Preparedness Notes for Thursday — January 15, 2026

On January 15, 1907, the first 3-element vacuum tube was patented by American inventor Lee DeForest. — This is the anniversary of the 2009 “Miracle On The Hudson” engines-out emergency water landing. — Today is the birthday of Dr. Edward Teller who co-invented the H-bomb and worked on the Manhattan Project. — Today’s guest article was written by a gentleman who has expressed an interest in advertising in SurvivalBlog, so it will not be part of the writing contest judging. — We need a few more entries for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $978,000 worth of …


Preparedness Lessons From Communist Mongolia – Part 1, by G.K.

We lived in Mongolia in the early 1990s, for a few years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, during a time when the system had officially ended but its habits had not yet loosened their grip on daily life. I was in my early thirties, married, with two young daughters, trying to build a life far from anything familiar. We were not passing through, and we were not insulated expatriates. We were attempting to function inside the local economy, under local conditions, with consequences that were immediate and personal. At the time, I did not think of what we …


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: mutated bird flu viruses. Bird Flu Mutations Cause Concern Reader B.T. sent us this, from The New York Times: Bird Flu Viruses Raise Mounting Concerns Among Scientists. The article …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 14, 2026

On January 14, 1799. American inventor Eli Whitney received a government contract for 10,000 muskets. While his competitors largely produced guns with hand-fitted parts, Whitney became famous as an innovator with his designs that featured interchangeable parts. — And on January 14, 1873: “Celluloid” was registered as a trademark by its inventor John Wesley Hyatt. — I just heard that cartoonist Scott Adams passed away. Rest in Peace. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. …


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.  Pictured above is an old stereo view of the frosted beards of some Klondike miners. — Mike in Alaska wrote: “In the time since December 20th, 2025 and this morning we have had consistent temperatures at or below -35 degrees; in addition we have had 23” of snowfall, and our snow will not …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 13, 2026

On January 13, 1404, The Act of Multipliers was passed by the English Parliament, forbidding alchemists to use their knowledge to create precious metals. (It was feared that if any alchemist should succeed, it would bring ruin upon the state.) — January 13, 1733: British officer James Oglethorpe and 130 English colonists arrived at Charleston, South Carolina — And January 13, 2023, China reported 60,000 COVID-19-related deaths in just over a month, while another report estimates 900 million people have been infected, 64% of the country’s population. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of …


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. Recent Redoubt Links Congrats to gun trainers Clint & Heidi Smith, who are opening a new shooting school at the Cody Shooting complex, near Cody, Wyoming. Video: 15 Wyoming Freedoms That Would Be Illegal Almost Everywhere Else. JWR’s Comment:  Interesting… It appears that they sped up the video by 10% or more, to match the short attention spans of some contemporary viewers. Breakthrough: Idaho Lab Produces World’s First Molten …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 12, 2026

On January 12, 1528, Gustav Vasa, Gustav I of Sweden was crowned King of Sweden. He ruled for 37 years, and became known as the “father of the nation.” His coronation started a succession of 23 monarchs with many of them known as “Gustav/Gustaf”. Their current king, Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus, was born on April 30, 1946. He ascended the throne on September 15, 1973. Carl XVI Gustaf is the seventh king of the House of Bernadotte. He is the longest-reigning king in Swedish history. — And on January 12, 1913, after using other pseudonyms over the years, Josef Dzhugashvili …


Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Rich Amish Cornbread is from SurvivalBlog reader Tractoguy.  He says: “I love the taste of cornbread, but don’t eat much of it because it is usually so heavy. This is the lightest, fluffiest cornbread that I have ever had, probably because of the sour cream in it.” Ingredients 1/2 cup wheat flour 1/2 cup cornmeal 1 egg 2 Tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 stick) Directions Combine ingredients, mixing briefly. Pour the batter into a greased 7-inch square baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week 

Today’s graphic: A map showing recent U.S. Internal Migration — The Geography of Choice. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Note that majority of the states that are gaining population are conservative “Red” states.  Preppers moving to the American Redoubt, Texas, The Ozarks, and to the Cumberland Plateau undoubtedly were a contributing factor in these population shifts. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       — Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.