Category: Note

On July 16, 1936, the first automatic parking meter in the United States was installed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. o  o  o July 16th is the anniversary of the first successful atomic bomb test in Alamogordo, New Mexico in 1945. o o o And July 16th is the anniversary of the death of Hugh John McCall, in Rhodesia, in 1979. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of …

July 15, 1410: The Battle of Grunwald (a.k.a. First Battle of Tannenburg and Battle of Žalgiris) was fought. It was one of Medieval Europe’s largest battles during Poland-Lithuanian Teutonic War. Polish King Władysław Jagiełło and Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas defeated Teutonic Ulrich von Junginge. — On July 15th, 1888, the Bandai Volcano erupted on the Japanese island of Honshu killing hundreds and burying many nearby villages in ash. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course …

July 14 1962:  The borehole for the 7.2-mile long Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy was finished.  The tunnel was opened to traffic in July, 1965. Pictured is the French side of the tunnel. — July 14, 1850: The first public demonstration of ice made via refrigeration was made by Florida physician John Gorrie. — July 14, 1864: Gold was discovered in Helena, Montana. — A silver bull breakout! Spot silver jumped 3.67% in one day, to close at $38.67 per Troy ounce on Friday. (July 11, 2025.) It was up again this morning (after Asian trading) to $38.90 …

On July  13, 1832, the source of Mississippi River was discovered by American geographer Henry Schoolcraft. — On July 13th, 1772 Captain James Cook began his second voyage to the South Seas aboard HMS Resolution to search for Terra Australis (a Southern continent). — And 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 …

On July 12, 1679, Britain’s King Charles II ratified the Habeas Corpus Act, allowing prisoners’ right to a court review of the justification for their imprisonment. — July 12, 1865: George Washington Carver, the African-American scientist whose numerous discoveries helped to improve agriculture in the South, was born. He died on Jan. 5, 1943. — And on July 12, 1948, the first jets flew across the Atlantic. This was a flight of six RAF de Havilland Vampires. — Today’s short but important guest article was written by our friend Hubert Moolman, of South Africa. — We still need entries for …

On July 11, 1863, US military held its first draft lottery in New York City. Exemptions were offered at a cost of $300. This was a fee that only the wealthy could afford. ($300 in 1863 Dollars is worth $7,654 today.) Draft riots soon followed. — July 11th was the birthday of John Quincy Adams. He was born in 1767 and died in 1848. Not to be confused with his father (John Adams) the younger Adams also served as a diplomat, congressman, and as president. — On July 11, 1897, Salomon August Andrée and crew left Spitsbergen in northern Norway by …

101 years ago, today: On July 10, 1924, Denmark took sovereignty control of Greenland as Norway ended its claim. (Public domain photo by Markus Trienke.) JWR’s Comment:  I wonder which nation will control Greenland in 2034, and in 2124… — July 10th is also the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. He was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922-2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called “cozy catastrophies”. Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories …

July 8, 1386: Battle at Sempach: Swiss militia pikemen defeated the troops of Duke Leopold III of Austria. — On July 9th, 1755: The Battle of the Wilderness (also known as the Battle of The Monongahela) was fought. — On July 9, 1776, the US Declaration of Independence was read to George Washington’s assembled troops in New York. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, …

On July 8, 1741, Theologian Jonathan Edwards preached perhaps the most famous of all American sermons, titled: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. It was preached at Enfield, Connecticut, during The Great Awakening — July 8, 1816: Frost reported in Waltham, Massachusetts during a “year without a summer”. This was attributed to a massive volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in the previous year. Something similar had happened in 1709, with even longer-lasting economic effects. But the cause of the Great Frost of 1709 has not yet been firmly established. — Today marks the birth of actor Kevin Bacon …

On July 7, 1908, the U.S Navy’s Great White Fleet departed San Francisco Bay.  The U.S. Atlantic Fleet then visited Honolulu, Hawaii; Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney, Melbourne, and Albany, Australia; Manila, Philippine Islands; Yokohama, Japan; Colombo, Ceylon. The ships arrived at Suez, Egypt, on January 3, 1909. — July 7, 1905: A high temperature of 127°F (53°C) was recorded in Parker, Arizona. This was a state record that held until 1994. — July 7th, 1907 was the birthday of science fiction novelist Robert A. Heinlein. He passed away on May 8, 1988, at age 80. — Please keep praying for …

On July 6, 1415, following his trial (pictured), Bohemian proto-reformer Jan Hus was burned at the stake in Constance, Germany.  The later Hussite revolution, led by Jan Ziska, used Hus’s name as a rallying cry. — On July 6, 1699, pirate Captain William Kidd was captured in Boston. — On July 6, 1917, Arab forces led T. E. Lawrence captured the port of Aqaba from the Turks. This was later dramatized in the movie Lawrence of Arabia. — And July 6th is also the anniversary of the 1994 Storm King Mountain wildfire that took the lives of 14 firefighters. — …

On July 5, 1601, the siege of Ostend began when a Spanish force under Archduke Albert VII of Austria, with 12,000 men and 50 siege guns, laid siege to a small garrison of fewer than 2,000 Dutch at the strategically important fortress of Ostend, Flanders. — And on July 5, 1891, an intense hailstorm killed 16 horses near Rapid City, South Dakota. — Please pray for all of those affected by the floods in Texas! — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First …

Happy Independence Day! Today, Americans go through the motions of celebrating the remnants of our once preciously cherished liberty. Please don’t refer to it as just: “The Fourth of July.”  Give it meaning, and do your best to help restore our freedom and rein in the size and power of the state and Federal governments. – JWR — Independence Day is also the birthday of Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) and of General Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807–1882) — Today’s feature article is by SurvivalBlog’s founder and Senior Editor, James Wesley, Rawles (JWR). — We are in need of entries for Round 119 of …

On July 3, 1250, Louis IX of France was captured by Baibars’ Mamluk army at the Battle of Fariskur while he was in Egypt conducting the Seventh Crusade. He later has to ransom himself. — On July 3, 1890, the Idaho Territory became the 43rd state in the Union. — The “Big Beautiful” Budget Reconciliation Bill failed several key votes in the House of Representatives yesterday and last night. That means that the bill is now being reopened to amendments!  So, Rep. Clyde’s amendment may be offered again, with the SHORT Act removing SBRs and SBSes from the NFA, as …

After a stab in the back to gun owners by the RINOs of the U.S. Senate, the Budget Reconciliation Bill is now back in the House of Representatives. Please repeatedly contact your U.S. congressmember by phone and e-mail and demand that they vote for Rep. Andrew Clyde’s new (July 1st) House Amendment restoring the full versions of the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act to the bill. We are now within inches of getting this important legislation passed. It will only take about five more House member votes to get this passed!!!  Please phone the Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121. …