A Brief History On January 23, 1986, the first musicians were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find these inductees are largely responsible for the widespread acceptance of “rock and roll” as a mainstream musical genre. The first class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was a great one indeed and included: Elvis Presley; Buddy Holly; Jerry Lee Lewis; James Brown; Chuck Berry; The Everly Brothers; Sam Cooke; Ray Charles; Little Richard; and Fats Domino. Other inductees voted in for their early influences on rock and roll were: Jimmy Rodgers; Jimmy Yancey; and…
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 January 23, 1897, Elva Zona Heaster, about 24 years old, was found dead, later proven to have been murdered by her husband through her own ghost’s testimony! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find a West Virginia couple married less than a year, Zona having been an unwed mother prior to the wedding and Erasmus Shue a divorcé and widower. Zona’s body was found by a boy who had been sent on an errand by Shue, and Shue was summoned to the scene. Prior to the arrival of the local doctor (who doubled as coroner), Shue had moved the body…
A Brief History On January 22, 1957, long before the terrorist bombings of recent years, the “Mad Bomber” terrorizing New York City was finally arrested! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find a city menaced by George Metesky (born 1903) from 1940 until his arrest in 1957. Placing at least 30 bombs around the city during his terror spree, Metesky was an angry and frustrated man who felt cheated by his former employer and the rest of society. He had been injured in 1931 while working for Consolidated Edison (Con-Ed) and had been disabled from lung injuries. Metesky thought he was…
A Brief History On January 21, 1977, newly inaugurated President Jimmy Carter created perhaps the biggest controversy of his presidency by pardoning Viet Nam War era draft dodgers. Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find the United States in the 1960s and 1970s severely divided over support for the war in Viet Nam. With Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Senator Eugene McCarthy and other prominent Americans vociferously opposed to the war, large portions of the population sided with them. The anti-war feeling went beyond just the political aspects and dove into the moral aspects for each individual soldier as well. The…
A Brief History On January 20, 1885, LaMarcus A. Thompson patented his version of the modern roller coaster, the Switchback Railway, which became the first roller coaster at Coney Island in New York! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find that versions of the roller coaster had existed earlier, but this patent was the big step toward what has been the premier attraction at amusement parks for well over 100 years now. Obviously, starting long ago, people got thrills going downhill quickly. Sleds on winter slopes and wheeled vehicles racing down a road courtesy of gravity were not purpose-built thrills but…