A Brief History On October 18, 2012, Marvin Lambert, known in professional wrestling as Brain Damage, was only 34 years old when he was found dead, his death believed to have been self-caused. While his passing was of course tragic, his ring name remains quite memorable as is the case with many pro wrestlers who have iconic professional names, and today we take a look at some of our favorites. Digging Deeper Andre the Giant, born André René Roussimoff, at 7 feet 4 inches and 520 pounds, he really lived up to his name by being simple, direct, and intimidating…
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 October 17, 2018, the recreational use of Marijuana was legalized in Canada. Call it Cannabis, Hemp, Pot, Weed or whatever, for decades the “herb” was illegal in most industrialized nations. Digging Deeper Going back to 1378, the Emir of the Joneima in Arabia outlawed Marijuana and its derivatives, and Napoleon did the same for the French in 1800. Other countries followed, including Mexico in 1920, Canada in 1923, Britain in 1928, and the USA in 1937. Now, almost a century later, the tide has turned, and many States and countries have legalized Weed for medical or…
A Brief History On October 16, 2008, Ohio handyman Samuel “Joe” Wurzelbacher was all the rage among supporters of Senator John McCain’s bid for the presidency. McCain mentioned this “average Joe” several times in the previous night’s debate, and “Joe the Plumber” became an instant national celebrity. Digging Deeper As it turned out, Wurzelbacher’s first name was not Joe, and he was not even a licensed plumber in Ohio. Wurzelbacher had told candidate Barack Obama that he was a plumber thinking about starting his own business, a patently false scenario. Joe the Plumber was not even employed at the time! …
A Brief History On October 15, 1989, Ukrainian-Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky passed Gordie Howe to become the all-time leading scorer in the NHL. Not only does Gretzky have more goals and assists than any other player, his 2,857 regular season points remains the NHL record. Digging Deeper Some of the other all-time leading scorers include: Baseball: Rickey Henderson’s 2,295 runs scored edge Ty Cobb’s 2,245 for the MLB record. Basketball: LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2023 to become the NBA scoring champ with 38,652 points. College Basketball: Pistol Pete Maravich narrowly remains the all-time scorer, with 3,667 points,…
A Brief History On October 14, 2003, Chicago’s Wrigley Field was the scene of a baseball play that fit right in with the “Curse of the Billy Goat.” The hapless Cubs were playing in the National League Championship Series for a chance to win their first pennant since 1945, when a Cubs fan derailed the team’s efforts. Digging Deeper Leading the series 3 to 2 and the game, 3-0, the Cubs seemed on the brink of beating the curse. When a foul ball was hit, a fan, Steve Bartman, tried to catch the ball and got in the way of…