Eileen Collins came from Elmira, New York,
But her parents came from County Cork,
The first female to command and to pilot a shuttle,
A military instructor, with skills really subtle.
She piloted the Shuttle STS-63,
For which she was awarded the Harmon Trophy.
She piloted two others, commanded one more,
And passed into astronautical lore,
She retired from NASA on May Ist, 2006,
A girl who found space missions really gave her the kicks.

This is my ode to the infamous Ned Kelly,
A man who came out of Australia’s underbelly,
A man who died at only 26,
Sentenced to death out in the sticks.
It was in Glenrowan he took his last stand,
Along with the members of his bushranging band.
On November 11, 1880, Ned Kelly was hung,
Since then, many a folk song has been sung,
About this young man who caused quite some strife,
And upon execution, said, “Ah, such is life!”

RMS Titanic was a truly huge passenger liner,
And none had been built that was grander or finer.
At the time of construction, she was the largest afloat,
With swimming pools, gyms and restaurants on this marvellous boat.
The flagship vessel of the White Star Line,
Her fittings were splendid – the grand staircase was fine.
880 odd feet and weighing over 52,000 tons,
She was built to inspire awe in even the most jaded daughters and sons.
Built by Harland and Wolff in the town of Belfast,
She was designed to endure, designed to last.
Thomas Andrews, the man who designed this great ship,
Remembered now not for brilliance but one mighty blip,
That the lifeboat procedures were not thought through,
And there were not enough to take 2,224 passengers and crew.
She was under the command of one Edward Smith,
And news of her indestructible nature became shrouded in myth.
They sailed her too fast and when she hit the ice,
Despite watertight compartments, five of them filled in a trice.
She set off from Southampton on 10 April, 1912,
On the 14th, south of Newfoundland, her hull was shelved.
She hit that iceberg at 11.40 at night,
By 2.20, she broke up, foundered and was lost from sight.
John Jacob Astor and Guggenheim both went down,
But one who survived was “the unsinkable Molly Brown”,
The wreck of Titanic lies on the sea bed,
But her legend survives, as did the living and dead.

Lady Godiva was married to one Leofric,
A Mercian Earl, who challenged his chick,
To ride naked through Coventry town,
And then he’d consider bringing the taxes down.
Legend will tell us that that’s what she did,
So the people all loved her ’cause she saved them a few quid!
What isn’t so well known is she told them all to stay home,
So ostensibly rode through those streets alone,
Except for one man called Tom who watched as she came,
And that’s where “a peeping Tom” gets his name!

What’s with McDonald’s that makes people buy?
68 million daily, will give it a try!
The company started in 1940 to provide barbecue food,
But by ’48, they thought this was just a trifle crude,
So reorganised as a hamburger stand franchise,
And soon the limit was merely the skies!
Now in 119 countries all over the world,
McDonald’s red banner is truly unfurled!
$3.9 billion dollars is its operating income,
Not bad for a foodstuff that’s fairly humdrum…
Just a burger and fries and a coke or smoothie or two,
This hamburger empire’s a major commercial coup!

For 4 years Europe had been occupied by Axis Powers,
The allies pondered this problem for hours and hours,
Then came up with what they thought would be a solution,
But its execution required skill and great resolution.
They named this secret scheme Operation Overlord,
Freeing the French coast would be their reward.
They launched their campaign 6 June 1944,
Sent 3 million men, there may have been more,
Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword,
All sailed the Channel, sent their men overboard,
The D Day Landings in Normandy,
Was the biggest invasion in human history.

Let’s hear it for the Genoan, Cristobal Colon,
Who as sailor, explorer, was a true paragon.
He persuaded King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain,
To fund a voyage of discovery that would be to their gain,
Wanting to reach Asia, he did so by sailing West,
But found a great land mass in the path of his quest.
He’d bumped into America, on his way to the East,
Discovered its riches, found his palms duly greased!
Though a Norseman reached the US 300 years before,
Columbus was the first to colonize and explore.
He sailed there 4 times, 1492-1503,
And though he didn’t discover it, he’s part of its history,
His importance is really not finding a new continent,
But bringing word back to Europe about what this meant…

Studebaker was founded in 1852,
With cars quite eccentric, or at least that’s my view,
A pick-up, a Champion, a ’55 Wagonaire,
A vehicle with style you could take anywhere…
The factory was in South Bend till 1963,
Then closed and became part of automotive history.

A truly honourable man in a dishonourable world.

Rommel was born in in November 1891, wanted to be an engineer and then,

Because his father disapproved, joined the German army in 1910.

He served on the Western Front and won the Iron Cross in World War One,

At this stage his military career had barely even begun…

He served on the Italian Front then became a first-rate teacher,

Then wrote a book which Hitler read, in which tactics were the feature.

Hitler, mightily impressed put his Austrian HQ in his care,

Then sent him to Czechoslovakia and Poland to sort out problems there.

Next he took command of the Panzers that invaded France and got promoted once again,

Because he conquered the whole of the country, from the Channel down to Spain.

Benito Mussolini asked for help in North Africa, so Rommel was duly sent,

The Desert Fox drove the British out, so his time there was really well spent.

He was sent back to France to head the army there and prepare for the Allied invasion,

Close to defeat he warned Hitler to end the war, but he wouldn’t countenance this persuasion.

He wanted to bring Hitler to account for his crimes, but the Fuhrer heard about this scheme,

And dispatched two generals with cyanide and a proposal quite extreme.

Either submit to a trial for treason, or swallow a cyanide pill,

If he did, his family and men would be spared and he’d be lauded for military skill.

He swallowed that pill to save them all and won a great deal of respect,

From the allies, his soldiers and his family, he fought so hard to protect.