Month: May 2025

On May 20, 1736: Royal Approval was given by King George II to construct the original Westminster Bridge across the River Thames, in London. The 1747 painting above (titled “Westminster Bridge, with the Lord Mayor’s Procession on the Thames“) was by the Venetian artist Giovanni Antonio Canal (aka Canaletto.) — May 20, 1774: The British parliament passed the second of the Intolerable Acts: the Massachusetts Government Act. This gave the British-appointed governor wide-ranging powers. — May 20th, 1942  was the birthday of Carlos Hathcock (died February 23, 1999). He was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a …

Tom Christianson sent this important update: Smithsonian posted this report: Sun Launches Its Strongest Solar Flare of the Year So Far, Causing Radio Blackouts Around the World. (The May 18, 2025 photo above is courtesy of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. NASA / SDO.) — On May 19th, 1515, George, Duke of Saxony sold Friesland for 100,000 gold guilders to Charles of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy. He was later named Emperor Charles V. — On May 19, 1796, the first game law was approved in the United States. The law created penalties for hunting or destroying game within Indian Territory. It …

May 18, 1291: After 100 years of Crusader control, the last Crusader stronghold of Acre (now known as Akko, Israel) was reconquered and destroyed by the Mamluks under Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil. — May 18th, 1825 was the birthday of Daniel Baird Wesson, of Smith and Wesson fame. — On May 18th, 1980, Mount St. Helens in Washington erupted, causing a massive avalanche and killing 57 people. Ash from the volcanic eruption fell as far away as Minnesota. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round …

On May  17, 1756, Britain declared war on France. This was later known as the Seven Years’ War or the French & Indian War. — On this day in 1769, George Washington launched a legislative salvo at Great Britain’s fiscal and judicial attempts to maintain its control over the American colonies. He brought a package of non-importation resolutions, drafted by George Mason, before the Virginia House of Burgesses. This initiated a chain of events that led to Britain’s House of Lords demanding that men involved in the extra-legal Massachusetts convention of towns be tried in England. Britain’s plan backfired and …