  Statistical arguments show that the volume- and time-averaged kinetic power
of GRBs and fireball transients (FTs) into an L* galaxy like the Milky Way is
at the level of 10^40 ergs/s. This number, though with wide uncertainties
related to the internal or external shock efficiency, is sufficient to power
hadronic cosmic rays observed locally. The release of energy by the high-mass
progenitor stars of GRBs and FTs is sufficient to power the ultrahigh energy
cosmic rays, as already shown by Waxman and Vietri in 1995. It is sufficient to
power the cosmic rays above the knee of the cosmic-ray spectrum. Indeed, all
hadronic cosmic rays could originate from the high-mass (>~ 100 M_o) stars that
collapse to black holes, in the process forming GRBs and FTs. This source class
represents a new solution to the problem of cosmic-ray origin. The ~10^4 - 10^7
black holes made by these stars could make their presence known by radiating as
they accrete from the ISM, by microlensing background radiations, and by
forming luminous binary systems. Some unidentified EGRET sources could be
isolated black holes that accrete from the ISM. Better imaging and sensitivity
with GLAST and TeV observatories will test this model for the unidentified
gamma-ray sources, and this theory for cosmic-ray origin.
