The Supermarine S.4 was a 1920s British single-engined monoplane built
by Supermarine to race in the 1925 Schneider Trophy contest. To reduce
drag forces and thereby increase speed, the company's chief designer,
R. J. Mitchell, produced a floatplane of revolutionary design. Built of
wood, and with an unbraced cantilever wing, it was powered by a Napier
Lion engine developed to produce 700 horsepower (520 kW) over a short
racing period. Less than a month after its maiden flight on 24 August
1925, it raised the world's seaplane speed record to 226.752 miles per
hour (364.922 km/h). On 23 October, during navigation trials prior to
the contest, the aircraft was performing well when, for reasons that
have not been fully explained, it went out of control and was destroyed
when it dived into the sea from 100 feet (30 m), injuring the pilot.
Mitchell used the practical experience gained from his work on the S.4
when designing its immediate successor, the Supermarine S.5.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_S.4>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1642:
King Charles I raised the royal standard at Nottingham,
marking the beginning of the First English Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_English_Civil_War>
1914:
First World War: A squadron of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon
Guards attacked a German scout party, the first engagement of British
forces on the Western Front.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_shot_memorial>
1943:
Ian Stephens, editor of The Statesman, defied British
censorship to publish pictures of death and misery (example pictured) on
Calcutta's streets, informing the world of the Bengal famine of 1943.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_famine_of_1943>
1984:
The constitution of Singapore was amended to apportion seats to
defeated opposition candidates in Parliament, which had hitherto
entirely comprised members of the People's Action Party.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-constituency_Member_of_Parliament>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
in weal and woe:
In both prosperity and adversity; in good times and bad.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/in_weal_and_woe>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Stuff your eyes with wonder . . . live as if you'd drop dead in
ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or
paid for in factories.
--Ray Bradbury
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury>