Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry

The museum takes up 14 acres and there are three large buildings. One of the buildings was built for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.

Here is the first modern jet propelled car driven by Craig Breedlove in 1963 to set the world land speed record over 400mph. Then in 1965 he came back to set a new record of 526mph and at the same time set a record for the longest (Guinness Book of Records) skid marks of 5 miles when he lost his parachute brakes! This was especially interesting to Walter as he went to A & P (airframe and power plant for airplanes) school with this man's son.

At the museum they have a coal mine that you go down into riding a coal mine train. They show you the old ways of mining coal and all the new ways.   Long ago each miner had an individual car to fill. When a car was full it went up to be dumped and weighed and that miner would be paid according to what he dug that day.  Children also worked in the coal mines doing the lightweight work like lighting the fuses for blasting!  This map shows just how much coal is STILL underground in Illinois. The green is the coal.

This is the Transportation Wing.  It has a full size 727 (on right in photo) that you can walk around in from the balcony.   On left notice the gondola (Piccard Gondola) for a helium balloon that set an altitude record of 61,237 ft around 1933.

Here is the Steam Engine that set the world record for speed at 112mph.   It ran from Chicago to New York City.

Plasma Globe with Walter touching the outside of the glass with his hand which attracts the plasma arc.

This German Submarine is the ONLY one of this model left in the world.  It was captured by the USA during WWII off the coast of Africa.  It is U-505. Walter enjoyed an inside tour.

This Sub is 252 feet long. This is one of the bigger German subs built in 1941

Aft end of Sub

The most asked question about the submarine is how did they get this huge thing in the building.  Apparently they dug a hole and put the sub in it and then built the walls around it.  

1934 Pioneer Zephyr had polished stainless steel on the outside. It's few cars were permanently together as a single unit.   It traveled from Denver to Chicago, 1015 miles, dawn to dusk in only 13 hours 5 minutes which set a record for passenger trains.

This was our last day of being tourists in Chicago though there was more to see.  However, it is time to begin navigating the rivers...... time to see if I remember my first mate duties......AND learn a new one, how to read those river charts!  IF the weather permits we are off tomorrow.. small craft warnings tonight until 10p.

See you down river!