Author: James Wesley Rawles

On May 22, 334 BC, the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great defeated Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. — The War of the Roses began on May 22, 1455. From History.com’s description: “In the opening battle of England’s War of the Roses, the Yorkists defeat King Henry VI’s Lancastrian forces at St. Albans, 20 miles northwest of London. Many Lancastrian nobles perished, including Edmund Beaufort, the Duke of Somerset, and the king was forced to submit to the rule of his cousin, Richard of York. The dynastic struggle between the House of York, whose badge …

On May 21, 1871, French regular troops began their attack on the Commune de Paris — an attempted French revolutionary government that seized power and barricaded streets in Paris from 18 March to 28 May, 1871. By July 28th, 17,000 had died. — On May 21, 32, after flying for 17 hours from Newfoundland, Amelia Earhart landed near Londonderry, Northern Ireland, becoming the first transatlantic solo flight by a woman. — Today is the birthday of English poet Alexander Pope.  (Born May 21, 1688, died May 30, 1744.) In addition to his own poetical works and essays, he translated the …

Today, some sad news of the passing of a famed fighter ace: Bud Anderson, the last World War II ‘triple ace,’ dies at 102. — On May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off on the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight. He departed from Long Island in the United States and arrived in Paris, France at 22:22 on the next day. — On May 20, 1862, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which provided 160 acres of public land virtually free of charge to those who had lived on and cultivated the land for at least five years. — …

On May 19, 1935, British archaeological scholar, military strategist, and author T.E. Lawrence, whose life inspired the epic film Lawrence of Arabia (1962), died at age 46 following a motorcycle accident. On May 19, 1643 Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut and New Harbor form the United Colonies of New England. On May 19, 1796, the first game law was approved in the United States. The law created penalties for hunting or destroying game within Indian Territory. Modern American fish and game laws make “living off the land” nearly impossible, outside of Alaska. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry …

On May 18, 1980, the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state triggered the largest landslide in history, killing 57 people and causing over $1 billion in damage. — May 18th, 1825 was the birthday of Daniel Baird Wesson, of Smith and Wesson fame. — Unless a preliminary injunction is issued in the pending Texas v. ATF case, the ATF’s grossly-expanded redefinition of “Engaged in the Business” will go into effect on Monday, May 20th.  I strongly recommend that my readers be very cautious about making any sales of post-1898 guns or receivers without an FFL. Intrastate private party …