Category: Note

On September 9, 1839, English scientist and astronomer John Herschel (Sir John Frederick William Herschel) took the first glass plate photograph. — American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is one of the long-time prize sponsors of our writing contest. They’ve announced a new course on DVD (or online) that should be of great interest to SurvivalBlog readers: Survival Gunsmithing. This course has more than 10 hours of instruction. It will be priced at $397. But for just a limited time, it is being sold at 50% off. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog …

September 8th, 1966, Star Trek made its television debut on NBC. — On September 8, 1565, the first permanent settlement in what would become the United States of America was formed. (St Augustine, Florida) — 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 used for any …

On September 7 AD 70, the Roman army under General Titus occupied and plundered Jerusalem. Thus began the Great Diaspora. Just as Jesus predicted, all of the walls of the Jerusalem Temple were destroyed and scattered. Only the foundation stones remain. The best- known foundation stones are at the Western Wall, also known as The Wailing Wall. (Pictured.) On September 7, 1876, the Younger Brothers, a group of American outlaws who were often allied with Jesse James, were captured following an unsuccessful bank robbery. Today is the birthday of novelist Taylor Caldwell (born 1900 – August 30, 1985). And September …

On September 6th, 1915, a prototype tank nicknamed Little Willie rolled off the assembly line in England. Little Willie was far from an overnight success. It weighed 14 tons. The tank often got stuck in trenches. It crawled over most rough terrain at only two miles per hour. Improvements were made to the early prototypes and tanks eventually transformed military battlefields. — September 6th, 1757 was the birthday of Marquis de Lafayette (often known simply as Lafayette), a French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. (Sept. 6, 1757 – May 20, 1834) came to America …

On September 5th, 1781, during the  American War of Independence, the French fleet of 24 ships under Comte de Grasse defeated British forces under Admiral Thomas Graves and Samuel Hood at the Battle of the Chesapeake (aka Battle of the Virginia Capes), thus trappping General Lord Charles Cornwallis. — Today is the birthday of the late comedian Bob Newhart. He was born on September 5th, 1929.  He died on July 18, 2024, at age 94. — On September 5, 1698, Russian Tsar Peter the Great imposed a tax on beards. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for …

On September 4, 476, Romulus Augustulus, the last Western Roman Emperor, abdicated after forces led by Odoacer invaded Rome. This date is traditionally known as the end of the Western Roman Empire. — September 4, 1862 is the fateful day that General Lee invaded the North with 50,000 troops. — Some sad but expected news: Paul Harrell has passed away. Rest in peace.  I hope that his vlog archives are available for many years! — 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 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 …