Category: Note

On December 12, 1897, Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil, was founded. — December 12, 2019: The British General Election was won by Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party in a landslide win with a 80-seat majority. The Scottish National Party also won 48 of 59 seats in Scotland. — Today’s feature is a guest post from long-time SurvivalBlog contributor Hub Moolman. — We need more entries for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 ends on January 31st, so get busy …

On December 11, 1282 Llywelyn ab Gruffydd, the last native and independent Prince of Wales, was killed at the Battle of Orewin Bridge at Cilmeri, near Builth Wells, south Wales by forces of Edward I of England. Llywelyn reigned from 1259 and is known as Llywelyn the Last. — December 11,1602: A surprise attack by forces of the Duke of Savoy and his brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain was repelled by push of pike and gunfire from the citizens of Geneva, Switzerland. It has been commemorated since as the Fête de l’Escalade. — And on December 11, 1946, Hank Williams …

On December 10, 1690, Massachusetts Bay became the first American colonial government to issue paper money — the Massachusetts Codfish Notes. They were engraved and printed by Paul Revere. Shown above is a Codfish 8-Pence Note. — December 10, 1520: Martin Luther publicly burned the papal edict demanding that he recant or face excommunication. — And on December 10, 1906, US President Theodore Roosevelt became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First …

On December 9th, 1315, the Swiss Woudsteden renewed their Eternal Covenant. (Eidgenossenschaft or Oath Commonwealth). According to Wikipedia: “[Eidgenossenschaft] means “oath commonwealth” or “oath alliance”, in reference to the “eternal pacts” formed between the Eight Cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy of the late medieval period. In Swiss historiography, this relates most notably to the Rütlischwur (Rütli Oath) between the three founding cantons Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, which traditionally dates to 1307. In modern usage, Eidgenossenschaft is the German term used as an equivalent to “Confederation” in the official name of Switzerland, Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (rendered, respectively, as Confédération suisse and …

On December 8th, 1864, James Clerk Maxwell‘s paper “A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field” was first read by the Royal Society in London. (It was published by the Royal Society in 1865.) — December 8th, 1880: 5,000 armed Boers gathered in Paardekraal, South Africa. — Today also marks the birthday of Eli Whitney, (1765–1825) the inventor of the labor-saving cotton gin, several firearms, and dozens of other mechanical devices. He was the first to demonstrate the advantages of fully interchangeable parts in firearms manufacture. — Today’s feature is by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson. — We need more …

On this day in 1941 — also a Sunday — Japanese bombers launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, precipitating the entry of the United States into World War II. On the same day, Adolf Hitler issued his Night and Fog (“Nacht und Nebel”) Decree, a secret order for the arrest and execution of “persons endangering German security.” — On December 7, 1972, American astronaut Eugene Andrew Cernan commanded the last crewed flight to the Moon, effectively ending the Apollo program. — On Dec. 7, 1787, Delaware became …

On December 6, 1884, an aluminum capstone was set atop the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.. (In the 1880s, aluminum was still rare and considered precious.) At 555 feet, this made it the tallest man-made structure in the world, overtaking Cologne Cathedral. — December 6, 1534: Quito, Ecuador, was founded by Spanish colonists on the ruins of an Incan city. — And on December 6, 1917, the French munitions cargo ship SS Mont Blanc collided with Norwegian SS Imo in the harbor of Halifax, Canada. The resulting explosion killed at least 1,700 and injured more than 9,000 people. This event …

On December 5th, 771, Charlemagne became the sole King of the Franks after the death of his brother Carloman. Geneticists have estimated that the majority of modern Europeans and Americans of European descent are distantly related to Charlemagne, who fathered 18 children. — And on December 5th, 1964, the first Medal of Honor awarded to a serviceman for action in Vietnam was presented to Captain Roger Donlon of Saugerties, New York. Captain Donlon and his Special Forces team were manning Camp Nam Dong, a mountain outpost near the borders of Laos and North Vietnam. — Today’s feature piece is a …

December 4, 1812: Peter Gaillard of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, patented a horse-drawn mower. — December 4th is the birthday of Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, (born 1912). He was an AVG “Flying Tiger” volunteer pilot for the Chinese Nationalist government, WWII Marine Corps aviator, and Medal of Honor recipient. (He died January 11, 1988.) A proto-Redoubter, Pappy Boyington was born in Couer d’Alene, Idaho and was raised in Spokane, Washington. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This …

On December 3, 1568, Sir Thomas Herriot introduced potatoes to England from Colombia. — December 3, 1944: The Greek Civil War broke out in a newly-liberated Greece, between communists and royalists. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping …

On December 2, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian army occupied Belgrade, Serbia. — December 2, 1950: The “I, Robot” collection of sci-fi short stories by Isaac Asimov was published by Gnome Press. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the first entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — …

On December 1, 1925, the Peace Treaties of Locarno were signed between Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Italy. — On December 1, 1966, the Radio time signal WWV was moved from Greenbelt, Maryland to Boulder, Colorado. — Today’s feature article is by SurvivalBog staff member Tom Christianson. — We now need entries for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and …

On November 30, 1016, King of Denmark Cnut the Great [Canute] claimed the English throne after the death of Edmund Ironside. — Satirical novelist Jonathan Swift was born on November 30th, 1667. — 1782 Britain signs agreement recognizing US independence. — Today’s feature piece is by SurvivalBlog Senior Editor James Wesley, Rawles (JWR). — We need entries for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 begins soon, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word …

Following several national debt defaults (in 1557, 1575, and 1596), on November 29, 1596, King Philip II of Spain ordered the devaluation of the country’s silver coinage.  This included the famed Spanish Ocho Reales de Plata (“Pieces of Eight”) silver coin. By the 1630s, most coin mintings had 20 to 30% less silver than previously required. This debasement, combined with their sovereign debt, eventually led to the decline of the Spanish empire. — On November 29, 1890, the first US Army – US Navy football game was played, at West Point. The score: Navy 24, Army 0. — Today is …

On November 28th, 1942,  492 people died in a fire that destroyed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, Massachusetts. The fire was fueled by flammable tropical decor. This was the deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. History. On that night, the club was filled beyond capacity. The building’s capacity was supposed to be 460 people, but it is estimated that more than 1,000 people were in attendance. — On November 28th, 1520, Magellan finally reached the Pacific Ocean after navigating the dangerous straits on the southern tip of South America that now bear his name. He became the first European explorer …