A Brief History On January 18, 2023, Americans celebrate another National Thesaurus Day, a day to be thankful for that reference book that helps us find other ways to say the same thing. Oddly enough, there is no other word for “thesaurus!” Digging Deeper Why do we choose to celebrate National Thesaurus Day on January 18th? Because that is the day of birth for Peter Mark Roget, back in 1779, the man that gave us Roget’s Thesaurus, a staple in every student’s desk. At the age of 61, Roget retired from his career as a physician, and embarked on his…
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.
A Brief History On January 17, 2013, renowned American cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted on Oprah’s Next Chapter, a prime time television show, that he was, as suspected and accused, a cheater that won 7 consecutive Tour de France bicycle races through the assistance of banned drugs. Digging Deeper Professional and amateur athletes have been using performance enhancing drugs for decades now, including stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines and a variety of hormones, usually characterized as “steroids.” Other banned substances include “blood doping” agents that increase the ability of blood to carry oxygen and even gene manipulation to enhance performance. …
A Brief History On January 16, 1537, an armed insurrection took place in England, specifically in Cumberland and Westmorland, pitting unhappy Roman Catholics against the blasphemous King Henry VIII. Digging Deeper Known as “Bigod’s Rebellion,” this religious war sounds mighty close to “By God’s,” a somehow almost appropriate name. The name of the rebellion actually derived from Sir Francis Bigod, a leader of the revolt. King Henry VIII had infamously disbanded the Catholic Church in England and started his own brand of Christianity, later called The Church of England, in order to legitimize his marital wishes. The rebellion failed in…
A Brief History On January 15, 1967, the NFL Champion Green Bay Packers faced off with the American Football League Champion Kansas City Chiefs, defeating the Chiefs 35-10 in a game later called “The First Super Bowl.” Digging Deeper Back when there were 2 major professional football leagues, the people running those leagues got the bright and money-making idea to have a championship game between the respective league champions. If you are too young to recall, that “First Super Bowl” was actually called the “AFL–NFL World Championship Game,” and the term “Super Bowl” did not come into use until the…
A Brief History On January 14, 1952, the Today Show, also simply called Today, made its debut on NBC television, the first daily morning television talk show. Digging Deeper Originally a 2-hour long show, the program has evolved into a 4 hour composite morning television powerhouse, basically unchallenged in its genre until the introduction of Good Morning America on ABC and the ascendance of that program in the 1980s. These 2 morning shows have exchanged the coveted #1 rating a few times over the years, and in keeping with the times, Today now also offers a 24 hours streaming show…
