Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. - George Santayana
 
"Hard times. The Great Recession we're all living through got Ralph Lauren thinking about American resiliency. "I am inspired by the character of the worker, the farmer, the cowboy, the pioneer women of the prairies," he wrote in his program notes. So in place of the polo fields or any of his other tony stomping grounds, Lauren took us back to the dust bowl for Spring. Models in newsboy caps wore faded and torn oversize jeans with blue work shirts; patchwork overalls; nightshirts in mattress-ticking stripes; or sweet calico print dresses with white ankle socks and oxfords with heels."
 
By Nicole Phelps
 
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2010RTW-RLAUREN

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_history
 
here is just a portion of the page:
 
"The Kongming lantern (proto hot air balloon) was known in China from ancient times. Its invention is usually attributed to the general Zhuge Liang (180–234 AD, honorific title Kongming), who is said to have used them to scare the enemy troops:
 
An oil lamp was installed under a large paper bag, and the bag floated in the air due to the lamp heating the air. ... The enemy was frightened by the light in the air, thinking that some divine force was helping him."
 
follow the link to read more fascinating facts of the history of aviation.