Category: Note

On September 3, 1976, after a nearly yearlong journey, NASA‘s robotic spacecraft Viking 2 landed on Mars this day in 1976 and began relaying information about the planet’s atmosphere and soil as well as color photographs of the rocky surface. — English general and statesman Oliver Cromwell died on September 3, 1658. — On September 3, 1752, Great Britain and its colonies, including the future United States of America officially adopted the Gregorian calendar, and it immediately became September the 14th. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …

On September 2, 1666, the Great Fire of London began at 2 A.M. on Pudding Lane. It is estimated that 80% of London was destroyed in the fire. Some 13,200 homes were destroyed, along with St. Paul’s Cathedral (which had stood for 500 years), and 84 out of London’s 109 parish churches. Thatched roofs had been formally banned since the Great Fire of Southwark in 1212, but that roofing method was still widely used in defiance of the ban up until the Great Fire of London. — September 2, 1969 was the day that the first American automatic teller machine …

On September 1, 1752, Pennsylvania’s new State House bell (known today as the Liberty Bell) arrived in Philadelphia from Whitechapel Foundry in London, England. September 1, 1807: Aaron Burr was acquitted of the treason charge of plotting to set up an empire. His trial has been called The Trial of The Century. September is National Preparedness Month. And September is also Kilted to Kick Cancer Month. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  …

On August 31, 1889, the Second International Electrical Congress adoped the Joule as a unit of energy (after James Prescott Joule), the Watt as a unit of power (after James Watt) and the Quadrant as a unit of electrical inductance. (The Quadrant was later renamed the Henry.)  Pictured is Scottish engineer, chemist, and inventor James Watt. — On August 31, 1745 in the Jacobite Rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie reached Blair Castle, Scotland. — August 31, 1422, Henry VI became King of England at the age of 9 months. — August 31st, 1992 is the day that Randy Weaver surrendered to …

On August 30, 1146, European leaders outlawed the crossbow, with the stated intent of ending war for all time. (Pictured is a 16th-Century German Crossbow.)  Here is a quote from an article titled: The Crossbow – A Medieval Doomsday Device: “For much of the Middle Ages, the crossbow was considered to be one of the most destabilizing weapons in existence, not unlike today’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.” In the 12th Century, the crossbow was considered by many to be a weapon of mass destruction. Not only was it was remarkably accurate and deadly at vast distances, but shockingly, the …

On August 29, 1831, Michael Faraday demonstrated the first electric transformer. — In 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run in Virginia began. The same day marked the founding of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. — August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane.  The botched local and FEMA response in the storm’s aftermath turned millions of Americans into preppers. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists …

On this day in 1884, the first known photograph of a tornado was taken by F.N. Robinson, near Howard, South Dakota. — August 28, 1833 is the anniversary of the abolishment of slavery throughout the British Empire. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 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 …

On August 27, 1883, Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia erupted with a force of 200 megatons of TNT and killed approximately 40,000 people. — August 27, 1715:  The Earl of Mar raised the Jacobite standard at Braemar, Aberdeenshire starting the Jacobite uprising in Scotland. — August 27, 1917 was the birthday of American gun designer Robert Hillberg, best known as the designer of the C.O.P. four-barrel derringer, Winchester’s Liberator shotguns, the graceful Whitney Wolverine, and the Wildey .44 Magnum gas-operated pistol. He died in 2012. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction …

On August 26, 1346, at the Battle of Crécy, south of Calais in northern France; Edward III‘s English longbows defeated Philip VI’s army. Period accounts mention that cannons were used for the first time in battle. — August 26, 526, is the officially recorded anniversary of the invention of toilet paper by the Chinese. — August 26, 1946 was the official release date of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.” — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum …

On August 25, 1986 Warner Bros. Records released Paul Simon‘s seventh solo album “Graceland”, a blend of pop, African, zydeco, and rock music. It went on to win a Grammy for album of the year, 1987 and sold over 16 million copies. August 25th is also a birthday shared by humorist Bret Harte (born 1836), novelist Frederick Forsyth (born 1938), and the late American humorist Patrick F. McManus (1933-2018). Forsyth was the author of The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, and many others. McManus was born and raised …

On August 24th, 1847, Charlotte Brontë finished her manuscript of “Jane Eyre”. — August 24, 1682,  Duke of York, James II awarded the “Three Lower Counties” that form modern-day Delaware to William Penn, ensuring ocean access for his colony of Pennsylvania. — And on August 24th, 410, Rome was overrun by the Visigoths under Alaric I, in an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum …

On August 23, 1305, Scottish patriot William Wallace was executed for high treason by Edward I of England at Smithfield, London. His sentence was particularly barbaric: “That you be drawn on a hurdle to the place of execution where you shall be hanged by the neck and being alive cut down, your privy members shall be cut off and your bowels taken out and burned before you, your head severed from your body and your body divided into four quarters to be disposed of at the King’s pleasure.” — August 23rd is the anniversary of the declaration of the independent …

On August 22, 1770, British explorer James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for the British crown and named it New South Wales. — Today is the anniversary of the founding of the London Armoury Company, in 1851. It was founded by Robert Adams (1810–1870). He patented the first successful double-action revolver in 1851. His revolvers were used during the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the U.S. Civil War, and the Anglo-Zulu War. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: …

On August 21, 1968, Warsaw Pact forces completed their invasion of Czechoslovakia and arrested the Czech leader Alexander Dubček. They forced him to sign the Moscow Protocols. — August 21, 1949: Canada’s largest earthquake since 1700 struck the Queen Charlotte Fault below the Haida Gwaii. (The Haida Gwaii is a group of islands off the north coast of British Columbia.) At 8.1 magnitude it knocked cows off their hooves. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at …

August 20, 1908: America’s Great White Fleet arrived at Port Jackson, Sydney, Australia, and was greeted with a tremendous series of welcome celebrations, lasting a week. Some romances ensued and 221 American sailors deserted to remain in Australia. — On or about August 20, 480 BC, the Battle of Thermopylae. In one of history’s most famous last stands, 7,000 warriors from an alliance of Greek states led by Leonidas I blocked the pass of Thermopylae for a week against an invading Persian army under Xerxes I that was an estimated at 120,000-300,000 strong. — August 20, 1935 was the birthday …