve his country, Stewart went home and ate everything he could to put on weight.

He then enlisted in the Army Air Corps, hoping to put his skills as a private pilot to use. After serving as a flight instructor in both B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers for almost 2 years, he was sent overseas as Captain and Operations Officer for the 703rd Bomb Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group of the Eighth Air Force.

In England, he was transferred to the 453rd Bombardment Group. Stewart flew as the lead pilot in B-24 Liberators. In total, he flew 20 combat missions as command pilot over enemy territory.

These missions were by no means a walk in the park. He flew bombing raids to Berlin, Brunswick, Bremen, Frankfurt, and Schweinfurt. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.

After the war, Stewart stayed in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in 1959


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Fan vaulted ceiling in the retrochoir of Peterborough cathedral.
This is a "new" Tudor interpretation of the medieval gothic dating from the early 16th century, thought to be designed by John Westell who also designed the world famous fan vaulting at King's College chapel. Although less high or expansive than King's College it is nevertheless the largest vaulted cathedral ceiling in England and one of the most intricate and perfect examples of this type of architecture. And it's essentially a "modern" copy. An under-appreciated gem of English post-medieval gothic architecture. And all done in an age of paper and quill pen, set-square and plumb-bob, with no AI or computer modelling in sight. Look carefully. Each spine forms a perfect segmented arch with it's opposite number, forming perfect structural integrity across multiple intersecting planes, and then take into account the radial fan-springing from each pillar. The geometry make your head spin, and still standing, load-supporting and perfect after 500 years.

If you ever find yourself wandering the interior of one of our great cathedrals with a coffee in hand when taking a break on a ride, please take time to look up, and pause to wonder whether we would have the skill or the heart to do anything close to this today.


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Gimlet said:
Fan vaulted ceiling in the retrochoir of Peterborough cathedral.
This is a "new" Tudor interpretation of the medieval gothic dating from the early 16th century, thought to be designed by John Westell who also designed the world famous fan vaulting at King's College chapel. Although less high and expansive than King's College it is nevertheless the largest vaulted cathedral ceiling in England and one of the most intricate and perfect examples of this type of architecture. And it's essentially a "modern" copy. An under-appreciated gem of English post-medieval gothic architecture. And all done in an age of paper and quill pen, set-square and plumb-bob, with no AI or computer modelling in sight, and still perfect after 500 years.

If you find yourself wandering the interior of one of our great cathedrals with a coffee when taking a break on a ride, don't forget to look up, and pause to wonder whether we would have the skill or the heart to do this today.


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Now you would have some gobshite architect/engineer trying to install massive metal rsj beams to cover their assholes structurally all being chased by a QS wanting it done faster and cheaper... 😓
 
Gimlet said:
Makes you wonder whether engineering hasn't gone backwards in the last five centuries...
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Innovation has slowed for sure, but it does. Too many multi-nationals don't want to test new innovation saying others can test before they will try - then they buy up the 'others' and it never happens.

Necessity is the driver of invention and we are too comfortable to need it.
 
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