Preparedness Notes for Saturday — November 29, 2025
Following several national debt defaults (in 1557, 1575, and 1596), on November 29, 1596, King Philip II of Spain ordered the devaluation of the country’s silver coinage. This included the famed Spanish Ocho Reales de Plata (“Pieces of Eight”) silver coin. By the 1630s, most coin mintings had 20 to 30% less silver than previously required. This debasement, combined with their sovereign debt, eventually led to the decline of the Spanish empire. — On November 29, 1890, the first US Army – US Navy football game was played, at West Point. The score: Navy 24, Army 0. — Today is …