A Brief History On January 2, 533, Mercurius, son of Projectus, a Roman priest was elected Pope by the Catholic Church. Mercurius, his name being derived from the pagan Roman messenger god, Mercury, thought his own name was inappropriate for one who would lead the Christian Church and decided to take another name instead of his own. His chosen name under which to serve as Pope of the Catholic Church was John, and he became Pope John II. The “John” he named himself after was not Saint John the Apostle, nor Saint John the Baptist, but instead was taken after…
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 January 1, 2019, History and Headlines presents some fake news stories you will probably not see or hear in 2019, but then again you never know. On January 1, 2017, we reported about false news stories that really were run in the media during 2016. This year, we make up our own fake news stories for your amusement. Remember, these are not predictions or wishes on our part, even if some of them may seem to be. Of course, no matter how improbable, some of these fake news stories might become real news stories, and if…
A Brief History On December 31, 2018, History and Headlines takes a look at one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions that Americans claim to be dedicated to, at least as tallied by Google searches. That resolution is to develop a healthier lifestyle, by losing weight, exercising, reducing stress and eating healthier. We take a few minutes to offer some advice on how to achieve the goal of improving one’s health in a variety of ways. Please feel free to offer any particularly good advice you believe may be helpful to other readers. If you think we have offered…
A Brief History On December 30, 2018, we at History and Headlines take a moment to remember some of the notable people that died this year. (Yes, we know there is an entire day left in the year, so we will update the article to include any last minute deaths of note.) As always, we invite you, the reader, to nominate any other worthy people that died in 2018 that we neglected to mention, especially as we are not trying to name every single person of minimal celebrity that died. If you choose to mention a person that died, please…
A Brief History On December 29, 1890, the United States Army 7th Cavalry Regiment conducted a massacre of about 200 Native Americans at a place called Wounded Knee in South Dakota, (see our article “Wounded Knee Massacre”). We contend that the name, Wounded Knee, is a bit on the odd side. After all, should other places be named “Headache,” “Sore Butt,” or “Infected Toe Mountain?” Geographical places or formations, whether of a national or local variety have often been named for one reason or another in a way that seems a little odd to us that speak English. (Or is…