Browsing: Society

A Brief History On May 19, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed into law an act of Congress known as the Firearm Owners Protection Act.  This law was passed in response to allegations of abusive enforcement by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Digging Deeper Congress had investigated those claims and found that the allegations had merit, in that enforcement was being directed at convoluted interpretations of minor violations instead of aimed at hard corps criminals. The subcommittee conducting the investigation found that an incredible 75% of prosecutions pursued by the ATF were “constitutionally improper.” Obviously congress saw a need…

A Brief History On May 19, 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Legion of Honor, the highest award France can bestow upon their heroes. Many countries have a famous and prestigious award and even international organizations have created such symbols to recognize particularly noteworthy behavior. Here are a list of ten of the most prestigious of these awards. 10. Pour le Merite (Blue Max) Imperial Germany/Prussia. How does a country issue its highest award with a name in a foreign language? Germans receiving the award did not seem to mind, as The Blue Max was literally something to die for, as…

A Brief History On May 19, 1962, an indelible part of the legends of two iconic Americans was inscribed in history when blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe sang the most famous sexy version of “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy. Digging Deeper The popular and seemingly virile John Kennedy had become the youngest elected president in US history, succeeding Dwight Eisenhower, at the time the oldest president in US history.  Young, tan, and the picture of health, the public did not know of the physical ailments JFK had.  With his Hollywood good looks and beautiful young wife, women wanted JFK…

A Brief History On May 18, 1927, Andrew Kehoe committed the worst mass murder in an American school ever, proving that this type of tragedy is not just something started recently.  Having a reputation as someone difficult to work with, Kehoe was a school board member and had recently been beaten in an election for township clerk. Digging Deeper The 55 year old Kehoe’s life was falling apart. Upset about his election loss, rising taxes, his farm being under foreclosure and his wife having tuberculosis, the Michigan farmer went off the deep end. No longer making mortgage payments, Kehoe bought…

A Brief History On May 18, 1936, Sada Abe, a Japanese prostitute, strangled her lover and cut his genitals off, carrying them around in her purse for three days before she was caught. She explained to the police that she had tried to have sex with the severed organs but for some reason it just did not work.  Every so often a crime happens that catches the attention of the public because of the brutality or the gruesome nature of the deed.  Here we list 10 of those crimes that make you cringe and squirm. What misdeeds would you include?…