Five Bullets 5.27.22
This week: Glenn Curtiss, an aircraft boneyard, cave paintings, and more.
Happy Friday everyone! Here’s five things I found interesting this week:
This past weekend I took a trip to Hammondsport, NY, home of perhaps the most influential person in aviation history, Glenn Curtis. While most know of the Wright brothers legacy, Curtiss was a pioneer in his own right. I visited the Glenn Curtiss Museum and did a quick write-up over on my blog.
Some more aviation content, Bernhard Lang’s aerial photos of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, aka the “Boneyard”. The base is responsible for maintaining a fleet of decommissioned aircraft, either cannabilizing them for parts or restoring them to active duty if the need arises. I’ve been interested in the Boneyard ever since I first saw photos some years ago. There’s just something about a ‘ghost’ fleet of planes sitting quietly out in the desert. Here’s a quick video on the boneyard.
Some of the largest cave paintings in North America were recently discovered. John Jeremiah Sullivan documents this cave system and it’s history in his essay Unnamed Caves. If you’re like me and can’t get enough of cave paintings, Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams about the Chauvet Cave in France is a must-see.
The New Yorker ran a story which caught my eye recently, The Mysterious Disappearance of a Revolutionary Mathematician about the life and work of Alexander Grothendieck, who like most geniuses lived an interesting and eccentric life. The math-speak made me wish I paid more attention in geometry class.
Perhaps you’re familiar with The Revenant starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Recently I finished Michael Punke’s novel of the same name, which the film is loosely based around. The life of trapper Hugh Glass is the stuff of legend - he was mauled by a bear, survived, trekked 250 miles back to civilization then went after the men who’d abandoned him. I learned a great deal about the trapper era of American history and the role they played in shaping the frontier.
Until next week. As always, thanks for reading. Leave me a comment, visit my website, and have a great weekend!
KW
Currently reading: The White Album by Joan Didion
Currently listening to: Whit’s Picks Vol. 1 (Live) - Lettuce