October 8, 2024

The Battle of Sekigahara on September 15, 1600, marked the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.

On September 15, 1928, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin while studying influenza.

On September 15h, 1950, United Nations troops landed at Inch’ŏn, South Korea, crippling a North Korean invasion during the Korean War.

On this day in 1944, the U.S. 1st Marine Division landed on the island of Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands in the Pacific, as part of a larger operation to provide support for Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was preparing to invade the Philippines. Within one week of the invasion, the Marines lost 4,000 men. By the time it was all over, that number would surpass 9,000. The Japanese lost more than 13,000 men. Flamethrowers and bombs finally subdued the island for the Americans, but it all proved pointless. MacArthur invaded the Philippines without need of Army or Marine protection from either Peleliu or Morotai.

Today’s feature article was too short for consideration in the judging for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.  So it is running as a guest post.

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. 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. Round 114 ends on September 30th, 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.