Fresh photos of Marilyn Monroe have emerged showing the Hollywood pin-up ‘building’ drones for the US Army during World War II. At the time the photos were shot, in 1944 Monroe hadn’t yet taken up the famous stage name, nor had she dyed her curly locks blonde.
She was simply known as Norma Jeane Dougherty and worked at a factory in Van Nuys, California. These photographs are by David Conover, the Army photographer, historically credited with “discovering” Monroe.
There’s, however, one detail in these pictures that rarely seems to find much mention. Marilyn Monroe is actually a very early version of an unmanned aerial vehicle.
Though her main job at the factory was spraying down planes with fire retardant, in the photos she’s seen assembling the OQ-2 radioplane, (also called the RP-5A, TDD-l or the “Dennymite” after its designer Reginald Denny).
Photo: David Conover/US Army
Source: Deccan Chronicle
Interesting article. I note from the text that Marilyn was actually a very early example of a UAV. I am surprised that they were that sophisticated in the early 1940’s.
And the aircraft’s designer was Reginald Denny? Any chance the younger Reginald Denny of L.A. riot fame and misfortune was related? How strange would that be?
First of all, these aren’t fresh photos. They’ve been circulating for YEARS…decades really. They’ve shown up in briefings as anecdotal info and attention grabbers in unmanned industry circles. I used it myself two years ago in London (where Marilyn is still fondly remembered) and recently highlighted in the 2011 movie “My Week With Marilyn”. Secondly, the officer that sent the photographer to take photos in the Ryan production facility was Army Captain (and future US president) Ronald Reagan.