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.

The Stranger: Creepy, Atmospheric Movie Review

By Major Dan on August 21, 2020 August 19, Cinema & TV, Crime

A Brief History On August 19, 2020, we got the opportunity to screen The Stranger, a nifty movie cobbled together from a series of short segments that originally appeared on Quibi, a short form streaming service. If you are into the pulse pounding, high tension drama of life, death, murder and intrigue, this series/film is for you! Digging Deeper The series consisted of 13 episodes, each about 9 or 10 minutes long, with each episode representing an hour in a day from hell for a young Kansas woman working as a ride share driver in Los Angeles. Starting at 7…

Bizarre Natural Disaster Kills 1800 People!

By Major Dan on August 21, 2020 August 21, Health/Medicine, Nature

A Brief History On August 21, 1986, a volcano in Cameroon hidden beneath Lake Nyos erupted and released a mass quantity of carbon dioxide gas, suffocating and killing nearly 1800 and 3500 of their farm animals. (When we say “mass quantity,” we mean 100,000 to 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide, or maybe as much as well over a million tons!) Although unusual, this horrible disaster is not unique, as 2 other lakes in Africa have a similar situation where volcanic carbon dioxide exists in enormous quantities, potentially causing a similar disaster. Those other 2 lakes are Lake Kivu on the…

Another 6 Most Versatile Aircraft

By Major Dan on August 19, 2020 August 19, Inventions, Lists, Military, Vehicles

A Brief History On August 19, 1940, the B-25 Mitchell was flown for the first time. Although its service life did not extend as long as many other airplanes, this medium bomber was adapted for a huge variety of uses and configurations, making it one of the most versatile aircraft ever. We started a previous article about versatile aircraft with the first flight of the B-25, and today we take a look at another group of incredibly versatile aircraft that have made their mark in aviation history. As always, we invite you to nominate those aircraft you believe belong on…

Once Again, Guns Are Not Needed to Kill People

By Major Dan on August 17, 2020 August 17, Crime, Politics, Religion

A Brief History On August 17, 2017, the great Catalonian city of Barcelona, Spain, was the scene of a mass murder perpetrated by Islamic extremist terrorists, and firearms were not the primary weapon that killed 16 innocent victims. The primary weapon used in the terror attacks was the motor vehicle as driven into pedestrians, a deadly weapon in the wrong hands. Digging Deeper This outrage was committed by a terrorist group of 8 Islamic extremists and conducted in Barcelona, a major city of 1.6 million people, with a metropolitan area population of over 5 million. (Note: The author has been…

Forcing Religious Conversion by Pain of Death or Torture

By Major Dan on August 14, 2020 August 14, Politics, Religion

A Brief History On August 14, 1480, during the protracted Battle of Otranto in Southern Italy, a siege of the city between the Ottoman Turks and the Italian defenders of their homeland, the Ottomans, who of course were of the Islamic faith, took 800 Christian Italians hostage and gave them a choice, convert to Islam or be executed. The Italian Christians chose not to renounce their faith, and in turn beheaded by the Ottomans. Sadly, this terrible incident is but one of many in which one side or the other has attempted to use force upon other people to cause…