A Brief History On May 10, 1946, at the White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico the US Army made the first successful launch of a German designed V-2 rocket, the same sort of weapon the Germans had used to terrorize England and Holland during World War II. V-2 technology was not the only German inspired technology to be eagerly scooped and later used by the Allies after World War II, and today we take a look at some of those items (keeping the list short and therefore not all encompassing). As always, feel free to nominate such items as…
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 9, 1865, the American Civil War ended, or did it? Historians acknowledge that exact starting and ending dates of wars are open to debate, and likewise, so are the causes and reasons those wars were fought. In the case of the American Civil War, April 1861 to May 1865, the “cause” of Southern independence is a controversial and contentious subject even to this day. The main debate centers on whether or not slavery, that “peculiar institution,” was the main cause of the war and the reason for fighting such a costly conflict. Revisionist “historians” have…
A Brief History On April 30, 2021, we eagerly jumped on the release of the new Tom Clancy fiction based action movie, Without Remorse, a tale of special operations (Navy SEALs, CIA), betrayal, intrigue, and most of all, lots of action! Digging Deeper Based on the 1993 Tom Clancy novel, Without Remorse, we find our hero, John Kelly, played by Michael B. Jordan, involved in a covert combat operation in Syria. The SEAL team led by Senior Chief Petty Officer Kelly finds Russian military operatives involved where only terrorist ISIS fighters were expected. Months later, SEALS involved in that particular…
A Brief History On May 3, 1952, the Kentucky Derby, probably the most famous and prestigious horse racing event in the United States, was first broadcast on television. Today, we take a look at when significant events first made their television debut. As always, feel free to nominate an event or events you believe belong on this list. Digging Deeper First Sporting Event, 1936 For this particular historic first, it is fitting that the Olympics takes the honors of being first. In this case, we refer to the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany. Since there were no privately…
A Brief History On April 26, 1865, Union Army troopers of the US Cavalry shot the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, dead on the spot in spite of orders to take the murderer alive. Booth is just one of many assassins that died without the benefit of being tried for their crime. Today we list several such assassins and welcome you to nominate others to this list. (See some of our other articles about assassinations.) Digging Deeper John Wilkes Booth, assassin of US President Abraham Lincoln (1865) Boothe was the most famous American actor of his day,…