On May 4, 1415, reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus were condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance [1]. Pictured is Jan Hus at the Council of Constance, in an 1883 painting by Václav Brožík. Hus had traveled to Constance with the promise of safe passage by both Holy Roman Emperor [2] Sigismund [3] and the Pope. But after he arrived the Pope and the cardinals soon ordered him to be thrown into prison. On July 6, 1415, after a ghastly stay fettered in prison and two trials, he was offered either recanting or death, and he chose a martyr’s death. He was burned alive at the stake. This inspired the later Hussite Revolution in Bohemia, led by General Jan Žižka.
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May 4th is now informally known as “Star Wars Day”, because of a silly play on words: “May The Fourth Be With You.”
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May 4, 1943: A patent for helicopter controls was obtained by Igor Sikorsky. Sikorsky invented fixed-winged and multi-engined aircraft, transoceanic flying boats and helicopters.
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Today we are starting a two-week-long sale in all of our percussion revolvers at Elk Creek Company [4], with deep discounts. This sale will end on Monday, May 18th, 2026. Please note that there are cartridge conversion cylinders [5] available for many of these guns — particularly the Ruger Old Army revolvers and the Pietta and Uberti brand clones of the Remington Model 1858. This provides a great opportunity to acquire un-papered handguns in many “Blue” states. (Be sure to consult your state and local laws before ordering.)
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Today’s feature article is by our own Tom Christianson.
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We are in great need of entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest [6]. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail [7] 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 [8]. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.