Browsing: Lists

A Brief History On September 8, 1974, American President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon of any crimes he may have committed while in office.  Although some members of the U.S. public were relieved that the country was saved the spectacle of an ex-president on trial, many were outraged, and that act of mercy may have cost Ford the 1976 presidential election. Throughout history, there have been many cases of people being pardoned where the public thought they did not deserve to be granted clemency.  In some of the cases, a pardoned person went on with their criminal ways or reverted…

A Brief History On September 7, 1942, the Consolidated B-32 Dominator strategic bomber made its first flight.  Only developed as a fallback in case the Boeing B-29 Superfortress was not successful, the B-32 could not hold its own, and only 118 were built.  Over the years, many weapons or weapons systems have proven themselves to be disappointments.  Here 10 of those are listed, in no particular order. (Please also see the similarly-themed History and Headlines articles: “10 Weapons and Weapons Systems that Flopped” and “10 Weapons That Never (Or Barely) Went into Service.”)  Can you think of any weapons that fall into these categories? Digging Deeper 10. Consolidated B-32 Dominator. As mentioned…

A Brief History On September 6, 1620, the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, England, headed for the “New World” in America.  Many Americans are under the false impression that these were the first white settlers of North America, but this belief is historically incorrect!  The Pilgrims are often treated as the real founding fathers of the United States, despite the fact that Spanish explorers and some settlers had arrived one hundred years before them and in complete disregard of the Native Americans who had already been there for at least 10,000 years.  Even the English first settled Jamestown, Virginia more than a decade earlier.  Although historians usually know what…

A Brief History On September 5, 1698, Czar Peter I of Russia (Peter the Great) enacted a tax on beards.  This tax  primarily targeted the nobility in an effort to “westernize” Russia as part of Peter’s attempts to move Russia away from medieval traditions and into the modern world.  Throughout history many laws have been enacted or decreed that did not sit well with the people targeted by the law.  On August 5, 2014, we ran a list of “10 Incredibly Unpopular Laws,” and here 10 more such laws are presented (in no particular order).   Digging Deeper 10. Russian Beard Tax. As described in the…

A Brief History On September 4, 1957, the Ford Motor Company introduced its latest product, the Edsel.  Named after founder Henry Ford’s son, the Edsel was supposed to be an upscale mass-market car and vital part of Ford’s marketing plan.  It turned out to be a flop, and has since become synonymous with the word “failure.”  The ugliness of the car did not hurt or kill anyone, but some do products end up being fatal.  Here 10 products that for a variety of reasons have become infamous, notorious and reviled are listed.  A previous article already covered Zyklon B and DDT.   Digging Deeper 10. DDT. Ironically, DDT may…