Category: Note

On March 11, 1708, Queen Anne withheld Royal Assent from the Scottish Militia Bill. This was the last time that a British monarch vetoed legislation. — March 11, 1897: A meteor entered the Earth’s atmosphere and exploded over New Martinsville, West Virginia. The debris caused damage, but no human injuries were reported. — And on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared that the COVID-19 outbreak was a pandemic. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day …

On  March 10, 1831, the French Foreign Legion was established by King Louis-Philippe to support his war in Algeria. — March 10, 1891: Almon Brown Strowger, an undertaker in Topeka, Kansas, patented the Strowger Switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching. — And on March 10, 1910, China officially ended slavery. But unofficially, China now has one of the world’s largest slave populations. These are mostly political prisoners, working in prison factories. Sadly, there is no way of reliably knowing whether or not most of the “Made In China” merchandise that you buy might originate …

On March 9, 1776, Adam Smith published the influential economics book “The Wealth of Nations”. — March 9, 1916: Pancho Villa‘s men killed more than a dozen in a raid on Columbus, New Mexico. — March 9, 1945, the U.S. Army Air Forces bombed Tokyo with napalm, causing fires that destroyed a quarter of the city and killed some 80,000 civilians. — Today’s feature is by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson. — We still need entries for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this …

Richard “Dick” Hyman turns 99 today! (He was born March 8, 1927.) Dick Hyman is a jazz pianist and composer. Over a 70-year career, he has worked as a pianist, organist, arranger, music director, pioneering electronic musician, and composer. He was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters fellow in 2017. — March 8th is also the birthday of famed revolver shooter, big game hunter, and gun writer Elmer Keith, who co-designed the S&W .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum cartridges. He authored the book Sixguns, which is still considered a standard reference. His fascinating life story is told …

On March 7, 1644 Massachusetts established the first two-chamber legislature in the American colonies. — March 7, 1707: The birthday of Stephen Hopkins, a Governor of Rhode Island. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. — And March 7, 1944 was the birthday of Townes Van Zandt, a gifted Texan singer/songwriter. (He died in 1997.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, …

On March 6, 1836, the Battle of the Alamo ended, after 13 days of fighting. 1,500 to 3,000 Mexican soldiers overwhelmed the Texan defenders, killing at least 182 Texans, including William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett. — Today is the birthday of Georg Johann Luger (March 6, 1849 – December 22, 1923). He was the Austrian designer of the famous Luger pistol and the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. — March 6th was the birthday of Leroy Gordon “Gordo” Cooper Jr., born in 1927 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Cooper died at age 77 at his home in Ventura, California, October 4, 2004. …

Today is the 75th birthday of Texas singer/songwriter Willis Alan Ramsey. He was born March 5th, 1951.  He is best known for his songs Northeast Texas Women and Muskrat Candlelight (aka Muskrat Love.) The latter became a hit when it was covered by both the bands America and Captain & Tennille. Oddly, Ramsey only had one released record album. — This is also the birthday of Howard Pyle (1853-1911) an influential American book illustrator, painter, and author. He was the mentor of many great American artists including Thornton Oakley, Frank E. Schoonover, Allen Tupper True, and of course his most …

On March 4, 1774: The first sighting of the Orion nebula by William Herschel. — March 4, 1908: A fire at Lakeview Elementary School in Collinwood, Ohio, killed 172 students and two teachers: a boiler room blaze trapped many victims in the building, prompting changes in school design and procedures nationwide. — Today’s feature article is by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson. — We still need reader-written articles for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 123 ends on March 31st, so …

On March 3, 1863: Congress authorized a US mint at Carson City, Nevada, with its coins identified by the mint mark ‘CC’. — And on March 3, 1791, the first US internal revenue act was enacted, taxing distilled spirits and carriages. — We are pleased to welcome our newest advertiser: Heaven’s Harvest.  This Georgia-based company offers a full line of long-term storage foods  (freeze-dried and dehydrated) as well as heirloom (non-hybrid, open-pollinated) seeds. Use the coupon code “SURVIVALBLOG” at checkout for a 10% discount on any order!  They offer free shipping for any  $99+ order sent to the U.S..  About …

On March 2, 1793, Alexandre de Beauharnais, the first husband of Joséphine de Beauharnais, was arrested during the Reign of Terror. He was later executed. — And on March 2, 1799, Congress standardizes US weights and measures. — Please pray for peace in the Middle East, and the replacement of Iran’s Islamic theocratic regime with a reasonable, limited government. After 47 years of tyranny, the Iranian people deserve better! — Today’s feature piece is by Field Gear Editor Ton Christianson.

March 1, 1872: Yellowstone became the world’s first national park. — Today is the birthday of actor and former WW2 commando David Niven. His full name was James David Graham Niven. (1910-1983.) — Today is also the birthday of the late singer, songwriter, and cowboy poet Allen Wayne Damron. Damron was quite the Texan, through and through. (Born 1939, died August 13, 2005, in Terlingua, Texas.) — All eyes are on the Middle East. The Iranian ex-pat news service Tousi TV seems to have the most complete coverage. But note that they have a strong bias toward Shah-in-Exile Pahlavi. — …

On February 28, 1638, Scottish Presbyterians signed the National Covenant at Greyfriars, Edinburgh. — February 28, 1810: The first US fire insurance joint-stock company was organized, in Philadelphia. — And on  February 28, 1844 a 12-inch gun aboard USS Princeton exploded, killing US Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer, and other high-ranking federal officials. — Today, we present a guest piece by fellow blogger Mrs. Alaska. She is a long-time SurvivalBlog reader who lives off-grid and off-road in the interior of Alaska. — We still need entries for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction …

On February 27, 1919, the first public performance of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” It became the inspiration for dozens of movie soundtracks, a famous English hymn, and even modern music flash mobs. — And on February 27, 1933, Nazi Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, was destroyed by fire, possibly set as a false flag attack by the Nazis. The fire occurred 28 days after Hitler was sworn in. They blamed and executed Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe. Since then, the term “Reichstag Fire” has become synonymous with False Flag Attack. — Today, we present a guest piece by our …

On February 26, 1929, US President Calvin Coolidge established Grand Teton National Park. — And on February 26,1935 RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) was first demonstrated by Robert Watson-Watt and Arnold Wilkins in Daventry, England. — Today’s feature article is a guest piece by a SurvivaBlog reader who is also a podcaster. — We need entries for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 123 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a …

On February 25, 1791, the First Bank of the United States was chartered by the United States Congress for a term of 20 years. JWR’s Comment: Many economists point to this as the first in a chain of events that would lead the United States into perpetual debt and positioning bankers as the nation’s ruling elite, pulling strings  from the shadows. — February 25, 1855: Bowery Boys gang leader William “Bill the Butcher” Poole was shot in the back by the gang of archrival John Morrissey in New York City. (He died on March 8th of the same year.) — …