A Brief History On May 4, 1988, one of those spectacular disasters that can be associated with a space program gone wrong occurred at Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON), a chemical plant only 10 miles from Las Vegas. A massive fireball and series of explosions caused over $100 million in damage and took 2 lives, while injuring another 372. The PEPCON Disaster joins many other space and rocket related disasters that have happened while still on Mother Earth. Digging Deeper The plant was one of 2 plants in the US that produced an oxidizer for solid fuel…
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 3, 2020, we take a look at another incredible, jaw dropping case of domestic sexual abuse that strains the limits of believability, a stepfather worthy of every fairy tale or horror movie depiction of the worst type of stepparent possible. This case concerns Lydia Gouardo of Meaux and Coulommes in Seine et Marne, France, who was kept imprisoned by her evil stepfather for 28 years, raped and tortured throughout her ordeal. Digging Deeper A plot worthy of horror film mavens such as Wes Craven, Guillermo del Toro or even Uwe Boll, the saga of Lydia…
A Brief History On May 2, 2020, we look back to 2008, when a British man was convicted of the horrendous crime of incest with his 2 daughters, sexual unions (rapes actually) that resulted in the birth of 7 children! This domestic rapist kept up his sexual predation for a whopping 25 years before it was finally stopped, earning his sordid affair the nickname of “Sheffield incest case.” Digging Deeper The identity of this candidate for Bad Father of the Year has been concealed by the British courts in order to protect the privacy of both of his daughters and…
A Brief History On May 1, 1776, an organization known as The Order of the Illuminati was established in Ingolstadt, Upper Bavaria, founded by German philosopher Johann Adam Weishaupt (1748-1830). Calling himself “Brother Spartacus,” Weishaupt sought to create a secret society with the express intention of doing good works. Digging Deeper Not to be confused with the mythical and often fictional “Illuminati” that according to urban legend “really” run the world from behind the scenes, Weishaupt’s group was quite real and not so powerful or diabolical as the colloquial understanding of the term. Part of their agenda was to oppose…
A Brief History On April 30, 1993, tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed in the back by a “fan” obsessed with rival women’s tennis star Stefi Graf. Seles was absent from pro tennis for 2 years after the attack, and despite being only 20 years old at the time of the attack never regained her championship form (formerly #1 in the world). We used this horrible incident to start our article “10 Bizarre Injuries to Athletes” back in 2014, and today we take a look at another 10 such bizarre injuries to athletes. Digging Deeper 1. Kirby Puckett, Baseball. In…