A Brief History On August 29, 1915, US Navy salvage crews raised the submarine, F-4, from the seabed off Honolulu where she had sunk with all hands on March 25, 1915, the first USN sub lost and another in a long list of Naval “Oops Moments.” Digging Deeper Tiny by today’s standards, the F-4 was only 142 feet and 7 inches long with a beam of 15 feet, with a crew of only 21 on the day she sank. Her original name had been USS Skate, although it was changed before her launch. Interesting trivia regarding her salvage is that…
Author: Major Dan
Major Dan
Major Daniel Zar is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.
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A Brief History On June 16, 2023, Warner Brothers and DC Studios released yet another big budget superhero movie, in this case, The Flash. Obviously, part of the DC Extended Universe that includes notable superheroes such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, the $220 million budget film was expected to a blockbuster. Digging Deeper Alas, so far the box office has reaped a disappointing $268.5 million, not enough, at least yet, to make a profit let alone approach lofty expectations that Marvel and DC movies generate. Losses are expected to approach $200 million. So what went wrong? Starting with the…
A Brief History On August 28, 1973, Stockholm, Sweden police arrested two bank robbers after a five day standoff in which the robbers held four people as hostages. Incredibly, the hostages seemed to take sides with the robbers, a psychological effect later named “Stockholm Syndrome.” Digging Deeper The perpetrator of the crime, Jan-Erik Olsson, was a convicted criminal that had absconded while on furlough from prison. A veteran of prior armed robberies, Olsson was armed with a sub-machinegun during the robbery. When police arrived at the scene, Olsson took hostages, and the standoff began. Police brought Olsson’s friend from prison…
A Brief History On August 27, 1982, far away from Anatolia, Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide killed Turkish diplomat Atilla Altıkat in Ottawa, Ontario, as vengeance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Time and distance do not always stop those bent on revenge, and we list a few of those incidents. Digging Deeper In 1943, the US conducted Operation Vengeance, sending P-38 fighters 435 miles to shoot down and kill Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of the Pearl Harbor raid. From 1972 to 1973, Israel’s Mossad conducted Operation Wrath of God, revenge for the murders of Israeli athletes…
A Brief History On August 26, 1972, the XX Olympiad, Summer Games portion, opened in Munich, West Germany. Historic for many reasons, this edition of the Olympics featured the first ever named mascot of an Olympic Games, a Dachshund named “Waldi.” Digging Deeper In 1932, a Scottish Terrier born in the Olympic Village in Los Angeles became an unofficial mascot, and in 1968, Mexico City gave us a Red Jaguar, although again, unofficially. Many mascots have been depictions of fauna endemic to the country or area the Olympics were being held at, and of course the Dachshund is a dog…