Category: Note

On January 20, 1954, a low of -70°F was measured at Rogers Pass, Montana. This still stands as the record low temperature in the contiguous United States. — 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 as President, the same day. I have a feeling that Hamas may soon be releasing its Israeli hostages, for a quite similar reason.  – JWR — The new 2005-2024 SurvivalBlog waterproof archive sticks are selling out rapidly. There are now less than …

On January 19, 1883, the first electric lighting system employing overhead wires built by Thomas Edison, began service at Roselle, New Jersey. — January 19, 1915: Four people in Norfolk were killed in the first German Zeppelin air raid attack on the United Kingdom. — Today is the birthday of 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. This book was recently re-released in a 40th Anniversary edition.  Emery’s book is featured prominently in JWR’s Bookshelf Page. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present …

On January 18, 1258 the Mongol army of 150,000, led by Hulagu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, arrived at the walls of Baghdad. Following a 12-day siege, the city fell on February 13th. It was recorded that the majority of the city’s one million residents were massacred in less than two days. — January 18, 1923: The first radio telegraph message from the Netherlands was received successfully in the Dutch East Indies. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The …

On January 17, 1746: In the Battle of Falkirk Muir, the Jacobites under Charles Stuart defeated Hanoverian forces. — Acting for Hawaiian sugar interests and their American allies, a committee led by Sanford Ballard Dole deposed Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani on January 17, 1893 and installed a provisional government with Dole as president. — On this day in 1994 the 6.7 magnitude Northridge Earthquake struck Los Angeles. It caused about $20 billion in damage and killed 61 people. — Today is the last day to take advantage of the introductory sale price for the new two-volume Red State Relocation Guidebook. It …

On this day in 27 BC, the title Augustus was bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. — The Persian Gulf War, triggered by Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait in August 1990, began on this day in 1991 with a U.S.-led air offensive against Iraq that continued until a cease-fire was declared on February 28, 1991. — The Space Shuttle Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16th, 2003. STS-107 would explode on re-entry 15 days later, killing all seven of the crew members on board. SurvivalBlog salutes all seven crewmembers: Commander Rick Husband, Pilot …

On January 15, 588 BC the army of Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah’s reign. The siege lasted until July 23, 586 BC. — January 15, 1782: Robert Morris, Superintendent of Finance, recommended to the U.S. Congress the establishment of decimal coinage and a national mint. — Today is also the anniversary of the famed 2009 “Miracle On The Hudson” engines-out emergency water landing. — Sales of the new 2005-2024 SurvivalBlog waterproof archive sticks have been very brisk. One reader ordered 10 of them! For a full list of the included bonus books, see my post …

On January 11, 1129, formal approval was given to the organization of the Order of Templars (aka The Knights Templar) at the Council of Troyes. — On January 14th, 1784, the Continental Congress ratified the Second Treaty of Paris, ending the War for Independence. In the document, which was known as the Second Treaty of Paris because the Treaty of Paris was also the name of the agreement that had ended the Seven Years’ War in 1763, Britain officially agreed to recognize the independence of its 13 former colonies as the new United States of America. — Jonathan Rawles (JWR’s …

January 13, 1742:  During the Anglo-Spanish War, the HMS Tyger ran aground on a coral reef near Garden Key, Florida. The wreck was rediscovered 1993, and was firmly identified in 2024. — On January 13, 1842, Dr. William Brydon, a surgeon in the British Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, became famous for (reputedly) being the sole survivor of an army of 16,500 men when he reached the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad. — On this day in 1912, a state record low temperature of  -40°F (also -40°C), was observed in Oakland, Maryland. — This is also the birthday …

The Brazilian city Belem (the entrance gate to the Amazon River) was founded by Captain Major Francisco Branco on January 12, 1616. The photo of Belem above is courtesy of The Drinking Traveler. — John Hancock was born on January 12, 1737. He was the first and certainly the most prominent signer of the Declaration of Independence. — The British-Zulu War began on January 12, 1879.  British troops, under Lieutenant General Frederic Augustus, invaded Zululand from the southern African republic of Natal. — Today is the birthday of Edmund Burke. (Born 1729, died 9 July 1797.) — Reader M.B. mentioned …

Today is the birthday of the late Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby, who was born in 1918. He was the most decorated hero of the Norwegian resistance under the German occupation. Sønsteby was the leader of “The Oslo Gang” sabotage and assassination team that was directed by the Norwegian government in exile. They were trained and equipped by the British SOE. He died on May 10, 2012.  Sønsteby’s autobiography, titled Report From #24 is fascinating reading.  It was the basis of Nr. 24 — a fairly historically correct movie that was released in 2024. — Today is birthday of big game …

On January 10, 49 BC, Julius Caesar defied the Roman Senate and crossed the Rubicon, uttering “alea iacta est” (the die is cast), signaling the start of civil war and his appointment as Roman dictator for life. — January 10, 1776: The “Common Sense” pamphlet by Thomas Paine was first published, advocating American independence. — January 10, 1920: Following the inflationary  First World War, silver reached a record $1.37 an ounce on the open market. — A Special Note From JWR: Please pray for everyone in the path of the Southern California wildfires! It was not just millionaire movie stars …

  On January 9, 1855, the clipper ship “Guiding Star” disappeared in the Atlantic, with the loss of 480 lives. — January 6, 1880: It was reported that six feet of snow had fallen in Seattle, in five days. — And on January 6, 1936, the U.S. Army adopted the M1 semiauto rifle, designed by John Garand as its new standard-issue weapon. — Today’s feature article is a guest post by one of my consulting clients. It is not eligible for the writing contest judging. – JWR We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. …

On January 8, 1656, the longest-running commercial newspaper, “Weeckelycke Courante van Europa“, now known as “Haarlems Dagblad“, still in printed circulation first began publication in Haarlem, Netherlands. — January 8,1835: The US national debt was reduced to zero for the first and only time in history. — Today’s feature article is a guest post by one of my consulting clients. It is not eligible for the writing contest judging. – JWR We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In …

January 7, 1785: The first balloon flight across the English Channel, by Jean Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries. — January 7,1927: Commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London. — Today is the birthday of Senator Rand Paul, born 1963. — This is also the birthday of Cresson Kearny (born 1914, died December 18, 2003.) — Today’s feature article is a guest post by one of my consulting clients. It is not eligible for the writing contest judging. – JWR We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth …

On January  6, 1893, the Great Northern Railway connected Seattle with the east coast for the first time.  Passenger service began in June, 1893. Four railroads were merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad Company in March, 1970: Great Northern Railway Northern Pacific Railway Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway — In response to those who have written to ask:  Yes, there will indeed be a new waterproof USB stick archive that includes all of the 2005 to 2024 of SurvivalBlog posts. There will be 11 more bonus books added to the already huge list. We’ll probably …