Category: Note

On July 26, 1803, the horse-drawn Surrey Iron Railway (SIR), arguably the world’s first public railway, opened in south London. — On July 26th, 1931, a swarm of grasshoppers descended on crops throughout the American heartland, devastating millions of acres. Already in a bad drought, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota suffered tremendously. The swarms were said to be so thick that they blocked out the sun and one could shovel the grasshoppers with a scoop. While America has not seen infestations on such a scale since then, North Africa and parts of the Middle East continue to experience them. — …

On July  25, 1850, Gold was discovered in Oregon, on the Rogue River. — On this day in 1797, Horatio Nelson lost more than 300 men and his right arm during the failed conquest attempt of Tenerife (Spain). — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can …

On July 24th, 1704, English and Dutch troops occupied Gibraltar. — The late Jerry Ahern passed away on this day, July 24th, 2012. His survivalist novels created an entire genre. — On July 24th, 1567, Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate. Her 1-year-old son became King James VI of Scots. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could …

On July 23, 1745 Charles Edward Stuart, “the Young Pretender” or Bonnie Prince Charlie, landed at Eriskay Island, Hebrides beginning the final Jacobite Rebellion. — On July 23, 1777 Polish military leader Casimir Pulaski arrived in Marblehead, Massachusetts, to volunteer in the Continental Army cavalry. — Also on July 23, 1777: King Louis XVI of France and his Foreign Minister clandestinely agreed to supply the United States with munitions in its war of secession from England. — On July 23, 1944 Battle of Kursk (“Koersk”) ended. This massive tank battle in the USSR was a defeat for the Nazis, with …

On July 22, 1893, the poet Katharine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics to “America the Beautiful”.  Inspired by the scenery of Colorado, Bates wrote the words as a poem, originally titled “Pikes Peak“. It was first published in the Fourth of July 1895 edition of the church periodical, The Congregationalist. At that time, the poem was titled “America”.   The music was earlier composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never met. The combination of Ward’s melody and Bates’s poem was first entitled “America the Beautiful” in 1910.  The …

On July  21, 1853, Central Park in New York created when the New York State Legislature set aside more than 750 acres of land on Manhattan Island. — July 21st is also the birthday of Ernest Hemingway. He was born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. He committed suicide on July 2, 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho, after being diagnosed with haemochromatosis, and after electroshock treatments failed to lift him from chronic alcoholic depression. He lived a sad life but was a great writer. — We are in need of a few more entries for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction …

On July 20th, 1969, At 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, spoke these words to more than a billion people listening at home: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Stepping off the lunar landing module Eagle, Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. — Today is the birthday of novelist Cormac McCarthy (born, 1933.) He is the author of the survivalist novel The Road, which later became a popular movie with the same title. — On July 20, 1793, Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie …

On July 19, 1843, the steamship SS Great Britain was launched, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was the first ocean-going craft to feature an iron hull and a screw propeller. At the time, it was the largest vessel afloat in the world. — July 19th is coincidentally the birthday of handgun designers Samuel Colt (born 1814) and Gaston Glock. (Glock was born in 1929 and passed away in December, 2023.) — I just got some sad news: Lou Dobbs has passed away. My condolences to his family. — We are in need of entries to round out Round 113 …

On July 18, 1572, the Provincial States of Holland recognized William I of Orange as Stadtholder of Holland, Friesland, and Utrecht at a gathering in Dordrecht — July 18th, 1954 was the birthdate of Ricky Skaggs, an American country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and banjo. — Toiday’s feature article is a guest post by Hubert Moolman, selected by JWR.  It is reposted with permission. — We are in need of entries for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes …

On July 17, 1603, English explorer Walter Raleigh was arrested by forces of King James I of England. He was executed in 1618. — July 17th, 1889 was the birthdate of Erle Stanley Gardner. He was an American lawyer and author. Though best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories, he wrote numerous other novels and shorter pieces, as well as a series of nonfiction books, mostly narrations of his travels through Baja California and other regions in Mexico. The best-selling American author of the 20th century at the time of his death, Gardner also published under numerous …

On July 16, 1790, Congress declared the city of Washington in the District of Columbia, the permanent capitol of the United States. — July 16th is also the anniversary of the first successful atomic bomb test near Alamogordo, New Mexico in 1945. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day …

July 15, 1410:  The Battle of Grunwald (First Battle of Tannenburg, Battle of Žalgiris), one of Medieval Europe’s largest battles during the Poland-Lithuanian Teutonic War. Polish King Władysław Jagiełło and Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas defeated the Teutonic Ulrich von Jungingen. The painting of the battle (above) was rendered by Jan Matejko. — On July 15, 1799, the Rosetta Stone was found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon‘s Egyptian Campaign. — Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

July 14 1789: Bastille Day – the French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris. It is now celebrated as France’s national day. — On July 14, 1609, The Darien scheme began with five ships, bearing about 1,200 people, departing Leith for the Isthmus of Panama — July 14th is the birthday of Colonel Einar A. Malmstrom. He was born in 1907 and died August 21, 1954 near Great Falls, Montana, in the crash of a T-33 jet. He was a decorated Air Force pilot, a Luft Stalag POW survivor, and test pilot. Malmstrom AFB was …

On July 13th,1772 Captain James Cook began his second voyage to the South Seas aboard HMS Resolution to search for Terra Australis (Southern continent) — On this day in 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance structuring settlement of the Northwest Territory and creating a policy for the addition of new states to the nation. The Northwest Ordinance established the first organized US territory, set requirements for statehood – guaranteeing equal status with the original 13 states, outlawed slavery in the new lands, and protected civil liberties. The members of Congress knew that if their new confederation were to survive intact, …

On July 12, 1191, during the Third Crusade, the city of Acre (modern-day Akko, Israel) surrendered to English King Richard I the Lionheart and the Crusaders after a siege of nearly two years. Pictured is one of Akko’s “Crusader” tunnels. — Today is the last day!!!  Because of a change in direction at Trident Media Group (my partner publisher) my novel Land Of Promise is going out of print in trade paperback. The last day of the sale (and of Amazon Print on Demand ordering capability) will be today, Friday, July 12, 2024. Thereafter, it may only be available as …