The crash occurred less than two miles (3 km) from the White House and within view of both the Jefferson Memorial and The Pentagon. The aircraft was carrying 74 passengers and five crewmembers. Four passengers and one flight attendant survived and were rescued from the crash. Another passenger, Arland D. Williams, Jr., assisted in the rescue of the survivors but drowned before he himself could be rescued. Four motorists on the bridge were killed. The survivors were rescued from the icy river by civilians and professionals.
President Ronald Reagan commended these acts during his State of the Union speech a few days later. The cause of the crash was pilot error.
Hermitage cats
The Hermitage cats are a group of cats living in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The museum has a secretary for the news media about the cats. Three people take care of their daily needs.
The cats live in the museum's basement. In the summer, they also go along the river bank and on the plaza. Cats have been guarding the museum for more than 200 years, since the Tsars ruled Russia. In earlier times, they roamed freely through all the museum galleries.
In 2010, Maria Haltunen ("Khaltunin" in Russia), who directs the museum's cat program, said that there were 60 cats on the museum grounds. The museum staff joked that officially the museum is only supposed to have 50 cats.
In May 2013, the count had grown to 74 cats, of both sexes, Haltunen said. (All have been "fixed" so they can't have kittens). There are kitchens for cooking their food ("they all have different preferences"), and even a small hospital.
Donations, charity gifts and sponsorship from a cat food company pay for the care of the cats.
The cats have been in the museum, that was once a palace, since the 18th century. In 1774, Empress Elizabeth of Russia gave an order for cats to come live in the palace to control the mice population. James Rodgers of the BBC said it is thought that the cats first came from Kazan, a city known for having cats good at catching mice. The cats stayed in St. Petersburg except during World War II, when the existing cat population was killed. After the war, a new group of cats was brought in because the rat population had increased.
In the 1990s Haltunen began a program to actively take care of the cats. Before this, they had lived in poor conditions.
Beginning in 2007, the museum adopts cats needing homes. The cats are an attraction for tourists.
In 2011, the museum began a "Catfest", a celebration of its cat population. "Catfest" has cat painting contests and games for children.
Northwest Airlines Flight 255
Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed in Romulus, Michigan shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport on August 16, 1987, at about 8:46 p.m. EDT (00:46 UTC August 17). It killed all six crew members and 148 passengers. There was only one survivor, it was a 4-year-old girl, Cecelia Cichan, who sustained serious injuries.
It was the second-deadliest aviation accident at the time in the United States and the second-deadliest involving the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series; , the crash is the fourth-deadliest in both categories and the deadliest sole-survivor incident in aviation history. The flight and its two pilots originated at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, flying to MBS International Airport in Saginaw, Michigan, and was scheduled to terminate at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, with intermediate stops at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan (outside of Detroit, Michigan) and Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona.
Delta Air Lines Flight 191
Delta Air Lines Flight 191 was a regularly scheduled Delta Air Lines domestic service from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Los Angeles, via Dallas that crashed on August 2, 1985, at 18:05 (). The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar operating this flight encountered a microburst while on approach to land on runway 17L (now marked 17C) at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
The pilots were unable to successfully escape the weather event, and the aircraft impacted the ground over a mile short of the runway. The flight hit a car driving north of the airport and crashed two water tanks. The crash killed 136 of the 152 passengers and 11 crew on board, and the driver of the car.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the crash resulted from the flight crew's decision to fly through a thunderstorm, the lack of procedures and training to avoid or escape microbursts, and the lack of hazard information on wind shear.
United Airlines Flight 232
United Airlines Flight 232 was a scheduled flight from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. On July 19, 1989, the DC-10 (registered N1819U) operating the route crash-landed in Sioux City, Iowa, after suffering a big failure of its tail-mounted engine, leading to the loss of all flight controls. Of the 296 people on board, 111 died in the accident while 185 survived.
Moneron Island
Moneron Island is an Asian island of Russia. It lies southwest of Sakhalin.
Stapleton International Airport
Stapleton International Airport was Denver, Colorado's primary airport from 1929 to 1995. At different times it served as a hub for Continental Airlines, Frontier Airlines, People Express, TWA, United Airlines and Western Airlines.
In 1995, Stapleton was replaced by Denver International Airport. It has now been decommissioned and the airport property was redeveloped as a retail and residential neighborhood.
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
The 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 April 2010 when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed in the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board. These included the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński and his wife Maria; the former President of Poland in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, 18 members of the Polish parliament, and relatives of victims of the Katyn massacre.
They were "en route" from Warsaw to attend an event marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre. The site is about west of Smolensk. The pilots attempted to land at Smolensk North Airport, a former military airbase, in thick fog that reduced visibility to about . The aircraft was too low as it approached the runway as a result of confusing instructions from the traffic controler. Striking trees in the fog, it rolled upside down, struck the ground, broke apart, and eventually came to rest short of the runway in a wooded area.
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city in Russia. It is located on the Dnieper River, and west-southwest of Moscow. As of 2014, the population was 330,000.
Sean Price
Sean Price (March 17, 1972– August 8, 2015) was an American rapper. He was a member of the hip hop supergroups Boot Camp Clik and Random Axe with Guilty Simpson and producer Black Milk. He came to fame as one-half of the duo Heltah Skeltah, performing under the name Ruckus, or in short Ruck, along with partner Rock.
On August 8, 2015, Price died in Brooklyn at the age of 43. The cause of death is currently unknown, but it was reported that he died in his sleep. He is survived by his wife, and his three children."
It's Too Late (Carole King song)
"It's Too Late" is a soft rock ballad by Carole King. The song is about a woman leaving a relationship. It is on King's studio album "Tapestry".
This song was released as a single in April 1971. It hit #1 on the United States "Billboard" Hot 100. Sales were later certified Gold by the RIAA.
The song was later covered by Gloria Estefan and The Isley Brothers. The Isley Brothers version was released in 1973. Estefan released her version in 1995.
Bump n' Grind
"Bump & Grind" is an R&B ballad by the singer R. Kelly. The song is about rough sexual activity. It comes from Kelly's debut record "12 Play".