Pittsfield, Maine —
A Maine man who learned how to use a parachute as a Navy pilot during World War II has finally made his first jump — at age 90.
Lester Slate of Exeter jumped out of a plane for the first time on Sunday at Pittsfield Airport. He was guided to the ground by a tandem jumper and accompanied by another skydiver trailing a U.S. flag.
The jump was a 90th birthday present to himself. More than 50 family and friends watched.
Slate tells the Bangor Daily News he was inspired by former president George H.W. Bush, who jumped from an airplane on his 85th birthday in 2009.
Slate says he had such a good time he wants to do it again — on his 95th or 100th birthday.
The Buzz
90-year-old Maine man skydives for first time
- The Buzz
-
-
Facebook's organ donor status sends registrations soaring
Facebook's addition of a way for its users to tell people their organ-donor status helped boost the number of people who registered as donors 21-fold in one day.
-
State photo-ID databases become troves for police
The faces of more than 120 million people are in searchable photo databases that state officials assembled to prevent driver's-license fraud but that increasingly are used by police to identify suspects, accomplices and even innocent bystanders in a wide range of criminal investigations.
-
Bakery mix-up goes viral after cat drawn on girl's head
A photo of one graduate's cake has gone viral on Reddit due to a bakery mix-up that left a cat, instead of a cap, drawn on her head.
-
Caught on tape: First Lady confronts heckler
There are mixed recations to the way First Lady Michelle Obama confronted a heckler at a fundraiser Tuesday.
-
Obama defends NSA digital surveillance programs
President Barack Obama tried to reassure skeptical Europeans about sweeping U.S. digital surveillance programs expanded under his watch, arguing that the programs are circumscribed, overseen by a court and effective.
-
VIDEO: Amphibious bus filled with tourists sinks
In Liverpool, England, a "duck bus" -- which is supposed to be amphibious -- sank while full of tourists.
-
Is it really possible to not know you're pregnant until the birth?
Trish Staine had just finished running 10 miles while training for a half-marathon when she started going into labor. The mother of three said she hadn't gained any weight or felt any fetal movement in the months before and had no idea she was pregnant. Is it possible for a woman not to know she's pregnant before she starts giving birth?
-
Mass. madam's arrest could prove embarrassing
Young women who worked for accused madam Lori Barron told police they performed sex acts on hundreds of area men, including a police officer, firefighters, a city councilor, teachers, lawyers and court workers, according to police reports filed Tuesday.
-
Consumers' desire for local, organic food drives online grocery business
Just a few years ago, consumers who were fervent about eating locally-grown and organic foods had to head out to the nearest Whole Foods or farmers market. Now all it takes is a few swipes of the mouse at an online grocer like Door to Door Organics, Relay Foods or AmazonFresh.
-
Purchases by dementia sufferers put stores in quandary
An increasing number of lawsuits have been filed across Japan against department stores that allowed unusual purchases to be made by elderly people with dementia.
- More The Buzz Headlines
-




