A Brief History On September 14, 1999, three tiny countries were admitted to the United Nations, Kiribati, Nauru, and Tonga. The UN currently has 193 members. Digging Deeper Of these Pacific Island countries, Kiribati has 121,000 residents, most of whom live on the atoll of Tarawa, an island infamous from its World War II battle. With an area of only 313 square miles, Kiribati ranks 172nd in area of world countries and 192nd in population Nauru is the baby of the trio, with an area of only 8.1 square miles and a population of under 11,000, ranking 193rd and 227th…
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 13, 1899, New Yorker Henry Bliss, age 69, stepped off a trolley car near Central Park and was promptly struck by an electric automobile, a taxicab in fact, leading to the death of Bliss the following day. Bliss became the first pedestrian traffic fatality in the United States, and of course, the first person killed by an electric automobile. Digging Deeper The driver of the cab was acquitted of manslaughter in court. An odd connection to this tragedy is the stepdaughter of Bliss was later tried and acquitted for the murder of Bliss’s ex-wife by…
A Brief History On September 12, 1984, New York Mets pitcher Dwight “Doc” Gooden broke the 30 year old record by Cleveland Indian pitcher Herb Score for strikeouts by a rookie pitcher with 276 whiffs, besting Score by 30. Digging Deeper Of course, the 1984 season was 162 games long, whereas the 1954 season was only 154 games. Controversy over single season records over the longer season hit the front pages in 1961 when Roger Maris topped Babe Ruth’s cherished 60 homers in a season record. Other factors to consider when tabulating individual or team records include the statistics compiled…
A Brief History On September 11, 1919, the US Marine Corps invaded Honduras, a country that is probably the inspiration for the term, “Banana Republic.” Invading Honduras to protect the interest of American plantation-oriented fruit corporations, the US sent military troops there many times, including 1903, 1907, 1911, 1912, 1919, 1924, and 1925! Digging Deeper Other than the famous invasions of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and other more publicized wars, the US has conducted many military invasions, incursions and raids on foreign shores often overlooked by schools teaching American history. Some other American invasions not counting “peacekeeping…
A Brief History On September 10, 2008, The Large Hadron Collider was powered up for the first time. Claimed to be the largest scientific experiment ever, the test site consists of a tunnel 17 miles in circumference for the purpose of accelerating and colliding sub-atomic and atomic particles. Digging Deeper Built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research, better known as CERN, in Switzerland, the project was the culmination of work by over 10,000 scientists from 100 countries, a truly massive project. Built between 1998 and 2008, the machine cost over $9 billion and has worked at an energy level…