On this day in 1918, 18-year-old Ernest Hemingway was severely wounded while serving as a Red Cross ambulance driver on the Italian front during WWI. Despite his own injury, he was able to save a nearby companion, an act for which he received the Italian Medal of Honor.
Art Malone drove the "Mad Dog IV" shown here at Bristol Speedway, to a new closed-course world record of 181.561 mph at the Daytona Speedway in 1961. Bill France had posted a $10,000 reward to the first person to crack 180 mph after a death caused USAC to remove Daytona from their schedule. Builder Bob Osiecki took an Indy car and a supercharged fuel injected 413 Chrysler bored to 450 cu in producing 800 hp on alcohol to do it. Six other drivers including NASCAR great's Curtis Turner and Buck Baker tried their hands before Malone got behind the wheel. Several blown engines and many shredded tires later Malone ran an estimated 226 mph on the straights and 170 mph in the turns to circle the track in 49.59 seconds. It cost Osiecki $35,000 to win the $10,000 of which Malone got $2500!
A workman takes a siesta on a girder during the building of Radio City, the city of New York spread out below.
The Jalopy Journal
