A Brief History On September 9, 1850, in the middle of the California Gold Rush, California was admitted to the Union as the 31st state of the United States. The second largest state at the time until the admission of Alaska, when it fell to third, California is currently the most populous U.S. state and has claim to many other reasons why it might be the greatest state. Digging Deeper The state that gave us Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, the politicians Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Nixon, California also gives us world class wines and Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco treat. California is…
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 September 9, 1739, the Stono Slave Rebellion, the largest slave revolt in pre-revolutionary British America took place in Charleston, South Carolina. Throughout history, humans have kept other humans as slaves. Some slaves resisted; some even revolted successfully. Here 10 incidents when slaves had finally had enough and rose up against their masters are listed. Digging Deeper 10. Stono Rebellion, British North American Colonies, 1739. In this rebellion, also known as “Cato’s Rebellion” after its leader, an educated slave, African slaves from the Congo, some of whom were former soldiers, attempted to break free and travel to Florida…
A Brief History On September 8, 1966, Americans in love with science fiction were treated to the most iconic space-oriented television show of all time when Star Trek made its debut on NBC. Digging Deeper In the days before cable or satellite television, VHS or DVDs, Americans usually only had 3 television channels to choose between. Better-equipped households might also have gotten the PBS station on ultra high frequency (UHF) television. TV shows were a much bigger deal in those days, with each show having much less competition than now. Detailing the adventures of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the crew of the Enterprise, the original Star…
A Brief History On September 8, 1974, American President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon of any crimes he may have committed while in office. Although some members of the U.S. public were relieved that the country was saved the spectacle of an ex-president on trial, many were outraged, and that act of mercy may have cost Ford the 1976 presidential election. Throughout history, there have been many cases of people being pardoned where the public thought they did not deserve to be granted clemency. In some of the cases, a pardoned person went on with their criminal ways or reverted…
A Brief History On September 7, 1942, the Consolidated B-32 Dominator strategic bomber made its first flight. Only developed as a fallback in case the Boeing B-29 Superfortress was not successful, the B-32 could not hold its own, and only 118 were built. Over the years, many weapons or weapons systems have proven themselves to be disappointments. Here 10 of those are listed, in no particular order. (Please also see the similarly-themed History and Headlines articles: “10 Weapons and Weapons Systems that Flopped” and “10 Weapons That Never (Or Barely) Went into Service.”) Can you think of any weapons that fall into these categories? Digging Deeper 10. Consolidated B-32 Dominator. As mentioned…