A Brief History On September 12, 1952, stunned citizens of Flatwoods, West Virginia in Braxton County met up with a monster that may have been a close encounter with an alien life form. The incident started with a bright object in the night sky seen by boys to crash or land in a neighboring farm. The boys ran home to collect adults, and accompanied by one of their mothers and a National Guardsman, along with more local kids, investigated the site. Digging Deeper A tall creature, about 7 feet tall, described as black or dark with a glowing face appeared…
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 September 11, 2007, the Russian military tested the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in history, a weapon they called “The Father of All Bombs.” Actually designated “Aviation Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power,” or ATBIP, this 15,650 lb bomb has the explosive equivalence of around 44 tons of TNT. Digging Deeper Trumping the US “Massive Ordnance Air Blast” also known as “The Mother of All Bombs,” the FOAB was designed to take the place of smaller nuclear weapons, thus giving the Russian military an alternative to nuclear escalation. Consisting of a mixture of high explosives and powdered aluminum…
A Brief History On September 7, 1776, American patriot Ezra Lee made the first attack by a submarine against a surface warship in history against the HMS Eagle in New York Harbor. The attack failed when the screw designed to attach an explosive mine to the side of the Eagle failed to penetrate the ship’s hull, allowing the bomb to float away and explode harmlessly. Last year on this date we list 10 Underperforming Weapons, weapons and weapon systems that did not live up to expectations though they may have had some level of limited success. Also see our articles…
A Brief History On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripken, Jr., infielder for the Baltimore Orioles, set a new major league baseball record by playing in his 2131st consecutive baseball game, breaking the record held by Lou Gehrig for 56 years. Digging Deeper Ripken played another 6 years, stretching his incredible record to 2632 games, finally retiring in 2001 after a stellar 20 year career. He had hit safely 3184 times and knocked in 1695 runs, earned 2 Gold Gloves and 2 MVP trophys. Named to the All Century Team, Ripken was a 19 time All Star, and was elected to…
A Brief History On September 5, 1725, Louis the XV, King of France, married Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczynska, the daughter of King Stanislaw I of Poland. Known as Queen (consort) Marie of France, she served in that role until her death in 1768 at the age of 65. For a whopping 43 years between Louis XIV (“The Sun King” famous for his namesake furniture style) and Louis XVI (the guy that wed Marie Antoinette and got his head lopped off) there was a Polish lady serving as Queen of France. If you did not know this, perhaps you are…