TRUE GUITAR HEROES

�       British guitar god Eric Clapton was always cool, too cool for school.
He was expelled from the Kingston College of Art for strumming his
guitar too much!

�            About 88% of all guitar players are men, but those numbers didn’t
stop Joan Jett and Lita Ford from becoming 1980s female guitar
heroes.

�            Swedish guitarist Yngwie Johan Malmsteen is revered for his neo-
classical guitar compositions and his technical abilities. Malmsteen’s
guitar of choice is a Fender Stratocaster.

�       Led Zeppelin lead guitarist Jimmy Page’s riff on the hit “Stairway to
Heaven” is considered by many to be the best guitar solo of all time.
It’s probably the most recognizable.

�       Frank Zappa was certainly a character, but he was also a great guitar
player. Zappa created an eclectic sound to make quirky songs like
“Jewish Princess” and “Montana” hits.

�            You may remember Jon Langseth Jr. from the ‘90s as “Kid Johnny
Lang.” Although media interest in him evaporated when Lang grew
up, he still works as a professional guitarist.

�            Jimi Hendrix may not have had the technical abilities of other
guitarists, but his contribution was how he played. Hendrix’s heavy
rifts combined with his on-stage antics set the tone for most later rock
guitarists.

�       In addition to being known as the “Country Gentleman,” Chet Atkins
was called “Mr. Guitar.” Atkins was a guitar hero but could also strum
a mean banjo and ukulele!

�       The late Eddie Van Halen is best remembered as the guitarist for Van
Halen and his many mesmerizing solos, but often forgotten in his
guitar solo on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.”

�       The Who guitarist, Pete Townshend, developed the “windmill” stunt
of strumming his guitar during the 1960s. At 76, Townshend is still
windmilling!

�       Chuck Berry earned the nickname “The Father of Rock and Roll” in
the 1950s by bringing some of the first solos to America. He also
became known for his one-foot-hop across the stage as he played.

�            Guitar hero Randy Rhoads is a major reason why Ozzy Osbourne
stayed relevant in the 1980s, with his mastery on hits such as “Crazy
Train.” Rhoads tragically died in a plane crash on March 19, 1982.

�            Kurt Cobain brought the Grunge style to the masses, but he’s often
criticized as an overrated guitarist. Unfortunately, his body of work
was thin.

�       Bluesman B.B. King became a guitar legend for his catchy solos and
longevity. From 1959 until 2008, King released 40 studio albums, and
14 live albums and had scores of hit singles.

�       In 1999, country crooner Garth Brooks adopted the alter ego of Chris
Gaines, a guitar-playing rockstar. Yeah, pretty strange, which is likely
why Brooks dropped the experiment after one album.

�       Ana Vidović is one of the best-known guitar players you’ve probably
never heard of. The Croatian-born musician is one of the top classical
guitar players and began her career as a child.

�            Darrell Lance Abbott, better known as “Dimebag Darrel,” was the
legendary guitarist of heavy metal band Pantera and other groups.
Abbot was shot and killed by a crazed fan while he was playing a
concert in Columbus, Ohio in 2004.

�       Guitarist Ted Nugent built a career in the 1970s as a “solo” artist, but
the lyrics on Nugent’s early albums were performed by Derek St.
Holmes.

�            According to legends, blues guitar man, Robert Johnson, sold his
soul to the Devil somewhere along a crossroads in the Mississippi
Delta. Locals claim the crossroads are at the intersection of US
highways 61 and 49.

�            Carlos Santana has won ten Grammy awards through his unique
guitar riffs that blend Latin, jazz, and rock and roll to create an
undeniable style. He learned how to play from his father, who was a
mariachi musician in Mexico.

�            Skwisgaar Skwigelf and Toki Wartooth are the guitarists for the
fictional, animated band, Dethklok. The band has two real studio
guitarists and several who play live shows.

�            Spaniard Andrés Segovia  is often regarded as the top classical
guitarist of all time. Before he died in 1987 at the age of 93, he
established Spain as the center of the classical guitar world through
his play and teaching.

�       Stephen (Stevie) Ray Vaughan was another guitar hero who died in a
tragic accident. Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash on August
27, 1990, en route to Chicago.

�            Country legend Vince Gill made a name for himself playing the
acoustic and electric guitar as well as singing. Gill parlayed his guitar
skills to play bluegrass and rock as well as country.

�            Legendary bluesman Bo Didley had a long career and influenced
many of the top acts in rock, but he’s probably best remembered for
his rectangular, box-shaped guitars.
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PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES

�            James Watt (remember him from earlier?) devised the concept of
“horsepower” to measure the power of steam engines. Even after the
horse became obsolete, the measurement continued for mechanical
engines.

�       Wilbur and Orville Wright made a living building, fixing, and selling
bicycles before they soared through the skies of Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina on December 17, 1903.

�            If you’re in the UK and are told you’re on a “ghost train,” don’t
worry, it’s probably not haunted. Also known as “Parliamentary
trains,” they are routes that are too expensive to close, so companies
run reduced service.

�            Steam-powered cars, with external combustion engines, were
produced in large numbers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The size
of the boiler needed was one of many reasons for their decline.

�       It’s estimated that there will be about two billion cars on the planet in
2040. There were only about 500 million around in 1986.

�       A “model train” is a train, and often an accompanying city, which is
done to scale. Train modeling is a serious and often expensive hobby
and, according to enthusiasts, should never be referred to as “toys.”

�       On October 12, 1997, American folk singer John Denver died when
the Long-EZ two-seater he was flying crashed off the California
coast. Denver’s license was suspended at the time.

�            “Controlled-access highways,” also known as freeways,
carriageways, and expressways, began with the Long Island Motor
Parkway in New York in 1908. The first dual freeway was built in
1924 between Milan and Varese, Italy.

�       Richard Trevithick invented the first steam locomotive and took it for
a ride near Merthyr Tydfil, Wales in 1804. The first “journey” was
just under 10 miles.

�       In 2008, the International Civil Aviation Organization mandated that
all flight controllers and flight crew members involved in
international flights use English.
�            According to a 2015 issue of Popular Mechanics, you have a 40%
chance of surviving a plane crash if you sit in the tail section. I guess
it doesn’t pay to get off the plane first!

�       Many people believe Henry Ford invented the automobile, but it was
German Karl Benz who got the first patent for a motor car in 1886.
Yes, Daimler-Benz was his creation as well.

�       I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering what’s the point of the airplane
emergency oxygen masks, right? The fact is, they only have 15
minutes of oxygen!

�            Thomas the Train was created by British author Wilbert Awdry for
his son, Christopher. Wilbert wrote the stories for his son and made a
wooden toy train to go with them.

�            The US Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was the start of the
Interstate Highway system. Although the system was originally
conceived as a way to move military equipment across the country, it
was immediately available for civilian use.

�            You may be surprised to learn that the first electric cars were
invented in the late 1800s and that by the early 1900s, about one-third
of the cars on the road were electrics.

�            For Americans, the chance of being killed in a plane crash is about
one in 11 million, while for a car crash it’s one in 5,000.