Author: James Wesley Rawles

On July 12, 1679, Britain’s King Charles II ratified the Habeas Corpus Act, allowing prisoners’ right to a court review of the justification for their imprisonment. — July 12, 1865: George Washington Carver, the African-American scientist whose numerous discoveries helped to improve agriculture in the South, was born. He died on Jan. 5, 1943. — And on July 12, 1948, the first jets flew across the Atlantic. This was a flight of six RAF de Havilland Vampires. — Today’s short but important guest article was written by our friend Hubert Moolman, of South Africa. — We still need entries for …

On July 11, 1863, US military held its first draft lottery in New York City. Exemptions were offered at a cost of $300. This was a fee that only the wealthy could afford. ($300 in 1863 Dollars is worth $7,654 today.) Draft riots soon followed. — July 11th was 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. — On July 11, 1897, Salomon August Andrée and crew left Spitsbergen in northern Norway by …

101 years ago, today: On July 10, 1924, Denmark took sovereignty control of Greenland as Norway ended its claim. (Public domain photo by Markus Trienke.) JWR’s Comment:  I wonder which nation will control Greenland in 2034, and in 2124… — July 10th is also the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. He 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 catastrophies”. Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories …

July 8, 1386: Battle at Sempach: Swiss militia pikemen defeated the troops of Duke Leopold III of Austria. — On July 9th, 1755: The Battle of the Wilderness (also known as the Battle of The Monongahela) was fought. — On July 9, 1776, the US Declaration of Independence was read to George Washington’s assembled troops in New York. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 119 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, …

On July 8, 1741, Theologian Jonathan Edwards preached perhaps the most famous of all American sermons, titled: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. It was preached at Enfield, Connecticut, during The Great Awakening — July 8, 1816: Frost reported in Waltham, Massachusetts during a “year without a summer”. This was attributed to a massive volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in the previous year. Something similar had happened in 1709, with even longer-lasting economic effects. But the cause of the Great Frost of 1709 has not yet been firmly established. — Today marks the birth of actor Kevin Bacon …