On My 18, 1804, Napoléon Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of France by the French Senate.
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May 18th, 1825 was the birthday of Daniel Baird Wesson (of Smith and Wesson fame).
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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.
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Take note that we will be switching to weekly postings, on June 2nd. Thenceforth, you can look for SurvivalBlog “Fresh Every Tuesday.”
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The last day! We have been running a two-week-long sale in all of our percussion revolvers at Elk Creek Company, with deep discounts. This sale will end at midnight Pacific Time tonight — Monday, May 18th, 2026. Please note that there are cartridge conversion cylinders 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 otherwise restrictive “Blue” states. (Be sure to consult your state and local laws before ordering.) If you want to pay in pre-1965 silver coinage, we are now accepting it at 60 times face value!
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We are pleased to welcome our newest advertiser, SignalNomad.net. Their very long range Wi-Fi HaLow Field Unit extenders are perfect for rural retreats and ranches that are served with Starlink; particularly places that are outside of cellular coverage, or with just a weak signal. Their system can be powered by a standard USB-C power bank, or hard-wired into a 12-volt DC or 120 volt AC power system. This system was developed for preppers, by a prepper.
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Today’s feature article is a product review by our Field Gear Editor, Tom Christianson.