A Brief History On October 14, 1066, the Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings. This date is one that you might find on a high school or college history test or perhaps on the television trivia show Jeopardy. Certain battles in history are associated with a particular date or year that many people remember or are reminded of, regardless of the importance of the battle. Here 9 such dates and battles are listed. (By battles we mean the starting or ending date of the battle or the date of a significant event that…
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 13, 1983, with a network in the Chicago area, Ameritech Mobile Communications (later renamed Ameritech Cellular and then AT&T Mobility) opened the first mobile phone service in the United States. Digging Deeper History and Headlines Trivia: The Guinness Book of World Records claims that David Cotorno, one of the early Chicago-area customers, has had the same cell phone number since August 2, 1985, longer than anyone else! He has been with Ameritech all along. Some more History and Headlines Trivia: The term “cellular phone” or “cell phone” is actually a misnomer, as the phones are not cellular, the network…
A Brief History On October 12, 1957, Little Richard made a dramatic gesture to prove he was quitting rock music for a more religious life when he tossed four diamond rings into the Hunter River in Sydney, Australia. Well, that lasted five years before Little Richard was back on stage, where he still is to this day, rocking and rolling at the age of 81. In 1955 Little Richard had a massive hit with the song “Tutti Frutti” at a time when many white parents were trying to keep their kids away from rock and roll. This slam-bang-in-your-face song was…
A Brief History On October 11, 1975, the iconic television show Saturday Night Live made its debut with the late, great George Carlin hosting. Guest performers included Andy Kaufman, Billy Preston and Janis Ian. That memorable show featured Janis Ian singing her second major hit song, “At Seventeen.” Her first hit had been the controversial song “Society’s Child (Baby I’ve Been Thinking),” a song that dealt with a relationship between a 16-year-old white, Jewish girl and a black man. Initially released in 1965, the song about interracial love was released 3 times before it made the charts in 1967. It was subsequently banned from many radio stations…
A Brief History On October 10, 1973, Spiro Agnew, former Governor of Maryland and current Vice President of the United States, resigned his office following criminal charges. Agnew’s crimes and subsequent resignation constituted one of the worst political scandals in U.S. history, as he was only the second U.S. vice president to resign and the only one to resign because of crimes. Just like other people, politicians sometimes do the wrong thing, however when they do, and it becomes public knowledge, a scandal often ensues. Here 9 such scandals are listed. For similar stories, please also read the History and Headlines articles: “10 U.S. Politicians Who…