Browsing: March

A Brief History    On March 25, 1996, a “Christian Patriot” group called the Montana Freemen began an 81-day standoff with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  How exactly a group that does not recognize the government of the United States or any local or state government for that matter is considered patriotic, we are not sure. Digging Deeper These so-called Freemen were based outside of Jordan, Montana, on a farm they had unofficially named “Justus Township.” (Get it?  Wordplay at work.)  Engaged in an ongoing campaign of fraud that included writing bad checks, printing counterfeit legal documents and the like, the Freemen were just…

A Brief History On March 24, 1958, Elvis Aron Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll,” was drafted into the U.S. Army and served his country in Germany, on the front lines of the Cold War.  Millions of Americans have been drafted and responded obediently, and, of course, millions more have served voluntarily.  On the other hand, many American men of draft age or at least of age to serve during a war or conflict chose not to defend their country with their own blood but stayed on the sidelines, only later to pretend to be patriots.  Most of these phony patriots…

A Brief History On March 23, 1994, one of the worst excuses for an airliner crash happened when an Aeroflot pilot allowed his 12 and 16-year-old children to play with the controls of the Airbus A310-300 that he was flying, resulting in a crash that killed all 75 people aboard! Digging Deeper Most of the 63 passengers on Aeroflot Flight 593 were businessmen from China and Taiwan who were returning from Russia.  The flight had left Sheremetyevo Airport and was headed to Hong Kong.  One pilot violated both airline rules and the common sense rules of any responsible pilot when…

A Brief History On March 21, 1871, New York Herald journalist Henry Morton Stanley set off on his famous African expedition to find missionary and explorer David Livingstone who had not been heard from in years.  When the pair finally met, Stanley uttered his famous quote, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Digging Deeper Livingstone was a Scotsman of humble origins.  His thirst for knowledge led him to study medicine and religion as well as the natural sciences.  He became a missionary and explorer, going to places largely unknown to Europeans such as Africa and “discovering” and “naming” the Victoria Falls there.  Although lauded for his…

A Brief History On March 20, 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s story about an African-American family enslaved in the Antebellum South was published.  It went on to become the best-selling book in the U.S. during the entire 19th century, second only to the Bible.  Its anti-slavery message rallied abolitionists and infuriated and scared slave owners, perhaps fomenting the American Civil War.  Many books have influenced Americans over the years, and here we list 10 of the most influential.   Digging Deeper 10. The Turner Diaries, William Pierce, 1978.  This novel, written by William Pierce under the pen name of Andrew Macdonald, quickly became…