Author: James Wesley Rawles

On February 22, 1847,  U.S. General Zachary Taylor led troops against a Mexican force commanded by General Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista. February 22, 1857 was the birthday of Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist who was the first to broadcast and receive radio waves and helped to invent radar technology On this day in 1943, Sophie Scholl was executed by beheading for organizing the White Rose group–a student resistance to the Hitler regime. She had been convicted of high treason, after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich (LMU) with …

On February 21, 1947, Edwin Land (pictured) presented his Polaroid photo product, the world’s first instant photos, in New York City. On February 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first US President to visit China, normalizing relations between the countries in a meeting with Chinese leader Mao Zedong in Beijing. On February 21, 1995, American businessman and adventurer Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon. It was the first of his many aviation records. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …

On February 20, 1962, John H. Glenn, Jr., the oldest of seven astronauts selected by NASA for Project Mercury spaceflight training (and later a U.S. senator), became on this day in 1962 the first American to orbit Earth, doing so three times. — On February 20, 1902, Ansel Adams, the most important landscape photographer of the 20th century, was born in San Francisco. — Today is also the birthday of novelist and screenwriter Richard Matheson (1926–2013). He wrote many sci-fi television scripts. His novella I Am Legend later was adapted into three different movies over the course of five decades, …

On February 19, 1942, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. — Several readers mentioned this news: Most lethal sniper in Marine Corps history, Chuck Mawhinney, dead at 75. — On February 19, 1878, Thomas Edison patented the phonograph. — A reminder: SurvivalRealty.com is running a February Book Bundle Giveaway.  By signing up to receive his weekly e-newsletter, you’ll be entered to win this drawing for four great books. This special promotion ends at midnight, tonight, February 19, 2024. — Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog …

February 18, 1848 was the birthday of Louis Comfort Tiffany—an American designer internationally recognized as one of the greatest proponents of Art Nouveau, particularly in the art of glassmaking. February 18th, 1898 was the birthday of Enzo Ferrari, the car manufacturer who invented the Ferrari. Today is the birthday of astronaut Theodore Cordy “Ted” Freeman (February 18, 1930 – October 31, 1964.)  He was killed in a birdstrike flying accident, while flying a T-38 Talon jet trainer. He was the first casualty of NASA’s manned space program. — We need more entries for Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …