Category: Note

May 1st was the birthday of Pastor Archie Mitchell — a man whose civilian life was torn by both World War 2 and the Vietnam War. It is also the birthday of the late Joel Rosenberg, a Canadian-born novelist and gun rights advocate (born 1954, died June 2, 2011). He is not to be confused with Joel C. Rosenberg (born 1967), another great novelist and the author of The Last Jihad series. — 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: The photovoltaic …

Camerone Day is celebrated on April 30th every year — the French Foreign Legion’s most important holiday. Today is also the birthday of sci-fi novelist Larry Niven (born April 30, 1938). Along with Jerry Pournelle, he co-authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. April 30th is also the birthday of Ed Yourdon, who was born in 1944. — New listing through Survival Realty Brokerage Services: A manufactured home on 18 acres in Sabine Parish, Louisiana. Has a four-acre pond, shop, and more. $179,500. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. …

This is the birthday of actor Daniel Day-Lewis (born 1957), often remembered for his starring roles in Last of the Mohicians and in Lincoln. — Our Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson has a new sci-fi anthology that will be released by Baen Books on May 4th: Freehold Defiance. I’ve started reading my advance copy, and it is great! The book is already available for pre-order directly from Baen, and will be available from all major online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores on May 4th. I’d of course prefer that you order your copies from Books-A-Million (BAM), so that we can starve the …

April 28th is the birthday of Aimo Johannes Lahti. (Born in 1896.) This inventive Finn designed (or co-designed) an amazing array of weapons including the L-35 Lahti pistol, the Suomi M-31 SMG, the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 LMG, the famous Lahti L-39 20mm anti-tank rifle, and even the 20 ItK 40 — a 20 mm dual anti-aircraft cannon. — 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: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the …

On this day in 1789, the crew of the British ship Bounty mutinied, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific. — Take note that I’ve moved the posting day for our weekly Snippets column from Tuesdays to Wednesdays. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present an article that is not eligible for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The author is my #1 Son, Jonathan Edwards Rawles. He operates the real estate advertising site SurvivalRealty.com and is a partner of Survival Realty Brokerage Services.

On April 26, 1986, one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents occurred at the Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into the atmosphere; at least 31 Soviets died immediately. — Here is a new property listing in the American Redoubt: Five Acre Dream – Wide Open Spaces! (With both on-grid and off-grid power, near Thermopolis, Wyoming.) — Today we present another review written by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

Today is the birthday of physicist, inventor, and entrepreneur Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937). He was known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission as well as for the development of Marconi’s law and a radio telegraph system. He is often considered the inventor of radio. — Today we present a guest article. It was too short for consideration in the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 94 of the writing contest ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have …

April 24th is the birthday of my childhood friend, Carolyn Cole (born 1961). She is a Pulitzer Prize-winning staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times. This is also the day that the Armenian Genocide began, in 1915. Ottoman Turk Muslims slaughtered 1.5 million of their Christian neighbors, intellectuals, and community leaders. The Ottoman government proceeded with multiple phases to round up men in mass executions and drive women and children into the desert on death marches. They also led the general Muslim citizens to participate in brutal periodic massacres within their communities signaled with the blow of a bugle. It …

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 …