A Brief History On September 9, 1991, the Tajik SSR declared its independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) as part of the disintegration of the USSR and became the sovereign nation of Tajikistan. The first part of the name of the new nation is no mystery, it reflects the majority ethnicity of the people in that region, people calling themselves Tajiks. The ending part of the name of the country, and the names of so many other countries in the region, “stan,” derives from the Persian word for “place.” Thus, Tajikistan pretty much means “Place of the…
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A Brief History On September 7, 1997, the latest and greatest of America’s jet fighter air superiority fighter planes first took to the sky. Incredibly complex, sophisticated, and of course, expensive, the Lockheed F-22 Raptor was designed to be a stealthy fighter that could take down enemy fighters and bombers without even being detected. Despite its steep price, the fighter would be worth the cost if it could deliver on its promises. Could it deliver? Read on… Digging Deeper Back in World War II, several nations attempted to produce fighter aircraft specifically designed to out fight other fighters and provide…
A Brief History On September 1, 1939, US Army General George C. Marshall, Jr. was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Marshall would go on to lead the American military effort through World War II and later be appointed General of the Army, a 5 star rank created so that the United States military would have general officers equivalent to the European Allies’ Field Marshal rank. (It would not do to have a lesser rank American in charge of Allied Field Marshals.) Digging Deeper George Marshall was a highly competent officer and not one prone…
A Brief History The early days of Blackjack are still a bit cloudy and pinpointing its true origin is still up for debate. Various versions of the game have been traced back to France, Spain, and some even believe that the ancient Romans were the initial inventors; however, the most popular researcher-led opinion shows us that blackjack most likely came about in France during the turn of the 17th century. The French were already keen card players and there was a game known as Vingt-en-Un, which translates to twenty-one, that gives us a strong indication that blackjack was born in…
A Brief History On August 28, 1968, the profession of policing in the United States reached one of its lowest points when the Chicago Police Department under the direction of dictatorial Mayor Richard Daley moved to violently put down protests at the 1968 Democratic Convention (August 26-29, 1968), resulting in what has been described as a “police riot.” Digging Deeper The background to the 1968 Democratic Convention had been a turbulent year in the United States, a year characterized by civil unrest over racial issues and protests over the War in Vietnam, both resulting in riots and protests that were…