A Brief History On August 2, 1990, led by dictator Saddam Hussein, the military forces of Iraq invaded and annexed their smaller neighbor, the oil rich constitutional monarchy of Kuwait. Iraq was coming off a disastrous war (1980-1988) with Iran and Hussein was looking for an easy win. Digging Deeper This naked aggression by Iraq was poorly calculated, as the rest of the world, including much of the Arab world, disapproved of the action, and many nations joined forces to create a huge and powerful military force to counter that invasion, evicting the Iraqis from Kuwait in 1991 in a…
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 1, 2022, NFL and especially Cleveland Browns football fans finally got the long-awaited verdict in the case of quarterback Deshaun Watson, accused by more than 2 dozen women of various levels of sexual harassment while receiving massages. Digging Deeper Watson was a member of the Houston Texans when the allegations surfaced, causing him to sit out the entire 2021 season, though with pay. In 2022 the Texans traded Watson to the Browns who made the young quarterback the highest paid player in NFL history despite the sexual misconduct allegations not being settled at the time.…
A Brief History On August 1, 1620, the British ship, Speedwell, sailed from Delfshaven along with the Mayflower to bring separatists known as Pilgrims to the New World. Alas, the Speedwell was not seaworthy and after several attempts the ship was abandoned as a transport to America and Mayflower made the voyage into history alone. Digging Deeper Speedwell was originally named Swiftsure and was built in 1577, making her a relatively old vessel at the time of the proposed voyage to America. Decommissioned by the British navy in 1605, her name was changed, and she became a commercial vessel. Her…
A Brief History On July 31, 1970, the British Royal Navy experienced one of the darkest days in their long and glorious history, Black Tot Day. On that day, the RN ended its long tradition of giving each sailor at sea a drink of rum. Digging Deeper While you may not personally miss this bygone practice, we ask, “What do you miss the most?” Some possible answers could be: (for Catholics) The Latin Mass School Dress and Grooming Codes Drive-in Movies Decent Meals and Service on Airliners Polaroid Cameras Phone Booths The Milkman Vinyl Records Sears Catalog Cheap Gasoline Hot…
A Brief History On July 30, 2003, the last of the “old style” Volkswagen Beetles rolled off the assembly line in Puebla, Mexico, ending the longest and most prolific manufacturing streak of any car platform ever made. Digging Deeper While Toyota fans will claim the Corolla as the most manufactured car model with 40 million units turned out, it must be noted that our beloved Beetle was built on the same basic platform throughout its 65 year run while the Corolla was often changed into a completely different car, merely retaining the name. A whopping 21,529,464 of these cute and…