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February 20, 1792: The US postal service was created, charging postage rates of 6-to-12 cents, depending on distance. The first US Postage stamps were not issued until 1847.

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Today is the birthday of novelist and screenwriter Richard Matheson (1926–2013). He wrote many sci-fi television scripts. His novella I Am Legend later was adapted into three different movies in the next five decades, and his story Bid Time Return became the charming movie Somewhere In Time.

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Because of my recent cataract surgery, I won’t be posting much for the next couple of days.  Thanks for your patience.

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We are in need of entries for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 ends on March 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 an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

On February 19, 1807, US Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested in Alabama for treason. He was later acquitted.

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February 19,1884: The “Enigma Outbreak” of more than 60 tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana reportedly killed over a thousand people. The origin of these nearly simultaneous storms remains enigmatic.

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Today’s feature piece is by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

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We are in need of entries for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 ends on March 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 an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Today is the birthday of astronaut Theodore Cordy “Ted” Freeman (February 18, 1930 – October 31, 1964.)  He is pictured above with Buzz Aldrin. Ted Freeman and his wife Faith were friends of my mother and father.  Both my father (Donald Robert Rawles) and Ted Freeman were stationed at Bryan Air Force Base in the early 1950s, and they rented houses three blocks apart, in College Station, Texas. Both Ted and my father were born in the same year. The two families often played the card game Bridge together, and Faith and my mother were in a play production together. Oddly, the Freemans named their daughter Faith, and they often referred to her as “Faith, Junior.” (They couldn’t call her “Little Faith”, for fear of “Oh Ye of Little Faith” jokes.)  About ten years later, while training as an astronaut in the Gemini space program, Ted was killed in a catastrophic birdstrike flying accident, while flying a T-38 Talon jet trainer. He was the first casualty of NASA’s manned space program. Fittingly, Ted Freeman’s name is inscribed on a memorial plaque that was left on the moon, by Apollo astronauts. – JWR

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Today’s feature article is from frequent guest author Brandon Smith.

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We need more entries for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 ends on March 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 an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

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February 17, 1776, the first volume of Edward Gibbon‘s seminal work “The Decline and Fall of Roman Empire” was published.

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USB STICKS UPDATE:  We have nearly completed mailing out all of the SurvivalBlog 205-2025 Waterproof Archive USB sticks. We are taking no more orders this year.  The only stick orders still waiting are a few that were designated in our ordering system as being paid by check. All of those in CONUS paid by PayPal or by credit card have been mailed and should arrive by Friday, February 21st. If we haven’t received your check by March 10, 2025, then your order will be canceled. For anyone who missed out:  Mark your calendars for February 10, 2026. That is when the special 20th Anniversary Edition waterproof archive sticks should be orderable.

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We are seeking entries for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 ends on March 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 an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

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Today’s feature article was authored by Tom Christianson, SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor.