Category: Note

On this day in 1868, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 126–47 to impeach President Andrew Johnson, whose lenient Reconstruction policies regarding the South after the Civil War angered Republicans in Congress. Most notably, Johnson had vetoed legislation that had been passed to protect the rights of those who had been freed from slavery. When the trial concluded on May 16, Johnson had won acquittal, not because a majority of senators supported his policies but rather because a fairly large minority wanted to preserve the balance of powers and protect the office of the presidency. — On February 24, 1803, …

A News Flash:  An Earth-facing X6.3 solar flare was reported on Friday (22 February, 2024). There have already been cellular phone network outages reported.  My advice: Tuck all of your spare electronics into Faraday cans/bags, for the next few days! The photo above of this event is courtesy of NASA. – JWR — Composer George Frideric Handel, a leading figure of late Baroque music, was born in Germany on February 12, 1685 February 23, 1945, is the day that six Marines from E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines raised the American flag atop Mount Suribachi during the battle of Iwo …

On February 22, 1847,  U.S. General Zachary Taylor led troops against a Mexican force commanded by General Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista. February 22, 1857 was the birthday of Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist who was the first to broadcast and receive radio waves and helped to invent radar technology On this day in 1943, Sophie Scholl was executed by beheading for organizing the White Rose group–a student resistance to the Hitler regime. She had been convicted of high treason, after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich (LMU) with …

On February 21, 1947, Edwin Land (pictured) presented his Polaroid photo product, the world’s first instant photos, in New York City. On February 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first US President to visit China, normalizing relations between the countries in a meeting with Chinese leader Mao Zedong in Beijing. On February 21, 1995, American businessman and adventurer Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon. It was the first of his many aviation records. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …

On February 20, 1962, John H. Glenn, Jr., the oldest of seven astronauts selected by NASA for Project Mercury spaceflight training (and later a U.S. senator), became on this day in 1962 the first American to orbit Earth, doing so three times. — On February 20, 1902, Ansel Adams, the most important landscape photographer of the 20th century, was born in San Francisco. — Today is also the birthday of novelist and screenwriter Richard Matheson (1926–2013). He wrote many sci-fi television scripts. His novella I Am Legend later was adapted into three different movies over the course of five decades, …

On February 19, 1942, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. — Several readers mentioned this news: Most lethal sniper in Marine Corps history, Chuck Mawhinney, dead at 75. — On February 19, 1878, Thomas Edison patented the phonograph. — A reminder: SurvivalRealty.com is running a February Book Bundle Giveaway.  By signing up to receive his weekly e-newsletter, you’ll be entered to win this drawing for four great books. This special promotion ends at midnight, tonight, February 19, 2024. — Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog …

February 18, 1848 was the birthday of Louis Comfort Tiffany—an American designer internationally recognized as one of the greatest proponents of Art Nouveau, particularly in the art of glassmaking. February 18th, 1898 was the birthday of Enzo Ferrari, the car manufacturer who invented the Ferrari. Today is the birthday of astronaut Theodore Cordy “Ted” Freeman (February 18, 1930 – October 31, 1964.)  He was killed in a birdstrike flying accident, while flying a T-38 Talon jet trainer. He was the first casualty of NASA’s manned space program. — We need more entries for Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …

On February 17th, 1864, the Confederate submarine Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy ship when it successfully attacked the USS Housatonic in the waters off Charleston, South Carolina. The submarine was named after its chief financial backer, Horace L. Hunley. The wreckage of H.L. Hunley  (pictured) was discovered in 1995, and raised on August 8, 2000.  The remains of the crew were buried on April 17, 2004 at Charlestons’ Magnolia Cemetery, following a ceremony parade attended by tens of thousands. February 17th, 1844 was the birthday of Aaron Montgomery Ward, founder of the mail-order business Montgomery Ward. …

On February 16, 1959, after defeating the forces of dictator General Fulgencio Batista, Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba and transformed the island country into the Western Hemisphere’s first communist state.  This began five decades of repression, economic stagnation, and largely self-imposed poverty for the island nation.  In the photo above, Castro is pictured in 1978. He died on November 25, 2016, a decade after handing power to his brother Raul. February 16th is the birthday of Edgar John Bergen, (1903-1978) an American actor, comedian, and radio performer, best known for his proficiency in ventriloquism and his characters Charlie McCarthy …

On February 15th, 1898, an explosion in Havana harbor sank the battleship USS Maine, killing 260 American seamen and precipitating the Spanish-American War, which originated in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain. — February 15th 1809: Birthday of Cyrus Hall McCormick, inventor of a mechanical reaper. — Gun developer Richard “Dick” Casull  was born on February 15, 1931. Casull passed away peacefully at home on May 6, 2018 after a long battle with cancer. Dick Casull is most famous for his design of the .454 Casull revolver, along with many other handgun and rifle designs. He held 17 firearm …

On February 14, 1946, the first general-purpose high-speed electronic digital computer, the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), was demonstrated to the public by its creators, J. Presper Eckert, Jr., and John W. Mauchly. — February 14, 1942 was the birthday of the late economist, theologian, and prepper Dr. Gary North. — February 14, 2018, amid scandals and corruption allegations, South African President Jacob Zuma resigned and was later replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa. — 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 …

On February 13, 2016, Antonin Scalia—who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, becoming well known for his strong legal conservatism—died under mysterious circumstances in Shafter, Texas. On February 13, 1689, following the Glorious Revolution, William and Mary were proclaimed king and queen of England this day in 1689, after which they ruled jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II until her death in 1694. February 13th is also the birthday of Robert Charles R.C. Sproul (born 1939, died December 14, 2017), a well-respected American Calvinist theologian Today is also the birthday …

On February 12, 1924 George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” premiered. The piece is among Gershwin’s best-known compositions and one of the most popular pieces of the symphonic jazz genre. — February 12, 1851, gold was discovered in east-central New South Wales, sparking Australia’s first gold rush. — On February 12, 1554, at age 16 Lady Jane Grey, titular queen of England, was executed in London by order of Mary I. — And on February 12,, 2001, the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touchdown in the “saddle” region of 433 Eros becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid. — Today’s feature …

On February 11, 1945, the Yalta Conference between the Allied leaders of World War II came to a close. — February 11th is the birthday of the late Burt Blumert (born February 11, 1929 in New York City, died March 30, 2009). He once owned Camino Coin Company. Coincidentally, Dr. Ron Paul also once owned the same company. — I just heard that comedic singer and radio host Mojo Nixon passed away at age 66. I remember him best for his song “I Hate Banks”, which was a KFAT favorite.  His birth name was Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr. — SurvivalBlog …

On February 10, 1962, U.S. airman Francis Gary Powers, who was the captured pilot of the U-2 plane that had been downed by the Soviet Union in 1960 and who was later convicted of espionage, was exchanged for jailed Soviet informant Rudolf Abel. — Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood” hit number one on this day in 1940 and stayed there for 12 weeks. — On February 10, 1916, an oil well gusher fired 1,000 feet into the air near Tampico, Mexico making it the largest in history. — I got an e-mail from a reader who had just purchased her …