A Brief History On December 7, 2020, fighter ace and aviation record breaker, Chuck Yeager, Brigadier General US Air Force, died at the age of 97. Yeager was known to say, “There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots,” perhaps not an original quotation but generally true, although Yeager was indeed a “Bold Pilot” and died at an old age. Digging Deeper Yeager, a World War II ace, shot down 11.5 enemy planes, one of which was an Me-262 jet. Yeager was shot down in 1944, but evaded capture in occupied France and even operated with…
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 December 6, 1884, the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. was completed. A spectacular structure, the tall white obelisk was the tallest man-made structure in the world when complete, over 554 feet tall, losing that title to the Eiffel Tower in 1889, although it still is the world’s tallest monumental column. Digging Deeper Some other magnificent American monuments include: Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, carved into bare rock to depict the likenesses of four of our greatest presidents. Completed in 1941, each head is about 60 feet tall with eyes 11 feet wide! Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota,…
A Brief History On December 5, 1831, former President of the US, John Quincy Adams, took his seat in the House of Representatives as a Congressman. He had served as a US Senator and as Secretary of State before becoming President, and he died while still serving in the House in 1848. Digging Deeper Some of the activities of other former US Presidents include: Grover Cleveland, after leaving the White House in 1889, was again elected President and served a second term from 1893 to 1897. Teddy Roosevelt, after serving as Commander in Chief from 1901 to 1909, went on…
A Brief History On December 4, 1971, rock legend Frank Zappa and his band, The Mothers of Invention, were holding a concert at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland, on the shores of beautiful Lake Geneva, when disaster struck. Digging Deeper A misguided fan thought it was a good idea to launch a flare from a flare pistol into the ceiling of the place, causing a fire that brought the building down. The fire was significant enough on its own, but was immortalized by the Deep Purple hit, “Smoke on the Water,” since Deep Purple was at a nearby hotel waiting…
A Brief History On December 3, 1800, the Electoral College tallied votes in the Presidential election and found the two main contenders, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, were tied. Incredible though it seems today, Burr was actually the Vice Presidential running mate of Jefferson that year, but Electoral rules at the time allowed each elector to vote for two people, the second highest vote getter becoming Vice President. Digging Deeper Jefferson and Burr beat incumbent John Adams, and a special election in the House of Representatives was held to pick a winner between Jefferson and Burr. Jefferson won that vote,…