A Brief History On November 20, 1990, serial killer Andrei Chikatilo was arrested in Rostov Oblast of the Soviet Union by undercover detectives that had been tailing him. Chikatilo eventually confessed to 56 murders and was executed in 1994. Digging Deeper Born in Ukraine in 1936, his family was starving during the Holodomor famine. Chikatilo claimed his family had to eat “grass and leaves” to survive, and that his brother was kidnapped by neighbors and cannibalized. Poverty stricken and hungry, Chikatilo was weak and constantly bullied. Usually impotent, Chikatilo found sexual release in violence toward girls. Conscripted into the Army…
Author: Major Dan
Major Dan
Major Dan 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.
Read More
A Brief History On November 19, 1887, Emma Lazarus, the author of “The New Colossus,” a sonnet that appears on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty, died in New York city at the age of 38, possibly of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Despite her brief life, her famous poem is familiar to almost all Americans. Is it in fact the most famous American poem? Digging Deeper Here are some contenders for that title, and you can tell us if one of these poems is the most famous American verse or nominate your own in the comments section for…
A Brief History On November 18, 1996, the Channel Tunnel, or more familiarly, the Chunnel, was the scene of a terrifying event as a train carrying semi-tractor trailers, or “Heavy Goods Vehicles” as they are known in Europe, along with their drivers, caught on fire, probably due to arson. Digging Deeper The driver, or engineer, knew of the fire but planned on going through anyway, but the train stalled 12 miles into the 31 mile long tunnel. The problem quickly became apparent as thick smoke enveloped the locomotive and the passenger car. Luckily, the event did not turn into a…
A Brief History On November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal in Egypt was inaugurated, providing passage to and from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Just over 120 miles long, the canal can accommodate ships up to 254 feet wide. (Note: The author has passed through the Suez Canal four times.) Considered an incredible engineering feat at the time, we ask you what engineering marvel is the greatest? Digging Deeper Some suggestions to choose from include The Great Pyramid at Giza (2570 BC), which was built without any power equipment. The Panama Canal (1914) is 51 miles long but…
A Brief History On November 16, 1857, during the battle known as the Second Relief of Lucknow, British soldiers earned 24 Victoria Cross medals in a single day, the most in British history. Digging Deeper Lucknow, the capital of the Oudh, now called Awadh, province of India, housed a British settlement. The area was administered by the British East India Company, a situation distasteful to the local Indians. The 1857 Indian Rebellion, May 1857 to November 1858, saw rebellion against the East India Company. Lucknow, defended by 1,729 troops, was beset by 5000 Sepoys, Indian soldiers that had been working…
