Preparedness Notes — September 22, 2026

This Week in History:
  • On September 21, 1893, Frank Duryea drove the first American-made gasoline-propelled vehicle.
  • September 22, 1499: Switzerland became an independent state.
  • September 22, 1656: An all-female jury heard the case of Judith Catchpole, accused of killing her child, and acquitted her in Patuxent County, Maryland.
  • September 23, 1779: John Paul Jones aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard defeated the British frigate HMS Serepis and soon became the United States’ first well-known naval hero.
  • September 24, 1869: The “Black Friday” panic on Wall Street after investors Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market.

I just heard of the passing of the Brazilian jazz and samba legend Hermeto Pascoal, at age 89. Feliz retorno para casa. I’ll see you there, someday, irmão.

Sale Ends Tonight!   The special sale on all of my pre-1899 antique Swiss rifles at Elk Creek Company ends  at Midnight tonight, Eastern Time. Take a look, for some great prices. BTW, I have a small supply of scarce factory boxes of  .41 Swiss Rimfire cartridges exclusively available for the buyers of any of our Swiss Vetterli rifles. E-mail me for details. – JWR