May 31, 1930 was the birthday of actor/director/producer Clint Eastwood.
One hundred years ago today, on May 31, 1921, the Tulsa Race Riot destroyed a 35-square block section of the city nicknamed “Black Wall Street.” At least 75 people were killed — mostly black. Some were shot and some died in structure fires. The initial shootout that precipitated the chaos took the lives of 10 whites and two blacks. The riots that followed were more lopsided in the other direction. There were even firebombings and shootings from the cockpits of private planes. The incident left a stain on the history of Tulsa, largely because some Tulsa police officers were complicit and/or took part in the retaliatory murders.
On 31 May 1970, an earthquake off the coast of Peru caused a substantial section of the north slope of Mt. Huascaran to collapse. The avalanche moved downhill at a speed estimated at 175 to 210 mph, with a mass of roughly 80 million cubic meters of ice, mud, and rock. The avalanche traveled nearly 11 miles, burying the towns of Yungay and Ranrahirca in up to 300 feet of rock and debris. It is estimated that this earthquake and avalanche killed more than 67,000 Peruvians. It is the deadliest avalanche in recorded history.
May 31st, 1895 was the birthday of George R. Stewart. Prior to his death on August 22, 1980, he was a novelist, university professor, and toponymist. In the preparedness community, he is best remembered as the author of the classic post-pandemic novel Earth Abides.
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I’m pleased to report that a hardback edition of my novel Patriots is again available following a lapse of more than a year. This new edition from Ulysses Press features a sturdy four-color printed cover, rather than a traditional printed dustjacket. If you want to order a few copies for gifts, then please order yours through Books-a-Million. (We are doing our best to Starve The Amazon beast.) Thanks! – JWR
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Today we present a review written by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.