Category: Note

Today is the birthday of celebrated Scottish poet Robert “Bobby” Burns. He was born on January 25, 1759. — An USB stick update: There has been a technical glitch, because we have so much bonus material and almost 40,000 posts and columns lined up for our waterproof 2005-2015 Special 15th Anniversary Archive USB stick. It looks like it might have to be a 32 GB stick! We should have a pre-order announcement by about February 5th. Thanks for your patience. — Fellow blogger Commander Zero of the great Notes From The Bunker blog posted news that his namesake, Edén Pastora — …

January 24th is the birthday of René Barjavel (born 1911, died November 24, 1985). This prescient French science fiction author wrote several books with survivalist themes, including Ravage, which was titled Ashes, Ashes in its English translation. It is also the birthday of Tamara K., the editor of the long-running View From The Porch blog. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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 …

On January 23rd, 1570, the first assassination by firearm occurred when James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was shot in Linlithgow, Scotland.  January 23, 1855 was the birthday of John Moses Browning. He was the brilliant designer of dozens of guns, including the M1911 pistol, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and the venerable M2 .50 Caliber Machinegun. A personal side note: Today is also the birthday of my #2 Grandson. His coincidental birthday will ensure that he will inherit a disproportionately large portion of my guns that are Browning designs. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 of …

On January 22, 1984 the first Apple Macintosh personal computer was formally introduced. The memorable first ad for the Mac aired just once, during the 1984 Super Bowl. And on January 22, 1944 Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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. …

On this day in 1968, the siege of Khe Sanh began, as NVA regulars surrounded the USMC hilltop airfield near the Laotian border. Fearing a repeat of the French Army’s 1953 Dien Bien Phu debacle, the Pentagon assigned maximum round-the-clock air power to the region, including B-52 bomber strikes, to break the siege. According to the Infogalatic wiki this was “‘the most concentrated application of aerial firepower in the history of warfare’. On an average day 350 tactical fighter-bombers, 60 B-52s, and 30 light observation or reconnaissance aircraft operated in the skies near Khe Sanh.” More than 100,000 tons of …

Today is the birthday of Congressman Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794) — On January 20, 1981, 52 American hostages were released by the Iranian government, following 444 days of captivity, to be reunited with their families. Not coincidentally, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President, the same day. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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. …

Today is the birthday of the late Carla Emery (born 1939, died October 11, 2005). She is well known in self-sufficiency circles as the author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living. (This book was re-released in a 40th Anniversary edition.) January 19th is also the birthday of General Robert E. Lee. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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 …

Kevin Costner, who starred in Open Range, was born on this day in 1955. — Today, another review article by our redoubtable Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

On Jan. 17, 1920 the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect, establishing Prohibition. By one account, 286 distilleries, 992 breweries, and more than 300,000 bars and saloons were closed. This is also the anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens in 1781. This small battle was the turning point of the American Revolution in the South. In it, the best battlefield tactician America produced, the backwoodsman Daniel Morgan, decisively and utterly defeated the most arrogant, bloody and successful field grade officer in the British Army, Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. The battle set in motion the chain of events …

Today is the birthday of Dr. Edward Teller.

This is the birthday of actor and shooter Robert Stack (1919 -2003.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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 for the prize winner’s choice of …

On this day in 1737, John Hancock was born. He was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. January 12, 1879 – The British-Zulu War begins. British troops, under Lieutenant General Frederic Augustus, invade Zululand from the southern African republic of Natal. Today is also the birthday of Edmund Burke. (Born 1729, died 9 July 1797.) — I’m pleased to welcome our newest advertiser, Prepper Tees. That biz is operated by some of my relatives. Please take a look at their site. Many of their designs are very clever. – JWR — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another …

Today is birthday of big game hunter and writer Peter Hathaway Capstick. January 11th is also the birthday of Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804.) And today is the natal day of the late Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby, who was born in 1918. He was the most decorated hero of the Norwegian resistance under the German occupation. He died May 10, 2012. — Today we’re posting another review by our redoubtable Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

January 10th, 1776 is the day that North Carolina Governor Josiah Martin issued a proclamation calling on the king’s loyal subjects to raise an armed force to combat the “rebels”. This ultimately led to Colonel Donald McLeod leading the men on an assault on the Patriots that ended with fifty of his men dead and 880 captured. The Patriots lost only two of their number. — Also on this day in 1976 the song “Convoy” by C.W. McCall was the #1 song on the U.S. pop charts. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 of …