Category: Note

On July 19, 1843, the steamship SS Great Britain was launched, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was the first ocean-going craft to feature an iron hull and a screw propeller. At the time, it was the largest vessel afloat in the world. — July 19th is coincidentally the birthday of handgun designers Samuel Colt (born 1814) and Gaston Glock. (Glock was born in 1929 and passed away in December, 2023.) — I just got some sad news: Lou Dobbs has passed away. My condolences to his family. — We are in need of entries to round out Round 113 …

On July 18, 1572, the Provincial States of Holland recognized William I of Orange as Stadtholder of Holland, Friesland, and Utrecht at a gathering in Dordrecht — July 18th, 1954 was the birthdate of Ricky Skaggs, an American country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and banjo. — Toiday’s feature article is a guest post by Hubert Moolman, selected by JWR.  It is reposted with permission. — We are in need of entries for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes …

On July 17, 1603, English explorer Walter Raleigh was arrested by forces of King James I of England. He was executed in 1618. — July 17th, 1889 was the birthdate of Erle Stanley Gardner. He was an American lawyer and author. Though best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories, he wrote numerous other novels and shorter pieces, as well as a series of nonfiction books, mostly narrations of his travels through Baja California and other regions in Mexico. The best-selling American author of the 20th century at the time of his death, Gardner also published under numerous …

On July 16, 1790, Congress declared the city of Washington in the District of Columbia, the permanent capitol of the United States. — July 16th is also the anniversary of the first successful atomic bomb test near Alamogordo, New Mexico in 1945. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 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 $2,000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day …

July 15, 1410:  The Battle of Grunwald (First Battle of Tannenburg, Battle of Žalgiris), one of Medieval Europe’s largest battles during the Poland-Lithuanian Teutonic War. Polish King Władysław Jagiełło and Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas defeated the Teutonic Ulrich von Jungingen. The painting of the battle (above) was rendered by Jan Matejko. — On July 15, 1799, the Rosetta Stone was found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon‘s Egyptian Campaign. — Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

July 14 1789: Bastille Day – the French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris. It is now celebrated as France’s national day. — On July 14, 1609, The Darien scheme began with five ships, bearing about 1,200 people, departing Leith for the Isthmus of Panama — July 14th is the birthday of Colonel Einar A. Malmstrom. He was born in 1907 and died August 21, 1954 near Great Falls, Montana, in the crash of a T-33 jet. He was a decorated Air Force pilot, a Luft Stalag POW survivor, and test pilot. Malmstrom AFB was …

On July 13th,1772 Captain James Cook began his second voyage to the South Seas aboard HMS Resolution to search for Terra Australis (Southern continent) — On this day in 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance structuring settlement of the Northwest Territory and creating a policy for the addition of new states to the nation. The Northwest Ordinance established the first organized US territory, set requirements for statehood – guaranteeing equal status with the original 13 states, outlawed slavery in the new lands, and protected civil liberties. The members of Congress knew that if their new confederation were to survive intact, …

On July 12, 1191, during the Third Crusade, the city of Acre (modern-day Akko, Israel) surrendered to English King Richard I the Lionheart and the Crusaders after a siege of nearly two years. Pictured is one of Akko’s “Crusader” tunnels. — Today is the last day!!!  Because of a change in direction at Trident Media Group (my partner publisher) my novel Land Of Promise is going out of print in trade paperback. The last day of the sale (and of Amazon Print on Demand ordering capability) will be today, Friday, July 12, 2024. Thereafter, it may only be available as …

On July 11, 1804, Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel. — July 11th is the birthday of John Quincy Adams. — Just one more day!!!  Because of a change in direction at Trident Media Group (my partner publisher) my novel Land Of Promise will go out of print in trade paperback by Amazon.com. It is still priced at just $11.99 per copy. The last day of the sale (and of Amazon Print on Demand ordering capability) will be tomorrow, Friday, July 12, 2024. Thereafter, it …

On July 10, 1913, the world’s official highest recorded temperature was recorded at Greenland Ranch (now known as Furnace Creek Ranch), Death Valley, California at 134°F (56.7 °C) — July 10, 1553, Lady Jane Grey, daughter of the Duke of Suffolk, proclaimed Queen of England, succeeding Edward VI, who had proclaimed his half-sisters illegitimate. She reigned for just nine days. — July 10th is the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. (His full name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, but Harris shortened that to just John Wyndham for his pen name.) He we was born in 1903 and …

Today is the anniversary of three famous battles: On July 9, 1386, in the Battle of Sempach: the pike-armed militias of the Old Swiss Confederacy defeated the Habsburg army of Duke Leopold III of Austria. — On July 8, 1401, the Turko-Mongol ruler Tamerlane (Timur) destroyed Baghdad, killing 20,000 people. — On July 9th, 1755: Battle of the Wilderness. This was also known as the Battle of The Monongahela. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at …

On July 8, 1283, the Battle of Malta occurred during the War of the Sicilian Vespers.  From the Infogalactic wiki: “The War of the Sicilian Vespers, also shortened to the War of the Vespers, was a conflict waged by several medieval European kingdoms over control of Sicily from 1282 to 1302. The war, which started with the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers, was fought over competing dynastic claims to the throne of Sicily and grew to involve the Crown of Aragon, Angevin Kingdom of Naples, Kingdom of France, and the papacy.” — Just four more days! Because of a change …

On July 7, 1807, French Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte and Russian Tsar Alexander I met on a raft in the middle of the Neman River and signed the first Treaty of Tilsit. — On July 7, 1520, Battle of Otumba, Mexico: Hernán Cortés and the Tlaxcalans defeated a numerically superior Aztec force. — July 7th, 1907 was the birthday of science fiction novelist Robert A. Heinlein. He passed away on May 8, 1988, at age 80. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First …

Today is the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Storm King Mountain wildfire that took the lives of 14 firefighters. Weather changes, resulting in 45 mph wind gusts, caused a modest wildfire to erupt into a blazing inferno, which threatened homes in and around the town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Firefighters from around the country were called to assist in fighting this wildfire. We will never forget the young men and women who lost their lives battling this fire: Prineville, Oregon Hotshots: Kathi Beck, Tamera Bickett, Scott Blecha, Levi Brinkley, Douglas Dunbar, Terri Hagen, Bonnie Holtby, Rob Johnson, Jon Kelso Missoula …

On July  5, 1687, Isaac Newton‘s great work Principia was published by the Royal Society in England, outlining his laws of motion and universal gravitation. — July 5, 1715: Ottoman troops storm citadel of Acrocorinth in the Peloponnese, massacring a large part of the population and selling the rest into slavery. Inspires Lord Byron‘s poem “The Siege of Corinth”. — Joly 5, 1950:  US forces entered combat in the Korean War for the first time, in the Battle of Osan. — We are seeking entries for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes …