Category: Note

On April 10, 1841, the New York Tribune began publishing under editor Horace Greeley. — April 10, 1827 was the birthday of General Lew Wallace. He wrote books (author of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ), sculpted, practiced law, painted, played the violin and made them as well. In the “Battle of Monocacy” he fought alongside 8,000 Union troops against 15,000 Confederates. He was second in command of the Lincoln conspiracy trial as well as principal in the trial of the Commander of Andersonville prison where prisoners had been starved to death. He was U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. And he …

On April 9, 1768, John Hancock refused to allow two British customs agents to go below the deck of his ship. This was considered the first act of physical resistance to British authority in the colonies. — April 9, 1869: The Hudson Bay Company ceded its territory to the Commonwealth of Canada. — 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 …

April 8, 217: Roman Emperor Caracalla was assassinated by (and succeeded by) his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. — On April 8, 1913, the 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by Congress, providing for the election of senators by popular vote. — April 8th was the birthday of the late Ian Smith, Prime Minister of Rhodesia. (Born, 1919, died November 20, 2007.) — April 8th is also the anniversary of the death of English experimental gunsmith and author Phillip Luty, in 2011. He was hounded by British authorities for many years. He died of cancer before …

Gerrit Dou (April 7, 1613 – February 9, 1675) — also known as Gerard Douw or Dow — was a Dutch Golden Age painter.  From the InfoGalactic Wiki: “…[his] small, highly polished paintings are typical of the Leiden fijnschilders. He specialized in genre scenes and is noted for his trompe-l’œil “niche” paintings and candlelit night scenes with strong chiaroscuro. He was a student of Rembrandt. Dou was born in Leiden, where his father was a manufacturer of stained-glass. He studied drawing under Bartholomeus Dolendo, and then trained in the stained-glass workshop of Pieter Couwenhorn. In February 1628, at the age …

On April 6, 1320, Scottish nobles reaffirmed their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath addressed to Pope John XXII. — And on April 6, 1652, the Cape Colony, the first European settlement in South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company under Jan van Riebeeck. — Today is the birthday of novelist Vince Flynn. (Born April 6, 1966, died June 19, 2013.) His death at age 47 was a loss to the literary world. — This is also the birthday of famous American newsreel and radio journalist/narrator Lowell Thomas. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another …

On April 5, 1722, Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen was the first European to discover Easter Island (aka Rapa Nui) in the southeastern Pacific. Today is the birthday of Baron Arisaka Nariakira (April 5, 1852 –January 12, 1915), the inventor of the Arisaka Rifle. On this day in 1614, Pocahontas married John Rolfe which ensured peace between the Jamestown settlers and the Powhatan Indians for several years. — Today’s feature article is a guest post by our friend and fellow blogger and American Redoubt resident Brandon Smith. — We are seeking entries for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. …

Today is the 100th birthday of famed Navy fighter pilot Royce Williams. From Wikipedia: “He is known for his solo dogfight with seven Soviet pilots during the Korean War, which, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune, has been called “one of the greatest feats in aviation history” by military experts. A retired admiral and multiple members of Congress have been campaigning for him to receive the Medal of Honor for his exploit. On January 20, 2023, he received the Navy Cross—the second highest military decoration awarded by the U.S. Navy—from Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. In 1952, then-Lieutenant …

April 3, 2025 is the 60th anniversary of the first attack on the Thanh Hoa Bridge. The Vietnamese called it the Ham Rong (Hàm Rồng) — or Dragon’s Jaw. It spanned the Ma River in North Vietnam, and had been built by the French during their colonial period in Indochina. The U.S. Air Force and Navy launched hundreds of sorties against it, losing at least 11 aircraft in the effort. After the 1968 to 1972 bombing pause on missions against North Vietnam, the U.S. finally took the bridge down with laser-guided munitions in 1972. The bridge was rebuilt and still …

On April 2, 1513, explorer Juan Ponce de León claimed Florida for Spain as the first known European to reach Florida. — Today is the birthday of Sergei Ivanovich Mosin. (April 2, 1849 – February 8, 1902.) He was a Russian military officer, engineer, and a co-designer of the Mosin–Nagant rifle. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the first 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 …

On April 1, 1905, “SOS” (· · · – – – · · ·) was first adopted as a Morse Code distress signal by the German government. April 1st is both April Fool’s Day and (unofficially) Molly Ivins Day. The latter refers to this key verse: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1 KJV) April 1st, 1886 was the birthday of Arthur W. Pink, who died July 15, 1952. He was an English Christian evangelist and excellent Reformed Biblical scholar. It was his meticulously referenced arguments in his book, The Sovereignty of God, that …

Vincent Van Gogh was born March 30, 1853, in Zundert, Netherlands.  He died on July 29, 1890, two days after shooting himself in the chest. — Please pray for the earthquake victims in Myanmar and Thailand. The massive quake measured 7.7 on the Richter scale, and was felt as far away as India. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the final entry for Round 117 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, …

Today is the birthday of comedian Eric Idle, in 1943. From the Infogalactic Wiki: “He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band The Rutles. Idle studied English at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and joined Cambridge University Footlights. He has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for two Tony Awards. Idle reached stardom in the 1970s when he co-created and acted in the Python sketch comedy series Flying Circus (1969–1974) and the films Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian, (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983) with Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry …

On March 28, 1566, the foundation stone was laid for the new city of La Valletta in Malta by Knights Hospitaller Grand Master Jean de Valette. — March 28, 1774: Britain passed the Coercive Act against Massachusetts. — Just three days left! We are continuing our big one-week sale at Elk Creek Company. We’ve put all of our pre-1899 Mauser and Carcano sporters as well as all of our Pietta percussion revolvers on sale. This sale will end on Monday, March 31st. Also, take note that I’ve boosted our pre-1965 silver divisor to 25.1 times face value, if you’d like …

On March 27, 1351: The Battle of the Thirty: 30 English and 30 Breton knights and squires squared off using swords, maces, lances, and daggers. It was considered one of the most chivalrous battles in history — March 27,1855: Canadian geologist Abraham Gesner patented kerosene. — And on March 27, 1964, Radio Caroline, the first true Pirate Radio station, began broadcasting in England. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 117 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% …