Year: 2025

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Once its biggest self-celebration, May Day now signals Mayday for global communism. Just a half century ago, it seemed irrepressible, now communism is just reprehensible, with the relevance of a renaissance festival. Ironically, it is the Left who most want to forget… before the lesson behind communism’s demise can be more broadly applied. In the 1960s, the whole world seemed to be going communist. It held half of Europe, much of Africa, almost all of Asia, and seemingly the entire world’s intelligentsia. Only “benighted” pockets held out. Fifty years later, the situation has reversed – now communism is closeted away. …


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 30, 2025

On April 30, 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States of America at Federal Hall in New York City. On April 30, 1897, English physicist J.J. Thomson announced that he had discovered the electron, which helped revolutionize the knowledge of atomic structure; he was later awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. April 30, 1777 was the birthday of Carl Friedrich Gauss, who is widely considered the world’s greatest mathematician. Camerone Day is celebrated on April 30th every year — the Foreign Legion’s most important holiday. Today is the birthday of sci-fi novelist Larry Niven …


How The Stock Market Signals a Major Silver Rally, by Hubert Moolman

The most significant Dow peaks in the last 100 years were in 1929, 1966, 1973, and 1999. The 1929 peak was a nominal major peak as well as a major peak as measured in terms of gold (Dow/Gold ratio peak). The 1966 and 1999 peaks were major Dow/Gold (D/G) peaks, whereas the 1973 peak was a major nominal peak. There has always been an interesting relationship between these peaks and silver rallies. After all of these peaks of the Dow there were significant silver rallies that followed. Below, is a long-term chart for sold and the Dow:    


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — No more large power banks! Travelers Hit with New TSA Ban as Agency Forbids Common Item in Checked Luggage.  JWR’s Comments and Clarifications: The writer neglected to mention some key details. According to the TSA website, In carry-on bags only: “Lithium metal (non-rechargeable) batteries are limited to 2 grams of lithium per …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 29, 2025

On April 29, 1769, Scottish engineer James Watt‘s patent for a steam engine with a separate condenser was enrolled. (Patent 913.) — April 29, 1852:  The first edition of Peter Roget‘s Thesaurus was published in Great Britain. — On April 29, 1903, a limestone slide at Turtle Mountain dropped 30 million cubic metres (82 million tons) onto the town of Frank, Alberta, Canada, killing 70-90 residents. — And on April 29, 1905, two inches of rain fell in just 10 minutes in Taylor, Texas. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction …


The Least Invasive Real ID, by St. Funogas

With the Real ID requirements finally going into effect as of May 7th, a US passport card is the best option for those interested in maintaining as much privacy as possible. A passport card offers more flexibility and maintains your privacy to a higher degree than a driver’s license. For those who consider their home address at the top of their privacy list, nothing beats a passport card. I’m no expert in this field but I’m basing this article on my own personal experiences and testimonies of friends. The reader is strongly advised to do their own research before applying …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, a revised eruption risk assessment for the Yellowstone Caldera.  (See the Wyoming  section.) Idaho First glow-in-the-dark flower made commercially available to the public. o  o  o Lori Vallow Daybell reacts to guilty verdict in her first Arizona trial. (She received multiple life sentences, in July, …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 28, 2025

On April 28, 1937, the first trans-Pacific flight by a commercial passenger airliner was completed when Pan American Airways’ Martin M-130, China Clipper, arrived at Hong Kong. The flight had departed San Francisco Bay, California, on the 21st of April with seven revenue passengers and then proceeded across the Pacific Ocean by way of Hawaii, Midway Island, Wake Island, Guam, Manila, Macau, and finally Hong Kong. — April 28, 1965: US Marines invaded the Dominican Republic. They stayed until October 1966. — Today’s feature is by SurvivalBlog staff writer Tom Christianson. — We need more entries for Round 118 of …


American Hat Company Range Hat, by Thomas Christianson

A range hat is designed to allow over-the-head, earmuff-style hearing-protection to be worn comfortably over the hat. It accomplishes this by forgoing two features that are common to most baseball caps. Those features are a fabric-covered button (squatchee) on the crown of the hat and the hatmaker’s buckram reinforcement of the front two panels of the hat. Without the squatchee and the buckram, a ranger hat is better able to conform to the shape of the wearer’s head under the muffs. The American Hat Company version of the range hat is made of lightweight, ripstop cotton with a comfortable sweatband …


Recipe of the Week: Super Easy Trail Mix

The following recipe for a fairly healthy Super Easy Trail Mix is from SurvivalBlog reader T.W..  She recommends: “I suggest you buy most of the ingredients in bulk, to cut down on the cost of the mix.” Ingredients 1 c. of your preferred low-salt nut(s), mixed (I like almonds and pecans) 1 to  1-/12 c. of chocolate chips, M&Ms, or Reese’s Pieces candy (can be omitted if you are on a diet) 1 c. of Animal Crackers (or other small crackers) and/or small pretzels. (I like cheese-flavored ones) 1 c. of your preferred dry breakfast cereal or low-moisture granola/museli. 1 …



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I enjoyed, rather than what I wanted :  and this gave me sometimes such secret comforts, that I cannot express them ; and which I take notice of here, to put those discontented people in mind of it, who cannot enjoy comfortably what God has given them, because they see and covet something that he has not given them. All our discontents about what we want appeared to me to spring from the want of thankfulness for what …


Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 27, 2025

The Battle of Carbisdale was fought on April 27, 1650: The Royalist army under Marquess of Montrose invaded mainland Scotland from Orkney Island. They were defeated by a Covenanter army. — On April 27, 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act. — And on April 27, 1805, US Marines attacked the shores of Tripoli. — Today’s feature article was too short for inclusion in the judging in the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.  More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 118 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail …