A Brief History On August 24, 1349, 6,000 Jews were massacred in Mainz, Germany by being burned alive. Blamed for so many ills, this time they were held responsible for spreading the bubonic plague. Digging Deeper On this same date in 1391, at least 300 Jews were murdered in Palma on the Balearic island of Majorca (Mallorca). All across Spain, Jews were being massacred, and their only hope for survival would be to readily agree to being baptized in the Christian faith and to convert to Christianity. Previously, Crusaders had traveled through Spain on their way to the Holy Land…
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 August 23, 1994, an extraordinary American warrior was posthumously commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Eugene Bullard, born in Columbus, Georgia in 1895, had fought in World War I for the French Foreign Legion, and in 1917 he became the first ever African-American to be a military pilot, one of only two pilots of African origin in World War I. Digging Deeper While with the French ground troops, Bullard had served with distinction. He finally got his chance to fly after he had recovered from serious wounds which he had received at Verdun in 1916. For…
A Brief History On August 22, 2007, the Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles with a score of 30-3, the most runs ever scored by a major league baseball team in the modern era. Sometimes it just happens that one side has all the might or all the luck and really gives it to the other side. This disparity can take place in sports, in wars or in just about in any other competitive endeavor. Here 10 of those lopsided victories that left one side hurt and stunned are listed. (Sorry American football fans, you will have to click on this…
A Brief History On August 21, 1911, Vincenzo Peruggia, an employee of the Louvre in Paris, stole perhaps the most famous painting in the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The theft created an international stir, and when the thief was caught two years later as he attempted to sell the painting to an Italian museum, he was treated as a national hero in Italy. He only served six months in jail. Every once in a while a famous or important object is stolen, or the circumstances of a theft make the crime notable. Here 10 of the most notorious…
A Brief History On August 21, 1897, Ransom Eli Olds founded the car company that became the first assembly line producer of automobiles in the world. Many people think it was Henry Ford that invented the moving assembly line for automobile production, and of course he did make major strides in that direction, but Ransom Eli Olds was the first. Digging Deeper For the next 107 years, Oldsmobile was known as a company that made upscale, comfortable cars and even produced some “muscle” cars along the way. Officially called Olds Automobiles, the name was quickly shorted to Oldsmobile. Born in Geneva,…