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…

A Brief History On January 26, 1945, the heroic tale of America’s bravest soldier (according to me) reached its zenith when Audie Murphy performed the incredible feats of military courage and effectiveness that earned him the Medal of Honor. Digging Deeper Already the recipient of virtually every single US Army medal for valor that could be earned, Murphy had returned to combat in January 1945 after recuperating from a previous wound.  Leading a platoon and then a company of infantry against a larger force of German soldiers in the Colmar Pocket battle area of France, Murphy was wounded in both…

A Brief History On January 25, 2016, we published an article about The Blood of Pope John Paul II Stolen for Satanic Ritual.  As much out of the mainstream Christian and Catholic faith such idiocy may seem to be, there is an even goofier series of incidents involving body parts and gifts to popes. Digging Deeper Specifically, the coronation of Charlemagne, King of the Franks, as the first Holy Roman Emperor on December 25, 800 by Pope Leo III was a momentous occasion in History and in the history of the Catholic Church.  Charlemagne saw fit to bestow a most…