beamjockey: Drawing of Bill of the Heterodyne Boys by Phil Foglio. (Default)
beamjockey ([personal profile] beamjockey) wrote2006-12-26 02:09 pm

Governors' Gadgets Derby: Hiram Bingham III

So Boing Boing has unearthed a portrait of Governor Jeb Bush of Florida posing with his Blackberry, and another of Governor John H. Sununu of New Hampshire posing with his IBM PC.

I have another governor and another gadget to suggest. Here's what I sent Boing Boing. Who knows whether they'll use it?



I'll see your Blackberry and raise you an autogiro.

Hiram Bingham III barely qualifies for your Governors' Gadgets Derby; he served, owing to peculiar circumstances, as Governor of Connecticut for exactly one day in 1925. His career in the U. S. Senate was longer and more distinguished. But he is best known as an archaeologist, since he discovered the forgotten Inca city of Machu-Picchu.

Anyway, Bingham was a pilot and an enthusiastic promoter of aviation. Here's a photo of him posing in front of the U.S. Capitol, climbing out of his autogiro after a quick game of golf..
Hiram Bingham, with golf clubs, on wing of autogiro


Here's an impressive photo of the same aircraft against the Capitol dome.

Autogiro over Capitol


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