Preparedness Notes for Friday — January 23, 2026

On January 23, 1643 the New Model Army led by Thomas Fairfax attacked the royalist garrison and captured Leeds for the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War. — January 23, 1812: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook New Madrid, Missouri. — Today is a the birthday of Larry Dean Olsen. (January 23, 1939 — December 26, 2018.)  He was born in Wendell, Idaho, on January 23, 1939, to parents Dean and Lola Olsen and he grew up in Jerome, Idaho. Larry was widely recognized as the father of modern primitive survival education. He was the author of the international bestseller “Outdoor …


Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. The thumbnail below is click-expandable. Economics & Investing Links of Interest As reported by the leftist Washington Post: How tech billionaires spurred an exodus from California. Spot silver broke out again to $94.77 per Troy ounce on Monday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, it was at $95.57. And just after Thursday’s Comex market close, it touched $99.64. This morning, it was $100.41, in Asian trading. That was another all-time high. Gold was at $4,968.70. (Another all-time high.) A …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — January 22, 2026

On January 22, 1506, the first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrived at the Vatican. — January 22, 1840: New Zealand Company settlers arrived aboard the Aurora at Te Whanganui a Tara, which became Port Nicholson, Wellington. — And on January 22, 1990, Robert Tappan Morris was convicted of releasing the 1988 Internet worm, or Morris worm, one of the oldest computer worms distributed via the Internet. — 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. This …


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, growing feral pig populations. Feral Pig Crop Damage: $1.6 Billion MarketIntel reports: Feral Hogs vs. Farmers: The Damage Price Tag. Here is an excerpt: “Feral hogs are a …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“They have plundered the world, stripping naked the land in their hunger . . . they are driven by greed, if their enemy be rich; by ambition, if poor.  …They ravage, they slaughter, they seize by false pretenses, and all of this they hail as the construction of empire. And when in their wake nothing remains but a desert, they call that peace.” – Tacitus, Roman senator and historian


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 21, 2026

On January 21, 1789, the first American novel, “The Power of Sympathy” by William Hill Brown was published by Isaiah Thomas. — January 21, 1974: The price of gold hit a record $161.31, and silver hit $3.97 per Troy ounce, in London. — A USB Archive Stick Update: At last count, we had just 62 of the standard waterproof 2005-2025 SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks still available to order. And all of the sticks in the limited edition keepsake tins sold out in the first two weeks of January. The mailings of both types should begin on Friday. They will be mailed …


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. — At Instructables: A Simple Trash Can Faraday Cage. o  o  o A useful article that was originally posted in 2016 and updated in 2024: Proper underground propane tank installation. o  o  o Why Does So Much of America Look the Same Now? (A hat tip to D.S.V. for the link.) o  o  …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 20, 2026

On January 20, 1801, John Marshall was appointed as the Supreme Court’s first  Chief Justice. — January 20, 1921: The Republic of Turkey was declared from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. — On January 20, 1981, 52 American hostages were released by the Iranian government, following 444 days of captivity, to be reunited with their families. Not coincidentally, Ronald Reagan was sworn in is President, the same day. — Today is also the birthday of Congressman Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …


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. I heard about a company that makes clever detachable magazine conversions for Ruger American rifles, as well as their own AK-family rifles and handguns: Occam Defense Solutions in Moscow, Idaho. Video: Pros and Cons of Living in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Former Spokane Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich announces bid for governor … in Wyoming. JWR’s Comments:  I consider Knezovich an absolute snake in the grass.  He clearly loathes both the …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 19, 2026

On January 19, 1937, Howard Hughes set a transcontinental flight record of 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds. — January 19, 1810: On “Cold Friday”, the temperature at Portsmouth, New Hampshire dropped from 54°F to minus 12°F in one day, and many people were reported frozen to death. — This is also the birthday of the late Carla Emery (born 1939, died October 11, 2005). She is well known in self-sufficiency circles as the author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living. — There were two large solar flares yesterday (Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026.)  One of them was a category …


Recipe of the Week: 

The following delicious recipe for Smothered Chicken is from The New Butterick Cook Book, copyright 1924, now in the public domain. That is just one of the dozens of bonus books included in the 2005-2025 20th Anniversary Edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick that is now available to order. Ingredients 2 small chickens or 1 large one 2 or more tablespoons butter Salt and Pepper Flour Directions Take off the neck and split the chicken down the back, wiping it with a damp towel. Season inside and out with salt and pepper, and dredge on all sides with …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: Countries from which the U.S. resident visa applications will be paused, starting January 21, 2026. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) News Link: Visa processing from 75 countries will be paused, citing the Donald Trump administration’s desire to “end the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people.” 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.