Halkett boat refers to two types of lightweight inflatable boat designed by Lt Peter Halkett during the 1840s. Halkett had long been interested in the difficulties of travelling in the Canadian Arctic, and the problems involved in designing boats light enough to be carried over arduous terrain, but robust enough to be used in extreme weather conditions. Halkett's first design was a collapsible and inflatable boat made of rubber-impregnated cloth. When deflated, the hull of the boat could be worn as a cloak, the oar used as a walking stick, and the sail as an umbrella. This was followed by a two-man craft that was small enough to fit into a knapsack, and when deflated served as a waterproof blanket. Although widely praised by Canadian explorers, the market for Halkett's designs was limited, and he was unable to persuade the Royal Navy that they would serve any useful purpose in general naval service. Efforts to market them as platforms for fishing and duck shooting failed, and they were commercially unsuccessful. Only a single Halkett boat, that of Orcadian explorer John Rae, is known to survive today.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halkett_boat

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

68:

Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide after he was deposed by the Senate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero

1815:

The Congress of Vienna ended, redrawing the political map of Europe after the defeat of Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Vienna

1856:

Mormon pioneers began leaving Iowa City, Iowa, and headed west for Salt Lake City, Utah, carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled handcarts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_handcart_pioneers

1885:

A peace treaty was signed to end the Sino-French War, with China eventually giving up Tonkin and Annam, most of present-day Vietnam, to France. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-French_War

1928:

Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew landed their Southern Cross aircraft in Brisbane, completing the first ever trans-Pacific flight from the United States mainland to Australia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kingsford_Smith

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

nostrum (n): A medicine or remedy in conventional use which has not been proven to have any desirable medical effects http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nostrum

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

In olden days a glimpse of stocking

Was looked on as something shocking But now, Heaven knows,

Anything goes. --Cole Porter http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cole_Porter