(Source for both pictures.)

Do you like trivia?  I do!  But what is it?

The ancient Romans did not have radio, TV or the internet.  If they wanted news from some place, then they had to ask someone that had just come from there.  And the best news was to be had could only be found where three roads came together.

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So you had to go to the three-road place to get the best news.  Say it in Latin like they did.  “Tri-via!”

The above is a perfect little nugget of what I love about most trivia.  A short little story that entertains and informs, even though the knowledge gained is hardly useful except to win a bar bet or two.  It also doesn’t hurt that most trivia is historical in nature, and I love history.

I came across a Youtube video channel that I find really interesting.  It is called The History Guy, and the videos are short snippets where an incident from the past is briefly explored.

Want an example?  Howsabout this.  The people who live in the city of Toronto, Canada are known for the great pride they take in battling corruption, but it wasn’t always that way.  Toronto in the 19th Century was known for being a rough and violent frontier town, where local government was dominated by an all-powerful political machine.  If you were in with the bosses, you could literally get away with murder.  But it all changed because a circus clown and a volunteer fireman walked in to a brothel.

1920’s Chicago was hardly known for being a safe place, but an actual war broke out between famed taxi firms the Yellow Cab Company and Checkered Cabs in that city.  The war started out with fisticuffs, and eventually moved to drive-by shootings and murder in the streets.

An incident that is well known in the United Kingdom but virtually forgotten in the United States, a crazed gunman attempted to kidnap Princess Anne almost within sight of Buckingham Palace in 1976.  He shot four men and was only stopped when a former heavyweight boxer nicknamed “The Geezer”, who only happened to be walking by, punched the crazy man in the face.

I don’t know the name of the author of the videos, but it seems obvious to me that he is a history teacher or professor.  The way that he arranges the details, and the way that he presents it, would be perfect to keep the attention of bored students.

If this kind of thing appeals to you, then give it a look.  Subscribe to the channel to access videos that are twice the length.

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I love the expression.  So fierce!

Another unknown picture from the depths of the internet.

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Found on the internet, provenance unknown.

Neat picture, though.

For a long time now, some companies in the finance industry have been refusing to process credit card payments for firearms.  This essay from 2013 discusses one such case, but it has been going on longer than that.

Keep in mind that these transactions are perfectly legal, and are even under heavy scrutiny by federal and local law enforcement to ensure that they remain on the up-and-up.  Even so, an increasing number of banks and financial transaction companies are refusing to process these sales.

So what to do?

One solution is to start a company specifically to handle credit card transactions from the firearms and sports industries.  Behold!

So there is a company that fills a need that other companies will not.  Good idea!  But why am I talking about them?  My efforts are charity, all paid for by myself.  There are no payments to process.

Tactical Payments has a podcast called Tactical Pay Radio where they interview people in the firearms industry, and they decided to feature me in one of the podcasts.  The host is Brett Grayson, who insists that he is not related to the more famous Grayson.

Why did they approach me as a guest?  Haven’t the foggiest, really.  I suppose it is because this blog has been around, in one incarnation or another, since 2002.  If one talks loudly and long, eventually people will start to notice.

Anyway, just in case you happen to be interested, the segment where I talk about stuff can be found here.  Two of my old posts are mentioned in passing, and just to make it a bit less confusing they are Confessions of a Deathbeast and A Day In The Life.

Tactical Payments was started by Adam Carlson, and I wish him the best of luck.  As mentioned previously, there is a definite need for a service like this.

I want to show you something.  Take a look at the picture below.

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What the heck is that?  A picture of 87 different calibers. All handgun cartridges.  Except for a few exceptions, you would need a different gun to shoot each cartridge.  And it is hardly an exhaustive list.

Anyone just starting out with armed self defense might just despair of ever getting it right.  All these different calibers!  All these different gun designs!  Which one to choose?  Guns are expensive, costing about as much as a major appliance like a washing machine.  A lot of people only have enough money for one gun, so they have to get something that will work on the first go without any hidden problems.  Which is pretty much what people think when they buy a washing machine.

Don’t panic, we can get through this.  All we have to do is narrow the list.  What we need to do is concentrate on handgun calibers that are proven to be effective in a self defense role, and that are popular.

Why only popular calibers?  Because that means there are plenty of choices in ammunition and gun options.  More choices means it is easier to find something that suits your particular needs, and competition between manufacturers keeps the price down.  Best to start with boring and effective.  You can get something exotic and exciting after gaining some experience.

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I just received a heads up about a new product on the market from long time reader Greg.  (Thanks, Greg!)    It appears to be a shotgun shell loaded with cotton wadding and, perhaps, a solid disk of wax.  Load a shell, fire it in your shotgun, and the bore inside the barrel is buffed nice and clean.

The product is offered by a company named Huntego, which you might have guessed by the picture above.  These shells were reviewed by The Firearm Blog back in 2017, and they certainly seem to think they work.  Of course, there is no reason why they shouldn’t.

The idea of using a projectile to clean the bore of a firearm is certainly nothing new.  It was a subject of some interest back when black powder was being used as a propellant.

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See all that white smoke?  That is propellant residue, and it coats any gun that uses black powder with every shot fired.  If one is using traditional black powder, it doesn’t take too many bangs before the inside of the barrel starts to get heavily encrusted.  This shrinks the bore size, making it difficult to ram a bullet down the muzzle.

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