Well, we didn't reverse engineer the mercury vortex engine. The Nazis gave it a go and we continued their work...just like with missile tech and everything else.
The Nazis didn't come-up with the idea. They read about it in an ancient Indian book called the Vimana...with alien influence no doubt.
An old guy I know who worked out there for decades said it was ridiculous. They'd get liquid mercury (heavy stuff) spinning so fast with electromagnetism, not unlike the big colliders, they couldn't contain it. The metal was spinning so quickly, a leak could have smashed someone's head in L.A. Gravity would let go though...albeit at ridiculous cost and danger.
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