A Brief History On November 4, 1962, the US conducted the last event of Operation Fishbowl, a series of nuclear blasts conducted at high altitude. Digging Deeper Operation Fishbowl consisted of 5 tests, part of the larger Operation Dominic, that in 1962 saw an incredible 31 nuclear blasts. Why so many nuclear test blasts in such a short time? Because the Soviets had resumed testing after an unofficial nuclear test moratorium between the superpowers from 1959 to 1961. Luckily for the health of humans around the globe, the US, UK and USSR signed the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in…
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A Brief History On November 3, 1956, future New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms was born, and while he played in the NFL from 1979 to 1993, it is unlikely he would recognize the NFL from the year of his birth! Digging Deeper Here are some of the major differences in the NFL between 1955 and today: 1955- The Cleveland Browns were NFL Champs and the league consisted of 12 teams with no playoffs, just a Championship game. The season was 12 games long. 2022- The Browns are abysmal in recent years, including this one, and the league boasts 32…
A Brief History On November 2, 1898, the day recognized as the “birth of cheerleading,” University of Minnesota student Johnny Campbell became the first cheerleader in history, directing fans in cheering on the Golden Gophers football team. UM proudly calls itself the “Birthplace of Cheerleading,” and apparently deserves that title. Digging Deeper Prior to Campbell’s date with history, regular fans that would start cheers in the stands were called “cheerleaders,” on an unofficial basis. Today, most high school, college, and professional sports teams have cheerleaders, with a few notable exceptions. The Cleveland Browns famously or infamously do not and never…
A Brief History On November 1, 1951, the US Army conducted nuclear tests in the Nevada desert that included a diabolical exercise in which 6,500 US Army troops were exposed to the effects of a nearby nuclear detonation and its associated radiation. Digging Deeper Called Operation Buster–Jangle, the US conducted a series of seven nuclear tests, that included the November 1 test in which the 6500 troops, of which participation was not voluntary, were dug in foxholes and trenches only six miles from an air burst nuclear bomb of 21 kilotons yield, about that of the Nagasaki bomb. After having…
A Brief History On October 31, 2017, an Uzbek immigrant to the United States deliberately drove a rented truck into a New York City bicycle and jogging path, killing eight people and injuring another 11 in a terrorist mass killing that proves bad people do not need guns to commit terrible crimes. Digging Deeper Sayfullo Habibullaevich Saipov was apparently a supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and intended his actions as a terrorist event. After leaving the truck, he brandished a paintball gun and a pellet gun and was shot and wounded by the police. …