A Brief History On March 9, 2020, we take a look at some of today’s technology that is not celebrated the way some previous inventions have been. Virtually everyone knows that Edison invented the light bulb and Bell invented the telephone, but we ask, who knows the inventor of the touch screen? Who invented the computer chip? Who came up with GPS? Today we take a few selected modern devices and tell you a little about how they came about. What would you add to this list? (Note: Not being scientists ourselves, some of the technology in this article is…
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 March 8, 2014, a Boeing 777 jet airliner flying from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to Beijing, China, disappeared from radar screens and has not been seen or heard from since, despite incredibly large and extensive search efforts. A total of 227 passengers and 12 crew members vanished from the face of the Earth and grieving relatives want to know why. Digging Deeper While it is true that airplanes have “disappeared” often enough over the course of aviation history, with some highly noted cases such as that of Amelia Earhart (1937) and of course the infamous “Bermuda…
A Brief History On March 7, 2020, the media is abuzz with whining and blaming about the fact that Senator Elizabeth Warren has dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination for President. Multiple sources cry about the “fact” that there are only men left in the Democratic race. Not true! Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii is often overlooked as being a woman in the race, and a woman with an ethnic background more than just White European. Why is she being ignored? She has participated in some debating and has earned at least 2 committed delegates so far…
A Brief History On March 6, 1975, entranced Americans were glued to their television sets to watch the first mass public showing of the infamous “Zapruder Film” that depicted the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. According to US Government reports, a single gunman acting alone, Lee Harvey Oswald, used a World War II surplus Italian bolt action rifle that he bought mail order. The 6.5×52mm caliber Carcano Model 91/38 cost Oswald only $19.95 (plus shipping) and it even included an attached riflescope! Today we take a look at 10 guns that will live in infamy. …
A Brief History On March 5, 1872, George Westinghouse patented the air brake, a system for use with railroad trains. Prior to his invention, the brakes on trains had to be operated by a brakeman individually turning a large brake wheel on each car. With the Westinghouse system, the engineer could have all the cars in his train brake at the same time, allowing for safer train travel and longer trains. Air brakes also revolutionized the trucking industry, as prior to their adoption the use of trucks in mountainous terrain was rather dangerous. Like many other unsung inventions, air brakes…