A Brief History On July 7, 1863, the US instituted its first ever draft of young men to serve in the military, a necessity brought about by the enormous effort needed to prosecute the US Civil War. As usual, rich people were not really in danger of risking their lives, because for $300 a draftee could buy his way out of induction! Digging Deeper The US Civil War draft started a history of controversy over forced military service in the US, and infamous draft riots occurred in New York City and other Northern areas, even before the government started drafting…
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 6, 2022, a granite monument in Elberton, Georgia was heavily damaged by a bomb set by a vandal, leading to the dismantling of the “monument” which has not been replaced. Known as the Georgia Guidestones, the 19 foot tall stone pillars were inscribed with “guidelines” for human survivors of any imminent apocalyptic event. Digging Deeper Consisting of six slabs weighing almost a quarter million pounds total, the inscriptions contained 10 guidelines repeated in eight different languages. Completed in 1980, the monument was the subject of numerous conspiracy theories and rumors, including allegations that some sort…
A Brief History On July 5, 1994, Amazon, the internet mega-retailer, was founded by Jeff Bezos, his creation eventually making him the richest person in the world, worth $194.4 billion. Amazon provides an enormous inventory without the need for physical stores letting you shop at your desk. Digging Deeper The internet has brought incredible wealth to some people, placing them in the ranks of the wealthiest on the planet. Here are some of those folks that used the internet to their financial advantage: Elon Musk, net worth $180.7 billion, made a lot of his fortune with PayPal, an online money…
A Brief History On July 4, 1946, the Philippines became an independent country after having been under colonial rule by Spain and then the US for 381 years. Today, we look at countries that spent even more years under colonial rule than the Philippines. Digging Deeper Guyana, 387 years under Dutch then British rule, and English is the official language. Cuba, 389 years under Spanish rule. Angola, 400 years, first visited by the Portuguese in 1484 and later colonized, gaining independence in 1975. Ghana, 426 years dominated by European countries including Portugal, the Netherlands, Britain, Sweden, and Denmark! Jamaica, 454…
A Brief History On July 3, 1958, The Andy Williams Show premiered on ABC, later to evolve into a long running show from 1962 to 1971 with minor comebacks in following years. Music was first provided by the New Christy Minstrels folk group and in 1962 the Osmond Brothers provided musical entertainment. Digging Deeper Typical of the day, the Andy Williams Show was clean, family-oriented entertainment. While movies and TV shows have made progress since then in production value, special effects, sets, costumes, and general quality, there are a few things we hate about modern video programming. Do you agree?…