On February 5, 1644, the first American livestock branding law was passed, by Connecticut.
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February 5, 1953: Sweets rationing imposed in WWII ended in Britain.
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Today is the birthday of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (5 February, 1840 – 24 November, 1916). He was an American [1]–British [2] inventor [3] best known as the creator of the first automatic [4] machine gun [5], the Maxim gun [6]. Maxim held patents [7] on numerous mechanical devices such as hair-curling irons [8], a mousetrap [9], and steam pumps [10]. Maxim also claimed to have invented the lightbulb [11]. He was the father of Hiram Percy Maxim [12], who founded the ARRL.
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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest
Today we present another entry for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest [13]. The prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
- The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon [14]. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
- A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course [15] (a $1,095 value),
- A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” [16] variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
- American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) [17] is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses [18]. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course [19].
- HSM Ammunition [20] in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
Second Prize:
- A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
- Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord [21] (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
- A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com [22].
- Two sets of [23]The Civil Defense Manual, [24] (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
- A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company [25], toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!
Third Prize:
- A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters [26] (a $305 value),
- 3Vgear.com [27] is providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus Bag [28], a Posse EDC Sling Pack [29], and a Velox II Tactical Backpack [30]. This prize package has a $289 retail value.
- A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC [31] that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
- A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company [25], toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.
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More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 117 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail [32] us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics [33]. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.