A Brief History On October 9, 2012, 15 year old Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani Muslim girl, was shot in the face by Taliban Islamic extremist terrorists for the “crime” of being a girl that wanted to go to school to learn to read and write. Digging Deeper Despite being well educated for her area in Pakistan, as her parents ran a chain of schools, Malala was smart enough to write under a pseudonym when blogging for the BBC, as Taliban insurgents deemed it un-Islamic for girls to get an education. The Taliban (same religious extremists that ran Afghanistan until 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.
Read More
A Brief History On October 8, 1918, 2nd Lt. Ralph Talbot of Massachusetts earned the coveted Medal of Honor, the highest American military honor. Talbot was the first US Marine Corps aviator to be so honored. Digging Deeper Born in 1897 in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, Talbot was both an excellent student and a natural athlete. After high school he attended Mercersburg Academy (Pennsylvania), a college preparatory school, and then went on to Yale University. While at Yale, Talbot attended flying school in Delaware, and served in the Artillery Training Corps at Yale, somewhat similar to today’s ROTC. A Patriotic American,…
A Brief History On October 7, 1925, baseball great and Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson died of tuberculosis brought on by a weakening of his respiratory system due to accidental exposure to poison gas during World War I. Digging Deeper Born in 1880 in Factoryville, Pennsylvania, Mathewson grew up playing baseball, becoming a semi-pro player at only 14 years old. He went on to college at Bucknell University, where he was class president as well as playing on the football and baseball teams. At the age of 19, Mathewson won 21 games and lost only 2 in minor league…
A Brief History On October 5, 1607 (the same year Jamestown, Virginia was founded), Pope Paul V (yes, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church seen in the sculptural bust above) sent assassins to kill Paolo Sarpi, a Venetian lawyer, historian, and statesman. Fortunately for Sarpi, he survived the 15 stab wounds from stilettos (the knives, not the shoes), and his attempted assassins were given refuge in Rome. Many important people have been assassinated over History, but many other attempts have failed. On April 30th we have an article, “10 Failed Assassinations”, and today we list another 10 notable failed…
A Brief History On October 3, 1936, the Director of the Downtown Athletic Club, John Heisman, died at the age of 66, spurring his fellow board members to rename their annual award to the best college football player East of the Mississippi the “Heisman Trophy.” Did you ever wonder why the premier college football award is named after Heisman? Rest assured, it is with good reason! Digging Deeper Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1869, of Bavarian (German) immigrants, John was raised in Titusville, Pennsylvania where he became the high school Salutatorian and played on the football team, much to his…