Category: Note

November 1st, 1923, was the birthday of science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson (born 1923, died January 31, 2001). Many of his novels and short stories, such as Wolf and Iron, have survivalist themes. November 1st is also the birthday of economist Martin A. Armstrong. For many years he was a prisoner of conscience, in part because he refused to turn over his proprietary trading algorithms to Federal prosecutors. After seven years in prison without a trial, the longest Federal incarceration for contempt in American history, Armstrong was finally put on trial in a proceeding that was branded as a …

October 31st is the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. o o o We are pleased to welcome back one of our original advertisers: Wiggy’s. They are a the makers of some incredibly well-made outdoor gear. Unlike nearly all of their competitors, Wiggy’s products are hand made in the United States. They are one of the few manufacturers of sleeping bags in the USA. Nearly all the rest are just importers that put their labels on foreign-made products. 98% of the sleeping bags sold in the USA are imported.

Tomorrow, October 31st, 2017, is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In the last 1700 years, the reformation had initially attempted to reform the wayward Roman Catholic Church but was unsuccessful at moving the leviathan from its perch, and the movement eventually moved to founding alternatives. While Martin Luther is considered the father of the movement, it is important to remember that there are others who preceded him and many others who followed him that had even greater impact on the formation of western thinking. John Calvin, the Puritans, the Huguenots, and the Presbyterians all played prominently in the settlement …

October 29th is the birthday of Vermont Garrison, fighter pilot an American who fought in three wars– WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He was born in 1915 and died February 14, 1994, in Mountain Home, Idaho. This is also the birthday of World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin (born 1921, died January 22, 2003).

This is the birthday of Eliphalet Remington (October 28, 1793 – August 12, 1861), who designed the Remington rifle and founded what is now known as the Remington Arms Company. SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today features another entry for Round 73 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or …

October 27th 1858 The birthday of President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. (He died January 6, 1919.)

October 26th is the anniversary of the death of American-born RLI Trooper Joseph Patrick Byrne, in Rhodesia, in 1978. Edward Wilson Very (born October 26, 1847, died March 1, 1910) was an American naval officer who adopted and popularized a single-shot breech-loading flare pistol that fired flares that bear his name. o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today features another entry for Round 73 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP …

This is the birthday of explorer and pilot Admiral Richard Byrd (1888–1957). His autobiography titled Alone is a must-read.

October 24th is the anniversary of the firing squad execution of Norwegian traitor Vidkun Quisling, in 1945. His ignominious place in history was to have his surname become a noun. “Quisling” is now a moniker synonymous with treason and alliance with an invading army. Something tells me that the popularity of “Vidkun” as a boys’ natal name in Scandinavia dropped precipitously after about 1942. Ditto for “Adolf”, in Germany, and “Benito”, in Italy, after 1944. o o o I noticed that OpticsPlanet.com is having a 11% off sale for orders over $100. This sale ends at midnight on October 26th. …

On October 23rd, 2002, around 50 Chechen rebels stormed a Moscow theater, taking 700 hostages during a popular musical. After 57 hours, during which two hostages were killed, Soviet Special Forces pumped a powerful narcotic gas into the theater knocking the terrorists and hostages unconscious before breaking in through the walls and roof. When the dust settled, most of the rebels and 120 hostages had been killed.

This is the birthday of painter book illustrator N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945) It is also the birthday of actor Jeff Goldblum (born 1952), who has unforgettable roles in Buckaroo Banzai and in all of the Jurassic Park and Independence Day films.

Safecastle has launched their new site that you should check out when you get a chance. As part of the upgrade, they have discontinued the lifetime membership and instead are using an annual membership model. However, they are extending the lifetime memberships to SurvivalBlog readers. To take advantage of this offer, you need to register at their site (https://www.safecastle.com/account/register) and then email them at site@safecastle.com and mention “SurvivalBlog Free Lifetime Membership” in the Subject line. They will then upgrade your account for free (A $49 value).

October 20th is the birthday of actor Viggo Mortensen (born 1958.) He lives somewhere in the American Redoubt. On his ranch is his horse-for-life “TJ”–one of the five paint horses used in the filming of the movie Hidalgo. Most SurvivalBlog readers probably know him best for his starring role in The Road. This is also the birthday of “fast and fancy” shootist Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) He was born in Nebraska, but was a long-time resident of Butte, Montana.

October 19th is the birthday of three notables– the late Alexander Zeisal “Zus” Bielski (born 1912), investor Jim Rogers (born 1942), and James Howard Kunstler (born 1948). Kunstler is well known to SurvivalBlog readers as the author of the novel World Made by Hand and the nonfiction book The Long Emergency. A fictionalized portrayal of Zus Bielski is seen in the movie Defiance. This movie was loosely based on the excellent book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec. o o o October 19th also marks the anniversary of Operation Gatling; the “Green Leader” raid in which Rhodesia attacked ZIPRA …

“Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground.” – Frederick Douglass