These are heady times at the Zippo lighter factory back in Bradford, Pennsylvania. They produced their first lighter back in 1932 and a couple of weeks ago, they hit a milestone — their 400 millionth lighter. Where did Zippo get its name? A company spokesperson tells us it came from their founder: George G. Blaisdell. George G. Blaisdell also came up with the idea of a lifetime guarantee ... which they continue to honor to this day: "Any Zippo Lighter, when returned to our factory, will be put in first-class mechanical condition free of charge, for we have yet to charge a cent for the repair of a Zippo Lighter, regardless of age or condition." In the late 1950s, a Zippo lighter was removed from the belly of a fish. The Zippo lit the first time. If the 400,000,000 windproof lighters Zippo has produced since 1932 were laid end-to-end, they would stretch more than halfway around the world — or from New York City to Los Angeles four times. The 400,000,000th lighter is on display in the Zippo Hall of Fame at the Zippo Visitors Center. One of the first Zippo lighters was auctioned off in Japan recently for $18,000. • to view a World War II-era ad for Zippo.

Whooping cranes: today they number almost 500. In the 1940s, there were only 15. It is truly an American success story and much of the credit goes to a Wisconsin-based group calling themselves Operation Migration.

As strange as it sounds, they use ultralight aircraft each year to guide whooping cranes to Florida for the winter.

Operation Migration's Heather Ray tells us about the journey.

These specially-crafted ultralights are piloted by two humans draped in white cloth. Those spending time around the young cranes purposely disguise themselves so the young birds don't associate humans as a possible food source.

The yearling cranes need only one "guided trip" to Florida. Instinct takes them back to Wisconsin in the springtime completely on their own and subsequent migrations to Florida are also without human assistance.

This year's ultralight journey from Wisconsin to Florida was supposed to begin this past week but was delayed because of a lack of head winds. The young birds need at least a 20-mile-per-hour wind.

• Visit Operation Migration's web site — click on "in the field" for daily reports on the whooping cranes' journey south.

National Shrimp Festival It's time for the 32nd annual National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Organizer Ginger Parnell says they're expecting 200,000 this weekend. Held on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, events include a sand sculpting contest, lots of music and, of course, lots of shrimp — served in every manner possible. National Shrimp Festival organizer Ginger Parnell warns Ace not to use the "P" word!

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