A Brief History On June 30, 1559, King Henry II of France engaged in a jousting tournament when his opponent’s lance pierced the face guard of Henry’s helmet, sending splinters into his face, eye, and brain. Henry died of his injuries on July 10, 1559, becoming another casualty of the dangerous sport of jousting. Practiced in Medieval times for armored knights to hone their war skills, these knights on large, powerful armored horses would charge each other head on with lances in an effort to unseat their opponent, at a closing speed of perhaps 50 mph (estimated by the author).…
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 June 29, 2017, we take a moment to reflect on the history of boxing, specifically, the history of the big boys, the top dogs, the Kings of the World, the Heavyweight Champions. On June 28, we discussed former Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson and his bizarre personality, and while he was a pretty good boxer, he does not make this list. Why only a top 5? Once you get past the 5, the next 5 are not in serious contention for being Number 1, and we prefer to keep this list only about boxers that our readers…
A Brief History On June 28, 1997, the rematch between heavyweight boxers “Iron Mike” Tyson and Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield for the WBA Heavyweight Championship became a footnote in bizarre sports history, befuddling fans and ring professionals alike. Digging Deeper Billed as “The Sound and the Fury,” this exciting boxing match would pit the 2 best heavyweight fighters of the day in a rematch, seven months after Holyfield, a former heavyweight champion, had won the belt again by defeating then defending champion Mike Tyson with an 11th round stoppage. Eagerly awaited by a large pay-per-view audience, the world of…
A Brief History On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), was shot to death by a mob with blackened faces in a Carthage, Illinois jail while awaiting trial for treason. Digging Deeper Smith, who founded the Mormon Church on the basis of the Book of Mormon that had (he claimed) been given to him by the angel Moroni in the form of engraved metal plates in 1823, and interpreted by Smith and written down in 1828. In between being “given” the plates (which he promised to, but never showed anyone) and…
A Brief History On June 26, 1794, the army of the First Republic of France (the result of the French Revolution) made the first use of balloons in combat at the Battle of Fleurus against the forces of the First Coalition. Digging Deeper The French army under Jean-Baptiste Jourdan had seized upon the new technology pioneered by the French Montgolfier Brothers to create an observation/reconnaissance balloon that could give military commanders and observers much greater fields of view of battlefields and their approaches, a distinct advantage in battle. Originally, the Montgolfier Balloons were of the hot air variety, but French…