The final reports from last Thursday are out. The Clark County tornado was upgraded to an EF-3 tornado with winds between 138 to 165 mph. The estimate of the wind speed was toward the lower end. Still, a significant tornado. The total number of tornado touchdowns in the area was established at 7 with another confirmation in Bradfordville in Marion County.
Rain rain rain. We have our chance to help the plants. A rather complicated storm system is coming out of the Rockies. It develops as a cut off low, which means the low gets stuck as the jet stream lifts up and leaves it behind to meander. Some models want to take it through to the East Coast rather quickly but for now, we’ve gone with the idea that it meanders around the Southern Plains for a few days and keeps our rain chances elevated for much of the week. If it does move out, then the rain ends on Wednesday, if not, it carries through Thursday at least. Its tough to forecast but one certainty is that we will get some good, steady rain through at least Tuesday night. And that is good news….just what the Doctor ordered.
On This Date in History: The People’s Car made its debut in 1936. At that time, only one in 50 people in Germany owned a car. Adolph Hitler wanted an affordable car to help the average German get around easier and efficiently and also boost the economic development of Germany much as Henry Ford’s Model T did for the United States earlier in the century. Ferdinand Porsche developed the prototype for the Beetle and on this date it made its first test drive. The car became such a hit that even by the 1970′s it worried some Americans, not only because of its popularity as an import, but also because it was a favorite to the hippy counter-culture in the US. Eventually, Americans were more into luxury and amenities that the Beetle did not have and it fell out of favor some 50 years after its creation. However, it returned in the 1990′s in a larger souped up version with many of the features Americans are used to but its popularity never returned to its previous hey day.
Notes: Hitler also wanted a vast transportation road system so people could get around. He created the first super-highway system called the Autobahn. He ulterior motive for the Autobahn was to transport troops and military hardware quickly where needed. The allies upon invasion used the Autobahn for exactly that purpose against the Germans toward the end of WWII. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was so impressed that, when he became President, he initiated the construction of the US Interstate Highway system. It was a great aid to the economy in that it allowed for the quick and efficient distribution of goods, materials and people to their destinations. Further, in time of need, it would allow for the quick transfer of military necessities in a time of crisis.
Also….remember the Volkswagen Thing of the 1970′s? I know in the 1980′s they were still popular in Mexico as taxis. They had their inspiration from another Nazi era automobile, the German Staff car.
