Category: Note

August 7, 1588: English sailors set alight eight fireships, with pitch, brimstone, gunpowder, and tar, and cast them downwind towards the closely anchored vessels of the Spanish Armada, scattering the armada. Pictured: English and Spanish fleets clash in the 1558 Battle of Gravelines in a painting by Philip James de Loutherbourg. — August 7th, 1933 was the birthday of the late Jerry Pournelle. He, along with Larry Niven, authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. — As part of the 20th Anniversary celebration for SurvivalBlog, we’ve launched our biggest sale ever on all of our percussion gun inventory at Elk Creek …

August 5, 1716: Battle of Petrovaradin [aka Peterwardein]: The Habsburgs under Eugene of Savoy defeated the Ottomans in a decisive victory. — On this day in 1763: Battle of Bushy Run, Pontiac’s War. Forces led by Swiss mercenary Henry Bouquet defeated Chief Pontiac’s Indians at Bushy Run. — August 5, 1917: The entire US National Guard is taken into national service, subject to presidential rather than state control. — August 5th is also the sad anniversary of the Mann Gulch Fire in Montana that took the lives of 13 firefighters (including 12 smokejumpers and one former smokejumper), in 1949. The …

On August 4, 1735, a jury acquitted John Zenger of the New York Weekly Journal. (A sample issue from the previous year is pictured.) He had been charged with seditious libel by the royal governor of New York. This was a key victory and legal precedent for freedom of press. — August 4, 1900:  An allied expeditionary force, made up of Japanese, Russian, British, French, and American troops, set off from Tientsin for Peking, China, to put down the Boxer rebellion. — And on August 4, 1961 Spokane, Washington reached an August record high temperature of 108° F. — Today’s …

August 3, 1798: The Battle of the Nile. British Admiral Horatio Nelson forced the remnants of the French fleet to surrender, concluding a decisive victory for the British who captured or destroyed 11 French ships of the line and two frigates. — On August 3rd  1914, Germany and France both declared war on each other, bringing two major combatants into the First World War. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 120 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 …

On August 2, 1909, the US Mint issued the first Lincoln penny coin. — And on August 2, 1972, Gold hit a record $70 per Troy ounce in London. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present Part 2 of the first entry for Round 120 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, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal …

On August 1, 1781, the British army under General Cornwallis occupied Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis eventually surrendered at Yorktown (pictured), effectively ending the American War of Independence. — Today is the anniversary of the Warsaw general uprising against the German occupation, in 1944. Like the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto uprising in April of 1943, it was doomed to failure. The uprising was eventually crushed, with massive civilian casualties. There was no support provided by the Allies. The advancing Soviet Red Army–just a few miles to the east–merely waited and watched. It was in their best interest to stand by and witness the …

July 31st, 1703: Novelist Daniel Defoe was placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet. But he was pelted with flowers, and cheered by his supporters. — On July 31, 1958, the Anti-Chinese uprising began in Tibet. — July 31st, 1921, was the birthday of Army Air Corps veteran David Thatcher, one of the Doolittle Raiders. — And today is also the birthday of free market economist Milton Friedman (born 1912, died November 16, 2006.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …

On July 30, 1619. the House of Burgesses in Virginia was formed. It was the first elected American governing body. — Today we also remember the birthday of author Reginald Bretnor. He was born Alfred Reginald Kahn on July 30, 1911, in Vladivostok. He died on July 22, 1992 in Medford, Oregon. In addition to penning many witty science fiction novels and short stories in his characteristic style, he also wrote nonfiction articles for Mel Tappan’s P.S. Letter — Today’s feature article is a guest piece by our friend Brandon Smith, the Editor of Alt-Market.us. — We are now seeking …

On July  29, 1279, five emissaries dispatched by Kublai Khan from the Mongol Yuan dynasty were beheaded in Hakata, Japan. Their gravestones can still be seen in Kamakura at Tatsunokuchi. — July 29, 1805 was the birthday of Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville. He died April 16, 1859. He is best known for his lengthy treatise: Democracy In America. — On July 29, 1930, a record high of 115°F (46°C) was recorded in Holly Springs, Mississippi — a state record. — Reader C.B. passed along some sad news: Tom Lehrer, Song Satirist and Mathematician, Dies at 97.  One of my favorites …

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary decided against mediation and declared war on Serbia. This was the first declaration of war, beginning The Great War, which was later named World War I. — On July 28, 1932, U.S. Army troops, using tanks, cavalry, and tear gas demolished and burned the shantytown set up near the U.S. Capitol by unemployed Bonus Army protestors. — Today’s feature is a review written by SurvivalBlog staff writer Tom Christianson.. — Just a few days left: A fan of SurvivalBlog is one of the organizers of a real estate raffle for a 32-acre parcel of waterfront …

On July 27 1897, a record-setting 14.75 inches (37.5 cm) of rainfall was gauged at Jewell, Maryland.  This was a state 24-hour record. — July 27th is the birthday of Captain Samuel Whittemore (born in 1694, died February 3, 1793). He was an English-born American farmer and soldier. He was eighty years of age when he became the oldest known colonial combatant in the American War of Independence. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course …

On July 26, 1878, Charles Boles, a California poet and American West outlaw calling himself “Black Bart” made his last clean getaway when he stole a safe box from a Wells Fargo stagecoach. The empty box was found later with a taunting poem inside. — On July 26th, 1931, a swarm of grasshoppers descended on crops throughout the American heartland, devastating millions of acres. Already in the midst of a bad drought, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota suffered tremendously. The swarms were said to be so thick that they blocked out the sun and one could shovel the grasshoppers with …

On July 25, 1850, Gold was discovered in Oregon, on the Rogue River. — On this day in 1853, Joaquin Murrieta, the famous Californian bandit known as “Robin Hood of El Dorado”, was killed by California Rangers. — And on July 25, 1797 Horatio Nelson lost more than 300 men and his right arm during the failed conquest attempt of Tenerife, Spain. — I just heard of the passing of wrestler and actor Hulk Hogan.  He was an outspoken conservative, and in his later years, an outspoken Christian. — Just one more day! In honor of the birthday week of …

On July 24, 1824, the Harrisburg Pennsylvanian newspaper published the results of first American public opinion poll, indicating a clear lead for Andrew Jackson. — Novelist Jerry Ahern passed away on this day, in 2012. His survivalist novels created an entire genre. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 119 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, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings …