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.
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The solution? A series of 70 ft. arrows with 50 ft. high lit towers running from New York across the country to San Francisco.
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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.
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After navigation through radio signals became widely implemented post-WWII, these arrows and towers were rendered obsolete, and many were destroyed.
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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.
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(via: lifebuzz.com)
Now imagine having to drive somewhere new without the directions on your phone. That’s a real nightmare.
