Author: James Wesley Rawles

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution on June 14th, 1777, stating that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” The national flag, which became known as the “Stars and Stripes,” was based on the “Grand Union” flag– a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white stripes. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …

On July 13, 1832, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft identified the source of the Mississippi River as Lake Itasca in Minnesota. — On this day in 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance structuring settlement of the Northwest Territory and creating a policy for the addition of new states to the nation. The members of Congress knew that if their new confederation were to survive intact, it had to resolve the states’ competing claims to western territory. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: …

On July 12, 1979, between games of a baseball doubleheader involving the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers at Comiskey Park, disco records were blown up as part of a promotion dubbed Disco Demolition Night. Fans subsequently rushed the field, and, as a result of the ensuing mayhem, the second game was forfeited to the Tigers. (Photo by Fred Jewell, Associated Press.) — On July 12, 1543, King Henry VIII of England wed his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …

July 11th is the birthday of John Quincy Adams. He was born in 1767 and died in 1848. Not to be confused with his father John Adams, the younger Adams also served as a diplomat, congressman, and as president. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This …

July 10th is the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. (His full name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, but Harris shortened that to just “John Wyndham” for his pen name.) He we was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922-2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called “cozy catastrophes”. Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film, with varying degrees of success. One of the best of these was a …