A Brief History On July 13, 1973, retired Air Force officer and member of the Nixon Administration revealed the existence of an automatic audio tape system in the Oval Office, helping to bring down President Richard Nixon. While not immediately, Alexander Butterfield survived his snitching and went on to business success, eventually serving on the boards of several corporations. Digging Deeper In spite of various “whistle blower” programs designed to protect and even reward “snitches,” many people are hesitant to provide inside information to authorities in fear of retaliation. Some other “snitches” that survived and prospered include: Tim Allen, television…
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 July 11, 1977, civil rights icon, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honor. King’s medal was awarded posthumously as he had been assassinated in 1968. Digging Deeper At least 20 of these honors were awarded posthumously, including John F. Kennedy, Thurgood Marshall, John Wayne, Roberto Clemente, Elvis Presley and Babe Ruth. At least 26 recipients were given their Medal of Freedom “With Distinction,” a special version, including then Vice President Joe Biden in 2017. Many recipients earned their Medal by providing civic contribution to the US…
A Brief History On July 10, 2007, Turkish adventurer Erden Eruç, almost 46 years old at the time, set off on what may be the greatest feat of human endurance and physical performance in history, the solo, only human powered circumnavigation of the Earth. As if this feat was not daunting enough, he threw in making it a point to climb the tallest mountain on each continent as part of his trip! For financial reasons, he ended up journeying on a route that did not include all of the tallest mountains on each continent. Digging Deeper Eruç accomplished this feat…
A Brief History On July 8, 2003, a genuine Elvis Presley tooth that onetime girlfriend of Presley, Linda Thompson, had been keeping was listed for a staggering $100,000 on eBay. To be fair, a lock of his hair and a gold record were included for good measure. Digging Deeper What is the weirdest thing sold or offered for sale on eBay? A human kidney? William Shatner’s kidney stone? Here are a few of the goofy items that have been offered: The burial crypt directly above that of Marilyn Monroe was offered on eBay for $500,000, and got an offer for…
A Brief History On July 2, 1816, a French sailing ship, the Méduse, struck bottom off the coast of Mauritania, dooming the vessel. Digging Deeper A frigate repurposed as a transport, Méduse was abandoned, with about 250 people loading into the ship’s launches and 146 men and a single woman forced to climb aboard a makeshift raft, to be towed by the launches. The crowded and starving people on the raft were cut loose to fend for themselves, resulting in 13 days of terror, with some survivors murdered, others washed or thrown overboard, and some eaten by their raft mates! …