A Brief History On October 22, 1964, French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre became the first person to voluntarily refuse a Nobel Prize, in his case the prize for literature. Incredibly for a Frenchman, in 1945 Sarte had also refused the Legion of Honor (Legion d’honneur), France’s highest award. Digging Deeper Sartre said that though he was honored to be selected for the Nobel Prize, he refused to accept it because he did not want to become part of the “establishment.” He also feared his acceptance of an award that had been issued by a Western institution might make him look as if he had taken sides…
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 October 21, 1995, Spanish illustrator and author Jesús Blasco died at age 76. Although largely unknown in the United States, he worked extensively on British comics in the 1960s and 70s. His parents had seen fit to name him after the son of God, something that is not so common outside of Catholic Spanish-speaking countries. Granted there are many Mohammeds, how many people who go by the first name of Buddha, Allah, Jehovah or God do you know? You might have better luck meeting someone named after a mythological god such as Zeus, Thor, Odin, Aphrodite, Athena, Venus, etc. History…
A Brief History On October 20, 1968, former First Lady of the United States and widow of President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy married Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis. From that point on, the media usually referred to her as Jacqueline Onassis or as “Jackie O.,” even after Onassis’ and her deaths. Many people marry more than once. Here 9 more second marriages of the notorious, rich and famous who married a second time or who were the second spouse are listed. Since many of these second marriages also ended in divorce, we kindly also invite you to read the History and…
A Brief History On October 19, 2011, Zanesville in Muskingum County, Ohio became hunting grounds for lions, tigers, bears, leopards, mountain lions, and even monkeys when the owner of an exotic animal farm released his private zoo into the open and then shot himself. Digging Deeper Muskingum County was the home of Terry Thompson, a Viet Nam War vet who had maintained a private farm of dangerous and exotic animals. Among his successes were handling animals on the Rachel Ray Show and providing a lion cub for a photo shoot which featured Heidi Klum (click on her name for a link to the video). Despite these moments in the sun,…
A Brief History On October 17 or 18, 2012, Sylvia Kristel, the first soft-core adult film star, died at age 60. A lifelong smoker of cigarettes, she had developed throat and lung cancer that was detected in 2001 and treated with chemotherapy and surgery. She passed away in her sleep a few months after suffering a stroke. Digging Deeper Sylvia Maria Kristel (her real name) was born in Ultrecht in the Netherlands in 1952. She claimed her first sexual experience was at age 9 and began modeling when she was 17. A beautiful young woman, Kristel won the Miss TV…