(Right) On February 4 1912, Franz Reichelt, will jump off the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, wearing this crazy homemade flying suit created to slow down his fall to the ground. Tragically, Reichelt will fall to his death like a tombstone and even leaves a 12' deep print in the ground. Legend and Facts: According to the legend, it seems that the first use of a device intended to slow the fall of a man in the air was made in China some 4000 years before JC. As the story told us, Shun, the Emperor itself trapped in his palace...

While serving as an armor officer in the US Army during the cold war, I had access to considerable amounts of intelligence information about Soviet towed antitank guns. Minute details about the physical characteristics and capabilities of the guns were available, but nothing could be found concerning the tactics one might potentially be encountering. A quest was begun, both as a matter of curiosity and one of potential self-preservation, to learn more about towed antitank guns. The field proved to be a fascinating one. My interest was further stimulated by an incident that happened while I was serving as a...