Browsing: September

A Brief History On September 1, 1983, a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 scrambled to intercept an airplane that had violated Soviet airspace over the Kamchatka Peninsula.  Suspecting the jet liner was actually a U.S. spy plane, the Soviet fighter fired 2 air-to-air missiles, easily shooting down the lumbering commercial airliner that was flying from New York City to Seoul, Korea via Anchorage, Alaska. Digging Deeper Soviet officials at first denied involvement in the shootdown.  Then they claimed the fighter had first called the airliner on the radio before firing warning shots with tracer ammunition.  Years later, when the Soviet Union dissolved, more complete information…

A Brief History On September 5, 1960, Cassius Clay, a brash young man known as the “Louisville Lip,” won the Olympic Gold Medal for boxing in the light heavyweight division.  Clay would go on to fame and infamy as Muhammad Ali, a professional heavyweight boxing champ and one of sport’s all-time greats. Digging Deeper Of course, if you listen to Ali, he, himself, will tell you over and over again that he is “The Greatest.”  Modesty was never one of his virtues… Of course, he did not need to be modest, as he won, in addition to Olympic Gold, the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship…

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…

A Brief History On September 4, 1886, after almost 30 years of raiding Mexican and white settlers and battling the U.S. Army, Apache war leader Geronimo finally surrendered in Arizona to U.S. Army General Nelson Miles. Digging Deeper Geronimo’s actual Apache name means “One who yawns.”  After his wife, children and mother were killed by Mexican soldiers in 1858, it seems he did little yawning and much fighting, leading raids against both Mexican and American settlers and soldiers.  Although Geronimo’s hatred was mainly directed at the Mexicans, his raids of theft and murder of Americans had the U.S. Army chasing him and his…