A Brief History On March 8, 1889, the anniversary date of the Battle of Hampton Roads, the clash of ironclad warships USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, the inventor of the Monitor died. John Ericsson, born in Sweden as Johan Ericsson, showed early brilliance in surveying and engineering, and moved to England in 1826 where he invented ways to improve steam engines. Digging Deeper Ericsson is best known for inventing America’s first screw propeller driven ship system, and of course, the USS Monitor, a revolutionary ironclad that boasted the first rotating gun turret, a design that has lasted through the years…
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.
Read More
A Brief History On March 7, 1799, French General Napoleon Bonaparte successfully captured the city of Jaffa in Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire. Although considered one of the all-time military geniuses, Bonaparte blundered when he allowed his men to massacre more than 2000 Albanians that had surrendered. Digging Deeper Napoleon then encouraged civilians to leave the city in the hope that these refugees would spread the word of French terror and cause other cities in the area to surrender without a fight. He was wrong! News of the massacre steeled the resolve of the Ottoman defenders and forced…
A Brief History On March 6, 1943, the Battle of Fardykambos was fought between the Greek Resistance and the invading Italian Army. The Resistance won the battle, with nearly an entire Italian battalion surrendering. Digging Deeper In the past we have talked about odd named wars and battles, but despite the funny sounding names, these conflicts are not funny. The Greeks suffered 4 dead with another 13 wounded and the Italians lost 565 captured, 96 dead, and 79 wounded. Italy was on a path of conquest, and part of their plan was to seize Greece, which they invaded in 1940. …
A Brief History On March 5, 2023, Americans celebrate yet another of those strange “National Days” that you may not be aware of, this time, honoring that fabled alcoholic beverage, Absinthe, known as “The Green Fairey.” Digging Deeper Created by French doctor Pierre Ordinaire in the late 18th Century and made with wormwood, anise, fennel, other herbs, and of course, plenty of alcohol, the libation was first intended as a medicinal elixir. Containing a trace amount of a chemical called thujone, Absinthe was reputed to be hallucinogenic, and was banned in the US and most of Europe by 1915. Not…
A Brief History On March 5, 1946, while speaking at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, uttered the term “Iron Curtain” in reference to the divide between the Soviet led Communist Bloc and the democratic/capitalist Western group of nations led by the United States. The phrase quickly assumed common and pervasive use amongst Westerners as both a derisive and ominous term describing the Communist Bloc. Digging Deeper World War II (1939-1945) had left the world with two competing camps of military and political power, the West and the East, the West being the US, UK,…