Browsing: June 28

A Brief History On June 28, 1651, and lasting through June 30, 1651, the Battle of Berestechko was fought in the area between what is now modern Poland, modern Belarus and the modern Ukraine, between the army of Poland and the upstart Ukrainian Cossacks and Tatars. Part of the Cossack Rebellion of 1648-1657, the battle was one of if not the largest land battle in Europe during the 17th Century. Digging Deeper The Poles took a sizable army to the field of battle, probably around 80,000 men, of which half were conscripted militia types called up to fight for the…

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A Brief History On June 28, 2018, we review the second Sicario movie starring Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, which premiers across the United States on June 29, 2018. The first thing we want to say is that it is not necessary to see the first film, Sicario (2015) with the same stars (plus Emily Blunt) to completely enjoy Soldado. The new movie easily stands on its own, although we did love the first one and recommend it highly. The films cover the violent and depressing situation of brutal Mexican drug cartels and the…

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A Brief History On June 28, 1997, the rematch between heavyweight boxers “Iron Mike” Tyson and Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield for the WBA Heavyweight Championship became a footnote in bizarre sports history, befuddling fans and ring professionals alike. Digging Deeper Billed as “The Sound and the Fury,” this exciting boxing match would pit the 2 best heavyweight fighters of the day in a rematch, seven months after Holyfield, a former heavyweight champion, had won the belt again by defeating then defending champion Mike Tyson with an 11th round stoppage.  Eagerly awaited by a large pay-per-view audience, the world of…

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A Brief History On June 28, 1950, the South Korean government, democratically elected allies of the United States and other Western allies, committed a massacre of suspected communist sympathizers in what is known as The Bodo League Massacre.  Somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 people are believed to have been executed, including girls as young as 12 or 13.  Sometimes the so called “good guys” do things that are not so good.  Any side is quick to point out the atrocities committed by the other side, but unlikely to acknowledge their own indiscretions.  Here, for a change, we list 10 instances when…

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A Brief History On June 28, 1987, Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Air Force became the first military force in history to purposely target civilians with chemical weapons when they attacked the town of Sardasht, Iran with “mustard” gas. Digging Deeper Iraq was at war with Iran at the time, a particularly nasty affair.  Additionally, the people of Sardasht (perhaps 20,000) were Kurds, an ethnic group that also lives in Iraq and Turkey and has been clamoring for an independent country of their own.  Thus, the ruthless regime of Saddam Hussein could kill 2 birds with 1 stone so to speak, by…

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