A Brief History On August 6, 1996, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States announced that a piece of a meteorite believed to have originated on Mars known as Allan Hills 84001 contained traces of extraterrestrial life. Digging Deeper The meteorite, found in the Allan Hills in Antarctica back in 1984, contained fossils of bacteria, which implies that such life had existed on Mars when the chunk of rock broke off and made its journey to Earth. Of course, the world took this news with enormous interest, and even President Clinton dedicated a speech about the discovery. …
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 August 5, 2010, 33 Chilean miners were trapped underground 2,300 feet deep in a copper and gold mine, an incredible 3 miles from the entrance to the mine. Their lives certainly seemed to be over, but 69 days later they emerged, alive! Digging Deeper The incident, called the Copiapó mining accident, received frantic efforts by the mine’s owners and then the national mining company to save the miners. Little hope remained 17 days later as rescuers continued to drill exploratory holes to locate the lost men, when rescuers were startled to find a note attached to…
A Brief History On August 4, 1892, the father and stepmother of 32 year old Lizzie Borden were brutally murdered, hacked to pieces with an axe! Digging Deeper Borden, born in Fall River, Massachusetts, was charged with murder in a sensational case that achieved national attention. Despite public opinion that Lizzie had committed the gruesome crime, she was acquitted at trial 10 months after the crime. Contributing to her defense was another axe murder that took place in Fall River only 5 days before her trial. Such a high-profile case attracted prominent attorneys to both the prosecution and the defense,…
A Brief History On August 3, 1852, two of the oldest and most venerable colleges or universities in the United States conducted a boat race, which became the first ever American intercollegiate athletic event. Digging Deeper Later dubbed “The Harvard–Yale Regatta,” or alternately “The Boat Race,” this seminal annual event is often simply referred to as simply, “The Race.” Originally just varsity rowers competed in a 4 mile race, but now the junior varsity races 3 miles and the freshman teams race 2 miles. The Race is a heavyweight rowing event that was first rowed at Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire,…
A Brief History On August 2, 2022, US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is on a trip to Asian countries, one of which may be Taiwan, an island that officially considers itself to be the true and legitimate government of China. Digging Deeper Mainland China, the world’s most populous country, considers Taiwan to be part of China and a place with no right to independence let alone claiming sovereignty over all of China. The US back in 1979 made the choice to recognize the Communist regime of China as the sole legal government of that country, while ending diplomatic…