Author: Major Dan

A Brief History On November 5, 1943, despite explicit orders from Allied and Axis commanders, four bombs from a bomber airplane were dropped on the Vatican.  A few months later, on March 1, 1944, it happened again.  Apparently during wartime, nothing is sacred. Digging Deeper The first incident was reported to be a single plane that had been circling the Vatican that night.  Its identity has never been proven, with speculation that it may have been an Italian plane trying to take out the Vatican radio tower.  Various theories present US, UK, German, or Italian responsibility.  Despite heavy damage, no…

A Brief History On November 4, 1962, 69,000 feet above Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean a nuclear armed Nike Hercules anti-aircraft missile was detonated in the last atmospheric nuclear test by the United States.  These nuclear warhead tipped missiles used to be deployed across the US, just waiting to blast the expected hordes of Soviet bombers from the sky as they swarmed over US targets. Digging Deeper If you were born after the Baby Boom, you probably do not remember major cities having anti-aircraft missile sites.  Our local site was in Parma, Ohio (suburban Cleveland), and became a city…

A Brief History On November 3, 1957, before any chimpanzee, any man, any woman, any Russian, any American went into space, the Soviet dog Laika became the first astronaut (cosmonaut in Soviet terms) in history, an indication of just how important dogs are to people. Digging Deeper Unfortunately, poor Laika was on a one way mission, as the fledgling space programs of the day did not include the technology for a safe return to Earth.  A stray found roaming the streets of Moscow, Laika was an 5 to 6 kilogram mixed breed dog.  (Note: We say mixed breed instead of…

A Brief History On November 2, 1898, the day recognized as the “birth of cheerleading,” University of Minnesota (UM) student Johnny Campbell became the first cheerleader in history, directing fans in cheering on the Golden Gophers football team.  UM proudly calls itself the “Birthplace of Cheerleading,” and apparently deserves that title. Digging Deeper During the 1800’s crowds at sporting events began to cheer on their teams, increasingly in unison.  The 1890’s saw the first use of the word “cheerleader” referring to fans in the stands that would start cheers.  Not surprisingly, Minnesota saw this trend evolve with Thomas Peebles, an…

A Brief History On November 1, 1911, the first known dropping of a bomb from an airplane in combat took place, ushering in one more way for human beings to kill each other.  This first incident was merely an Italian pilot dropping 2 hand grenades from his rudimentary airplane on a Turkish position in Libya, but soon airplanes made specifically for bombing and dropping bombs specifically made for use by airplanes would darken the skies above battlefields and cities alike. Digging Deeper The first bomber airplane was adapted for bombing not by one of the world’s great powers, but by…