A Brief History On January 31, 2017, we at History and Headlines recognize those people who, during this month, not necessarily in the past, have either done some disreputable thing or their disreputable past has come to light.  Whether you call them villains, jerks, creeps, idiots or whatever, these people have brought shame upon themselves, at least for this month if not for their lives or careers.  By including a person and their action in this list we do not condemn that person to a lifetime label as an idiot, just labeling them an idiot for this specific month. Digging…

A Brief History On January 30, 1959, the Danish ocean liner, MS Hans Hedtoft, was on the return leg of its maiden voyage when it struck an iceberg off the coast of Greenland and sunk, the only trace of the ship ever being found was a single lifebelt that washed ashore. Digging Deeper In an eerie coincidence, like the RMS Titanic of 1912, the Hans Hedtoft was considered extremely safe, with a double hull, armored bow for ice breaking, and 7 watertight compartments.  Designed for service on the Denmark-Greenland run, she was built for hard duty in dangerous seas.  She…

A Brief History On January 29, 1963, the first class of inductees to the new Pro Football Hall of Fame was announced, 17 players and executives that helped make professional football a reality. Digging Deeper Located in Canton, Ohio (because this is the birthplace of what became the NFL), the Pro Football Hall of Fame is independent of the National Football League, though it maintains a close association.  Originally a paltry 2 rooms, the building now has 5 rooms and over 82,000 square feet.  The Hall has a gift shop, research library, and of course a theater where you can…

A Brief History On January 28, 1915, an Act of Congress created the United States Coast Guard out of the combination of The Revenue Cutter Service and the US Life-Saving Service.  This new branch of the military was placed under the Treasury Department, to be used by the Department of Defense in time of war.  Today, this law enforcing and life saving maritime force is under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security, and can be transferred to the Department of the Navy as seen necessary by the President. Digging Deeper Roots of the Coast Guard go all the…

A Brief History On January 27, 1973, about 11 hours before the cease fire marking the official end of American involvement in the Vietnam War, Colonel William Nolde, US Army, age 43, was killed by artillery fire at An Loc, South Vietnam.  Nolde thus became the last official US combat casualty of that war, and a footnote in history. Digging Deeper William Nolde was more than an historical footnote, however, a real life person and patriot, a husband, and a decorated soldier (veteran of the Korean War as well as Vietnam War), and had worked as a college professor at…