Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 5, 2022

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 …




Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 4, 2022

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 …




Preparedness Notes for Monday — October 3, 2022

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 …




Preparedness Notes for Sunday — October 2, 2022

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.




Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 1, 2022

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.




Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 30, 2022

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 …




Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 29, 2022

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 …




Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 28, 2022

On September 28, 1066, William The Conqueror invaded England, landing at Pevensey Bay, Sussex. — Today’s guest article was written by Brandon Smith of the great Alt-Market blog. — Just two days left! We are seeking entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 102 ends on September 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.




Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 27, 2022

September 27th is the birthday of Samuel Adams (not counting the change in dates due to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar). He was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. — 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 …




Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 26, 2022

On September 26, 1908 an ad for the Edison Phonograph first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post. — Today’s feature article was written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio. — Some quick updates on my side business: I’ve added a couple of newly-acquired pre-1899 long guns to the inventory at Elk Creek Company: A 7.62mm NATO-converted Ludwig Loewe Chilean Mauser and a scarce Argentine Mauser Cavalry Carbine — also produced by Loewe.  I’ve put all of my remaining inventory of black powder replica guns on sale, until November 9th. And take note that there are now 27 listings …




Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 25, 2022

On September 25, 1066, Tostig, earl of Northumbria, and Harald III, king of Norway, were killed in an attempt to depose Tostig’s brother, King Harold II of England. Harold Godwinson (King Harold II) was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Above, he is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. — 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 …




Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 24, 2022

In 1493, Columbus set sail with 17 ships on his 2nd voyage to the Americas. Also on this date in 1775, Ethan Allen was captured by the British. — Today we are posting a guest article, with permission. — We are still seeking entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends in just six days,  on September 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” …




Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 23, 2022

September 23, 1800 was the birthday of William McGuffey, a college president who is best known for writing the McGuffey Readers, the first widely used series of textbooks. It is estimated that at least 122 million copies of McGuffey Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960, placing its sales in a category with the Bible and Webster’s Dictionary. — Today’s feature article was written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio. — I just heard that Siege Works (one of our advertisers) is running limited-time special sales on both the Siege Belts and their Siege Stoves. Take a look! …




Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 22, 2022

Today is the birthday of Kijirō Nambu (南部 麒次郎 Nanbu Kijirō, September 22, 1869 – May 1, 1949). He was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the founder of Nambu Arms Manufacturing Company, the maker of many of the firearms the Japanese military would use in World War II. A prolific small arms designer, he was sometimes called the “John Browning of Japan”. He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure (2nd class) in 1914. — Our daughter Miss Eloise got quite busy with her new job, so she didn’t have time to run her knife …




Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 21, 2022

On this day in 1780, during the American Revolution, American General Benedict Arnold met with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British in return for the promise of a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The plot was foiled and Arnold, a former American hero, became synonymous with the word “traitor”. It’s too bad the current crop of politicians are not held accountable for their treasonous acts. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for …