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.

A Brief History On April 8, 1952, President Truman ordered the Federal government to take control of the nation’s largest steel mills to prevent a strike that would interrupt steel production. Digging Deeper At the time, the US was involved in the Korean War, making Truman a “wartime” president.  As such, Truman claimed his authority as Commander in Chief of the nation’s military allowed him to seize steel production for military purposes. The case went to the US Supreme Court, and the court ruled against Truman, saying that the separation of powers part of the constitution had been violated. The…

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On April 7, 1945, the Japanese Navy sent the most powerful (along with her sister ship, the Musashi) battleship ever built on a one way suicide mission.  The incredible amount of man-hours, money, and physical resources that went into that ship are staggering, yet the mighty Yamato never made a difference during its short life.  This incident was not the only mistake Japan made during the war, so here are 10 of them. Digging Deeper 10. Underestimating the Soviets. Although the war was already lost, the few days of fighting between Soviet and Japanese forces were a vivid example of…

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A Brief History On April 7, 1945, the biggest and most heavily armed battleship created by man was sunk without ever fighting another battleship! Digging Deeper The Japanese battleship Yamato was the first of a two ship class (Musashi was the second) of battleships designed to survive hits by the guns of British and American battleships, and to sink them with her giant guns. The 9 main guns of the Yamato fired 2,800 pound projectiles that were 18.1 inches in diameter, the biggest guns ever placed on a ship. By contrast, the German Bismarck had 8 X 15 inch guns,…

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A Brief History On April 6, 2011, Mexican law enforcement authorities dug up 59 bodies of innocent people murdered by the Los Zetas drug cartel, and before they were done by June had dug up a total of 193 bodies! Digging Deeper Digging deeper (deep enough to find 193 victims!), we find a murderous and ruthless drug gang, Los Zetas, operating in the area of San Fernando, Mexico at a place called La Joya Ranch. As if that is not cracked enough, the female victims had been sexually assaulted, and the male victims had been forced to fight to the…

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A Brief History Earlier today, we noted how on April 5, 1614, Pocahontas married John Rolfe.  In honor of the great historic union between not just two lovers, but people representing two culture (one English and the other Native American), we celebrate 10 of history’s most famous Native Americans, focusing on those north of what is today the border between the United States and Mexico.  A potential future list could concern famous Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans. Digging Deeper 10. Squanto Known for helping Pilgrims cope with life in North America at the Plymouth colony, Squanto went to Europe several times…

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