Category: Note

On April 9, 1388, the Battle of Näfels culminated in a major victory for the Swiss Confederation in the first century of its struggle for self-determination against Habsburg overlordship. April 9, 1682, René-Robert Cavelier, sieur (lord) de La Salle, claimed the Mississippi River basin for France, naming it Louisiana. April 9, 1869, the Hudson Bay Company ceded its territory to the Commonwealth of Canada. Amd on April 9, 1768, John Hancock refused to allow two British customs agents to go below deck of his ship. This was considered by some to be the first act of physical resistance to British …

It looks like there will be some big traffic jams and perhaps gasoline shortages for a few days in the solar eclipse path of totality, particularly in areas like Burlington, Vermont, where they are expecting clear skies. — The recent destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge inspired the selection of today’s Quote of the Day.  Sadly, the last two verses of our national anthem are only rarely quoted or publicly sung. — April 8th is the birthday of the late Ian Smith, Prime Minister of Rhodesia. (Born, 1919, died November 20, 2007.) April 8th is also the anniversary of …

Despite some expected cloud cover over much of the path of totality, there is great anticipation for tomorrow’s total solar eclipse. Be careful to protect your eyes, and be careful on the roads. Carry extra fuel and a Get Home Bag. It is also wise to travel well-armed where it is legal, also carrying body armor and trauma first aid gear. Long queues of cars stuck in traffic might be an inviting target for some sort of terrorist attack. Be prepared to shoot back!  Mark my words: I have no doubt that there are sleeper cells of foreign terrorists in …

April 6, 1652: Cape Colony, the first European settlement in South Africa, was established by Dutch East India Company under Jan van Riebeeck. Today is the birthday of novelist Vince Flynn. (Born April 6, 1966, died June 19, 2013.) His death at age 47 was a loss to the literary world. This is also the birthday of famous American author and newsreel/radio journalist Lowell Thomas. On April 6, 1199, Mortally wounded in battle, Richard I (“the Lionheart”) died at Châlus in the Duchy of Aquitaine. On April 6, 1980, 3M began selling Post-it Notes in U.S. stores; the small pieces …

April 5th, 1588 was the birthday of English philosopher and political theorist Thomas Hobbes, best known for his publications on individual security and the social contract. Today is also the birthday of Baron Arisaka Nariakira (April 5, 1852 – January 12, 1915) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army. The inventor of the Arisaka Rifle, he is regarded as one of the leading arms designers in Japanese history, alongside Kijiro Nambu. On this day in 1614, Pocahontas married John Rolfe which ensured peace between the Jamestown settlers and the Powhatan Indians for several year — I see that …

On April 4, 1841, after serving for only one month, William Henry Harrison became the first U.S. president to die in office; he was succeeded by Vice President John Tyler. — Today is the 99th birthday of famed Navy fighter pilot Royce Williams. — On April 4, 1960, the biblical epic Ben-Hur became the first film to win 11 Academy Awards; it notably received Oscars for best picture, director (William Wyler), and lead actor (Charlton Heston). — On the 4th of April 1291, the siege of Acre started. It opposed a 220,000 men strong Mamluk Muslim army to 15.000 knights …

While adjusting a picture on the wall of his home in St. Joseph, Missouri, American outlaw Jesse James was shot and killed by Robert Ford (pictured) on April 3, 1882. — Several readers wrote to mention this sad news: Last USS Arizona Sailor Who Survived Pearl Harbor Attack Passes Away at 102. — This is the birthday of Washington Irving, an American author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for short stories like Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but he also wrote several biographies and served as the US …

On April 2, 1968, Stanley Kubrick‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey had its world premiere in Washington, D.C.. The movie became a classic, setting the benchmark for sci-fi films. The film also gave one of the first cinematic warnings about artificial intelligence. — On April 2, 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León landed on the coast of Florida. — Today is the birthday of Sergei Ivanovich Mosin (April 2, 1849 – February 8, 1902. He was a Russian military officer, engineer, and a co-designer of the Mosin–Nagant rifle. — This is the birthday of Émile François Zola, a novelist and …

Created this day in 1999 by carving a vast region from Canada‘s Northwest Territories, the Canadian territory of Nunavut stretches across much of the Canadian Arctic and encompasses the traditional lands of the Inuit. — On April 1, 1621, at the Plymouth settlement in present-day Massachusetts, the leaders of the Plymouth colonists, acting on behalf of King James I, make a defensive alliance with Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags. The agreement, in which both parties promised to not “doe hurt” to one another, was the first treaty between a Native American tribe and a group of American colonists. According to …

On March 31, 1854, U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry signed the Treaty of Kanagawa in Japan, ending that country’s period of seclusion. — Lyman Cornelius “L.C.” Smith was born March 31, 1850. Lyman Smith was the namesake of the famous L.C. Smith Shotgun. Smith later went on to found the Smith-Premier Typewriter Company, which would later become Smith-Corona Typewriter Company. Smith Corona or the SCM Corporation is a US typewriter and calculator company. Lyman Cornelius Smith passed away on November 5, 1910. — March 31 is also the birthday of the late economist Dr. Walter E. Williams, PhD., who was born …

On March 30, 1867, William H. Seward, secretary of state under U.S. President Andrew Johnson, signed the Alaska Purchase, a treaty ceding Russian North America to the United States for a price—$7.2 million—that amounted to about two cents per acre. — On March 30, 1981, President Reagan was shot and seriously injured outside a Washington, D.C. hotel by John W. Hinckley Jr. Also wounded were White House news secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and District of Columbia police officer Thomas K. Delahanty. Agent McCarthy took a bullet protecting Reagan. McCarthy was not wearing a bullet-proof vest. He …

On March  24, 1974, farmers drilling a well near Xi’an, China, penetrated a subterranean chamber that led to the discovery of the terra-cotta army: 8,000 life-size terra-cotta soldiers and horses in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. — Today is the birthday of the gifted electronic and orchestral musician Vangelis. (Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 111 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, …

  On March 28th, 1942, the British army and navy raided St. Nazaire, in Operation Chariot. An obsolete British destroyer HMS Campbeltown, rigged with explosives and flying German flags, rammed the gates of German-occupied St. Nazaire port in France, and was time-fuse detonated. This killed 360 Germans and disabled the dry dock for the duration of the war. — On March 28th, 845, a 5,000-man-strong fleet of Danish Vikings invaded Frankish lands. They only retreated after besieging Paris and securing a ransom from the Frankish King Charles the Bald. This was part of a series of devastating raids begun by …

On Good Friday, March 27th, 1964, south-central Alaska was struck by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake that was the strongest quake ever registered in the United States. — Today’s feature article was too short for consideration in the judging in Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. — More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 111 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. …

On March 26th, 1913, Dayton, Ohio was almost destroyed when the Scioto, Miami, and Muskingum Rivers reached flood stage simultaneously. On March 26th, 1812, an earthquake now estimated at 7.7 on the Richter scale destroyed 90% of Caracas, Venezuela and killed an estimated 15,000–20,000 people. And, on March 26th, 1995: The Schengen Treaty went into effect. — There are several interesting new listings at SurvivalRealty.com.  They include: 10 Acre Homestead – North Dakota. Cumberland Mountain Getaway With Acreage. Southern Oregon Creekfront Mini-Farm and Home. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction …