Author: Major Dan

Major Dan

Major Dan 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.

A Brief History On October 13, 1775, an order of the Continental Congress established the Continental Navy, later better known as the United States Navy, the greatest maritime fighting force the world has ever seen. Digging Deeper During the American Revolution there was little time to build a world class navy that could go toe to toe with the British Royal Navy, then the grandest fleet in the world.  Still, merchant ships were pressed into duty as fighting ships armed with cannon, and despite some remarkably able and courageous engagements, the effect on the Revolution was minimal, with the French…

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A Brief History On October 12, 1773, Eastern State Hospital was established, the first insane asylum in what is now the United States. Built in colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, this was a time in history when mentally ill (aka, “insane”) people were seen as something to make fun of and were used as entertainment. The famous English insane asylum, Bethlehem Royal Hospital (more commonly known as “Bedlam,” and yes, that is the source of that word) was a popular tourist attraction! Digging Deeper Eastern State Hospital did a thriving business as it seems there was no shortage of patients. The poor…

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A Brief History On October 11, 1138, the city that would one day become the most populous city in modern Syria, Aleppo, was hit with a catastrophic earthquake. An absolutely stunning 230,000 people are believed to have died in this earthquake, making it the third worst earthquake disaster in human history. Digging Deeper Found on the North shore of the Dead Sea, Aleppo is an ancient city that goes back to 5000 BCE. A minor quake hit the city on October 10, 1138, and the deadly one hit the next day. Located in a region torn by sectarian war, Aleppo…

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A Brief History On October 10, 2015, we ran an article called “9 Sensational, Sorry, Stupid and Sordid Political Scandals” in which we told you about some of the worst such scandals in history. Although many countries have experienced ridiculous political scandals, including murders, thefts, and Bunga-Bunga parties, we only listed one scandal that was not from the US. Well, today we again concentrate on the sorry state of American politics and discuss the scandal driven 2016 US Presidential election. Digging Deeper Turns out due to hackers leaking information, we have learned that the Democratic National Committee conspired against Bernie…

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A Brief History On October 9, 1740, Dutch colonial overlords on the Island of Java (now a main island in Indonesia) in the port city of Batavia (now Jakarta, capital of Indonesia) went on a mad killing spree of ethnic cleansing and murdered about 10,000 ethnic Chinese. The Dutch word, “Chinezenmoord,” literally means “Chinese Murder.” Digging Deeper At the time of this horrible crime, what is now Indonesia was called the Dutch East Indies and was a colony of the Netherlands until “liberated” by the Japanese in World War II. The mass murder pogrom started on October 9 and continued…

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