Monday, September 14, 2026

All these years I thought Meridian was the line around the world as the Equator. However:

 
I just found out it is actually the line from the North Pole to the South Pole instead of the line of the Equator itself!
 
begin quote from AI Overview
Meridian | Prime Meridian, Longitude & Latitude | Britannica
A meridian is an imaginary line on Earth's surface running from the North Pole to the South Pole.
Geography and Navigation
  • Longitude Lines: Meridians measure longitude, which is the distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.
  • Prime Meridian: The 0° meridian passes through Greenwich, England, and serves as the starting point for measuring longitude.
  • Time Zones: Meridians help set global time zones because the sun passes over different meridians at different times of the day.
Other Meanings
  • Astronomy: A great circle on the celestial sphere that passes through the celestial poles and an observer's zenith
    .
  • Acupuncture: An energy channel in traditional Chinese medicine where vital life force flows.
  • Places: The name of several locations, including Meridian, Idaho and Meridian, Mississippi.
If you meant a specific place, company, or concept named meridian, tell me which one so I can share more details.
  • Merriam-Webster
    MERIDIAN Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
    noun * 2. : a great circle of the celestial sphere passing through its poles and the zenith of a given place see azimuth illustrat...
  • Wikipedia
    Meridian (geography) - Wikipedia
    The term meridian comes from the Latin meridies, meaning "midday"; the subsolar point passes through a given meridian at solar noo...
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First powered flight December 17th 1903 North Carolina, U.S.

AI Overview
The historic first powered flight at Kitty Hawk took place on December 17, 1903, as detailed by the National Park Service at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
Flight Details
  • Pilots: Orville and Wilbur Wright (Orville flew the first flight)
  • Location: Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
  • First Flight Duration: 12 seconds
  • First Flight Distance: 120 feet
  • Total Flights That Day: 4 successful flights, with the longest lasting 59 seconds and covering 852 feet.
You can learn more about the aircraft used during these tests through the National Air and Space Museum.
If you'd like, I can share more about:
  • The technical design of the 1903 Wright Flyer
  • Biographies of Orville and Wilbur Wright
  • NASA (.gov)
    120 Years Ago: The First Powered Flight at Kitty Hawk - NASA
    The first powered flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft took place on December 17, 1903 at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North...
  • Air and Space Museum
    The Wright Brothers Made History at Kitty Hawk
    At 10:35 a.m., on December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made history in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They made the first pow...
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How many people have died on earth because of airplanes in peace and in war?

I'm trying to compare deaths by Airplanes (both in peace and in war) to the AI we are all now dealing with because I think the Airplane and AI have the biggest correlation in technology now on earth.
 
First fact: about 100,000 people have died so far in civilian Airplane accidents in the last 130 or so years since motorized flight in 1903. (Actually it's exactly 123 years to be more precise).
 
And 10s of millions of people have died from Warfare from Bombing and straffing and things like this too and I think you have to add to this from missiles and drones also. And I think we have to expect in the present round of drones and missiles many millions more killed by drones and missiles this century too in every nation on earth because of the way things look right now here on earth. 
 
begin quotes from AI Overview
 
Exact global totals for all deaths caused by airplanes—spanning peacetime accidents and wartime combat—do not exist because comprehensive historical tracking across early aviation, private flight, and global conflicts is incomplete. However, estimates and records provide a clear picture of the scale in both contexts.
1. Peacetime (Civil and General Aviation Accidents)
  • Civilian and General Aviation (All-Time): Estimates suggest that over 100,000 people have died in civilian and general aviation accidents worldwide since the early 1900s (excluding military operations).
  • Commercial Aviation: Out of that total, scheduled commercial passenger flights account for a smaller fraction. For example, the Aviation Safety Network and historical safety trackers record roughly several hundred to over a thousand commercial fatalities globally in an average year, dropping significantly per passenger-mile as safety has improved.
  • Recent Peacetime Totals: Global aviation deaths tracked by databases like the Aviation Safety Network reached 548 deaths in 2025 and around 404 in 2024.
2. Wartime (Military Aviation and Air Raids)
  • Direct Combat & Air Raids: Airplanes in war have caused tens of millions of deaths—either directly via aerial bombardment, strafing, and dogfights, or via strategic bombing campaigns.
    • In World War II, conventional and atomic bombing raids (such as those on European and Japanese cities, or Hiroshima and Nagasaki) killed anywhere from several hundred thousand to over a million civilians.
    • Total deaths from all combined causes in World War II reached 60 to 80 million, though isolating the exact percentage directly caused by or delivered from aircraft is not separately itemized in global master tallies.
  • Military Aviation Accidents in Wartime: Military aviation historically suffers high non-combat losses. For instance, more than 15,000 U.S. airmen died in training accidents alone during World War II before ever facing enemy fire.
  • Terrorism / Hijackings: Notable single-day events like the September 11, 11th, 2001 attacks—where commercial airliners were used as weapons—resulted in nearly 3,000 direct deaths and triggered subsequent wars.
  • History.com
    World War II: Causes, Timeline, Key Battles, Facts & Legacy
    Jul 15, 2026 — Devastating Loss of Life: Of the 60 to 80 million deaths during World War II, most were civilians, including 6 million victims of ...
  • Facebook·Firstpost
    A look at the human cost of 9/11 and the wars that followed, 25 ...
    Sep 11, 2026 — More than 4.5 million people have died from wars since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US and that number continues to...
  • History.com
    Why World War II Was History’s Deadliest War
    May 7, 2026 — * Some earlier conflicts, such as the Mongol conquests of the 13th and 14th centuries, may also have caused enormous loss of life.
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