ZUM4899800: Dec. 12, 1953 - The tailless jet shows its paces First public flight of the short Sherpa aircraft. Britain's smallest jet aircraft, the tailless short Sherpa research plane, made its first public flight at Belfast today. The Sherpa -designed as a 200 m.p.h.. “Baby” forerunner of experimental machines to probe the problem of ultra high speed flight several miles above the earth, has an aero - isoclinic wing swept back at an angle of over 42 degrees / Bridgeman Images
ZUM4899804: Dec. 12, 1953 - Four Men on a Boat.: The” Toh Bohu” a six ton sailing boat moored at Maison-Alfort, near Paris. Im on Christmas day four young Parisians, Claude Genet, Alain Peyratout, Claude Thyri and Jean Moinet sailed on it on the first lap of their trip round the world / Bridgeman Images