Category: Note

On June 8th, 1779, Admiral Horatio Nelson and Captain Thomas Hardy onboard  HMS Foudroyant set sail against the Spanish fleet. — On June 8th, 1776, Canadian Governor Sir Guy Carleton defeated American Patriot forces under John Sullivan. After taking heavy losses and the loss of General Richard Montgomery at Quebec, the Patriots were pursued by Governor Carleton. Halfway between Quebec and Montreal, at the Trois-Rivieres, the Patriots turned to fight. The Redcoats and German mercenaries killed 25, wounded 140, and captured 236, but Carleton allowed the rest of the 2,500-man force to complete their retreat. This battle changed the priorities …

June 7th, 1099: The First Crusaders arrived in Jerusalem. — On June 7th, 1663: In the Hudson Valley, the Munsee and Esopus bands of the Delaware Indian tribe made a surprise attack on the Dutch settlement of Wiltwijck (later re-named Kingston, New York). They killed 25 settlers and took 45 more, as hostages. — June 7th, 1776: Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed to the Continental Congress a resolution calling for a Declaration of Independence. — June 7th, 1967 was the day of Jerusalem’s redemption from foreign governments in the Six Day War, placing it back under Israeli sovereign control …

D-Day was 81 years ago, today. I was born in 1960, just 16 years after D-Day.  I grew up living near a lot of World War 2 veterans. I hunted with some of them up until the 1990s.  It causes some cognitive dissonance to consider that today, the youngest veterans of that invasion, assuming that they were then 19 years old, would now be 100 years old! – JWR — Today is the birthday of American gun designer Hugo Borchardt. (June 6, 1844 – May 8, 1924). He was born in Germany. He is best known as the designer of …

On June 5, 1284, Charles of Salerno was captured by Roger of Lauria during a naval battle in the Gulf of Naples. This was part of the Sicilian Vespers uprising, a.k.a. the War of the Vespers. (The outbreak of that war is depicted above.) — June 5, 1827: Turks captured the Acropolis and took Athens during the Greek War of Independence. — June 5, 1851: Harriet Beecher Stowe published the first installment of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in The National Era. She was the sister of firebrand abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher. — I noticed a couple of interesting Idaho listings now …

Today is the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, in 1989. — Today is the anniversary of the June 4, 2004, Granby, Colorado armored bulldozer incident, where Marvin Heemeyer knocked down several buildings in the town. A documentary titled Tread details what happened that day, and the events leading to the rampage. Though often called the “Killdozer” incident, the only one who died that day was Marvin Heemeyer, from a self-inflicted gunshot. — A Reminder: We are running a two-week-long sale on all of the pre-1899 Mauser rifles in our inventory at Elk Creek Company.  There is no paperwork required …

On June 3, 1781, Jack Jouett (pictured, in a later imagining) rode to warn Thomas Jefferson of an impending British attack. — June 3rd can also be considered the “birthday” of the U.S. Army. (It was established by Congress on June 3rd, 1784.) — A fan of SurvivalBlog is one of the organizers of a real estate raffle for a 32-acre parcel of waterfront land in northwest Montana that looks quite retreat-worthy.  I generally shy away from raffles and any sort of games of chance.  But because this raffle will benefit a good cause (an animal shelter in that part …

Please keep the pressure on your state’s two U.S. Senators, starting today (the Senate recess just ended) with at least two phone calls and an e-mail each week, insisting that they vote in favor of both the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) and the SHORT Act, as part of the Continuing Resolution budget bill.  Please phone the Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121. Also, remind both your Senator and Elizabeth MacDonough (the unelected Senate Parliamentarian) that The Byrd Rule (limiting Continuing Resolution amendments to only budget-related and tax-related bills) DOES NOT apply. This is because the previously expected $1.7 Billion in suppressor registrations …

On June 1st, 1936 the “Lux Radio Theater” moved from New York City to Hollywood. — June 1st, 1947: The Office of Price Administration (OPA), which had issued U.S. wartime rationing coupons, was disbanded. Rationing continued in England until 1954. — Today’s feature article is a guest post by our friend and long-time SurvivaBlog article contributor Hub Moolman, of South Africa. — We are now seeking entries for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 119 ends on July 31st, so get busy …

On May 31, 1669, Samuel Pepys recorded the last entry in his famous diary. He cited poor eyesight as the reason for ending his entries. — May 31, 1930, was the birthday of actor/director/producer Clint Eastwood. At age 95, he has developed some strong opinions. — On 31 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 …

May 30th was America’s original Memorial Day. By proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, the first major Memorial Day observance was held on May 30th, 1868 to honor those who died “in defense of their country” Known to some as “Decoration Day,” mourners honored the Civil War dead by decorating their graves with flowers. On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery. — And on …

On May 29th, 1765, Patrick Henry gave his historic speech against the Stamp Act. He answered a cry of “Treason!” with, “If this be treason, make the most of it!” — May 29, 1953: Edmund Hillary (of New Zealand) and Tenzing Norgay (of Nepal) became the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest as part of a British Expedition — Blatten, flattened: 90% of Swiss village covered by landslide after glacier collapse, says official. (Video.) JWR’s Comment:  Please pray for the residents of the village, and their relatives. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the first entry …

On May 28, 1937, the famed Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was opened to vehicular traffic. JWR’s Comments: Originally, the toll was 50 cents each way, or $1 for a round trip, with a 5-cent surcharge for any car with more than three passengers. The bridge toll is now $10 for automobiles, or $9.75 with a FastTrak transponder, for automated billing. Assuming 260 working days in a calendar year, that would equate to a bridge toll expense of $2,535  per year, for a Golden Gate Bridge commuter with a transponder!  By the way, additional incremental toll increases have already …

On May 27, 1813, American forces captured Fort George, Canada. — Today is the birthday of American author and abolitionist lecturer Julia Ward Howe, who was best known for writing Battle Hymn of the Republic. She was born in 1819 and died in 1910. — May 27, 1905: The Japanese fleet destroyed the Russian East Sea fleet in the Battle of Tsushima. This was the only decisive clash between modern steel battleships in history. — I just heard some sad news: ‘Duck Dynasty’ founding father Phil Robertson dies at 79. May he rest in peace. Our condolences to his family. …

On May 26, 1538, Geneva expelled John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin then lived in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years. — Today is the 35th wedding anniversary of Don and Patrice Lewis. Patrice is Editrix of the excellent Rural Revolution blog. — Today’s feature piece is a review penned by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson. — We are in need of entries for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 118 ends on May 31st, so …

On May 25th, 1720, the ship “Le Grand St. Antoine” reached Marseille, France, bringing Europe’s last major plague outbreak. The Plague of Marseille killed around 100,000 people. — May 25, 1787: The Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia with George Washington presiding. The task of the peaceful overthrow of the new American government as it had been defined by the Articles of Confederation eventually led to the United States Constitution that is so abused today. — May 25th, 2012: A SpaceX Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to dock at the International Space Station. — Today’s feature article is an essay …