One For The Record Books

Faster Than the Speed Of Sound: Supersonic Skydiver Fearless Felix Hits Mach 1.24 In Terrifying Plummet To Earth From 128,000ft -- Daily Mail

* 'Fearless Felix' Baumgartner completes astonishing 128,000-foot drop from the top of the stratosphere
* Breaks the speed of sound after traveling at mach 1.24
* Austrian daredevil had been planning the feat for five years
* Previous launches had been delayed due to wind
* One tiny error could have resulted in his blood boiling and his brain exploding

For more than four nerve- racking minutes, he was a tiny white speck against a dark sky, hurtling from 24 miles above the Earth at up to 729mph.

Then his parachute opened and five minutes later, to the relief of the millions watching, ‘Fearless Felix’ Baumgartner was back on solid ground – having made the highest and fastest skydive in history .

In the process, the 43-year-old Austrian became the first freefall diver to break the sound barrier, and also broke the record for the highest-ever manned balloon ascent.

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My Comment: Congrats to 'Fearless Felix' Baumgartner for accomplishing a truly amazing feat.

Update: A commemoration for another amazing feat (that was accomplished 65 years ago) was also done today.

True Grit

Ben Baltz, an 11-year-old boy who lost his leg to bone cancer, is carried across the finish line by Pfc. Matthew Morgan, a Marine stationed at Corry Station who was helping to supervise a children's triathlon in Pensacola, Fla., Oct. 7, 2012. (Courtesy of Kim Baltz)

Florida Cancer Survivor, 11, With Broken Prosthetic Crosses Finish Line on Back of Marine -- ABC News

Spectators at a children's triathlon in Florida were brought to tears by the sight of Marines carrying a little boy with a broken prosthetic leg across the finish line.

Bone cancer-survivor Ben Baltz, 11, was participating in his third triathlon of the summer when he had an accident with his prosthetic leg Sunday during the final portion of the race.

"The screws came loose and it fell off and the Marine picked me up and he ran the rest of the way," Ben said. "It was pretty nice."

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My Comment: More proof that a picture can have a thousand words to it.