A Brief History On April 26, 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte signed a general amnesty for those members of the émigrés of the French Revolution, those royalists and others opposed to the French Revolution that had fled France. Allowing all but about 1000 of the most die hard opponents of the Revolution (and Napoleon) such as the ringleaders of the Armée des Émigrés, those expatriate French royalists that created military forces to fight against Napoleon’s regime, to return to France without penalty was of course a healing gesture to unite France under the leadership of Napoleon. (Napoleon publicly stated respect for the…
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 April 25, 1644, the last of the Ming Dynasty Emperors, Zhu Youjian, known as The Chongzhen Emperor, committed suicide when his armies were unable to contain a peasant rebellion. Over the centuries, many leaders of countries, kingdoms, etc. have for one reason or another committed suicide, an ignoble end to the glory of leading a country or kingdom. Today we list 10 such leaders and former leaders that killed themselves. Digging Deeper 1. Zhu Youjian, “The Chongzhen Emperor,” China, 1644. The Ming Dynasty reigned in China from 1368 to 1644, with 17 emperors in the line,…
A Brief History On April 24, 2013, Communist China proved to be less than tolerant of ethnic dissent when authorities attempted to crush suspected ethnic Uyghur “terrorists.” Violence broke out in response to perceived heavy handed police action, and at least 21 people were killed, 15 of which were reported to be policemen and authorities. Previously in our article “10 Oppressed Minorities Around the World” we discussed the problem the Uyghurs have with the Chinese government, especially insofar as the predominant religion of the Uyghurs is Islam in a country that is officially atheistic. Digging Deeper The April 2013 violence…
A Brief History On April 22, 2019, Clevelanders and people in American cities of Polish or Slavic heritage across the country celebrate the Slavic Holiday called Dyngus Day, a relatively new holiday to Cleveland only initiated 9 years ago, its European roots go back to the 15th Century. Falling on the day after Easter each year, it is an early Spring traditional day to keep the Easter holiday season going for one more day, a day marked by Polka Music and dancing, and even more so by eating wonderful Slavic foods. Digging Deeper Celebrated by Slavic people as “Wet Monday,”…
A Brief History 2019 marks the 70th year of the Formula One World Championship and it is promising to be the most exciting year yet. Young guns like Max Verstappen are making a claim for glory while Lewis Hamilton eyes up a sixth championship, pushing him ever closer to Michael Schumacher’s incredible seven total championships. Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing has called time on Renault engines and made the switch to Honda, while Sauber Force India have renamed as Alfa Romeo racing, indicating a fresh start for the constructor. They will be buoyed by the return of Kimi Räikkönen, who rejoins…