A Brief History On May 6, 2018, we ponder the premise of the incredibly popular movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Avengers: Infinity War. Specifically, the plan that super villain Thanos has for life in the Universe, which is to randomly eliminate half of all living beings as a solution to overpopulation. We turn to our creative and intelligent readers to help us make sense of such an apocalyptic scenario. (Note: See our article on May 7, 2018 for a discussion of real life attempts to limit human population.) Digging Deeper In the case of half of all the…
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 May 5, 1862, the Mexican Army defeated the French Army at the Battle of the Puebla (Puebla City) during the Second French Intervention in Mexico, a marvelous victory for the Mexicans over a superior French force, a victory celebrated each year on May 5th, or in Español, Cinco de Mayo. Oddly enough, the Mexican celebration has been appropriated by Americans in the United States where it has become a bigger holiday for us Gringos than for Mexicans! Digging Deeper Mexico had been torn by one of their seemingly eternal civil wars which impoverished the country and…
A Brief History On May 4, 1979, Margaret Thatcher, the leader of the Conservative Party, was sworn in as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first woman to lead a major Western Power in the era of elected leaders. Known as “The Iron Lady,” a name bestowed upon her by Soviets, Thatcher served from 1979 to 1990, resigning in 1990 after maintaining only a slim majority of support of her own party. Digging Deeper Thatcher, born Margaret Hilda Roberts in 1925, was Oxford educated in Chemistry and went on to work as a chemist before studying the law and…
A Brief History On May 3, 1960, the Off-Broadway musical production The Fantasticks began it record setting run of 42 years and 17,162 performances in a row, an incredible record as the world’s longest running musical of all time, and the longest continuous run of any production in the US. Film and television versions have been produced, and the musical is a staple of high school productions, to the tune of about 250 new school productions every year. Its modest set requirements and small cast and orchestra make it an easy production to mount. Digging Deeper As you would imagine,…
A Brief History On May 2, 1918, General Motors Corporation acquired the Delaware based Chevrolet Motor Company, its last major car company acquisition for decades. GM would grow to be the largest car manufacturer in the world from 1931 to 2007, a 77 year reign as king of the automakers no other company has matched. In recent years GM vies with Toyota and Volkswagen for the championship auto manufacturer title, with strong competition from Ford Motor Company, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, and Fiat-Chrysler (which also makes Jeep and Dodge among its nameplates). GM sells about 8 to 10 million cars per year world-wide,…