Category: Note

On October 27, 1787, the Federalist Papers started appearing in New York newspapers under the pseudonym “Publius”. They were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. — October 27, 1858 was the birthday of President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. (He died January 6, 1919.) — Just One Day Left! We are running a 2-week-long sale at Elk Creek Company.  Until October 28th, 2024, all of our pre-1899 shotguns have their prices deeply discounted. Most of these can fire modern 12 gauge 2-1/2″ or 2-3/4″ shotgun shells. No FFL paperwork is required. In most states, we can mail them right …

40 years ago today, the action thriller The Terminator was released in the United States. The movie was hugely successful. It made actor Arnold Schwarzenegger a star and established director James Cameron as a bankable filmmaker. On October 26, 1881, a feud between the Earp brothers (Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan) and an outlaw gang led by Ike Clanton escalated into a celebrated gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. And today is the birthday of Henry Deringer (October 26, 1786 – February 28, 1868). He was an American gunsmith, best known for inventing and giving his name to …

October 25, 1415: Battle of Agincourt: Henry V‘s forces defeated the larger French army, proving that massed English longbows could defeat armored knights. This is the birthday of explorer and pilot Admiral Richard Byrd (1888–1957). His autobiography titled Alone is a must-read. On October 25, 1983, the U.S. military, under President Ronald Reagan, invaded the tiny island country of Grenada. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 115 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 …

October 24, 1836: The earliest American patent for a phosphorus friction match by Alonzo Dwight Phillips of Springfield, Massachusetts. Originally, these matches were made quite large — essentially a small torch. In England phosphorus matches were called “Congreves” after Sir William Congreve. But they went by the name loco foco in the United States. The Loco Focos became the name of a radical Democrat faction in the U.S. Congress. They earned that name because they brought some of the newly-invented loco foco matches with them to one of their meetings after hearing that their adversaries had plotted to disrupt the …

On October 23, 1819, the first ship sailed through the Erie Canal from Rome, New York to Utica, New York. — October 23, 1944 General Enver Hoxha became “interim” Prime Minister of Albania. He dictatorially retained leadership for 41 years, until his death in 1985. — Today, we also remember the 220 Marines, 18 U.S. Navy Sailors, and three U.S. Army Soldiers who died on this day in 1983 when terrorists attacked the Beruit Barracks. — Seed for Security, LLC has announced its Retirement Sale. Electronic orders will be accepted until November 30, 2024. Mail-in orders will accepted until November …

On October 22, 1575, the Mexican State of Aguascalientes (one of 32 Federal Entities of Mexico) was founded. The full name of the state is Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes. Literally, Aguascalientes means: “Hot waters”. JWR Adds:  My maternal grandfather Dewitt Creveling was born December 3, 1903, in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He was the son of an ex-pat American mining engineer.  He liked to say:  “I was born in hot water, and I’ve been in hot water all my life.” On October 22, 1934, infamous criminal Charles (“Pretty Boy”) Floyd was fatally shot in a field near East Liverpool, Ohio, …

October 21st, 1805: In one of the most decisive naval battles in history, a British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off the coast of Spain. At sea, Lord Nelson and the Royal Navy consistently thwarted Napoleon Bonaparte, who led France to preeminence on the European mainland. Nelson’s last and greatest victory against the French was the Battle of Trafalgar, which began after Nelson caught sight of a Franco-Spanish force of 33 ships. Preparing to engage the enemy force on October 21, Nelson divided his 27 ships into …

On October 20, 1906, Dr. Lee DeForest demonstrated his electrical vacuum tube. (Radio tube.) — October 20, 1803: U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase. — Today is the birthday of shootist Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) He was born in Nebraska, but was a long-time resident of Butte, Montana. His book Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting is fascinating reading. — October 20th is also 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 …

On October 19, 1926, John C. Garand patented his en bloc clip-fed semi-automatic rifle. Later, in refined form, this design was adopted as the U.S. M1 Garand rifle. — 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 …

On October 18, 1009, the 500-year-old Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who ordered the church’s foundations to be hacked down to the bedrock. According to the InfoGalactic Wiki: “Al-Hakim’s son allowed Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos to reconstruct the church, which was completed in 1048. After it was captured by the Crusaders in 1099, it continued to undergo modifications, resulting in a significant departure from the original structure.” — October 18th, 1662 was the birthday of Matthew Henry. (He died 22 June 1714.) He was a Presbyterian minister who lived …

On October 17, 1777, British General John Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga. — On this day in 1835, Texans approved a resolution to create the Texas Rangers– a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers”. After winning their revolutionary war with Mexico the following year, Texans decided to keep the Rangers, both to defend against Indian and Mexican raiders and to serve as the principal law enforcement authority along the sparsely populated Texas frontier. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 115 of the SurvivalBlog …

On October 16, 1950, the first edition of C.S. Lewis‘ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was released in London. — October 16, 1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis began as President Kennedy was shown photos confirming the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba. — We are running a 2-week-long sale at Elk Creek Company.  Until October 28th, 2024, all of our pre-1899 shotguns have their prices deeply discounted. Most of these can fire modern 12 gauge 2-1/2″ or 2-3/4″ shotgun shells. Take a look! — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 115 of the SurvivalBlog …

October 15, 1522: King of Spain Charles V named Hernán Cortés governor of Mexico. — On October 15, 1529, the Ottoman armies under Suleiman ended their siege of Vienna and turned back to Belgrade. — On October 15, 1764, Edward Gibbon observed a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspired him to begin work on writing The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. — Herbert W. McBride, the author of A Rifleman Went To War, was born in Waterloo, Indiana October 15, 1873. He died in Indianapolis of a …

On October 14,1899, Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill departed to South Africa, toting a Model 1896 Broomhandle Mauser pistol.  His goal was to report on the Second Boer War. He was later taken prisoner of war, but escaped. He recounted his exploits in an autobiography titled My Early Life. — On this day in 1066: The Battle of Hastings: William, Duke of Normandy and his Norman army defeated the English forces of Harold II, who was killed in the battle. — We are beginning a 2-week-long sale at Elk Creek Company.  Until October 28th, 2024, all of our pre-1899 shotguns …

On October 13, 1792, the first “Old Farmer’s Almanac” was first published and edited by Robert Thomas. — And on October 13, 1860, the first aerial photo was taken in the U.S., from a balloon. It was an aerial view of the city of Boston, Massachusetts. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 115 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 …