A Brief History On January 23, 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl, was kidnapped in downtown Karachi, Pakistan by Islamist militants. Pearl was investigating a link between al Qaeda and Pakistan at the time. When the US failed to meet the kidnappers’ demands, Pearl was beheaded. Digging Deeper Some other high-profile kidnappings include: Julius Caesar, in 75 BC at the age of about 25, was captured by pirates and held for ransom, returning after his release to kill all his kidnappers! Holocaust mastermind Adolf Eichmann was hiding in Argentina in 1960 when the Israeli Mossad kidnapped him and took…
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.
Read More
A Brief History On January 22, 2009, only a couple days after being sworn in, President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order ordering the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where suspected terrorists were being held. Congress overrode the President, and Gitmo stayed open. Obama also suffered the failure to get universal national health care passed and had to settle for a watered-down version known as “Obamacare.” Digging Deeper Almost all presidents fail at certain projects and here we list a few: President Nixon, who promised “peace with honor” in Vietnam, but the North Vietnamese were not…
A Brief History On January 21, 2009, Israel pulled its military forces out of the Gaza strip after a three-week war with Palestinian Islamic extremist group Hamas. While fighting in and around Gaza continued in the following weeks, the scale of the fighting was a mere shadow of the Israeli-Hamas fighting that began in October of 2023. Digging Deeper In what was called The Gaza War of 2008-2009, 13 Israelis and between 1,100 and 1,400 Palestinians were killed. Lasting from December 27, 2008 until January 18, 2009, the war was just one of many Arab-Israeli wars and other armed and…
A Brief History On January 20, 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first US president to be sworn in on January 20th, a date changed from the previous inauguration day of March 4th by the 20th Amendment of 1933. Some other interesting presidential firsts on January 20th include: Digging Deeper Dwight D. Eisenhower, the first 5-star general sworn in as president in 1953, and the first born in Texas. John F. Kennedy, the youngest elected president, inaugurated in 1961. Ronald Reagan, inaugurated in 1981 as the oldest president up to that time. Barack Obama became the first African American president…
A Brief History On January 19, 1995, a Bristow Helicopters Eurocopter AS332L Super Puma suffered a terrifying lightning strike while transporting 16 oil workers and a crew of two from Aberdeen, Scotland to an offshore oil rig. Much like the more famous “Miracle on the Hudson” in 2009, the skilled pilot was able to make a water landing and saved all on board. Digging Deeper Unlike the Hudson River, the North Sea is farther from shore and considerably rougher, with far fewer folks around to conduct an immediate rescue. The icy cold water in January could kill survivors within minutes…