A Brief History On February 14, we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, a day on which we show our appreciation for our special loved one or significant other. Uncharacteristically, however, this date has also been a black day of death and murder! Digging Deeper Now considered a “Hallmark Holiday,” it was named after the unfortunate St. Valentine, a Christian, said to be a bishop, who was executed by the Romans in 269 A.D. for preaching the Gospel. He was not just executed but beaten with clubs and beheaded. Somehow, this guy whom we know almost nothing about came to symbolize romantic love (especially ironic…
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 February 13, 1961, while 3 Californians were looking for geodes, they picked up a rock believed to be 500,000 years old that was later found to contain a spark plug! Understandably, this find, now known as the “Coso artifact,” sparked a lot of mystery and controversy. Digging Deeper Wallace Lane, Virginia Maxey and Mike Mikesell (love that name), were poking around the geology of Olancha, California when they came across their amazing discovery. Upon cutting open the supposed geode, they expected it to be hollow inside and containing crystals. Instead the trio’s diamond-bladed saw blade was ruined, and rather than find…
A Brief History Recently, we listed 10 of our favorite novelty songs, and it immediately became apparent that 10 songs are not enough! There are just too many good ones out there, and so here are 10 more of our favorites. As always, feel free to mention any we may have forgotten or not yet gotten to. Digging Deeper 10. “My Ding-a-Ling,” Chuck Berry, 1972. A #1 hit for Chuck, his only song to reach that position, this slightly risqué song teases you with sexual innuendo. More importantly, however, this song provides the basis for a knock-off version I personally…
A Brief History On February 11, 2013, the sitting Pope of the Catholic Church, Benedict XVI, announced his resignation from the papacy. As no pope had voluntarily resigned in about 500 years, this news shocked the entire world, not just the Catholic world. Digging Deeper Born Joseph Ratzinger in Bavaria, he first became a priest, then an archbishop, then a cardinal before ascending to the papacy in 2005 when he succeeded Pope John Paul II. At one point fairly liberal, Benedict became much more conservative starting in 1968. At his resignation at age 86, he claimed old age and infirmity (“lack of strength of mind and body”). As…
A Brief History On February 10, 1942, the first Gold Record ever was awarded to Glenn Miller for his hit song “Chattanooga Choo Choo.” Glenn Miller’s famous train had chugged its way along to sales of 1.2 million, and, as would become the practice, the “gold record” was awarded to him by the company that had produced the record (in this case, RCA Victor). Later, in 1958, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) began an industry-wide practice of awarding gold records for sales of 1 million copies of a single. Starting n 1968, albums were awarded a gold record…