A Brief History On April 20, 1828, French explorer René Caillié became the first European to return alive from a visit to the ancient African city of Timbuktu. Yes, this ancient city located in Mali is indeed a real place, a mysterious and fabled city of almost mythological proportions to 19th Century Europeans, enough so that the Société de Géographie in Paris offered a 10,000 Franc award to any European that could travel to Timbuktu and return alive with an account of the mystery city. Digging Deeper Africa was still “The Dark Continent” to Europe in 1828, largely unexplored and…
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 19, 2019, horror movie fans get another installment in the Annabelle/Conjuring movie universe, this time called The Curse of La Llorona. The premise of the film revolves around a Mexican folk tale of a long passed beautiful mother that murders (drowns) her children, and haunts living mothers and their children today, seeking to steal the children for herself. Set in the United States of 1973, an American widow and her children are faced with the horror of La Llorona (“The Weeping Woman”) and her murderous intent. Who can save them from La Llorona? Can they…
A Brief History On April 17, 2019, the nation celebrates National Cheese Ball Day, or at least we should. Cheese Balls are a mainstay of wine tasting parties and are a favored Hors d’oeuvre at seasonal get togethers and office parties, but apparently the delicious dairy treat needs its own day anyway. We happen to love Cheese Balls, and this gastronomical love affair causes us to wonder, “Why do people refer to something that is cheap, tawdry, or otherwise crumby as ‘Cheese Ball’?” (Note: There is another kind of “Cheese Ball,” the salty snack type that is akin to cheese…
A Brief History On April 16, 1990, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a Michigan physician later to gain the sobriquet, “Dr. Death,” assisted in his first physician assisted suicide when he assisted a 54 year old woman that had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in the act of taking her own life. Kevorkian had made his controversial views on euthanasia and physician assisted suicide public by advertising in Detroit area newspapers, the culmination of the evolution of his medical opinions about death and how patients should be allowed to handle their own fate. Digging Deeper Dr. Kevorkian (1928-2011) was Michigan born and…
A Brief History On April 15, 2019, we have the sad duty to inform our readers that one of the great historical cathedrals in the world, Notre Dame in Paris, France, has been burning for the past few hours and is virtually destroyed. Built from 1163 to 1345, the Gothic Catholic cathedral is formally known in France as Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the most famous church buildings in the entire world, drawing 12 to 13 million visitors per year Digging Deeper While authorities have no comment on the possible cause of the massive blaze, there has been no indication…