Category: Note

December 31, 1862, the U.S.S. Monitor sank, in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Just nine months earlier, the ship had been part of a revolution in naval warfare when the ironclad dueled to a standstill with the C.S.S. Virginia (Merrimack) off Hampton Roads, Virginia, in one of the most famous naval battles in American history—the first time two ironclads faced each other in a naval engagement. — I just heard that sci-fi novelist David Drake passed away. Drake was best known as the author of the 10-book Hammer’s Slammers series. He will be greatly missed. — Today’s feature …

On December 30, 1905, former Governor Frank Steunenberg (pictured) was assassinated with a dynamite bomb near his home in Caldwell, Idaho. According to Infogalactic:  “He was assassinated in 1905 by one-time union member Harry Orchard, who was also a paid informant for the Cripple Creek Mine Owners’ Association. Orchard attempted to implicate leaders of the radical Western Federation of Miners in the assassination. The labor leaders were found not guilty in two trials, but Orchard spent the rest of his life in prison.” On December 30, 1853, the U.S. acquired nearly 30,000 square miles (78,000 square km) of additional northern …

On December 29, 1845, Texas was admitted as the 28th state of the Union. — Today is the birthday of actor Jude Law (born 1972.) You may remember him from Enemy at The Gates and Sky Captain. — Natchez Shooters Supplies (one of our affiliate advertisers) is running a special promotion today and tomorrow:  Take An Additional 10% Off ALL Clearance-Listed Items When You Spend $99.99+  (This offer ends at 11:59pm EST on 12/30/2023.)  To get the additional 10% off, use Promo Code P231229 — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction …

December 28, 1793 was the day that Thomas Paine was arrested in France for treason. The charges against him were never fully detailed, but he was tried in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Best known as the author of Common Sense, he moved to Paris to be part of the French Revolution. Initially welcomed, the tide soon turned against him, because he was opposed to the death penalty and the French revolutionaries were sending hundreds to the guillotine. — I just heard of the sad passing of Austrian gun designer Gaston Glock (July 19,1929 – Dec. 27, 2023.) His …

On December 27, 1943, the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst sank in the Barents Sea, under the guns and torpedoes of a British battle group led by the Duke Of York. — On December 27, 1571, German astronomer Johannes Kepler, who discovered three major laws of planetary motion, was born. — On December 27, 1932, the internal passport system, previously denounced by Vladimir Lenin as one of the worst stigmas of tsarist backwardness and despotism, was reinstated in the Soviet Union by Joseph Stalin. — On this day in 1979, in an attempt to stabilize the turbulent political situation in Afghanistan, the …

December 26, 1791 was the birthday of English mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage, who is credited with having conceived the first automatic digital computer. — On December 26th, 1776, after crossing the Delaware River, Washington led his men against Hessian soldiers garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, nearly the entire Hessian force was captured, with negligible losses to the Americans, significantly boosting their flagging morale. 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 …

To those who are celebrating the Advent of our Lord and Savior, our little team at SurvivalBlog wishes you a peaceful and meaningful Christmas. For those who choose to celebrate our Lord through the biblical feasts, stay safe out there during this holiday season. Our prayer is that each and every one of you enjoy the family time. Be safe on the roads. — Today’s feature article is a review written by SurivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson. — We are seeking entries for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been …

December 24, 1905 was the birthday of American manufacturer, aviator, and film producer Howard Hughes. He was known for his reclusiveness and for the uses to which he put his vast wealth. — On this day in 1814, the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium, ending the War of 1812, marking a decline of American dependence on Europe, and stimulating a sense of U.S. nationalism. — 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 …

On December 23, 1912, the first Keystone Kops film, directed by Mack Sennett entitled “Hoffmeyer’s Legacy” was released. — December 23rd is the birthday of Founding Father and Supreme Court Justice John Jay. (Born 1745, died May 17, 1829.) — 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 chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This …

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 …