Despite Winston Churchill’s popular image, Britain’s most celebrated statesman spent much of his seemingly extravagant life on the edge of a financial cliff, according to retired banker and Oxford history scholar David Lough. In Lough’s “No More Champagne: Churchill and His Money,” he outlines how Churchill flirted with severe debt while projecting an image of wealth, with his…
History of Weapons: Hiram Maxim’s Self-Loading Rifle Came Before his Machine Gun
In 1883 Hiram Maxim designed a unique system that harnessed the recoil of a rifle. Maxim filed a patent for this system which, when the U.S. government granted it in April 1884, became his first firearm design patent — a year before his now-famous machine-gun concept patent. To prove his ideas about using recoil to operate…
ISIS Corner: ISIS’ Expansion Strategy in Libya
Bottom Line Up Front: • On March 1, the UK announced that it will send a contingent of soldiers to help Tunisia secure its border with Libya • The announcement comes a week after reports that French special forces are operating against the Islamic State in Libya • International concern is growing about the spread of the…
Literary Corner: Great Interview with Tom Ricks on Writing, Reading and Military Innovation
Tom Ricks is without a doubt one of my favorite Military writers and historians. If you don’t already I seriously recommend subscribing to his Best Defense Blog on Foreign Policy.com. I also recommend his book Fiasco for a “blinders-off”, no bull look at the War in Iraq. -SF So you’ve been covering the US military…
World War I History: Verdun 100 Years Later, “The Slaughterhouse of the World”
The Battle of Verdun started 100 years ago this February, and lasted through the year, finishing in December 1916. At 7:15 a.m. on February 21, the 1,200 guns of the German Fifth Army began a bombardment to signal the beginning of the Battle of Verdun. “Every new explosion is a new attack, a new fatigue,…
Into the Fray: Left-Handed Operations
Learning to not only shoot, but also draw, load and clear malfunctions with your “Non-Dominant” Hand is essential to keep your firearms training realistic. -SF Read the Original Article at Ammo-Land To back this type of training up with real world data, look at a post I did recently What Armed Civilians Can Learn From…
Another Reason to be Armed: You Can Stop Mass Murder, February Report
Ordinary citizens stopped mass murder. Mass murder is defined as four or more victims killed in the same event. Many people were at risk in the stories this month. Armed citizens like you saved lives until the police could come and make an arrest. You did it, and the media never gave you credit. Let…
Campus Carry: SCC’s Pre-lim Response to University of Houston’s Draft Campus Carry
The University of Houston’s draft campus carry policy is a major improvement over the policy proposed by the University of Texas; however, the UH policy is too aggressive in attempting to prohibit licensed concealed carry in any location where minor children may be present, something the Texas Legislature never intended. Students for Concealed Carry commends…
Cartel Corner #59: El Chapo Hates Mexican Prison So Much He Wants to Be Extradited
Or is it ole’ Sneaky El Chapo just wants the chance for a paid group of serious pipe hitters to break him out during the transfer? Hmmmm, Enquiring Minds want to know.-SF At the same time, the drug lord’s wife has warned the Mexican authorities that they will live to regret her husband’s extradition because of…