Category: Note

On December  22, 1944, Germans demanded the surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium. The 101st Airborne’s commanding general, Anthony McAuliffe, gave the famous one-word reply: “Nuts.” (Above, a U.S. Army photo, by Pfc. Donald R. Ornitz, 166th Signal Photo Company.) — December 22nd is the anniversary of the death of SP4 James T. Davis, the first uniformed American combat casualty of the Vietnam War, in 1961. This ASA soldier (of the 3rd Radio Research Unit) was killed in a Viet Cong ambush on a road outside Saigon. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 110 …

It is always gratifying to reach the winter solstice, each year. Just knowing that the days will be getting longer is a relief! Cheer up, folks. — On this day in 1898, having recently discovered polonium, future Nobel Prize winners Marie and Pierre Curie discovered the radioactive chemical element radium, a silvery white metal that would be used to treat cancer. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 110 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% …

On December 20th, 1988, Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, because of a terrorist bombing; in 2003 the government of Libya accepted responsibility for the explosion and in 2004 agreed to compensate the families of the victims. Pictured is the Lockerbie Memorial Garden. Following Abraham Lincoln‘s election as U.S. president, on On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first U.S. state to secede from the Union. On December 20th, 1606, the Virginia Company loaded three ships with settlers and set sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest …

On December 19, 1777, during the War of Independence, General George Washington led 11,000 regulars to take up winter quarters at Valley Forge on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, 22 miles (35 km) northwest of Philadelphia. — December 19, 1915, French singer and actress Edith Piaf, whose interpretation of the chanson (French ballad) made her internationally famous, was born.  Her song Chanson D’amour became an international hit.  And you may recall that her song Tu Es Partout was prominent in the movie Saving Private Ryan, just before the German attack. — This new listing in Murtaugh, Idaho (near Twin …

On this day in 1865, by proclamation of the U.S. Secretary of State, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, outlawing slavery, officially entered into force, having been ratified by the requisite states on December 6.  As a footnote, the slaves in Texas only belatedly got the word of their liberation in the middle of the following June — in 1866. Hence, the origin of the annual “Juneteenth” celebrations — recently enshrined as a Federal holiday. — On December 18, 1737, famed Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari died in Cremona. A rare Stradivarius violin sold for near-record $15.3 million, in 2022. …

December 17th, 1905, was the birthday of Simo Häyhä, who was the world’s most successful sniper. Using an iron-sighted Mosin–Nagant in Finland’s Winter War, he had an astounding 505 confirmed sniper kills. He died April 1, 2002. — And speaking of Finns, on December 17, 1939, Finnish runner Taisto Mäki ran 10,000 meters in less than 30 minutes for the first time in recorded history. He broke his previous record by running the distance in 29 minutes 52 seconds. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for …

The famed Boston Tea Party took place on December 16th, 1773. — December 16th, 1928, was the birthday of Philip K. Dick, who died on March 2, 1982. He penned a remarkable number of sci-fi novels and novellas that have been adapted into movies. — The Romanian Revolution began on December 16th, 1989. No less than 1,066 civilians died in the successful attempt to overthrow the dictatorial President Nicolae Ceaușescu. — This new 550-acre listing at SurvivaReallty.com looks amazingly versatile: Longhollow Acres – A Rural Refuge near Burkesville, Kentucky. — Today’s feature article is a guest post, by my #1 …

December 15th is Bill of Rights Day. (The Bill of Rights became law on this day in 1791, following ratification by the state of Virginia.) We encourage our American readers to gather publicly and read the Bill of Rights aloud. — The Hunkpapa Lakota chief Sitting Bull was killed by Native American policemen who, with others, were attempting to arrest him near the Grand River in South Dakota. — The 15th of December, 1923, was the birthday of Uziel “Uzi” Gal (born Gotthard Glas). According to Wikipedia, he was “…born in Weimar, Germany. When the Nazis came to power in …

One of the greatest figures in the history of polar exploration was Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who left Norway for Antarctica in June 1910 and on this day in 1911 became the first person to reach the South Pole. — This large property listing on SurvivalRealty.com with five natural gas wells caught my eye: 587 SE Kentucky Acres – Defensible – Ridges and Streams, Spectacular Views. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  …

On this day in 1642, Dutch navigator Abel Tasman sighted South Island, New Zealand, and later, mistaking the strait north of the island for a bay, believed he had found the west coast of a hypothetical southern continent.  Tasman was the greatest of the Dutch navigators and explorers. He was the first European to sight Tasmania, New Zealand, Tonga, and the Fiji Islands. — December 13th is the birthday of Sergeant Alvin York. — Wow!  GunMag Warehouse (One of our affiliate advertisers) is running a pre-Christmas special: ETS GEN 2 9mm 32-Round Magazines for Glock Pistols (Black only) for just …

On December 12, 1915 popular singer Frank Sinatra, who also achieved wide success as a film actor, was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. And on December 12, 2019, the British General Election was won by Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party in a landslide win with an 80-seat majority. The same day, the Scottish National Party also won 48 of 59 seats in Scotland. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 110 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 …

On December 11, 1994, Russian troops invaded Chechnya to suppress a rebel Chechen government led by Dzhokhar Dudayev. — SurvivalRealty.com is running a special promotion: The book Survival Retreats & Relocation (co-authored by Jonathan Rawles and James Wesley, Rawles is on sale for $29, with free shipping! (It is normally priced at $34.) Get your guide to establishing a secure and sustainable home in time for Christmas. — Today’s feature article was written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

On December 10th, 1768, the first part of the first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, the oldest continuously published and revised work in the English language, was published and advertised for sale in Edinburgh. — On this day in history, December 10, 1869, Wyoming was the first territory to grant women the right to vote — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 110 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 …

On December 9, 1793, Noah Webster established New York’s first daily newspaper, the “American Minerva“. — On December 9, 1315, the Swiss Woudsteden renewed the Eternal Covenant. (The Oath Society) — On December 9, 1688 King James II‘s wife and son fled England for France, to help preserve the Stuart family. — December 9th, 1914 was the birthday of Maximo Guillermo “Max” Manus. He was one of the few Norwegians who had the testicular fortitude to put his life on the line, fighting the Nazi occupiers. (There surely would have been more active resistance fighters, but fearing widespread reprisal executions …

On December 8, 2010, the American aerospace venture SpaceX became the first commercial company to release a spacecraft—the Dragon capsule—into orbit and successfully return it to Earth. — On December 8, 1542, Mary, Queen of Scots was born, and six days later she became queen of Scotland. — We are now in need of entries for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article …