Question: In World War II, Britain built a prototype aircraft carrier made of what unusual material?
Answer: Ice from icebergs. Under the code name Project Habbakuk, British inventor Geoffrey Pyke proposed building a massive aircraft carrier out of “pykrete,” a frozen mixture of ice and wood pulp that was stronger than regular ice, could be machined like wood, and melted slowly. Pyke envisioned a giant aircraft-carrying vessel over a mile long with a solid hull made of ice. A 1,000-ton prototype was actually built on Patricia Lake in Alberta, Canada, in 1943, but the project was ultimately scrapped as the estimated cost proved too high.
