Author: Major Dan

A Brief History On January 29, 1886, Karl Benz, a German engineer, became the first person to patent a successful gasoline powered automobile.  Not counting impractical inventions and steam powered cars, the Benz Patent Motorcar was the first of what we would recognize as a “real” automobile,” although of course it looked a lot different from the sleek machines we see on the roads today.  A funny looking 3 wheeled flimsy vehicle, the Benz creation was the first internal combustion engine car built to actually be sold on the commercial market.  Its 1 liter gasoline powered engine produced a pathetic…

A Brief History On January 28, 1980, the United States Coast Guard proved that their big brother, the United States Navy, does not have a monopoly on maritime blunders or misfortune.  Sadly, this particular “Naval Oops Moment” came at the cost of almost half the crew of the USCGC Blackthorn, a sea going buoy tender designated WLB-391 when the Coast Guard ship collided with the SS Capricorn, a tanker ship causing the Blackthorn to roll over and sink. Digging Deeper The Blackthorn, an Iris class buoy tender, was born during World War II, commissioned in 1944 as a Great Lakes ice…

A Brief History On January 26, 1856, elements of the United States Marine Corps fought a battle against a most unlikely of opponents, Native American warriors of the tribes in the Washington Territory, a battle with the catchy sounding name, The Battle of Seattle.  Like the vast majority of battles fought by the US Marine Corps, the result was a victory for the Devil Dogs, although this particular battle does not often come to mind when contemplating great USMC victories such as Iwo Jima, Belleau Wood, and Khe Sahn. Digging Deeper The Puget Sound War of 1855-1856 (sometimes called the…

A Brief History On January 25, 1924, Chamonix in the Southeastern part of France hosted the first iteration of the modern Olympic Winter Games.  The ancient Greeks had held Olympic Games from about the 8th Century BC and continued to hold the games until the 4th Century AD.  The Olympic Games were revived in 1894, with the establishment of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the first Modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896.  The holding of a separate Winter version of the Olympic Games finally became a reality with the inaugural Winter Olympics in 1924. Digging…

A Brief History On January 24, 1915, the British Royal Navy Grand Fleet fought a sizable naval engagement against elements of the German Imperial High Seas Fleet in the North Sea at an area called Dogger Bank.  With all the attention the Battle of Jutland and the submarine war in the Atlantic get, it may be easy to forget there were other major naval engagements during World War I.  Today we discuss one of those naval battles, a battle won by the British, although like Jutland, a not satisfying victory. Digging Deeper The battle area, Dogger Bank, is a 160…