Michael E. Ryan

Article summary

Michael Edward Ryan (born December 24, 1941) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) general and was the 16th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from October 1997 to September 2001. He served as the senior uniformed USAF officer responsible for the organization, training and equipage of active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and the other service chiefs functioned as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1941-12-24 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of birth: 1941 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1941-12-24". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of birth is "1941". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1356299280