A Brief History On November 13, 2019, we celebrate “Lucky 13” by telling the history of the card game, Poker, a game that enjoys widespread popularity and comes in so many forms it would be difficult to explain all the different games. In 1937, R. F. Foster wrote: “the game of poker, as first played in the United States, five cards to each player from a twenty-card pack, is undoubtedly the Persian game of As-Nas.” Ah, but more recent historians, including David Parlett, that study the origins of poker have concluded that Mr. Foster was wrong! They claim poker evolved…
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 November 10, 1871, Welsh-American journalist Henry Morton Stanley finally met the man he had come so far to see, the missionary Rev. David Livingstone, prompting Stanley to blandly ask, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” As if it was some other Rev. Livingstone in the African jungle! People sometimes understate things, and today we look at a few of those notable occurrences, but first we are compelled to say a bit about Henry Morton Stanley, a really fascinating guy. Digging Deeper Stanley was born John Rowlands in Wales in 1841, to an unwed 18 year old mother that…
A Brief History On November 9, 2016, Donald John Trump, New York real estate mogul and television star, was verified as the winner of the 2016 US Presidential election. We have previously acknowledged “10 Presidential Firsts” and “10 Presidential Firsts That Have Yet to Happen” and today we continue this theme by naming 7 instances when we last had a President that had some particular distinction or another, not necessarily the first or the only President ever to lay claim to that accomplishment or trait or distinction. Digging Deeper Last non-college graduate. The last time we had a President without…
A Brief History On May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that betting on athletic events was legal activity in the United States, striking down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in a decision known as Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association. This landmark legal decision allowing sports betting massively changed the gambling landscape. With the explosion of casinos across the country as well as the pervasive nature of state lotteries and church related Bingo and “Las Vegas Nights,” it is apparent attitudes and laws about gambling for Americans have changed in favor of more…
A Brief History On November 8, 2019, a big, really big, war movie about one of the most pivotal battles of World War II hits the big screens across the United States when Midway makes its debut. We had the opportunity to prescreen this $100 million blockbuster and found the film entertaining, though not exactly a documentary. Expect the visual treats a $100 check can write! Some big stars, excellent special effects, and lots of action make this film the action film of the year in our book. Digging Deeper Directed and produced by Roland Emmerich, the 11th highest grossing…