Author: Major Dan

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…

A Brief History On July 1, 1863, the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania began, perhaps the most important battle of the US Civil War.  Many historians have considered it the battle that the war hinged on, especially as it was the “high water mark” of the Confederate invasion of the North.  We list here some of the most important, most critical battles in our nation’s history, battles that the very existence of the country depended on.  Since the only wars that our existence hinged on were the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War II, by our definition only those…

A Brief History On July 1, 1957, the International Geophysical Year began.  The IGY was a cooperative scientific effort by 67 countries (there were under 100 countries in the world then, 200 now).  In an effort to minimize Cold War tensions, scientists from these countries would work in harmony for the advancement of mankind.  The IGY would last until December 31, 1958 (which you may notice is more than 1 year).  Things were different then, and here we point out 20 things that did not yet exist or were different then as opposed to now.   Digging Deeper 20. Mobile Phones. No satellites,…

A Brief History On June 30, 1966, the Women’s Rights movement took a giant leap forward when the National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded by 28 women’s rights activists.  Soon, terms like feminist and Women’s Liberation became common, and a new force in the civil rights movement flexed its muscles. Digging Deeper Activists for women’s rights were frustrated by new laws and rules that supposedly protected the rights of women that were blatantly being ignored in the real world.  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were supposed to equalize pay and hiring of men and women,…