A Brief History On July 31, 1970, the British Royal Navy experienced one of the darkest days in their long and glorious history, Black Tot Day. This episode was the last day the Royal Navy would follow the long tradition of supplying a daily drink of rum to their sailors. Many military and civilian traditions have fallen by the wayside, some with good riddance, some longingly missed. Many of these traditions were written down as official policy, and others were just things people usually did. Some ended with a clear cut finale, and others faded away. Here we list 10 of…
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 July 30, 1864, Union forces exploded 8,000 pounds of black powder in a tunnel underneath Confederate trenches at Petersburg, Virginia, creating a crater 170 feet long and 120 feet wide, and 30 feet deep. The unorganized rush of Union troops into the crater resulted in Union failure, with Federal troops suffering well over double the casualties inflicted on the Confederate troops. The Battle of the Crater as this action was called is an example of an unconventional military idea that did not work. Back on May 15, 2014 History and Headlines featured a list of 10 Weapons and Weapons…
A Brief History On July 30, 1975, Teamsters leader James R. Hoffa was last seen outside a suburban Detroit restaurant. He has not been seen since, and as of July 30, 1982 has been presumed dead. Ever since, speculation about what happened to the fiery 62 year old union leader has run wild. Digging Deeper Rumors about who killed him and why have abounded, as have a plethora of places his body is alleged to have been hidden or disposed of. Is he buried under the Giants stadium at the Meadowlands? Or under tons of concrete at a Detroit building…
A Brief History On July 29, 1973, British race car driver Roger Williamson met his death when his Formula 1race car crashed at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort Circuit in the Netherlands. The 25 year old 2 time British Formula 3 champion was trapped under his flipped car, not seriously hurt from the crash, but was burned to death as the car was engulfed in flames. Race officials made no effort to help, although another driver heroically abandoned the race and tried to rescue Williamson, failing to flip the car over, then grabbing a fire extinguisher. Many thousands of…
A Brief History On July 29, 1993, Ukrainian-American retired auto worker, John Demjanjuk, was finally acquitted by the Supreme Court of Israel and was a free man. Or was he? Digging Deeper The long sad story began when Demjanjuk was born in the Ukraine in 1920. Life was normal (which in the 1930’s Ukraine was starvation during Stalin’s famine) until World War II when he was drafted into the Red Army of the Soviet Union. Captured by the Germans, he finished the war as a POW under horrible conditions. This moment is where the story hit’s a snag. According to…