Author: James Wesley Rawles

On October 17, 1814:  The London Beer Flood: A burst vat at Meux & Company Brewery floods city streets with over 300,000 gallons of porter ale, killing eight, with a possible ninth death from alcohol poisoning — October 17, 1967: USAF test pilot William “Pete” Knight set a record, reaching an altitude of 102,100 feet (31.1 km) in the experimental X-15 spaceplane. — Today’s feature article is a guest post by A.C. of the Stakeholder Prepping Podcast. Since he is a SurvivalBlog advertiser, this article is not eligible for our writing contest. — We need entries for Round 121 of …

On October 16, 1846, dentist William T. G. Morton demonstrated the effectiveness of inhaled ether as a surgical anesthetic. — October 16, 1923: John Harwood patented the self-winding watch in Switzerland. — Mark your calendar for December 29, 2025 to pre-order your 20th Anniversary Edition SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks. – JWR — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), …

On October 15, 1764, Edward Gibbon observed a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome. This inspired him to begin work on writing The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. — Herbert W. McBride, the author of A Rifleman Went To War, was born in Waterloo, Indiana October 15, 1873. He died in Indianapolis of a heart attack on March 17, 1933, shortly after finishing writing A Rifleman Went To War. — On October 15, 1529, Ottoman armies under Suleiman ended their siege of Vienna and turned back to Belgrade. — …

October 14, 1834: In Philadelphia, Whigs and Democrats staged a gun, stone, and brick battle for control of a Moyamensing Township election, resulting in one death, several injuries, and the burning of a block of buildings. — On October 14,1899, Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill departed to South Africa, toting a Broomhandle Mauser pistol. His goal was to report on the Second Boer War. He was later taken prisoner of war, but escaped. He recounted his exploits in an autobiography titled My Early Life. — The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 14, 1962, bringing the United States and the …

On October 13, 1775, the Whirlpool Galaxy was discovered by French astronomer Charles Messier. — Margaret Thatcher was born on October 13, 1925. She was the UK’s first female Prime Minister. She died in 2013. — On October 13, 1972, A flight chartered by a Uruguayan rugby team crashed in the Andes Mountains of Argentina, and the wreckage was not located for more than two months; the incident garnered international attention, especially after it was revealed that the survivors had resorted to cannibalism.