Browsing: March

A Brief History On March 30, 1981, only a bit past two months into his presidency, Ronald Reagan was shot by a mentally ill assassin! Digging Deeper Reagan, riding the crest of popularity from being newly inaugurated and the Iranian hostage crisis having been ended on inauguration day, was in Washington, D.C. and had just delivered a speech to an AFL-CIO audience.  Outside the Hilton Hotel, Hinckley was waiting with a cheap .22 caliber revolver loaded with 6 rounds. Before Reagan could enter his limousine Hinckley fired all 6 shots at him, hitting the president with a bullet that ricocheted…

A Brief History On March 29, 1911, the Colt M1911 .45 ACP caliber semi-automatic pistol became the standard pistol of the US Army.  In the event of natural disaster, nuclear holocaust, revolution, or any other manner of “apocalypse” that may develop, you may need guns and guns need ammunition!  If you are going to stock up on any sort of ammo for the BIG disaster, this article is your list. (Obviously, it would be cheaper to have the ammo and only one gun, because as a wise man once said, if you have one gun you can get more.) Digging…

A Brief History On March 29, 1911, the US Army made the Colt M1911 .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol its official sidearm.  (For a companion list for this article, please see our list of “The Top 10 Famous Pistols.”) Digging Deeper The late 19th century and early 20th century represent an exciting time in history of firearms, with inventors and manufacturers racing each other to produce rugged and reliable semi-automatic sidearms for the lucrative military market. The US Army had previously discovered their .38 caliber revolvers did not have the stopping power needed to halt an enthusiastic or even drugged enemy…

A Brief History On March 28, 1930, the Turkish cities of Constantinople and Angora changed their names to Istanbul and Ankara.  You may remember Constantinople as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (as well as the Latin Empire and Byzantine Empire), but if you are not familiar with Angora/Ankara you are hereby informed that this city is the capital of Turkey.  Many cities, countries, and even regions have undergone name changes throughout history for many different reasons.  Here are some of the most significant. Digging Deeper 10. Peking to Beijing (1958). The…

A Brief History On March 28, 1978, the US Supreme Court rendered a decision that many would think defied reason! Digging Deeper An Indiana mom went before a local court to request the judge issue an order that her teenage daughter be sterilized! The mom claimed her daughter was “somewhat retarded” (a description the daughter would later be justified in using about the judge!) and was hanging around with older boys, and the mom was thus in fear that her daughter would get pregnant. Without any representation or advocate for the daughter, without any evidence that the girl was retarded or…