Category: Note

On April 25, 1719, novelist Daniel Defoe published “Robinson Crusoe”. It is regarded as the first English novel. — Today is the birthday of physicist, inventor, and entrepreneur Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937). He was known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission as well as for the development of Marconi’s law and a radio telegraph system. He is often considered the inventor of radio. —   SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are …

On April 24, 1459, Fra Mauro completed his Map of the World in Venice for King Alfonso V of Portugal – largest known world map from Medieval Europe and the first to show Africa as a free-standing continent. According to the InfoGalactic Wiki: “[Fra Mauro’s map] is “considered the greatest memorial of medieval cartography.” It is a circular planisphere drawn on parchment and set in a wooden frame that measures over two by two meters. Including Asia, the Indian Ocean, Africa, Europe, and the Atlantic, it is orientated with south at the top. The map is usually on display in …

Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 – 19 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, or by his initials J.M.W. Turner. From the Infogalactic Wiki: “He was an English Romantic painter, printmaker, and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings. He left behind more than 550 oil paintings, 2,000 watercolours, and 30,000 works on paper. He was championed by the leading English art critic John Ruskin from 1840, and is today regarded as having elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting. Turner was born in Maiden …

On April 22, 1864, the US Treasury began minting a 2-cent coin. This was the first appearance of the “In God We Trust” motto. — Today is the birthday of actor Eddie Albert (born Edward Albert Heimberger April 22, 1906.) He died May 26, 2005, at age 99.) For his actions in the battle of Tarawa, he was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device. — This is also the birthday of the late Charles Rankin Bond, Jr., who was born in Dallas on April 22, 1915. (Died, 2009.) He was one of the last of the AVG Flying Tiger …

April 21st, 1820: Danish scientist Hans Christian Ørsted was the first to identify electromagnetism, when he observed compass needle movement. — On April 21st, 1828, Noah Webster published the first American dictionary. — And April 21st is Aggie Muster, for all Texas A&M graduates. — Today’s feature piece is a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

On April 20, 1918, Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron, shot down his 79th and 80th victims, marking his final victories before his death on the following day. — April 20, 1920: Tornadoes killed 219 people in Alabama and Mississippi. — And on April 20,1993, Uranus passed Neptune, as it does once every 171 years. — Today’s feature article is a guest post by fellow blogger and American Redoubt resident Brandon Smith. It is reposted with permission. — We are seeking entries for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been …

April 19th is always the most heavily laden date of the year for our Top Notes. I do not believe that this is mere happenstance. Some events appear to have been orchestrated by folks with an obsession for numerology. April 19, 1506: The Massacre of the Jews:, in Lisbon. On April 19, 1591, the French city of Chartres surrendered to King Henry IV. Today is the original Patriot Day which marks the multiple anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”, on April 19, 1775. Note that due to corporate bureaucracy, the Patriot …

On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott rode from Charlestown to Lexington warning: “The regulars are coming!” — On April 18th, 1906, the San Francisco earthquake struck northern California, killing hundreds of people as it toppled numerous buildings and started fires that engulfed whole neighborhoods. The quake was so powerful that it knocked down chimneys in the Anderson Valley, 120 miles north of the city. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at …

Jan-de-Heem (Jan Davidszoon de Heem) was born April 17, 1606 in Utrecht.  From the InfoGalactic Wiki: “Jan-de-Heem was a stilllife painter who was active in Utrecht and Antwerp. He is a major representative of that genre in both Dutch and Flemish Baroque painting. De Heem was born in Utrecht as Johannes van Antwerpen. He studied first under his father David de Heem the Elder (1570–1631), then under Balthasar van der Ast. His ‘middle name’, Davidsz, is a patronym referring to his father’s name: In Dutch a name ending in -sz is like -son in English and Mac- in Scottish, meaning …

On April 16, 73 AD, the Masada fortress fell to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the Jewish Revolt.  From the InfoGalactic Wiki: “The siege of Masada was one of the final events in the First Jewish–Roman War, occurring from 72 to 73 CE on and around a hilltop in present-day Israel. The siege is known to history via a single source, Flavius Josephus, a Jewish rebel leader captured by the Romans, in whose service he became a historian. According to Josephus the long siege by the troops of the Roman Empire led to the mass suicide of …

The Battle of Rain was fought on April 15, 1632. Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus defeated Count Tilly of the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years’ War. — Today is guitarist Roy Clark‘s birthday. He was born April 15, 1933. — On April 15th, 1912, the “unsinkable” Titanic sank. 1,517 people lost their lives on that maiden voyage. As research into the incident has progressed over the last 100 years, it seems as if, one way or another, the ship was just going to sink. Impact with an iceberg, raging coal fires in the fuel supply, wrong turns, locked-up binoculars, …

On April 14, 1471, in the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Barnet was fought.  In this battle, Yorkists defeated the Lancastrians and killed the Earl of Warwick. — April 14, 1775: The first abolitionist society in US was organized in Philadelphia. — On this day in 1865, just after the effective end of the American Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a production at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and died the next morning. Also on April 14, 1865, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family were …

On April 13, 1520 Raphael‘s final influential masterpiece “The Transfiguration” was put on display just a week after the artist’s death. — April 13, 1743 was the birthday of Thomas Jefferson. (He died on July 4, 1826 just a few hours before the death of John Adams.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 118 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 $2000. …

April 12, 1893:  “Massacre of Hoornkrans”: Curt von François (pictured), colonial Governor of German South West Africa (now Nambia), led an attack by 225 Schutztruppe soldiers on Nama leader Hendrik Witbooi’s headquarters at Hoornkrans. The shelling of the village caused tremendous civilian casualties. Witbooi escaped and waged several months of guerrilla warfare against the German forces. — April 12th is the birthday of the late novelist Tom Clancy. (Born 1947, died October 1, 2013). It was Clancy who almost single-handedly created the modern techno-thriller genre, with his first novel, The Hunt For Red October. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we …

On April 11, 1900, the first modern submarine designed and built by John Philip Holland, USS Holland was acquired by the U.S. Navy. — Lieutenant Colonel George Vincent Fosbery VC (11 April 1832 – 8 May 1907) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was also a designer and inventor of firearms including the Webley-Fosbery revolver and the Paradox Gun. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog …