A Brief History On January 5, 1895, French Army officer Alfred Dreyfus was falsely convicted of treason for allegedly having passed along secret information to the Germans in what famously became known as the Dreyfus Affair and was sentenced to live at the dreaded Devil’s Island prison in French Guiana. Dreyfus was eventually pardoned and exonerated. Although closed since 1953, Devil’s Island prison remains the epitome of notoriously miserable prisons and is virtually synonymous with the term “hellhole.” Here we list 10 infamous prisons, places with cruel reputations that strike fear in the hearts of convicts and disgust in the hearts of reformers. Presumably any…
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 January 4, 1972, the famous Old Bailey court in London England witnessed the first appointment of a female judge when Rose Heilbron was allowed to sit on the bench. This event raised the questions: Are women emotionally or hormonally fit to judge other people? Should they have life-altering decisions placed in their hands? These questions may seem silly now, but 40 years ago women still faced much discrimination for being the “weaker” sex. Digging Deeper If you are a regular reader History and Headlines, you are familiar with our frequent articles acknowledging and lauding the accomplishments of women. From their achievement of political…
A Brief History On January 3, 1933, history was made in North Dakota when Minnie D. Craig became the Speaker of the State House of Representatives. As such, Craig became the first female speaker of any House of Representatives in the United States, an entire 74 years before Nancy Pelosi was selected for that position at the national level! Digging Deeper As Speaker during the time of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, she had a difficult 2 years. An activist, she encouraged women to participate in the political process. In all, Craig served six consecutive sessions in the North Dakota state…
A Brief History On January 2, 2009, Maria de Jesus of Portugal died in her home at age 115. At the time of her death, she was the oldest living person in the world and the 20th oldest recorded person ever to live. Maria ate fish, but not meat, and never drank alcohol or smoked. Digging Deeper Every so often, you hear of a centenarian who drank and smoked every day of his or her life right up to the end, which was not the case with Maria. So what does the trick? Did Maria live so long due to her healthy diet and habits? …
A Brief History On January 1, 1902, Pasadena, California hosted the Rose Bowl, the first college football “bowl” ever. In case you have ever wondered why sportscasters refer to the Rose Bowl as “The Grandaddy of ‘em all,” this is why. It was the first and is still arguably the most prestigious college football bowl game. Digging Deeper Billed as a contest of East vs. West, the first Rose Bowl game was played between Michigan and Stanford, the representatives of the Big 10 and Pacific Coast Conferences. (The former PCC is now the Pac 12.) Traditionally, this annual championship game is…