Category: Note

This Week in History: On June 16, 1779 US General Anthony Wayne (pictured) captured Stony Point, New York, inflicting heavy losses on the British. — June, 1462: Vlad III the Impaler (the inspiration for “Dracula”) attempted to assassinate Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in a night attack at Târgoviște. But the failure of that attack forced him to retreat from Wallachia. — And in 1873: US President Ulysses Grant declared a portion of Wallowa Valley, Oregon are a reservation for the Nez Perce Native American tribe. But the order was rescinded two years later and the tribe was forcibly re-located to …

On June 9, 1628: The first deportation from what is now the United States: Thomas Morton was deported from Massachusetts. For the local Puritans, Morton’s behavior was just too much. He was a drunken womanizer who constructed a May Pole, organized orgies, and sold guns to Indians. — And on June 9, 1772: The first naval attack of Revolutionary War took place in Providence, Rhode Island. — A reminder: SurvivalBlog is now a weekly web blog, delivered Fresh Every Tuesday. — Today’s feature article is the conclusion of a guest piece by long-time SurvivalBlog reader “Tunnel Rabbit”, who makes his …

SurvivaBlog Now Comes Fresh Every Tuesday Today we are commencing our weekly posting schedule, with posts on Tuesdays. After more than 20 years of daily posts I was feeling exhausted. But with this new editorial pace, I’m feeling re-energized and confident that I have another 20 years ahead of me. To recap the changes: Starting today SurvivalBlog will be posted on Tuesdays, and perhaps the occasional Thursday, if the Tuesday posts get too crowded. So, you can expect to see SurvivalBlog “Fresh Every Tuesday.” (An homage the late, great Ol’ Remus.) We discontinued the SurvivalBlog Writing Contest. Round 124 was the …

June 1, 1676: The Battle of Öland: Allied Danish-Dutch forces defeated the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea during the Scanian War (1675–79). The painting above is Claus Møinichen’s “Slaget ved Øland”, on display at the Danish War Museum. — June 1, 1880: The US census reached 50,155,783. — And on June 1, 1861, the US and Confederacy simultaneously stopped their mail interchange. — A reminder that we will be switching SurvivalBlog to weekly postings, tomorrow. Thenceforth, you can look for SurvivalBlog “Fresh Every Tuesday.” — Just one day left! The big sale on all of our blackpowder rifles, all of …

May 31, 1930 was the birthday of actor/director/producer Clint Eastwood.  Happy 96th birthday! — On the 31st of May 1970, an earthquake off the coast of Peru caused a substantial section of the north slope of Mt. Huascaran to collapse. The avalanche moved downhill at a speed estimated at 175 to 210 mph. with a mass of roughly 80 million cubic meters of ice, mud, and rock. The avalanche traveled nearly 11 miles, burying the towns of Yungay and Ranrahirca in up to 300 feet of rock and debris. It is estimated that this earthquake and avalanche killed more than …

On May 30, 1626, an explosion at the Wanggongchang Gunpowder Factory in Beijing destroyed part of the city and killed and estimated 20,000 people. Pictured above are ancient Chinese cannon, near the Forbidden City. — And on May 30, 1806, future US President Andrew Jackson killed Charles Dickinson in a duel after Dickinson accused Jackson’s wife of bigamy. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This is the final round of the contest. There will not be a “Round 125”! — Take Note: Our editorial calendar is now filled …

On May 29, 1648, King Charles I of England attempted to escape captivity at Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight, for the second time, by hacksawing through a barred window but he was caught in the act. — On this day in 1780, the treatment of Patriot prisoners by British Colonel Banastre Tarleton and his Loyalist troops led to the coining of a phrase that defined British brutality for the rest of the War for Independence: “Tarleton’s Quarter.” Tarleton and his Torries proceeded to shoot any an all Patriots that had surrendered after the fall of Charleston. The Patriots lost 113 …

On May 28, 1588 King Philip II dispatched the Spanish Armada under the Duke of Medina-Sidonia from Lisbon, Portugal to invade England. When it left Lisbon, the fleet was composed of 141 ships, with 10,138 sailors and 19,315 soldiers. The fleet carried 1,500 brass guns and 1,000 iron guns. The armada was hampered by bad weather, and then was outmaneuvered by the 200-ship British navy in several decisive engagements. The remainder of the Armada was devastated by storms, disease, and starvation.  An analysis of the human cost of the campaign reveals that 25,696 men departed and just 13,399 returned. — …

On May 27, 1930 Richard G. Drew (pictured) invented cellophane tape. Five years earlier, he had also invented painter’s masking tape. — On May 27, 1941, the British Navy sank the German battleship Bismarck. — Also on this date, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney of Maryland issued Ex parte Merryman, challenging the authority of President Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. military to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This is the final round of the contest. There will not be …

On May 26, 1908, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Murdock and their children became the first family to travel across the United States by car, driving from Los Angeles to New York City in a Packard Thirty in 32 days, 5 hours, and 25 minutes. — Randall Hank Williams (Hank Williams, Jr.) was born May 26, 1949. When not touring, he lives Somewhere in Montana, so he qualifies as a Redoubter. He has a large gun collection that is heavy on Sharps rifles and rifles that have factory letters showing that they were originally shipped to Montana. He also has many …

On May 25, 1842, Christian Doppler presented his concept, now known as the Doppler Effect (through the changing colors of binary stars), to the Royal Bohemian Society, in Prague. — And on May 25, 1878: W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan‘s comic opera “H.M.S. Pinafore” premiered in London. It was their first international success. — Today, Memorial Day, is a day of solemn remembrance in the U.S. of the many who have given their all for our freedoms. We always thank those who are serving in our military and their families who have also made sacrifices, but today most of …

On May 24, 1764, Samuel Adams wrote instructions for the Boston Town Meeting opposing the Sugar Act. This laid the groundwork for colonial resistance to taxation without representation. — May 24, 1962: US astronaut Scott Carpenter aboard Aurora 7 (Mercury-Atlas 7) orbits the Earth three times in a flight just under five hours. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This is the final round of the contest. There will not be a “Round 125”! The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. …

On May 23, 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was created out of the American, British and French occupation zones. Pictured above is East German steam locomotive 03 2155-4 in the West Germany city of Cologne. (A public domain photo by wwwuppertal, taken in 2013.) — May 23 is the birthday of George Lars Kellgren (born 1943 in Borås, Sweden), the founder and chief engineer of Kel-Tec. He designed many firearms earlier for Husqvarna and Swedish Interdynamics AB in Sweden. He moved to the US in 1979 and his original US designs were for Intratec and Grendel brand …

On May 22, 334 BC, the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great defeated the army of Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. — May 22, 1807: Former US Vice President Aaron Burr is tried for treason in Richmond, Virginia. He was acquitted. — And on May 22, 1842, farmers Lester Howe and Henry Wetsel discovered Howe Caverns in New York state when they stumbled upon a large gaping hole in the ground. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This is the final round of …

On May 21, 1840 Captain William Hobson proclaimed British sovereignty over New Zealand; the North Island by treaty and the South Island by discovery. Pictured above are the Humboldt Mountains of South Island. — May 21st is the birthday of weapons designer John Douglas Pedersen. (Born 1881, died 1951.) His name is almost synonymous with the short-lived Pedersen Device — a conversion kit that turned a Model 1903 Springfield bolt action rifle into a semi-automatic “trench broom.” — Take Note: Our editorial calendar is now filled for May. Any articles received will be considered guest articles and not eligible as …