2002 was the time when RAF helicopters would give joy rides to MoD civil servants over Stafford. 

4 February 1920 - The first flight from GB to South Africa began.

In 1920 The Times offered a prize of £10,000 to the first pilot(s) to fly from England to South Africa. The South African government wanted the honour to go to South Africans, so Sqn Ldr Christopher Brand RAF (but born in the Cape Colony) and Lt. Col. Pierre van Ryneveld, Chief of the SAAF were chosen.

They took off from Brooklands Aerodrome on 4 February 1920 in a Vickers Vimy flying without incident across Europe and the Mediterranean until on 11 February engine failure forced them into a crash landing in the Sudanese desert. A replacement Vimy was flown out from RAF Heliopolis for them to continue their flight. This second aircraft however was also wrecked in a take off crash at Bulawayo in Southern Rhodesia on 6 March. A second aircraft, an Airco DH9, was provided and the two completed the journey to Cape Town on 20 March.

Because they used three aircraft The Times refused to pay the £10,000, so the South African government awarded them £5000 each and later that year both men were knighted by King George V.

Is RFK jnr trying to undo his good work?

Foege was born in Iowa & was the son of a Lutheran pastor. The accomplishments of humanitarian physician Algert Schweitzer inspired him to pursue medicine. Foege traveled to rural eastern Nigeria in 1966 in his quest to eliminate smallpox. The job required charisma & even cunning to coax the natives to be vaccinated. One village chief told the locals that the 6'7" Foege was the world's tallest man & invited them to meet him & be inoculated. 

Is RFK jnr trying to undo his good work?

A bit of a wacko, eh?

Another unsung hero of our times. Today it's the likes of Kim Kardashian who are fêted as ideals to follow. 

Two inventors born on the same days thousands of miles apart across the Atlantic.

5 February 1840 - John Boyd Dunlop born.

Born in Ayrshire, Scotland Dunlop first produced pneumatic tyres son his son's tricycle in 1887 and was granted a patent the following year. His invention was successfully tested on racing cycles and in 1889 founded the company later known simply as Dunlop Ltd.

5 February 1840 - Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim born

Born in Maine, USA Maxim was a prolific inventor best known for producing the first automatic machine gun in 1884. In 1899 he emigrated to GB becoming a British citizen and as such was knighted in 1901.  

Knighted for inventing the machine gun which furthered the expansion of the British Empire, a prime candidate to be cancelled from history by the all-seeing Left. 

Yes, through the acquisition of former German and Turkish colonies. But we were only administering them on behalf of the League of Nations to guide them to independence. France and Belgium were involved too. 

It looks an extremely flimsy thing to have survived over 100 years.

6 February 1804 - Joseph Priestley died.

English scientist best known for his "discovery" of oxygen which he first named dephlogisticated air in 1774. He lived in the USA from 1794 having been driven out of England for his religious views and died in Northumberland PA. 

It looks an extremely flimsy thing to have survived over 100 years.

That's it. It used to be a heavily traveled RR route back in the day. Then there were sight-seeing train rides. Now only about a quarter of it remains after the hurricane. You can go for a nice out & about walk on nice days. 

7 February 1804 - John Deere born.

American inventor and businessman who founded Deere & Co in 1836 producing a wide range of agricultural equipment beginning with a steel plough. Today the company is best known for tractors.