Imagine you’re an airplane pilot. Imagine being one of the first pilots in the early twentieth century in charge with flying across the country to deliver items on a consistent basis. Now imagine being a pilot who has to do this knowing that if night falls or if the weather is bad, there’s no real way for you to properly navigate.
This would be a nightmare.
Luckily, some of the more ingenious minds working in the U.S. government in the 1920s put their heads together and came up with a solution to the problem.
In 1924, the U.S. government needed a way to ensure that pilots on the airmail route across the country would find their way to their destination at night or in bad weather.
The solution? A series of 70 ft. arrows with 50 ft. high lit towers running from New York across the country to San Francisco.
Much like lighthouses along the coast, these arrows and towers were near houses where the people maintaining the light towers would live throughout the year.
After navigation through radio signals became widely implemented post-WWII, these arrows and towers were rendered obsolete, and many were destroyed.
There are still a few arrows left across the country, and they certainly are head-scratchers for people who have never heard of this government mandated project.
(via: lifebuzz.com)
Now imagine having to drive somewhere new without the directions on your phone. That’s a real nightmare.
