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When explorer and geologist J.W. Powell traversed the country in the late 1870s, he confirmed the location of the 100th meridian. Noting the differences in climate between the western and eastern sides of the imaginary line, he proposed forming districts that would manage water and land based on the area's needs rather than on state borders. While his exploration was groundbreaking, his resource-management proposal was shot down in Congress.

Still, the 100th meridian has proved an accurate divide between the dry west and the humid east. The spot where the meridian passes through Cozad was also an important site on another history-making journey.

When the first transcontinental railroad was built in the 19th century, the goal set by Congress was to reach the 100th meridian in Nebraska.

That ambitious goal was achieved in October of 1866. The first passenger train riding from Greenwich in the east to the 100th meridian carried 250 politicians, railroad officials, reporters, and other notable passengers. A large celebration followed to commemorate this truly incredible feat of modern engineering.

A sign erected near the railroad tracks proudly proclaiming "100th Meridian - 247 Miles From Omaha" remained in place until the 1930s, at which time it was replaced by a stone monument donated by locals.

HMS Hood, a 42,100-ton battlecruiser built at Clydebank, Scotland, was completed in March 1920. For more than two decades, she was the World's largest warship and, with her long, low hull and finely balanced silhouette, was to many the embodiment of "big-gun" era seapower. During her travels in European waters and far away, Hood actively represented Great Britain throughout her career. Her first cruise, in 1920, was to Scandanavia. The next year she went down to Gibraltar and Spain and in 1922 visited Brazil and the West Indies. After a brief call on Denmark and Norway in 1923, Hood was flagship on a eleven-month cruise around the World, accompanied by the smaller battlecruiser Repulse and a number of light cruisers. In 1925, she called on Lisbon to help commemorate Portugal's contributions to navigation and exploration.
For ten years after 1925, Hood was assigned to the Royal Navy's Home and Atlantic Fleets, operating primarily around Europe, with a visit to the West Indies in 1932. She served with the Mediterranean Fleet in 1936-39, protecting British interests during the Spanish Civil War.
- Peter Chen



Battlecruisers have an interesting, and somewhat inglorious history.  They were meant to be ships with battleship guns and cruiser armor and speed.  The US built two large cruisers in WW Two, named Alaska and Guam.  They had 12 inch main guns, smaller than battleship guns, and were considered superheavy cruisers instead of battlecruisers.

The HMS Hood of course suffered an untimely end.

The USN has notably avoided referring to the Alaska Class as Battlecruisers and, as such, the US never built a Battlecruiser.

Battlecruisers, as you noted were conceptually supposed to be able to obliterate anything they couldn't outrun or outrun anything they couldn't obliterate. In practice they ended up being added to the battle line at Jutland and elsewhere with predictably catastrophic results.

Battlecruisers were conceived in an era when Battleships topped out around 20 kn and Cruisers were considerably faster. Post treaty BB's were considerably faster up to the 33 kn US Iowa Class. Thus Battlecruisers were outdated.

Napoleon attacked Russia on June 22.

Hitler attacked Russia on June 22.

Hitler had planned to attack earlier, though the weather may not have allowed it.  Mussolini invaded Greece, badly, and Hitler decided he needed to bail him out.  Then Yugoslavia was overthrown by a hostile government, so Hitler had to invade that to get to Greece, and did, but it put hours on his tanks to the point they needed time to be refitted.  Tank treads and engines don't last long, which is why they often are moved by transporters.

This may well have delayed his Barbarosa invasion by 2-3 weeks, which would have been pivotal in October.  It is however not clear if the mud had dried out by say June 1.

Frat Boys,SMDH

March 21st

As Deputy Barney Fife, he was so inept he had to carry his bullet in his pocket... But Don Knotts was a veteran of the Second World War, who was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with 4 bronze service stars), Army Good Conduct Medal, Marksman Badge (with Carbine Bar) and Honorable Service Lapel Pin. He was born on this day in 1924.