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Skipper (cannon)
"Skipper" is the name of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets' cannon that is sounded at home football games and other events. The game cannon was created by a group of cadets in 1963 for Virginia Tech football games and special events . Background Corps of Cadets Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University (Virginia Tech) was founded in 1872 as a military school, originally named, ''Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College'' (VAMC). Since the end of World War II, Virginia Tech's students have been primarily civilians, although the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets has maintained a strong presence on campus, carrying on the rich military traditions of the school. Virginia Tech is one of six universities, outside of the four service academies with an active cadet corps on campus, and is designated as a senior military college. Thanksgiving Day rivalry game Virginia Tech (VPI) and Virginia Military Institute (VMI) first played each other in 1894, and annually from 1913 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homer Hickam
Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. (born February 19, 1943) is an American author, Vietnam War veteran, and a former NASA engineer who trained the first Japanese astronauts. His 1998 memoir '' Rocket Boys'' (also published as ''October Sky'') was a ''New York Times'' Best Seller and was the basis for the 1999 film ''October Sky''. Hickam's body of written work also includes several additional best-selling memoirs and novels, including the "Josh Thurlow" historical fiction novels, his 2015 best-selling ''Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story of a Man, his Wife, and her Alligator'' and in 2021 the sequel to ''Rocket Boys'' titled ''Don't Blow Yourself Up: The Further Adventures and Travails of the Rocket Boy of October Sky.'' His books have been translated into many languages. Early life and education Homer H. Hickam Jr. is the second son of Homer Sr. and Elsie Gardener Hickam (née Lavender). He was born and raised in Coalwood, West Virginia, and graduated from Big Creek High Scho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
President Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Kennedy was the youngest person to assume the presidency by election. He was also the youngest president at the end of his tenure. Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his work as president concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. A Democrat, Kennedy represented Massachusetts in both houses of the U.S. Congress prior to his presidency. Born into the prominent Kennedy family in Brookline, Massachusetts, Kennedy graduated from Harvard University in 1940 before joining the U.S. Naval Reserve the following year. During World War II, he commanded a series of PT boats in the Pacific theater. Kennedy's survival of the sinking of PT-109 and rescue of his fellow sailors made him a war hero for which h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New River Valley
The New River Valley is a region along the New River in Southwest Virginia in the United States. It is usually defined as the counties of Montgomery (including the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg), Pulaski, Floyd, and Giles and the independent city of Radford, which are all located in the New River watershed. However, in Virginia, the New River also flows through Wythe, Carroll, and Grayson Counties, and its physical watershed includes parts of Tazewell and Bland Counties, and small portions of Smyth and Craig Counties. Outside of Virginia, the New River continues upstream into North Carolina and downstream into West Virginia. Part of the Great Appalachian Valley, it became a contested frontier area in colonial times, and continued during the westward expansion of the United States. The first European to explore the valley was Abraham Wood of Fort Henry in 1671 and settlements began to develop in the 18th century. A branch of the Great Wagon Road led through ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting against the United States forces to win the independence of the Southern states and uphold the institution of slavery. On February 28, 1861, the Provisional Confederate Congress established a provisional volunteer army and gave control over military operations and authority for mustering state forces and volunteers to the newly chosen Confederate president, Jefferson Davis. Davis was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and colonel of a volunteer regiment during the Mexican–American War. He had also been a United States senator from Mississippi and U.S. Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce. On March 1, 1861, on behalf of the Confederate government, Davis assumed control of the military situation at Charleston, South C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virginia Tech Campus
The main campus of Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia; the central campus is roughly bordered by Prices Fork Road to the northwest, Plantation Road to the west, Main Street to the east, and U.S. Route 460 bypass to the south, although it also has several thousand acres beyond the central campus. The Virginia Tech campus consists of 130 buildings on approximately . It was the site of the Draper's Meadow massacre in 1755 during the French and Indian War. National Capital Region and Branch Campus Centers Virginia Tech's presence in the National Capital Region is continually expanding. Current locations include Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Leesburg, Manassas, and Middleburg. The university also has several commonwealth branch campus centers: Hampton Roads (Virginia Beach), Richmond, Roanoke, and the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon. The university also owns the ''Center for European Studies and Architecture'' in Ticino, Swit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Public Address Announcer
An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience of a broadcast media programme or live event. Television and other media Some announcers work in television production, radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in television commercials or a guest on a talk show. Music television announcers were also called video jockeys (VJ). Announcers are often voice actors who read prepared scripts, but in some cases, they have to ad-lib commentary on the air when presenting news, sports, weather, time, and television commercials. Occasionally, announcers are also involved in writing the screenplay or scripts when one is required. Sometimes announcers also interview guests and moderate panels or discussions. Some provide commentary for the audience during sporting events known as sports announcers, parades, and other events. Announcers perform a variety of tasks including presenting news, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben-Hur (1959 Film)
''Ben-Hur'' is a 1959 American religious epic film directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist, and starring Charlton Heston as the title character. A remake of the 1925 silent film with a similar title, it was adapted from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel '' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ''. The screenplay is credited to Karl Tunberg, but includes contributions from Maxwell Anderson, S. N. Behrman, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. ''Ben-Hur'' had the largest budget ($15.175 million), as well as the largest sets built, of any film produced at the time. Costume designer Elizabeth Haffenden oversaw a staff of 100 wardrobe fabricators to make the costumes, and a workshop employing 200 artists and workmen provided the hundreds of friezes and statues needed in the film. Filming commenced on May 18, 1958, and wrapped on January 7, 1959, with shooting lasting for 12 to 14 hours a day and six days a week. Pre-production began in Italy at Cinecittà around October 1957, and post-produc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Highty-Tighties
The Virginia Tech Regimental Band, also known as the Highty Tighties, VPI Cadet Band, or Band Company was established in 1893 as a military marching band unit in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia Tech also has had since 1974 a non-military marching band, The Marching Virginians. History Roots of the band From 1875 to 1892, the Corps hired civilian bands to provide music when needed. One of the best-known of these groups was the Glade Cornet Band, formed by several Blacksburg townspeople in 1883. In 1892, corps Commandant John Alexander Harman formed a six-piece drum and bugle corps. One member, Cadet Lieutenant Frank Daniel Wilson, sought out several other cadets with musical experience, and formed an unofficial band. Besides Wilson, the initial musicians included Sergeants Clifford West Anderson, John William Sample, Theodore Graham Lewton, and Lorenzo Montogery Hale; and Privates Harry Woodfin Phillips, Wil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patrol Torpedo Boat PT-109
''PT-109'' was an 80' Elco PT boat (patrol torpedo boat) last commanded by Lieutenant (junior grade) John F. Kennedy, future United States president, in the Solomon Islands campaign of the Pacific theater during World War II. Kennedy's actions in saving his surviving crew after ''PT-109'' was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer made him a war hero. Back problems stemming from the incident required months of hospitalization at Chelsea Naval Hospital and plagued him the rest of his life. Kennedy's postwar campaigns for elected office referred often to his service on ''PT-109''. Specifications Hubert Scott-Paine of the British Power Boat Company had developed Air Sea Rescue fast motor boats in the UK. He took his PT boat to Elco in 1939 as there was a shortage of suitable engines in the UK at the outbreak of war. British Powerboat Company continued production of his designs in Britain throughout the hostilities. The seakeeping qualities of boats and ease of constructio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of its active battle fleet alone exceeding the next 13 navies combined, including 11 allies or partner nations of the United States as of 2015. It has the highest combined battle fleet tonnage (4,635,628 tonnes as of 2019) and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, two new carriers under construction, and five other carriers planned. With 336,978 personnel on active duty and 101,583 in the Ready Reserve, the United States Navy is the third largest of the United States military service branches in terms of personnel. It has 290 deployable combat vessels and more than 2,623 operational aircraft . The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John F
John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Epistle of John, often shortened to 2 John * Third Epistle of John, often shortened to 3 John People * John the Baptist (died c. AD 30), regarded as a prophet and the forerunner of Jesus Christ * John the Apostle (lived c. AD 30), one of the twelve apostles of Jesus * John the Evangelist, assigned author of the Fourth Gospel, once identified with the Apostle * John of Patmos, also known as John the Divine or John the Revelator, the author of the Book of Revelation, once identified with the Apostle * John the Presbyter, a figure either identified with or distinguished from the Apostle, the Evangelist and John of Patmos Other people with the given name Religious figures * John, father of Andrew the Apostle and Saint Peter * Pope Jo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
