Category: Note

Today is coincidentally the birthday of several gun designers: Wilhelm Bubits (born October 28, 1954) in Lutzmannsburg, is an Austrian handgun designer and creator of the Caracal Pistols (pictured) and Steyr Mannlicher M and S model pistols. As a hobby shooter and former police officer, Wilhelm Bubits used his experience and ideas about handguns to advance modern pistol design. Bubits worked for the Glock firearms company and in 1997 joined another Austrian weapons maker, Steyr Mannlicher. At Steyr, Bubits created the Steyr M and S pistols which were released to market beginning in 1999. In late 2002 Bubits worked with …

October 27th, 1858 was the birthday of President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. (He died January 6, 1919.)

Today is the birthday of Henry Deringer (October 26, 1786 – February 28, 1868). He was an American gunsmith. He is best known for inventing and giving his name to the very compact Deringer pistol. Pictured is the Philadelphia Deringer that was carried by John Wilkes Booth. October 26th is the anniversary of the death of American-born RLI Trooper Joseph Patrick Byrne, in Rhodesia, in 1978. Edward Wilson Very (born October 26, 1847, died March 1, 1910) was an American naval officer who adopted and popularized a single-shot breech-loading flare pistol that fired flares that bear his name. — SurvivalBlog …

A Special Note From JWR: I have some sad news. Reader Pam B. wrote to mention that Judge Steve Vandiver is reported to have passed away. Yes, the Steve Vandiver whom you know from SurvivalBlog. At least that is what I’m assuming — since his obituary matches several things he referenced in the article. If so, then we have lost a great patriot. Our condolences to his family. If you haven’t already done so, then please read his two-part article, that just ran this past weekend:  Part 1 and Part 2. — This is the birthday of explorer and pilot …

October 24th is the anniversary of the firing squad execution of Norwegian traitor Vidkun Quisling, in 1945. His ignominious place in history was to have his surname become a noun. “Quisling” is now a moniker synonymous with treason and alliance with an invading army. The popularity of “Vidkun” as a boys’ natal name in Scandanavia dropped precipitously after he took power. Ditto for “Adolf”, in Germany, and “Benito”, in Italy, after 1944. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 97 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic …

On October 23rd, 2002, around 50 Chechen rebels stormed a Moscow theater, taking 700 hostages during a popular musical. After 57 hours, during which two hostages were killed, Soviet Special Forces pumped a powerful narcotic gas into the theater knocking the terrorists and hostages unconscious before breaking in through the walls and roof. When the dust settled, most of the rebels and 120 hostages had been killed. Sadly, many were killed by an overdose of the gas. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 97 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round …

This is the birthday of painter and book illustrator N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945). It is also the birthday of actor Jeff Goldblum (born 1952), who had unforgettable roles in Buckaroo Banzai and the Jurassic Park and Independence Day films. — Today, because of out-of-state travel to attend a memorial service, we won’t be posting an entry for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 97 ends on November 30th.  We are currently running low on entries to post for the writing contest, so we’d greatly appreciate it if you would e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and …

I just heard from reader “Jimbo” that Gary Paulsen, the author of Hatchet and other young adult adventures, has died at age 82. He will be missed! Jimbo noted: “Hearing this news reminded me of an interview I heard with him. He said there was a news story about a pre-teen boy lost in the woods.  When asked if he was worried, his dad said casually, ‘I’m not worried.  We have read Gary Paulson’s book Hatchet several times together and I’m confident he will do fine.’” SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 97 of the SurvivalBlog …

Today is the birthday of shootist Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) He was born in Nebraska, but was a long-time resident of Butte, Montana. His book Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting is fascinating reading. And it is the birthday of the late Tom Petty. (Born October 20, 1950, died October 2, 2017). He was a great singer-songwriter and a passable actor. October 20th is also the birthday of actor Viggo Mortensen (born 1958.) He lives somewhere in the American Redoubt. On his ranch is his horse-for-life “TJ”–one of the five paint horses used in the filming of …

October 19th marks the anniversary of Operation Gatling; the “Green Leader” cross-border raid in which Rhodesia attacked ZIPRA (Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army) in retaliation for ZIPRA shooting down a scheduled passenger flight, Air Rhodesia flight 825, during the Rhodesian Bush War. Rhodesia suffered only minor casualties in the raid. But they claimed to have killed 1,500 ZIPRA personnel as well as some Cuban instructors. Other sources claim that those killed were refugees camped near the border. Sadly, history does not seem to remember the two airliners shot down by Zimbabwe along with the innocent civilians killed on them, but emphasizes …

October 18th, 1662 was the birthday of Matthew Henry (died 22 June 1714). He was a Presbyterian minister who lived primarily in Chester, England. Matthew Henry’s six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (commonly called Matthew Henry’s Commentary) (1708–1710) is a must for the bookshelf of any serious Bible scholar. — Today, another product review by our stalwart Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio. His 45-year career has spanned the globe. He has worked as a nuclear power plant security officer, police officer, police detective, small-town police chief, counter-terrorism consultant to the BSAP during Rhodesian Bush War, international security consultant, …

On this day in 1835, Texans approve a resolution to create the Texas Rangers– a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers”. After winning their revolutionary war with Mexico the following year, Texans decided to keep the Rangers, both to defend against Indian and Mexican raiders and to serve as the principal law enforcement authority along the sparsely populated Texan frontier. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 97 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The …

On October 16th, 1859 was the second day of abolitionist John Brown’s raid against the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between North and South nearly impossible and thus became an important impetus of the Civil War. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 97 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for …

On October 15, 1529, Ottoman armies under Suleiman ended their siege of Vienna and turned back to Belgrade. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 97 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), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical …

I just received word that my mother, Barbara Marie Rawles, has passed away peacefully at her home, at age 89. She was just two weeks from her 90th birthday. She died of congestive heart failure. (And, for the record,, she had no respiratory illnesses in the past three years. She never had the Wu Flu.) For the past 3-1/2 years, I had been taking turns caring for my mom at her home, alternating monthly with my brother and sister. We kept her quite isolated from flus and colds. I was just there with her for the month of September. Because …