Category: Note

On April 23, 1968, decimal coins (divisible by 10) were introduced in England. The 5 Pence coin replaced the former 1 Shilling (which was 12 old Pence.) And the new 10 Pence coin replaced the 2 Shillings Florin (which equated to 24 old Pence). The old non-decimal coins were removed from circulation by 1971. — A New SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Prize! We are pleased to announce that Siege Stoves is generously donating a new prize that will be part of the Third Prize package, starting with Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. They are donating the following complete …

Today is the birthday of the late Charles Rankin Bond, Jr., who was born in Dallas on April 22, 1915. (Died, 2009.) He was one of the last of the AVG Flying Tiger pilots. Today is the birthday of actor Eddie Albert (born Edward Albert Heimberger April 22, 1906.) He died May 26, 2005, at age 99.) For his actions in the battle of Tarawa, he was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: …

April 21st is Aggie Muster, for all Texas A&M graduates. Aggie Muster celebrations/meetings are held as far away as Japan, Germany, and Afghanistan. April 21st was selected as the day to celebrate Muster since that is the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, where Santa Anna’s army was defeated by the Texian Army led by Sam Houston. — This leaked draft document from the ATF is just about as clear as mud:  Definition of “Frame or Receiver” and Identification of Firearms. So it appears that not only are they going to soon restrict 80% receivers, but they also want …

On April 20th, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months, creating the worst known offshore oil spill. April 20th is also the day that we remember the victims of the Columbine High School tragedy, where two students stormed into a suburban high school in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, at lunchtime with guns and explosives, killing 13 and wounding dozens more in what was, at the time, the nation’s deadliest school shooting. — It …

April 19th is the original Patriot Day which marks the multiple anniversaries of the battles of Lexington and Concord, known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”. This first battle, leading to our nation’s independence, was the then-dictator’s (United Kingdom King George III’s) failed attempt at “gun control”– an act being carried out in too many parts of our USA right now. This first gun control of the colonies was a failure, because of the will and determination of a small part of the population (about 3% actually fought for our independence actively, with many others supporting) to stand up …

America Strikes Back: The Doolittle Tokyo Raid took place on April 18, 1942. April 18th is the birthday of former Washington Representative and Pastor, Matt Shea. (Born 1974). On April 18th, 1906, the San Francisco earthquake struck northern California, killing hundreds of people as it toppled numerous buildings and started fires that engulfed whole neighborhoods. The quake was so powerful that it knocked down chimneys in the Anderson Valley, 120 miles north of the city. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First …

On April 17, 1961, about 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Due to the Cuba/Soviet intelligence network as well as loose talk by members of the brigade, which was repeated in US and foreign newspaper reports, the Cuban government knew, in advance, of the planned invasion. The Washington Post also reported that the Soviets knew the exact date of the attack, that the CIA was aware that they knew, and that the CIA did not inform president Kennedy. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest …

My inventory of pre-1899 guns is getting low at my Elk Creek Company side business. Federal gun legislation is looming, so get your order in soon. The current sale will end at 9 PM Pacific Time TONIGHT. (Friday, April 16th, 2021.) – JWR — April 16th is the birthday of two notable novelists– the late J. Neil Schulman and Samuel Youd. Agorist-Libertarian activist J. Neil Schulman (born April 16, 1953, died 2019) was best known as author of the novel Alongside Night. The late Samuel Youd (born 1922, died February 3, 2012) was the British novelist who was best known …

April 15th, 1912, is the anniversary of the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic. 1,517 people lost their lives on the maiden voyage. As research into the incident has progressed over the last 100 years, it seems as if, one way or another, the ship was just going to sink. Impact with an iceberg, raging coal fires in the fuel supply, wrong turns, locked-up binoculars, weak rivets, too few lifeboats, and more. Perhaps this whole incident was really the result of man’s hubris. — Inventory is getting low at my Elk Creek Company side business. Federal gun legislation is looming, so …

Today marks the birthday of actor Adrien Brody (born 1973). He played the lead role in the Holocaust survival movie The Pianist. — We are pleased to announce that a new prize has been added to Second Prize package, of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, for at least the next year:  An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value.)  These are being kindly donated by the fine folks at McGuire Army-Navy.  McGuire will also soon be advertising at SurvivalBlog again. Be sure to check out their …

April 13, 1743  was the birthday of Thomas Jefferson. (He died on July 4, 1826 just a few hours before the death of John Adams. How patriotic of both of them to pass away on the Fourth of July.) — Today, I’m posting an article written by my #1 Son, Jonathan Edwards Rawles, who owns and operates SurvivalRealty.com.    

April 12th is the birthday of the late novelist Tom Clancy. (Born 1947, died October 1, 2013). It was Clancy who almost single-handedly created the modern techno-thriller genre, with his first novel, The Hunt For Red October. Coincidentally, Tom Clancy’s first literary agent is now my agent, Robert Gottlieb. — Inventory is getting low at my Elk Creek Company side business. Federal gun legislation is looming, so get your order in soon. The current sale will end on Friday, April 16th, 2021. – JWR — Today we are featuring a review article by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

April 11th is the birthday of John Milius, who was born in 1944. He both wrote the screenplays and directed the films Dillinger, The Wind and the Lion, Big Wednesday, Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, Farewell to the King, and Flight of the Intruder. He also wrote the screenplays of the first two Dirty Harry movies as well as the first draft of the screenplay for Patton (before Francis Ford Coppola turned it into a vaguely anti-war commentary laced with references to reincarnation). Milius is my favorite Hollywood writer and director, in part because he stands for everything that Hollywood …

April 10, 1827 was the birthday of General Lew Wallace. “He wrote books (author of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ), sculpted, practiced law, painted, played the violin and made them as well. He also saved our Capitol from capture during the “Battle of Monocacy” where he fought with 8,000 Union troops against 15,000 Confederates, and helped to preserve our Union. He was second in command of the Lincoln conspiracy trial as well as principal in the trial of the Commander of Andersonville prison where Union prisoners were starved to death. Ambassador to Turkey, [Territorial] Governor of New Mexico when …

On April 9, 1768, John Hancock refused to allow two British customs agents to go below deck of his ship. This was considered by some to be the first act of physical resistance to British authority in the American colonies. On April 9, 1869, the Hudson Bay Company ceded its territory to the Commonwealth of Canada. — Inventory is getting low at my Elk Creek Company side business. Federal gun legislation is looming, so get your order in soon. The current sale will end on Friday, April 16th, 2021. – JWR SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for …