The Parachute Jump is a defunct amusement ride on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. Listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and protected as a New York City designated landmark, it consists of a 250-foot-tall (76-meter), 170 -short-ton (150-metric-ton) open-frame, steel parachute tower. The ride has twelve cantilever steel arms radiating from the top of the tower. When it was in operation, riders were belted into a suspended two-person canvas seat, lifted to the top, and dropped; a parachute and shock absorbers slowed their descent. The jump was the tallest structure built for the 1939 New York World's Fair at Flushing Meadows. The ride was moved to its current location in 1941, where it operated until the 1960s, when the Steeplechase amusement park shut down. After a period of neglect, the frame was restored and fitted with a light-show system in 2006.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_Jump

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1873:

The Albert Bridge, spanning the River Thames in London, opened. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Bridge,_London

1943:

Second World War: A decisive Soviet victory against German forces at the Battle of Kursk gave the Red Army the strategic initiative for the rest of the war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kursk

2010:

A former Philippine National Police officer hijacked a tourist bus in Manila and held its occupants hostage for nearly 11 hours before being killed by police. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_hostage_crisis

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

limn: 1. (transitive, also figurative) To draw or paint; to delineate. 2. (transitive, obsolete) To illuminate, as a manuscript; to decorate with gold or some other bright colour. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/limn

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

We must expect for a long time yet to see capitalists still striving to obtain the highest possible profits. But observe, that the passion for wealth is certainly in some senses new. It grew up very rapidly at the beginning of the present century; it was not so strong in the last century, when men were much more content to lead a quiet easy life of leisure. The change has really influenced the relations between men; but in the future it is quite possible that the scramble for wealth may grow less intense, and a change in the opposite direction take place.   --Arnold Toynbee https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arnold_Toynbee