Category: Note

On November 22, 1943, Lebanon proclaimed its independence from France; however, it did not become wholly independent until 1946. — Sixty years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. — On November 22, 1718, the pirate Blackbeard was killed off the coast of North Carolina. — Today is remembered as the birthday of the late Eugene M. Stoner. (Born 1922, died April 24, 1997.) He was the designer of the AR-7, AR-10, AR-15, AR-180, the Stoner 63, and several other firearms. (The AR-10 was the basis of the AR-15 which in turn spawned the very widely …

On this day in 1620, 41 male passengers on the Mayflower, prior to landing at Plymouth, Massachusetts, signed the Mayflower Compact, by which they agreed to abide by the laws of the new government they would establish. — On November 21, 1916, Britannic, the sister ship to the Titanic, sank in the Aegean Sea, killing 30 people. In the wake of the Titanic disaster, the White Star line had made significant modifications to the design of the ship, but on its way to pick up wounded soldiers near the Gulf of Athens, it was rocked by an explosion causing even …

On November 20, 1917, for the first time, tanks were used effectively in warfare, by the British at the Battle of Cambrai. — We’ve now reached the milepost of 38,000 archived feature articles, columns, and quotes in our archives. SurvivalBlog has been posted with daily fresh content since 2005.  The archives are searchable and freely available. I invite any new SurvivalBlog readers to delve into the archives, to find subjects of interest. If you have just found SurivalBlog, then begin with our Quick-Start Guide for Preparedness Newbies. — Because one of our writing contest sponsors is shifting their business to …

Today is the anniversary of the Kyle Rittenhouse “Not Guilty” Verdicts, in 2021. On this day in 1863, U.S. President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, at the dedication service for the National Cemetery in Pennsylvania. And on November 19, 1703, The man in the iron mask, a political prisoner famous in French history and legend, died in the Bastille. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 109 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. …

In 1952, Lieutenant Royce Williams was serving with VF-781 aboard the USS Oriskany as part of Task Force 77. From Wikipedia: “On 18 November 1952, on his second mission of the day, while on combat air patrol near Hoeryong, North Korea, his group of four pilots spotted seven MiG-15s overhead. The other three pilots had to return to the carrier and the MiGs began to fire on Williams, putting him into a one-man dogfight with seven MiG-15s that lasted 35 minutes. It is believed to be the longest dogfight in U.S. Navy history. Commanders on his carrier ordered him away, …

On November 17, 1989, massive antigovernment demonstrations in Czechoslovakia were set off by police brutality at a demonstration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the suppression of a student demonstration in German-occupied Prague, and, under the leadership of Václav Havel, they continued until the communist government resigned. This became known as The Velvet Revolution. — On this day in 1777, the Articles of Confederation were submitted to the states for ratification. They differed from the Constitution in that they emphasized the primacy of the states. — After 10 years of construction, the Suez Canal opened in Egypt on November 17, 1869. …

On November 16, 1960, Actor Clark Gable, who epitomized the American ideal of masculinity for three decades and was known as the “King of Hollywood,” died of a heart attack, days after finishing work on The Misfits (1961). — November 16, 1632, Swedish King Gustav II Adolf died during the Battle of Lützen, though his forces were victorious; his cause was skillfully directed by his chief adviser, Axel Oxenstierna. — An Important Note: There are just three weeks before the December 7th, 2023 deadline for comments on ATF’s “Engaged in the business” rule.  PLEASE politely post your objections to this …

November 15, 1315, the Swiss Confederation achieved its first great military success against the Austrian Habsburgs at the Battle of Morgarten. On November 15,1630 Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer who discovered three major laws of planetary motion, died in Regensburg, Germany. On November 15, 1904 American inventor King Camp Gillette was granted a U.S. patent for the first razor with disposable blades. — I just watched the 2023 documentary film Police State, by Dinesh D’Souza.  I highly recommend watching it! — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes …

On November 14, 1851, Harper & Brothers published Herman Melville‘s masterpiece Moby Dick. — On November 14, 1889, American journalist Nellie Bly began her around-the-world race against the record of the fictional Phileas Fogg, hero of Jules Verne‘s Around the World in Eighty Days; she completed the journey in slightly more than 72 days. — There are a half-dozen new listings of interest this week over at SurvivalRealty.com site. Here is just one of them: Atlas E Missile Base – Sprague, Washington (567th Missile Wing, Site 4). — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 109 of …

On this day in 2015, terrorists staged coordinated attacks in Paris and its environs, the deadliest occurring at the Bataclan theatre and concert hall; in all, at least 130 people were killed and more than 350 were wounded. — You may recall my mention of my old friend and colleague Eugene Robinson, and his nonfiction book, Fight.  Well, now Eugene’s autobiography has been released. It is titled: A Walk Across Dirty Water And Straight Into Murderer’s Row: A Memoir. Both books are available through Books-A-Million, and also easily found at eBay. — Today’s feature article is a review written by …

On November 12, 1970, the Bhola cyclone struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), killing hundreds of thousands of people in the densely populated Ganges–Brahmaputra delta; it was perhaps the deadliest tropical cyclone in recorded history and one of the greatest natural disasters. — Today is the birthday of USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly (born 1873, died April 27, 1937). He was one of only nineteen men (including seven Marines) to twice receive the Medal of Honor. — November 12th, 1950 was the birthday of Corporal John Alan Coey (died 19 July 1975). He was the first American volunteer killed …

At 5:00 a.m. on this day in 1918, the Allied powers and Germany signed an armistice document in the railway carriage of Ferdinand Foch, the commander of the Allied armies, and six hours later World War I came to an end. Ever since then, November 11th has been celebrated as Armistice Day — later called Veteran’s Day. — This is also the birthday of General George S. Patton, Jr..  (Born 1885, died December 21, 1945). — On November 11, 1880, Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, who was the most famous of the bushrangers (bandits of the Australian outback), was hanged in …

On this day in 1871, according to his journal, explorer Henry Stanley greeted David Livingstone, the fellow explorer in search of the source of the Nile River, with the famous words “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” — November 10th is remembered in the United States as the “birthday” of the U.S. Marine Corps. — November 10th is also the birthday of the late Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, born in 1919, died December 23, 2013. He didn’t design a lot of different guns, but one of his few designs was the prototype for what turned out to be the world’s most widely produced …

On November 9th, 1799, the Coup of 18–19 Brumaire began in Paris, marking Napoleon‘s rise to power and the end of the French Revolution. — After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on November 9, 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the Wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. — Harvest Guard Reusable Canning Lids has announced a 40% discount on all orders over $75, through the end of 2023.  This discount is only being offered …

Ten years ago today, November 8th, 2013, the Philippines endured what many consider its worst natural disaster when the country was struck by Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful cyclones ever recorded to strike land. Pictured in the city of Tacloban, after the typhoon struck. — On November 8, 1656, English astronomer and mathematician Edmond Halley, the first to calculate the orbit of Halley’s Comet, was born in Greenwich, Kent, England. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The …