Feb 19, 1847: Donner Party Rescued

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Action for Freedom — 1 Comment

On this day in 1847, the first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the summer of 1846, in the midst of a Western-bound…

Jan 4, 1847: Colt Sells His First Revolvers to the U.S. Government

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

Samuel Colt rescues the future of his faltering gun company by winning a contract to provide the U.S. government with 1,000 of his .44 caliber revolvers. Before Colt began mass-producing his popular revolvers in 1847, handguns had not played a…