A Special Daughter

Special K is an American brand of breakfast cereal introduced to the United States in 1955 by one of their food kitchen researchers, Jimmy Harris. As the father of seven boys, he was pleasantly surprised by the birth of one daughter, Kathleen. He called her his "Special K." Since "K" was the first letter in the Kellogg's logo, the company allowed him to use the name for the new cereal. The general public might think the "K" simply stands for the special cereal from Kellogg's. 

The Original Oreo

Hydrox is a cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie that debuted in the United States in 1908 and was manufactured by Sunshine Biscuits for over ninety years. Hydrox was largely discontinued in 1999, three years after Sunshine was acquired by Keebler, which was later acquired by Kellogg. In September 2015, the product was reintroduced by Leaf Brands.

The Oreo brand was created in 1912. It offered more creme filling, a sweeter imitation of Hydrox, and eventually surpassed Hydrox in popularity. It resulted in the Hydrox cookies being perceived by many as an Oreo off-brand. The Hydrox name sounds eerily like it is chemically manufactured compared to the cute-sounding Oreo name.

Mr. Kerr and Mr. McGee

The Kerr-McGee Corporation was an American energy company involved in oil exploration, production of crude oil, natural gas, perchlorate, and uranium mining and milling in various countries. Anadarko Petroleum acquired Kerr-McGee in 2006, itself being acquired by Occidental Petroleum in 2019.

Founded in 1929 as Anderson & Kerr Drilling Company by Oklahoma businessman-politician Robert S. Kerr (1896-1963) and oil driller James L. Anderson, its name was changed to Kerr-McGee Oil Industries, Incorporated after Dean McGee (1904-1989) joined the firm in 1946. The company initially focused mostly on off-shore oil exploration and production and was one of the first companies to use drillships. Beginning in the early 1950s, Kerr-McGee was involved in several nuclear endeavors. The 1957 illustration above would seem to catapult off these explorations. The sub-heading about landing on the moon turned out to be an accurate prediction.

Parallels

This is more of a parallel to B-movie careers than an exact resemblance. Willard Parker (Worster Van Eps 1912-1996), right, signed with Warner Bros and Columbia, while John Archer (Ralph Bowman 1915-1999) signed with Universal and Republic. Archer had numerous television guest spots, making him, arguably, the more familiar figure; however, Parker's three-year, single-series Tales of the Texas Rangers was popular. 

Both started their careers in the late 1930s, and both died at age 84, three years apart. Alas, I would like to tell you they married the same woman (not at the same time), but that would prevent you from believing any of this.

Lunar Bosh

American Bosch ARMA Corporation (AMBAC) was located in Garden City, NY. At the start of 1960, it employed approximately 6,000 employees. AMBAC was founded in Brooklyn NY in 1918. It began by manufacturing high-intensity searchlights for military use but soon expanded into the design and manufacture of analog electro-mechanical gunfire control systems for use on US naval vessels.  

During WWII, almost all of the US military's gunfire control systems were manufactured on Long Island, New York. The ARMA Division of AMBAC, Ford Instrument Company, and Sperry Gyroscope Company represented the state of the art in such systems and proved their capability to meet the government's needs. After the war's end, ARMA was awarded a contract by the US Air Force to design and manufacture the tail gun turret gunfire control system for the Boeing B-52.

There was constant discord within the ARMA Division between management and the unionized technical staff. Several long strikes occurred in 1951, 1953, and 1955 that left a level of bitterness among the employees. The 1960-1965 Atlas Missile Guidance System was the last large contract awarded to the ARMA Division. By 1973, American Bosch ARMA Corporation, including its ARMA Division, was sold to the United Technologies Corporation and was relocated to UTC's Pratt and Whitney facility in Stratford, Connecticut.

The 1958 illustration is by Frank Tinsley (1899-1965).

Parallels

Depending on the angle or lighting, Virginia Gilmore (1919-1986), above left, and Jane Greer (1924-2001) possessed similar facial appearance. Yet both actresses are better known by only one of their films, Western Pacific and Out Of The Past, respectively. What separates them is their lifespan, perhaps accounting for Greer being the more famous.

Parasites

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the idea of carrying an additional flying craft was rampant. The concepts were totally impractical, if not deadly, ideas. The above is one example of a helicopter being able to attach and release from an F-94 jet fighter. The first question would seem to be, why?. The giant, 10-engined, Convair B-36 intercontinental bomber experimented with carrying parasite fighter escort jets. One system allowed two jet aircraft, each anchored at both wingtips of the B-36. A second program used a trapeze design lowered from one bomb bay which a fighter could hook the nose to a recieving hook. Although each system worked under ideal conditions, both were deemed impractical, especially given the best defense for the B-36 was altitude.