Author: Major Dan

A Brief History On July 3, 1940, the Royal Navy (on purpose) pounded a French fleet moored at the Algerian port of Mers-el-Kebir, sinking three French battleships.  Usually when we discuss “friendly fire” we are talking about same side or allied forces accidentally targeting other friendly forces, or technical problems that result in one side’s own weapons striking their own people or equipment. Digging Deeper In this case, the attack was quite deliberate, as France had been overrun by the Nazi juggernaut and the desperate British feared the powerful French fleet would be turned over to Germany for their own…

A Brief History On July 3, 1988, the guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes defended itself against an attacking Iranian fighter bomber by firing two ship to air missiles.  The “attacking” jet was struck and shot down, but it turned out to be Iran Air Flight 655, an Airbus 300 carrying 290 people (civilians).  Sometimes when naval men make mistakes, people die.  Sometimes, the mistake is extremely expensive, or just highly embarrassing.  Here we list 10 of those moments when the naval brass would love to have a “do over.”   Digging Deeper 10. RAF Sinks Cap Arcona, et al, 1945. In spite of…

A Brief History On July 2, 1962, the American way of life started to change with the first drop of rain in what was to become a downpour, as the first Walmart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas. Whether that change was for the better or for the worse is a controversy debated fiercely by both sides.  (Note: In 2008 the name was changed fro Wal-Mart to Walmart.) Digging Deeper Former JC Penney employee Sam Walton decided to go into business for himself in 1945 when he bought a Ben Franklin Five and Dime store.  Sam operated on the premise of high volume through lower prices and it worked.  Walton…

A Brief History On July 2, 1777, Vermont became the first territory in what had just (kind of) become the United States to abolish slavery.  Several other significant Civil Rights related events happened on July 2nd, and we list some of them here. Digging Deeper 1776: Continental Congress voted to declare Independence from Britain.  (The actual document we know as the Declaration of Independence was voted on July 4, 1776.)  Independence from Britain actually hurt the cause of Civil Rights as Britain abolished slavery in 1833, over 30 years before it was abolished in the United States. 1777: Vermont Abolishes…

A Brief History On July 2, 1937, the last radio transmission from Amelia Earhart and her radio operator Fred Noonan was heard.  After that, they were never seen or heard again, lost over the vast Pacific.  Earhart was an aviation pioneer and perhaps the world’s best known aviatrix.  Other famous or important people have also died in aircraft mishaps, and here we list 10 of them, hopefully among the most interesting if not the most famous.  (Quite a few entertainers have died in airplane crashes so we cannot list all of them, and famous air to air combat aces that…