A Brief History On May 25, 1968, the Gateway Arch across the Mississippi River at St. Louis was dedicated, after 2 ½ years of construction and a year after it was “inaugurated.” Towering 630 feet tall, the arch also spans 630 feet wide, providing St. Louis with a majestic reminder of its role as the “Gateway to the West.” Digging Deeper While we have the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and Seven Wonders of the Modern World, today we take a look at two projects we believe are worthy of wonder that have been made since 1960: First, the…
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 May 18, 1804, Corsican born army general and First Consul of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, was named as Emperor of the French by the French senate, effectively ending the Republic and creating a French Empire. Digging Deeper Famous as a person that valued pomp and appearances, Napoleon put the Crown of Imperial France on his own head at his coronation in December of 1804 at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. The great man’s reign would last 10 years until he was deposed and sent to Elba in exile, although he regained his role as Emperor in March of…
A Brief History On May 16, 2025, Final Destination Bloodlines was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures. The sixth film in the franchise, Bloodlines will not disappoint and may indeed be the best film in the entire franchise. Digging Deeper Fans of Final Destination must make this movie a must see, and for fans of Tony Todd, horror movie icon, this film is the last chance to see this fine actor on the screen as he died on November 6, 2024, at the too young age of 69. With a superior cast and able directing by the…
A Brief History On May 14, 1900, the athletic competition known as “the World Amateur championship” opened at the Paris Exposition Universelle, a World’s Fair held in Paris from April to November of 1900, one of several French hosted Expositions Universelle over the years. Digging Deeper The events variously known as “world’s fair,” “global exposition,” or “universal exposition,” are major events often hosted by a major city or a country to celebrate all the latest in technology and innovations, a phenomenon first hosted by Bohemia in Prague back in 1791. There have been at least 37 general expositions that could…
A Brief History On May 11, 1889, a US Army paymaster escorted by 11 “Buffalo” Soldiers were ambushed on their way from Fort Grant to Fort Thomas in the Arizona Territory by between seven and 13 bandits. The attack left eight of the soldiers wounded and the bandits absconded with the entire payroll of $28,000 in gold and silver coins. Digging Deeper The shootout resulted in two of the soldiers earning the Medal of Honor and the rest of the soldiers awarded Certificates of Merit, in spite of losing the payroll. The value of the payroll in today’s dollars would…