Category: Note

On May 14, 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to draft the Constitution of the United States. — May 14th, 1686 was the birthday of Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, who invented the thermometer. — We are running a two-week-long sale in all of our percussion revolvers at Elk Creek Company, with deep discounts. This sale will end on Monday, May 18th, 2026. Please note that there are cartridge conversion cylinders available for many of these guns — particularly the Ruger Old Army revolvers and the Pietta and Uberti brand clones of the Remington Model 1858. This provides a great opportunity to acquire un-papered …

On May 13, 1916 the Lafayette Escadrille, a volunteer American air force unit under French command saw its first combat at the Battle of Verdun. — May 13, 1958: The trade mark “Velcro” was registered. — 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. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value). American Gunsmithing Institute …

On May 12, 1215, English barons served an ultimatum on King John. This eventually led to the creation and signing of the Magna Carta. –– May 12, 1942: A German U-boat sank a American cargo ship at the mouth of the Mississippi River. In 1942 and 1943, German submarines sank 56 ships in the Gulf region and damaged another 14. To prevent panic, the U.S. Office of Censorship limited press coverage of the sinkings. — 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. …

On May 11, 1910, Glacier National Park was established. — In the second week May of 1921 a solar storm began, dubbed The Great Geomagnetic Storm of May 1921. — Starting June 2nd, we will be switching to a weekly posting format for SurvivalBlog, with most posts on Tuesdays. — There are just 20 days left in THE FINAL ROUND of the SurvivalBlog Writing Contest. This is your last chance to get your entry in and win a prize.  After Round 124 ends, we will only be posting staff-written articles and guest articles from readers.  

On May 10, 1775, the Green Mountain Boys captured Fort Ticonderoga, New York. The Green Mountain Boys were led by Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold. They surprised and captured the fort’s small British garrison. The cannons and other armaments captured at Fort Ticonderoga were later transported to Boston by Colonel Henry Knox and used to fortify Dorchester Heights and break the standoff at the siege of Boston. — May 10, 1837: New York City banks failed and unemployment reached record levels. (The Panic of 1837.) — And on May 10, 1971 US special delivery rates were increased from 45 …

On May 9, 1754, the first newspaper cartoon was published in America. It depicted a divided snake with the words “Join or Die” by Benjamin Franklin. It was published in The Pennsylvania Gazette. — May 9, 1916: A wind-blown fire in Ellendale, North Dakota destroyed three blocks of businesses, a church, and 21 homes. — Today’s feature article is a guest post from our friend Brandon Smith, the editor of the Alt-Market.us blog, which we highly recommend bookmarking. – JWR — We still need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes …

On May 8, 1792, British Captain George Vancouver sighted and named Mount Rainier, Washington. — Also on May 8, 1792, Congress passed the second portion of the Militia Act, requiring that “…every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective States, resident therein, who is or shall be of age eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years be enrolled in the militia.” — Today is also the birthday of Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek. — The feature article today is a guest post from our friend Jennifer Rader — a name that  should be familiar to SurvivalBlog readers. We …

On May 7, 1697, Stockholm’s medieval royal castle was destroyed by fire. The Codex Gigas (pictured) — the world’s largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript) — survived by being thrown out a window. — May 7, 1867: Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel patented dynamite in England. This was the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive. — We are running a two-week-long sale in all of our percussion revolvers at Elk Creek Company, with deep discounts. This sale will end on Monday, May 18th, 2026. Please note that there are cartridge conversion cylinders available for many of these guns …

On May 6, 1837, US blacksmith John Deere made the first steel plough, in Grand Detour, Illinois. — May 6, 1851: Linus Yale Jr. patented the Yale cylinder lock. — You may already own a SIEGE Stove or a SIEGE Belt from SIEGE Survival. (One of our loyal advertisers.)  I just heard that they’ve added the excellent American-made Fire-Fast firestarters to their product line. (At the SIEGE website, click on “Ferro Rod Fire Steels”.) You can see one of these being tested after four days of submersion, in a YouTube video. Tom Christianson will soon be reviewing one of the jumbo-size …

On May 5,1865, the first US train robbery occured at North Bend, Ohio. — May 5, 1893: The Panic of 1893 caused a large crash on the New York Stock Exchange. — This is also the birthday of Pat Frank (1908-1964). This was the pen name of newspaper journalist Harry Hart Frank. His 1959 novel Alas, Babylon is a survivalist classic. His personal life was marred by alcoholism, but his writing is admired and still surprisingly popular. (Alas, Babylon is still in print, after 67 years!) As an homage to Pat Frank, one of the settings in my novel Expatriates …

On May 4, 1415, reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus were condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance. Pictured is Jan Hus at the Council of Constance, in an 1883 painting by Václav Brožík. Hus had traveled to Constance with the promise of safe passage by both Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund and the Pope. But after he arrived the Pope and the cardinals soon ordered him to be thrown into prison. On July 6, 1415, after a ghastly stay fettered in prison and two trials, he was offered either recanting or death, and he chose a martyr’s death. He …

On May 3, 1810, English poet Lord Byron swam across the dangerous Hellespont Strait in Turkey. (The modern day Dardanelles.) — May 3,1952:  The first airplane landed on the ice pack at the geographic North Pole. — And on May 3, 1999: A category F5 tornado hit parts of Oklahoma City and caused the record wind speed of about 301 mph (484 km/h). 45 people were killed, and 665 injured.  This was the highest tornado wind speed ever recorded. — Today’s feature article is a timely re-post from the SurvivalBlog archives.

On May 2, 1918, General Motors acquired the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.  This synergy helped propel GMC to be a serious rival to Ford. — May 2nd, 1803: The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France at a cost of four cents per acre for 828,000 square miles (2,144,520 square km), which soon proved to be a tremendous bargain. — Today’s feature article is a repost from the 2018 archives of SurvivalBlog. — We need more entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started …

On May 1, 1840 the “Penny Black” — the world’s first adhesive postage stamp was issued by the United Kingdom. It featured an image of Queen Victoria. — May 1, 1857: William Walker, conqueror of Nicaragua, surrendered to the U.S. Navy, in Rivas. — And on May 1, 1898 US Admiral George Dewey commanded: “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley” as the US routed the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay. — An encouraging news flash: House Appropriations 2027 Funding Bill Ends Suppressor, Short Barrel Rifle Registration. JWR’s Comment:  Be sure to contact both your U.S. congressman and your …

On April 30, 711, the Islamic conquest of Iberia began. Moorish troops led by Tariq ibn Ziyad (pictured) landed at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The Al-Andalus Umayyad Caliphate eventually supplanted the Visigothic Kingdom. — April 30, 1864: New York became the first state to charge a hunting license fee. — Today is the birthday of sci-fi novelist Larry Niven (born April 30, 1938). Along with Jerry Pournelle, he co-authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. — Today’s feature is a reader-written piece that was to short to qualify as an entry for Round 124 of the …