On October 28, 1628, after a long siege, the Huguenot bulwark at La Rochelle surrendered to Catholic prelate Cardinal Richelieu. A large diaspora of Huguenots (French Calvinist Reformed Protestants) began soon after. They became known as Europe’s first refugees. Facing severe persecution in France and Wallonia, Huguenots arrived in South Africa as early as 1671. By 1692, more than 200 French Huguenots had settled at the Cape of Good Hope. More than 700 Huguenot refugees arrived in Virginia in 1690s. With their wide diaspora, Huguenot surnames are now fairly common in England, Canada, South Africa, Zimbabwe, the United States, and Australia. The majority of Australians with French ancestry are Huguenot descendants. One of Avalanche Lily’s relatives in South Africa has the Huguenot surname Malherbe. – JWR
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And on October 28, 2020, a new coral reef 500 meters (1,640 ft) high, taller than the Empire State Building, was discovered north of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
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Some great news! The fine folks usaBerkeyFilters.com just bought the Harvest Guard reusable canning lids business. It is great to hear that these important products for preppers and homesteaders will continue to be available. And, given the solid reputation for customer service at usaBerkeyFilters.com, I’m confident that the quality control, fast shipping, and customer service at Harvest Guard will be held to the highest standards. Please note that they are offering a special 25%-off coupon code, just until November 5th, 2025. Enter the code LIDS25 at checkout, to get that special discount.- JWR
Today’s feature piece is by SurvivalBlog staff member Tom Christianson. He is a full-time church pastor and a part-time writer.