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Upshot-Knothole Grable, a test carried out by the U.S. military in Nevada on May 25, 1953.

A 280 mm nuclear shell was fired 10 km into the desert by the M65 Atomic Cannon, detonating in the air, about 500 feet above the ground, with a resulting 15 kiloton explosion.

The codename Grable was chosen because the letter Grable is phonetic for G, as in "gun", since the warhead was a gun-type fission weapon. As a shell, or artillery-fired atomic projectile, the device was the first of its kind. The test remains the only nuclear artillery shell ever actually fired in the U.S. nuclear weapons test program.

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On May 25, 1953, the U.S. Army conducted a live nuclear artillery test shot, the only time the U.S. ever conducted such a test

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Romania supplied 70% of Germany's World War II oil imports and usage.

Romania, for many years, was one of the largest albeit most seldom recognized suppliers of oil to Europe. Along with the rest of the Romanian oil industry, Ploesti's fields fueled the Nazi regime during World War II until their destruction.

In April 1944, the British and American Air Force had begun a four-month campaign to destroy the petroleum refineries around Ploesti (located ~56 km north of Bucharest - capital city of Romania).

The four-month-long campaign had seen the launch of 5,675 bombing sorties, including the P-38 attack, with nearly 14,000 tons of ordnance dropped. The sustained effort cost 282 U.S. and 38 British aircraft, but proved that persistent strikes could ruin a major industrial complex. In the end, Ploesti’s burned and battered refineries were producing just a dribble: a 90 percent reduction in petroleum intended for the Wehrmacht.

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Through flak and over the destruction created by preceding waves of bombers, these B-24s leave Ploesti after one of the long series of attacks against the No.1 oil target in Europe, May 31, 1944
It's hard to believe that when the Eiffel Tower was first unveiled for the Paris's Universal Exposition of 1889, it was deemed a horrible eyesore by many, who found its bold modernity a shock.

The tower is constructed of 18,038 pieces, including 7,300 tons of metal, for a total weight of 10,100 tons. It stands at 324 meters. It took a total of 2 years, 2 months and 5 days to complete construction, and contrary to popular belief, the architect behind the project was Stephen Sauvestre - Gustave Eiffel was the contractor hired to plan the project.

This dramatic shot on June 3, 1902 shows the Eiffel Tower in Paris being struck by lightning. The Eiffel Tower, which has been used as a radio antenna, has also been described as a gigantic steel lightning conductor.

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Lightning striking the Eiffel Tower on June 3, 1902 at 9:20 p.m. @facethenation
After successes that France had with its premiere bicycle road race Tour de France, Italy started preparing their own event of similar size - Giro d'Italia.

The first of such events started on May 13, 1909 at Loreto Place in Milan. The mountains classification was added to the Giro d'Italia in 1933.

In June 3, 1965, snow hindered things, as the racers had to make their way between steep walls of snow and ice that had been carved out by the snowplows as they made their way up the mountain. With just three hundred meters to go to the summit, they encountered a snow slide that blocked the road. The riders had to dismount and run with their bikes through the snow to the finish line.

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The Italian cyclist Aldo Moser carrying his bicycle over a pile of snow, Giro d'Italia, June 3, 1965 @facethenation
Israeli soldiers sitting on tanks in the Sinai Peninsula on the Israel-Egypt border in June 1967 @facethenation
51 years ago, war broke out between Israel and its neighbours. The conflict lasted just six days but its effect would last to the present day.

Israel and its Arab neighbours had plenty of reasons for hatred or mutual suspicion. But the Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s added extra fuel.

The Soviet Union provided Egypt with a modern air force. Israel had warm relations with the United States; in the 1960s Israel also bought aircraft from France and tanks from Britain.

The Israeli war plan depended on a surprise attack, called Operation Focus, which would destroy the Arab air forces on the ground, starting with Egypt...

In three hours on the morning of June 5, 1967, the first day of the Six Day War, the Israeli Air Force executed Operation Focus, crippling the opposing Arab air forces and attaining air supremacy for the remainder of the war. In a surprise attack, the IAF destroyed most of the Egyptian Air Force while its planes were still on the ground. By the end of the day, with surrounding Arab countries also drawn into the fighting, the IAF had mauled the Syrian and Jordanian air forces as well, striking as far as Iraq.

By the time the United Nations cease-fire took effect on June 11, Israel had more than doubled its size.

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French-built Dassault Mirage IIIC fighter-bombers of the Israeli air force in June 1967
Edward White became the first American astronaut to walk in space on June 3, 1965, during the Gemini 4 mission @facethenation
Astronaut Edward White performed the first American spacewalk during the Gemini 4 mission on June 3, 1965.

Ed White, pilot of the Gemini 4 four-day Earth-orbital mission, floats in the zero gravity of space outside the Gemini 4 spacecraft. Edward wears a specially designed spacesuit; and the visor of the helmet is gold plated to protect him against the unfiltered rays of the sun. He wears an emergency oxygen pack, also. He is secured to the spacecraft by a 25-feet umbilical line and a 23-feet tether line, both wrapped in gold tape to form one cord. In his right hand is a Hand-Held Self-Maneuvering Unit with which he controls his movements in space.

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🚀 The launch of Gemini 4 on June 3, 1965. Onboard are astronauts Jim McDivitt and Edward White

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