A Brief History On June 3, 1844, the last known pair of Great Auks was killed on a small island off Iceland, a magnificent species of flightless bird resembling but not related to Penguins, 30 to 33 inches tall but with tiny six-inch wings. Digging Deeper Long a staple food and source of feathers and skins for Native American people, the soft down of the Great Auk made it a target for European hunters that decimated the populations of the aquatic birds. Changing climate and geography naturally eliminates some species of plants and animals, but humans have greatly accelerated 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.
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A Brief History On May 26, 946, King Edmund I of the English was unceremoniously killed in a street brawl in the conspicuously named town of Pucklechurch in Gloucestershire, England. Digging Deeper According to John of Worcester (died c. 1140) as quoted by Reginald Ralph Darlington and Patrick McGurk in 1995, “While the glorious Edmund, king of the English, was at the royal township called Pucklechurch in English, in seeking to rescue his steward from Leofa, a most wicked thief, lest he be killed, was himself killed by the same man on the feast of St Augustine, teacher of the…
A Brief History On May 25, 1968, the Gateway Arch across the Mississippi River at St. Louis was dedicated, after 2 ½ years of construction and a year after it was “inaugurated.” Towering 630 feet tall, the arch also spans 630 feet wide, providing St. Louis with a majestic reminder of its role as the “Gateway to the West.” Digging Deeper While we have the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and Seven Wonders of the Modern World, today we take a look at two projects we believe are worthy of wonder that have been made since 1960: First, the…
A Brief History On May 18, 1804, Corsican born army general and First Consul of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, was named as Emperor of the French by the French senate, effectively ending the Republic and creating a French Empire. Digging Deeper Famous as a person that valued pomp and appearances, Napoleon put the Crown of Imperial France on his own head at his coronation in December of 1804 at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. The great man’s reign would last 10 years until he was deposed and sent to Elba in exile, although he regained his role as Emperor in March of…
A Brief History On May 14, 1900, the athletic competition known as “the World Amateur championship” opened at the Paris Exposition Universelle, a World’s Fair held in Paris from April to November of 1900, one of several French hosted Expositions Universelle over the years. Digging Deeper The events variously known as “world’s fair,” “global exposition,” or “universal exposition,” are major events often hosted by a major city or a country to celebrate all the latest in technology and innovations, a phenomenon first hosted by Bohemia in Prague back in 1791. There have been at least 37 general expositions that could…