On this date in 1915, the first prototype military tank was manufactured. what was its nickname?2/24/2024 In the early 16th century, Leonardo da Vinci sketched plans for a theoretical submarine, as he had for a functioning helicopter. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great is reported to have descended into the Aegean Sea in a glass sphere to observe aquatic life. Thanks to two 250 horsepower Sunbeam engines powering either wheel, the Tsar could reach a respectable speed of up to 10.5 mph.The vision of a manned submersible exploring the ocean deeps is an old one. But they severely limited the firing range of the 12 water-cooled machine guns situated in between the massive wheels. The giant, bicycle-style wheels in front of the tank did prove effective for traversing a variety of terrains. The vehicle resembled a hanging bat when viewed from above, so it gained the nickname "Netopyr" which translates to " pipistrellus," the genus name for "bats." ![]() Russian engineers Nikolai Lebedenko, Nikolai Zhukovsky, Boris Stechkin, and Alexander Mikulin developed the Tsar from 1914 to 1915. Reportedly, when Nicholas II saw a model of the tank roll over a stack of books he was sold on the project, and gave it his blessing. ![]() The Tsar differed from modern tanks in that it didn't have treads, instead using two massive 27-foot-tall front wheels and a small third wheel, 5 feet in diameter, that trailed behind for steering. Tank development was in its earliest stages when Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia in the first decades of the 20th century.
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