August 29, 708: Copper coins were minted in Japan for the first time. (By the traditional Japanese calendar: August 10, 708.) Pictured are some later Edo Period Japanese copper coins.
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August 29, 1708: A raid in Haverhill, Massachusetts by French, Algonquin, and Abenaki forces killed or captured 40 residents.
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August 29, 1831: Michael Faraday [1] demonstrated the first electric transformer.
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August 29, 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run in Virginia began. The same day marked the founding of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest
Today we present another entry for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest [2]. The prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
- A Gunsite Academy [3]Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course [4] (a $1,095 value),
- A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” [5] 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 [6] (a $350 value),
- American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) [7] is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses [8]. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course [9].
- HSM Ammunition [10] in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
- Preparedness author Jennifer Rader [11] is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the
Second Prize:
- A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training [12], that has a combined retail value of $679
- A $269 retail value survival-ready power package from Solar Power Lifestyle [13]. This includes two Solar Power Lifestyle 25W Portable Solar Panels [14], plus a $150 gift card to use for any purchase at solarpowerlifestyle.com [15].
- Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord [16] (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com [17] (a $287 value).
- A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company [18], 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 [19] (a $305 value),
- Two sets of [20]The Civil Defense Manual, [21] (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
- A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC [22] 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 [18], toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.
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More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 120 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail [23] 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 [24]. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.