Atomic Batteries To Power, Turbines To Speed

On This Day In History
1979: Stuntman Stan Barrett breaks the sound barrier*

Quote Of The Day
"I know what I did, and the prayer that I prayed was that God would get the glory, not me. I welcomed Mr. Green to the club,. But he was not the first member."
(Stan Barrett)

*Perhaps.
You see, there is a lot of controversy surrounding the claim that Stan Barrett's Budweiser rocket car broke the sound barrier. This is largely due to the lassez-faire approach to the record-breaking attempt by stuntman turned film-maker Hal Needham of Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball Run fame. Contrary to the Guinness Book of Records rules that a vehicle making a speed record attempt must do so twice, once in one direction and then again in the opposite direction, Barrett only broke the sound barrier once, and the data recording the speed had debatable accuracy. So, the Guinness Book of Records now records that Andy Green was the first to break the sound barrier in a land vehicle, that being Richard Noble's Thrust2. I don't trust Hal Needham, particularly, but Stan Barrett seems like a fine, upstanding and honest chap, so I trust him.

I really wanted a photo of Johnny Lightning's Mach 5  but I don't have a model of that, unfortunately. Oh well, Batman's souped up, atomic powered Ford Lincoln Futura is a fine stand-in. 

Maha Go! Go! Go!