Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 24, 2026

On April 24, 1913, the Woolworth Building was opened in New York City by Frank Winfield Woolworth. It was completed at a cost of $13.5 million. At 792 feet, it was then the world’s tallest building. It is pictured above (at center) in 1965. — April 24, 1944: The first Boeing B-29 arrived in China after flying “Over The Hump”. — And on April 24,1990 STS-31 was launched. It was the 35th mission of the US Space Shuttle program. It  carried the Hubble Space Telescope. — Today we present a short guest article by our friend Hub Moolman, of South …


Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. The public domain photo above of drought-cracked clay soil was taken by Bert Kaufman. Economics & Investing Links of Interest UBS Warns Drought Shock Unfolding Across Breadbasket Of America World Silver Survey, 2026 Aluminum Market Descends Into Supply ‘Black Hole’ Are Credit Card Numbers Going Away? War turns sulphur market toxic in acid supply shock. Uranium Supply Crunch Worsens Amid Kazakhstan’s Plan For Strategic Reserve. Andurand’s “Hedge” Fund Lost 52% In First Two Weeks Of April On …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 23, 2026

On April 23, 1014, the army of King Brian Boru of Ireland defeated Viking forces at the Battle of Clontarf, freeing Ireland from Viking control. (The imaginative painting above was rendered by Hugh Frazer, 1826.) — And on this day in 1940, a dance hall fire killed 198 people in Natchez, Mississippi. — Today’s feature article is by  SurvivalBlog staff writer Tom Christianson. — We are seeking entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, new advances in UGVs. US Army’s Unmanned Hunter Wolf UGV in Field Tests Over at Modernity: US Army Trials Unmanned Hunter Wolf Robot With Gun, Radar In Combat …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“As to the history of the revolution, my ideas may be peculiar perhaps singular. What do we mean by the revolution? The war? That was no part of the revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was effected from 1760 to 1775, in the course of fifteen years, before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington.” – John Adams, from a letter to Thomas Jefferson, August 24th, 1815


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 22, 2026

On April 22, 1056 Supernova Crab (the Crab Nebula) was last seen by the naked eye. Pictured is a mosaic image assembled from Hubble Space Telescope imagery.  Now, nearly a thousand years later, the supenova remnant is still a spectacular sight for astronomers. — At noon, on April 22, 1889, by Federal decree, white settlers were allowed into Indian Territory, sparking a land rush involving tens of thousands in what became Oklahoma Territory. — We are running a two-week-long sale on all of our pre-1899 antique shotguns at Elk Creek Company, with deep discounts. This sale will end on Monday, …


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. — Automatic Draft Registration Set to Begin in December. (Pictured above is peacetime draft registration in the United States, in 1940.) o  o  o Winter storm warning issued as 5 feet of snow, freezing temperatures barrel toward western US highways. o  o  o Blog reader C.B. sent us this: Suspects convicted for insurance fraud …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“European thinkers have long criticized America for remaining trapped in a Lockeian world with its weak decentralized government and strong individual rights. They say our 18th-Century declaration has prevented us from progressing to higher forms of government. But we were fortunate not to trade our Lockeian bonds for the supposedly enlightened world of Hegel, Marx, and their followers. Fascism, which after all was national socialism, triggered wars in Europe and Asia that killed tens of millions. The socialism of the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China proceeded to kill more tens millions of their own people. This is …


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 21, 2026

On April 21, 1864 the U.S. Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1864, which led to the “In God We Trust” wording on U.S. coins. The phrase was eventually added to all of our country’s currency. — And on April 21, 1961: USAF Major Robert M. White took the X-15-2 to the edge of space with a record-breaking flight to an altitude of 107,700 feet and a speed of 3,603 miles per hour. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A …


SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media 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. Today’s feature photo is a public domain image of Trout Lake at Yellowstone National Park, taken by “Always Shooting”. It was taken in 2014. The thumbnail image below is click-expandable:       Redoubt News Links Thermopolis Safari Club’s Big Game Trophy Collection To Hit Auction Block. Reported on April 10th: Giant Green Fireball Explodes Over Northeastern Wyoming on Wednesday Night. K2 News: Witness A Wild Wyoming Showdown …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 20, 2026

On April 20th, 1653 Oliver Cromwell and 40 musketeers forcibly dissolved the English Rump Parliament, after it failed to establish a caretaker government. In Cromwell’s words “You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately … In the name of God, go!” — April 20, 2010: An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months, creating the worst known offshore oil spill. — April 20th is also the day that we remember …


Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Super Simple Traditional Skillet Asparagus is from SurvivalBlog reader Ellen H. This requires a large cast-iron skillet with lid. Ingredients Asparagus (1 to 6 servings’ worth) Butter Salt (to taste) Pepper (to taste) Directions Warm a large cast Iron skillet over medium heat. Add enough butter to coat the bottom of the pan. When the butter foam subsides, add the asparagus and shake the skillet to coat the asparagus spears. Cover and cook, shaking occasionally, until the spears are bright green but still crisp, about 3 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the asparagus is tender …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: Normalized product of inverse of Cost of Living and Human Development Index (HDI) based on 2026 Cost of Living data. JWR’s Comments:  Note that the Human Development Index has been criticized for a Scandi-centric view of health, wealth, and happiness. The HDI’s 0-to-1 ratings essentially assume that present-day Scandinavia is the penultimate in civilizational aspirations. I, for one, can imagine something a lot better than multi-generational welfare dependence. Also note that the current prosperity of Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany has partly been artificially propelled by the cash generated by drilling North Sea oil. The …