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In a wood-burning chimney, creosote from the wood, especially pine, collects in the flue. If the temperature gets hot enough, the material ignites into a full, open-throated roar, like unto a jet engine.
It’s blasting upwards, and the flames coming out of the chimney light up the surrounding neighborhood.
Early scientists, among whom I would place Benjamin Franklin, saw that there was a potential there, if they could figure out how to take advantage of it.
Thus eventually was born the jet engine.
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That's a vicious lie.
The idea for the jet engine came when I sneezed in one of those chairs with wheels on it.
I don't remember the actual transition from one side of the room to the other, but the word is I took out two secretaries (yes, we called them that in those days) and one file cabinet.
If I had been eating split pea soup the night before we probably would have invented the RPG.