history Archives - Eric F. Frazier

Tiananmen at 25: Selective Amnesia

June 4, 2014 Eric F. Frazier

European courts ruled recently that people have the “right to be forgotten.” What about the right not to be forgotten? Does that not apply to Tiananmen Square, where thousands of unarmed protesters were killed 25 years ago by their nation’s…

GPS Turns 40: Test Your Knowledge with a Quiz

December 17, 2013August 9, 2023 Eric F. Frazier

December 2013 brought two important anniversaries for GPS, a technology that has changed the world, yet both milestones have gone unnoticed in the media. The Pentagon authorized GPS development 40 years ago on Dec. 17, 1973. If GPS were a…

The (Watery) Margin of Victory

August 30, 2013October 10, 2013 Eric F. Frazier

Book Review: WAR ON THE WATERS: THE UNION & CONFEDERATE NAVIES, 1861-1865 by James M. McPherson UNC Press, 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning author James M. McPherson begins War on the Waters: The Union & Confederate Navies, 1861-1865 with a quote…

The Helicopter’s Unrealized Potential

September 3, 2011September 21, 2013 Eric F. Frazier

Book Review: How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare by Walter J. Boyne Pelican Publishing Co., 2011 This book is a must-read for anyone interested in flying machines and particularly for those who like military history. For everyone attending the…

About Eric F. Frazier

I am an independent writer, editor, book reviewer and co-author of GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones.

Frazeology is my take on matters large and small, in the news or off the radar. My approach is personal, but the goal is not to write about me. Rather, it is to offer subjective observations about experiences and concerns that we all share.

From time to time, I link to and comment on things others have said particularly well--or especially poorly. And sometimes I make up new words. We have more than enough already, but it's fun and I find playing around with language irresistible.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by, and I hope you enjoy reading.

“A useful work about a complex topic.”

— Roger Launius, Quest

“GPS Declassified is a carefully researched, well written, fast-paced, and thoroughly enjoyable book. It offers an excellent mix of science, technology, history and culture. This book is highly recommended.”

— William F. Mellberg, The Space Review

“Expertly weaves the story of GPS development and its ever-expanding use."

— M. W. Carr, Choice

“Written in a clear and lively style GPS Declassified provides readers with GPS development history including personal recollections from leading developers…. As an introduction to GPS, its history, uses, issues and concerns GPS Declassified can’t be beat.”

— Robert Schaefer, New York Journal of Books

“The authors do the impossible, making an intricate technological advance fascinating to read. They offer an informative and well researched account of how GPS proved its worth even before the system was complete.”

—Walter J. Boyne, author of How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare and former director of the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution

“A fine and entertaining story of the origins of the Global Positioning System, a consequential space-age technology that has affected the lives of hundreds of millions in war and peace."

—Mike Gruntman, PhD, professor of astronautics, University of Southern California at Los Angeles, and author of Blazing The Trail: The Early History Of Spacecraft And Rocketry

“The authors deftly place the concept and development of GPS within two broader historical contexts: navigation and robotic spaceflight.”

— from the foreword by Rick W. Sturdevant, PhD, Deputy Director of History, Air Force Space Command

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