Browsing: Lists

A Brief History On June 9, 1959, the United States Navy launched the USS George Washington, the first ballistic missile submarine capable of launching nuclear missiles. We used that occasion to publish the article “10 Weapons Milestones (Modern Systems that Changed the Game)” in which we named 10 of the most interesting and important advances in weaponry of the 19th and 20th Centuries. Today we list 10 more of those weapons and or weapons systems, and we branch out to include the 21st Century and Olden times as well. (Lightsabers not included!) Digging Deeper 1. Lasers (a Directed Energy Weapon),…

A Brief History On June 6, 1944, the character played by Robert Mitchum in the movie The Longest Day (1960), Brigadier General Norman Cota, makes a stirring announcement to his men who are under heavy enemy fire and terrified of moving forward: “Only two kinds of people are gonna stay on this beach — those that are already dead and those that are gonna die. Now get off your butts! You guys are the Fightin’ 29th!” It turns out Norman Cota was a real US Army General (eventually Major General) and he really did rally his men of the 29th…

A Brief History On May 31, 2018, we look back on a month of jerks and heroes to recognize both types of people that have come to our attention. Today, we name our Jerks of the Month, but also to flip the coin and recognize our Heroes of the Month as well. Digging Deeper 1. Jerk. Sterling Brown, parking violator. A 6 foot 6 inch NBA basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks, Brown got the attention of the police when he parked across 2 handicap parking spots. When being issued a citation for his jerkish parking stunt, Brown intimidated the…

A Brief History On May 26, 1908, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East was made when the Masjed Soleyman strike was made in Southwest Persia, the country now known as Iran. The fact that the Middle East is so rich in petroleum oil resources has been an overwhelming factor in the history of the 20th and 21st Centuries and will continue to be of monumental importance until such time as human civilization drastically reduces its dependence on fossil fuels. Today we look at 10 of the dates in the 20th Century when events of great importance…

A Brief History On May 25, 1521, the Diet of Worms ended, resulting in the Edict of Worms which declared Martin Luther an outlaw. Not only was this “Diet” not related to what people eat or do not eat, the “Worms” portion of the title has nothing to do with the slimy critters we use as fish bait. Today we discuss 5 titles, names, or things that are just not what they seem to be at first glance. Digging Deeper 1. Diet of Worms, 1521. In this case the word “Diet” refers to an assembly of religious leaders gathered in…