A Brief History On November 7, 1492, the same year that Christopher Columbus made his epic voyage to the New World, a large meteor fell on the town of Ensisheim, Alsace, Austria, in what is now France. Seen as a falling fireball 100 miles away, the meteorite (when it hits the ground, a meteor becomes a “meteorite”) landed safely in a wheat field. Digging Deeper The 280 pound rock left a crater 3 feet deep (not bad for a rock that size) and was quickly set upon by curious villagers. Contrary to popular belief, people back then were not a…
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 November 6, 1789, Pope Pius VI appointed Jesuit priest John Carroll as the first Catholic bishop in the United States, although he had earlier been ex-communicated! Carroll was born on a plantation in Maryland in 1735 to Daniel I and Eleanor Carroll, part of the Carroll family that had helped develop the Maryland colony (Province of Maryland). Digging Deeper John’s brother, Daniel II, was a signer of both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States, one of only 5 men to do so. Thus, the Carroll family certainly had its share of…
A Brief History On November 5, 1895, an unlikely candidate from Rochester, New York became the first American to patent an automobile. George Selden was actually an attorney that loved to dabble in his workshop. The son of an attorney that represented suffragist Susan B. Anthony, Selden’s attorney work included representing George Eastman (the Kodak camera guy) in patent matters. Selden also patented a typewriter and a hoop making machine. Digging Deeper Selden was intrigued by the internal combustion engine displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia (built by George Brayton… Is everyone in this story named George???) The…
A Brief History On November 4, 1979, a mob of angry Iranians stormed the US Embassy in Tehran and took 90 people hostage. Americans made up 52 of those hostages, and included US Marines assigned to the embassy and diplomatic workers. Violation of an embassy by another country is normally considered an act of war, but in this case the US never treated it as such, and 52 of our citizens remained hostages for 444 days. No reprisals were ever carried out. Digging Deeper The mob storming the embassy claimed to be college students associated with the group Muslim Student…
A Brief History On October 20, 2016, former Redflex Traffic Systems CEO Karen L. Finley was sentenced to 14 months in Federal prison for her part in attempting to bribe Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, Ohio municipal officials into contracting with her company that installs and administers red light and photo radar traffic cameras. Another Redflex official, lobbyist John Raphael started his own 15 month stretch in prison this August. This criminal action is the result of an 8 year Federal probe. Too bad it took so long! Digging Deeper As we have told you before, red light and photo radar…