Author: James Wesley Rawles

October 24, 1836: The earliest American patent for a phosphorus friction match by Alonzo Dwight Phillips of Springfield, Massachusetts. Originally, these matches were made quite large — essentially a small torch. In England phosphorus matches were called “Congreves” after Sir William Congreve. But they went by the name loco foco in the United States. The Loco Focos became the name of a radical Democrat faction in the U.S. Congress. They earned that name because they brought some of the newly-invented loco foco matches with them to one of their meetings after hearing that their adversaries had plotted to disrupt the …

On October 23, 1819, the first ship sailed through the Erie Canal from Rome, New York to Utica, New York. — October 23, 1944 General Enver Hoxha became “interim” Prime Minister of Albania. He dictatorially retained leadership for 41 years, until his death in 1985. — Today, we also remember the 220 Marines, 18 U.S. Navy Sailors, and three U.S. Army Soldiers who died on this day in 1983 when terrorists attacked the Beruit Barracks. — Seed for Security, LLC has announced its Retirement Sale. Electronic orders will be accepted until November 30, 2024. Mail-in orders will accepted until November …

On October 22, 1575, the Mexican State of Aguascalientes (one of 32 Federal Entities of Mexico) was founded. The full name of the state is Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes. Literally, Aguascalientes means: “Hot waters”. JWR Adds:  My maternal grandfather Dewitt Creveling was born December 3, 1903, in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He was the son of an ex-pat American mining engineer.  He liked to say:  “I was born in hot water, and I’ve been in hot water all my life.” On October 22, 1934, infamous criminal Charles (“Pretty Boy”) Floyd was fatally shot in a field near East Liverpool, Ohio, …

October 21st, 1805: In one of the most decisive naval battles in history, a British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off the coast of Spain. At sea, Lord Nelson and the Royal Navy consistently thwarted Napoleon Bonaparte, who led France to preeminence on the European mainland. Nelson’s last and greatest victory against the French was the Battle of Trafalgar, which began after Nelson caught sight of a Franco-Spanish force of 33 ships. Preparing to engage the enemy force on October 21, Nelson divided his 27 ships into …

On October 20, 1906, Dr. Lee DeForest demonstrated his electrical vacuum tube. (Radio tube.) — October 20, 1803: U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase. — Today is the birthday of shootist Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) He was born in Nebraska, but was a long-time resident of Butte, Montana. His book Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting is fascinating reading. — October 20th is also the birthday of actor Viggo Mortensen (born 1958.) He lives somewhere in the American Redoubt. On his ranch is his horse-for-life “TJ”–one of the five paint horses used in the filming of the …