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A Brief History On June 21, 1982, John Warnock Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in March of 1981.  Hinckley used a firearm in his assassination attempt, a weapon a mentally ill person in the United States is not supposed to be able to purchase or possess.  Hinckley fired a cheap, foreign import .22 LR revolver six times, striking President Reagan with a ricochet, gravely wounding the elderly president.  Also seriously wounded was press secretary Jim Brady, as well as a police officer and a Secret Service agent. …

A Brief History On June 14, 1900, the United States expanded by officially adding the territory of Hawaii to its growing empire.  The Pacific region became an American area of interest during the Spanish-American War in 1898, with the US adding the islands of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to its territory.  Today we take a look at some places we would like to see become American someday, just as Hawaii (which I have visited and believe is truly paradise) was added over a century ago.  What country or territory would you add to this list?  (OK, Donald Trump,…

A Brief History On May 31, 1942, the Japanese Imperial Navy commenced an attack on the harbor (harbour for you British types) at Sydney, Australia, using three Ko-hyoteki-class midget submarines.  With a 2-man crew and armed with a pair of torpedoes, the little subs had the potential to create tremendous damage to any ship afloat.  Japan was not the only country to employ midget submarines during World War II, and midget subs were just one of many truly innovative attempts to adapt weapons for special purposes during that war that spawned so much in the way of technological progress.  Today…

A Brief History On May 10, 1946, at the White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico the US Army made the first successful launch of a German designed V-2 rocket, the same sort of weapon the Germans had used to terrorize England and Holland during World War II.  V-2 technology was not the only German inspired technology to be eagerly scooped and later used by the Allies after World War II, and today we take a look at some of those items (keeping the list short and therefore not all encompassing).  As always, feel free to nominate such items as…

A Brief History On May 3, 1952, the Kentucky Derby, probably the most famous and prestigious horse racing event in the United States, was first broadcast on television.  Today, we take a look at when significant events first made their television debut.  As always, feel free to nominate an event or events you believe belong on this list. Digging Deeper First Sporting Event, 1936 For this particular historic first, it is fitting that the Olympics takes the honors of being first.  In this case, we refer to the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany.  Since there were no privately…