A Brief History On March 28, 1910, aviation history was made when French aviator, Henri Fabre, made the first take off by an airplane from water in a seaplane of his own design. Digging Deeper The aptly named Fabre Hydravion, was of the “float plane” type, an airplane equipped with floats slung underneath, as opposed to the “flying boat” type where the hull of the airplane is the floatation device on the water. Before World War II, there was a lack of suitable airfields around the world, making airplanes that could take off and land on the water versatile machines. …
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 March 27, 1998, the FDA approved Viagra, a medication to treat erectile dysfunction. Along with a host of possible negative side effects, Viagra is now often used recreationally to enhance sexual performance by men and women, by athletes who believe the drug enhances athletic performance, and by illegal drug dealers that adulterate other drugs with Viagra. Digging Deeper Endorsement ads by former Senator and Republican Presidential nominee Bob Dole and soccer legend Pele helped launch the product, and today counterfeit Viagra is readily available, although often with dangerous ingredients such as rat poison! Some other controversial…
A Brief History On March 26, 1812, the first use of the term “gerrymander” appeared in the Boston-Gazette in conjunction with a political cartoon making fun of the ridiculous boundaries drawn for new Massachusetts Senate election districts. The name came from the name of the governor, Elbridge Gerry and the likeness of a salamander that a district resembled. Digging Deeper The idea behind gerrymandering is to create voting precincts or districts that maximize the chance of a certain political party to have representatives elected. Minority parties’ populations are split up to avoid any one or more places where they might…
A Brief History On March 22, 2024, the Princess of Wales, Catherine Middleton Windsor, the wife of the future King of the UK, William, Prince of Wales, announced that she is being treated for an unspecified cancer discovered during her recent abdominal surgery. Digging Deeper Princess Kate, as she is usually known as, is a beautiful and popular addition to the Royal Family and has borne Prince William a pair of sons and a daughter. The future Queen of the UK, Kate has campaigned for mental health awareness and has earned the respect of her country and the world. We…
A Brief History On March 25, 1996, the European Union banned the import of beef and beef byproducts from Britain due to an outbreak of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as “Mad Cow Disease.” Digging Deeper Incurable and always fatal, Mad Cow Disease in humans is called Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, caused by a “misfolded” protein called a prion that attacks the brain. Most victims die in 13 months after suffering psychiatric and psychomotor problems and pain. Incubation of the disease may take 20 years or more! Another horrible brain rotting disease is caused by Brain Eating Amoebas, which infects people…