Monday, November 9, 2009 Pt 2

Who were the Russian “night witches”?

• Female combat pilots who flew night missions for Russia during World War II. They were named night witches—Nachthexen—by the Germans they bombed and fought.

What was the home state of both the youngest and oldest men to serve as vice president of the United States?

• Kentucky. The youngest, John C. Breckenridge, was 36 in 1857 when he took office as James Buchanan’s vice president; the oldest, Alben Barkley, was 72 when he was sworn in with Harry S. Truman in 1949.

What is goldbeating?

• The process of turning gold into extremely thin gold leaves.