A Brief History On September 24, 1929, American hero, James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle made aviation history by becoming the first pilot to take off, fly and land an airplane with no visual contact with the outside, proving that flying “blind” with instruments only was possible. Digging Deeper You may be aware of Doolittle’s most famous exploit, his leading a raid of 16 B-25 bombers off the carrier USS Hornet to bomb Japan in 1942, which earned him the Medal of Honor. Doolittle became an Army pilot during World War I, and between the wars he became a test pilot 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 September 23, 1981, Hollywood lost one of its iconic actors when Chief Dan George died at the age of 82. Born Geswanouth Slahoot to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in Canada, he was the chief of his band from 1951 to 1963, giving his anglicized name credibility. Digging Deeper George is one of many Native Americans to find success on TV and in movies, another being Julia Jones, of Choctaw and Chickasaw heritage. A veteran of about 20 movies and several TV shows, she has had roles in the Twilight movie series and the Dexter: New Blood cable…
A Brief History On September 22, 2015, baseball legend, Lawrence Peter Berra, better known as Yogi, died in his sleep at the age of 90. Digging Deeper One of the greatest catchers in baseball history, Berra slugged 358 home runs and batted .285 over his 19 year MLB career. On a record 10 winning World Series teams, he was the AL MVP a record three times. An 18 time All Star, Berra was one of the best defensive catchers and pitcher handlers of all time. Berra also made his mark as a manager, leading the Yankees in 1964 and 1984-85.…
A Brief History On September 21, 1809, the British government was rocked by a duel fought between Secretary of War Lord Castlereagh and Foreign Secretary George Canning. Neither aggrieved party was killed, although Canning was shot in the thigh. Digging Deeper Epic cases of one-on-one combat are found throughout history, sometimes formal affairs and sometimes matters of chance. Some of those epic battles include: A London duel between women, in 1782, pitted Lady Almeria Braddock against Mrs. Elphinstone who claimed the former was 30 years older than Braddock stated. When pistol shots proved errant, a sword fight ensued, with Elphinstone…
A Brief History On September 20, 1946, the French Riviera city of Cannes hosted the first of its iconic film festivals, seven years later than planned due to the interruption of World War II. Digging Deeper Called simply “The International Film Festival” before 2003, the festival features new films of all types, including short and documentary films from all over the world, holding the event in their convention center complex, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. The most coveted award at Cannes is the Palme d’Or, awarded to the director of the winning feature film, and the other top…