A Brief History On April 26, 1982, South Korean police officer Woo Bum-kon killed 56 people (and himself) while wounding another 35 in a single night of mayhem, the worst single person mass murder incident in history (until eclipsed by the Norway attack in 2011 in which 77 were killed) up to that point. Woo was a former Korean Marine and apparently was angry with his girlfriend. Mass murders do NOT only occur in the US, and do NOT require civilian owned firearms to occur. Digging Deeper South Korea has a civilian gun ownership rate of only about 1.1 firearms…
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 April 25, 799, Pope Leo III was leading a procession honoring St. Mark in Rome, chanting prayers and responses with the crowd, a practice called the Greater Litanies. During this exercise of his sacred duties, supporters of his predecessor, Pope Adrian I, including the former Pope’s nephew attacked Leo in an attempt to poke out the pontiff’s eyes and cut off his tongue! (Note: In 2018 the cable news giant CNN is airing a 6 part mini-series called Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History, starring Liam Neeson. The show airs on Sundays at 10 pm…
A Brief History On April 24, 2018, we await word as to whether or not President Donald Trump, a self-professed admirer of Napoleon I Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, will pardon former boxing champion and legend Jack Johnson, another admirer of Napoleon. Sylvester Stallone, the man who made fictional boxer Rocky Balboa a legend, has reportedly encouraged President Trump to issue the pardon. (Note: Regarding their mutual admiration for Napoleon Bonaparte, it seems both men may have a mistaken historical impression of exactly who and what Napoleon Bonaparte was. Trump has conflated Napoleon with Napoleon III and shown a shallow…
A Brief History On April 23, 1348, King Edward III of England proclaimed The Order of the Garter on the feast day of St. George, the Patron Saint of England. Originally called The Most Noble Order of the Garter, it was conceived as the highest award for chivalry in the age of knights. Today, the Order still exists, but ranks behind the Victoria Cross and the George Cross in the hierarchy of British medals. Digging Deeper As you may expect, the Order of the Garter comes from an incident concerning a woman’s garter, a mini-belt that holds up one’s stockings.…
A Brief History On April 22, 2005, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi issued an apology regarding Japan’s conduct during World War II, saying, “In the past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. Sincerely facing these facts of history, I once again express my feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology, and also express the feelings of mourning for all victims, both at home and abroad, in the war. I am determined not to allow the lessons of that horrible war to erode,…