A Brief History On January 18, 2008, the Euphronios Krater, a bowl for mixing wine with water that dates back to around 515 BC, was unveiled in Rome, Italy after having been stolen from an Etruscan tomb in 1971 and then held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City since 1972. Digging Deeper Many other ancient or old items have been taken to foreign lands without the consent of their home country, and we ask, “Should these treasures be returned?” Some of those items include: Panels and art from The Amber Room in Russia, looted by Germans during…
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 17, 2017, the sad saga of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 came to an end of sorts, when authorities announced an end to the futile search for the lost airliner. The fact that we still cannot find the huge Boeing 777 jetliner in this modern era is amazing, but the incident fits with other airplane disappearances, some which we list here: Digging Deeper Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Model 10-E Electra that disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. Bandleader Glenn Miller in a US Army Noorduyn UC-64A over the English Chanel in 1944. Flight 19 of five…
A Brief History On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn in as the President of Liberia, the first female to be elected head of state of any African country. Digging Deeper Sirleaf had previously served as the Minister of Finance for Liberia but had escaped to the US after a 1980 coup put Samuel Doe in charge. Sirleaf was well acquainted with the US, having gone to college in the States, at Madison Business College, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Harvard. Apparently Sirleaf must have done a good job, for she was reelected in 2011 and served…
A Brief History On January 15, 1943, the largest “office” building in the world was dedicated in Arlington County, Virginia, the Pentagon, a building that would become the symbol of the American military. Digging Deeper With five floors above ground and another two underground, the Pentagon boasts over 6.6 million square feet of floorspace. Not until 2023 would the Pentagon’s massive floorspace be eclipsed. Its 17.5 miles of corridors get busy foot traffic 24/7, with a workforce of 23,000 military and civilian defense workers plus another 3,000 non-defense workers. The center area is a five-acre courtyard! Built at great effort…
A Brief History On January 14, 1969, we were once again reminded how navies around the world manage to make mistakes that cost lives and even entire ships. This time, 28 lives were lost and 314 sailors injured, but the USS Enterprise, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was not lost. Digging Deeper We have commented on naval disasters we call “Naval Oops Moments,” and this time the problem was a Zuni rocket under a jet’s wing that blew up. The explosion destroyed that plane and caused a fire resulting in multiple explosions, destroying 15 jets and blowing holes in the deck.…