Category: Note

50 years ago today, on October 13, 1972, a flight chartered by a Uruguayan rugby team crashed in the Andes Mountains of Argentina, and the wreckage was not located for more than two months; the incident garnered international attention, especially after it was revealed that the survivors had resorted to cannibalism. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 103 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 …

On October 12, 2000, while preparing to refuel in the Yemeni port of Aden, the USS Cole, a U.S. naval destroyer, was attacked by suicide bombers associated with Al-Qaeda. There were 17 sailors were killed and 39 others were wounded. — Just before finishing up this group of posts, I heard some sad news: Legendary Hollywood Actress Angela Lansbury Dies at 96. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 103 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 …

Today is the birthday of novelist William R. Forstchen (born, 1950.) He is best known for his survivalist novel One Second After. — The recent brouhaha over PayPal’s announced — and then “Oh, it was all a mistake” rescinded — $2,500 fines for Politically Incorrect Bad Boys led dozens of SurvivalBlog readers to cancel their PayPal accounts. I can fully appreciate and understand why they would do so. With their recent policy change debacle, the PayPal management team lost any remaining shreds of credibility. To maintain the continuity of Ten Cent Challenge subscriptions and advertising payments, I’ve just signed up …

On October 10th, 1913, the Panama Canal officially linked the Atlantic to the Pacific when the Gamboa dike was demolished with dynamite charges. Today is also the birthday of composer Giuseppe Verdi. (Born 1813, died 1901. — The feature article today is by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

On October 9, 1000, Leif Ericson discovers “Vinland” (possibly at what was later named L’Anse aux Meadows, Canada) reputedly becoming the first European to reach North America. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 103 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 can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course …

October 8th is the birthday of economist and libertarian commentator J. Orlin Grabbe. (Born, 1947, died March 15, 2008.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 103 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 can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), Two cases of Mountain House …

The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement taking place on 7 October 1571 in which a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of European Catholic maritime states arranged by Pope Pius V and led by Spanish admiral Don Juan of Austria, decisively defeated the fleet of the Ottoman Empire on the northern edge of the Gulf of Corinth, off western Greece. — Over at SurvivalRealty.com, this new listing for a house on 20 acres caught my eye: Live off the Land in NW Montana. SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog …

Today is the birthday of science fiction author David Brin, born, 1950. He wrote The Postman, which was very loosely the foundation of a movie by Kevin Costner. — I just read that Colonel Dean Caswell died at his home in Austin, Texas on September 21st. He was the last living U.S. Marine Corps fighter ace of World War II passed on at the age of 100. — We are still seeking entries for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 103 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there …

October 5, 1703 was the birthday of Jonathan Edwards. He died March 22, 1758. He was a prolific Calvinist theological writer. Many of his writings were later collected in the multi-volume book The Rational Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards, edited by John Gerstner. — I just heard of the passing of singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn, at age 90. She was quite a lady, and she had a lasting impact on country music. — A reminder: Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is now underway and we are in great need of entries. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have …

October 4, 1923 was the birthday of the late Charlton Heston, who was born John Charles Carter. He died April 5, 2008. He is often remembered for movies like Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, Soylent Green, The Planet of the Apes, and the survivalist classic The Omega Man. — Today, we are featuring the monthly column written by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins. It is being posted a couple of days later than usual, because Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida. — We are now seeking entries for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of …

The Maltese Falcon, John Huston’s adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s famed 1930 novel, had its world premiere on October 3, 1941. It starred Humphrey Bogart. It is considered the greatest detective movie ever made. — Two alerts from Spaceweather.com: X-FLARE! Earth-orbiting satellites have just detected an X1-class solar flare (Oct. 2nd @ 2025 UT). Ironically, it did not come from big dangerous sunspot AR3112, described below, but rather from AR3110, a smaller and apparently less threatening active region. A BIG DANGEROUS SUNSPOT: One of the biggest sunspots in years has just rotated over the sun’s northeastern limb. AR3112 has a mixed-polarity …

On October 2, 2002, the Beltway sniper attacks began. This was a series of coordinated sniper attacks in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The attacks lasted three weeks and resulted in the killing of 10 people. — October 3rd is also the anniversary of the Mogadishu, Somalia raid. — Today’s feature article was written by JWR. — Tomorrow, we will be announcing the prize winners for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

The Republic of Palau officially became an independent sovereign state on October 1, 1994. — We are seeking entries for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. That two-month round starts today.  More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 103 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

On this day in 1938, the Treaty of Munich was signed by Hitler, Mussolini, Daladier, and Chamberlain. This treaty forced Czechoslovakia to cede territory to Germany. Thus began the “Phoney War” period. The treaty proved to be only worthless paper promises, just a few months later. — I just heard that Andrew van der Bijl, best known by Christians worldwide as Brother Andrew, passed away on Tuesday at age 94. His book God’s Smuggler was an international bestseller.  I pray that ten thousand more scripture smugglers rise up, to take his place. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another …

Episode 3, of Season 3 of The Twilight Zone, titled The Shelter originally aired on September 29, 1961. Of particular interest to preppers, this was one of the few episodes of that television series that didn’t feature supernatural or sci-fi elements. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 102 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 …