FYI January 18 & 19, 2022

On This Day

1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chinese throne in favour of his son Emperor Qinzong.[2]
Emperor Huizong of Song (7 June 1082 – 4 June 1135), personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Northern Song dynasty of China. He was also a very well-known calligrapher. Born as the 11th son of Emperor Shenzong, he ascended the throne in 1100 upon the death of his elder brother and predecessor, Emperor Zhezong, because Emperor Zhezong’s only son died prematurely. He lived in luxury, sophistication and art in the first half of his life. In 1126, when the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty invaded the Song dynasty during the Jin–Song Wars, Emperor Huizong abdicated and passed on his throne to his eldest son, Zhao Huan who assumed the title Emperor Qinzong while Huizong assumed the honorary title of Taishang Huang (or “Retired Emperor”). The following year, the Song capital, Bianjing, was conquered by Jin forces in an event historically known as the Jingkang Incident. Emperor Huizong, along with Emperor Qinzong and the rest of their family, were taken captive by the Jurchens and brought back to the Jin capital, Huining Prefecture in 1128. The Jurchen ruler, Emperor Taizong of Jin, gave the former Emperor Huizong a title, Duke Hunde (literally “Besotted Duke”), to humiliate him. After his surviving son, Zhao Gou, declared himself as the dynasty’s tenth emperor as Emperor Gaozong, the Jurchens used him, Qinzong, and other imperial family members to put pressure on Gaozong and his court to surrender. Emperor Huizong died in Wuguo after spending about nine years in captivity.

Despite his incompetence in rulership, Emperor Huizong was known for his promotion of Taoism and talents in poetry, painting, calligraphy and music. He sponsored numerous artists at his imperial court, and the catalogue of his collection listed over 6,000 known paintings.[1]


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1607 – San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines.
San Agustin Church (Filipino: Simbahan ng San Agustin, Spanish: Iglesia de San Agustín), also known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture (Spanish: Santuario Arquidiocesano de Nuestra Señora de la Consolación y Correa) or the Immaculate Conception Parish (Filipino: Parokya ng Imakulada Conception, Spanish: Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepción), is a Roman Catholic church under the auspices of the Order of St. Augustine, located inside the historic walled city of Intramuros in Manila. Completed in 1607, it is the oldest stone church in the country.[1]

In 1993, San Agustin Church was one of four Philippine churches constructed during the Spanish colonial period to be designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, under the collective title Baroque Churches of the Philippines.[2] It was named a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1976.[3]


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Born On This Day

1659 – Damaris Cudworth Masham, English philosopher and theologian (d. 1708)
Damaris, Lady Masham (/ˈdəmærɪs ˈkʊdɜːrθ ˈmæshæm/; DA-ma-ris CUD-erth MAS-hem; 18 January 1659 – 20 April 1708) was an English writer, philosopher, theologian, and advocate for women’s education who is characterized as a proto-feminist. She overcame some weakness of eyesight and lack of access to formal higher education to win high regard among eminent thinkers of her time. With an extensive correspondence, she published two works, A Discourse Concerning the Love of God (1696) and Thoughts in reference to a Vertuous or Christian Life (1705). She is particularly noted for her long, mutually-influential friendship with the philosopher John Locke.

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399 – Pulcheria, Byzantine empress and saint (d. 453)[18]
Aelia Pulcheria (/ˈiːliə pʌlˈkɪriə/; Greek: Πουλχερία; 19 January 398 or 399 – July 453)[1] was an Eastern Roman empress who advised her brother emperor Theodosius II during his minority and then became wife to emperor Marcian from November 450 to her death in 453.

She was the second (and oldest surviving) child of Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius and Empress Aelia Eudoxia. In 414, the fifteen-year old Pulcheria became the guardian of her younger brother Theodosius II[2] and was also proclaimed Augusta. Through her religious devotion and involvement in the contemporary ecclesiastical scene, Pulcheria had significant, though changing, influence and political power during her brother’s reign. When Theodosius II died on 26 July 450, Pulcheria married Marcian on 25 November 450, while simultaneously not violating her vow of virginity. She died three years later, in July 453.

Pulcheria influenced the Christian Church and its theological development by being involved in the Council of Ephesus and guiding the Council of Chalcedon, in which the Church ruled on christological issues. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church subsequently recognized her as a saint.[3]

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FYI

By Ferris Jabr, Hakai Magazine: Can We Really Be Friends with an Octopus? When octopuses are social, are they reaching out or simply reacting?

 
 
 
 

LSU Media Center: Under a Moon Spell: Shark Attacks Related to Lunar Phases
 
 
 
 
Quartz Obsession: A beginner’s guide to tungsten
 
 
 
 
By Alex Dalenberg, Pocket Collections: The Best Little Dolly Parton Reader on the Internet Our favorite articles (and one podcast) about the one-and-only Dolly Parton.
 
 
 
 
By Korsha Wilson, Saveur: The Inventor of the Snap Pea Has a Farm (and Story) You Wouldn’t Believe Yes, someone invented the sugar snap pea.
 
 
 
 
https://youtu.be/DUi3xZtoe0w
 
 
 
 

 
 
By Laura Lind, Medium: Five Life Lessons From an Unlikely Musical Duo What we can learn from Tico the parrot’s rise to rock stardom.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Recipes

By Betty Crocker Kitcthens: Ham and Cheddar Breakfast Sandwiches
 
 
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: 11 Winner Weeknight Casseroles
 
 
By Diana Rattray, The Spruce Eats: Chicken Bog
 
 
By Kitchen Mason: Insanely Easy No Bake Caramel Chocolate Tart Recipe (Video Included)
 
 
DamnDelicious
 
 


 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

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Welcome to the Stump the Bookseller blog!

Stump the Bookseller is a service offered by Loganberry Books to reconnect people to the books they love but can’t quite remember. In brief (for more detailed information see our About page), people can post their memories here, and the hivemind goes to work. After all, the collective mind of bibliophiles, readers, parents and librarians around the world is much better than just a few of us thinking. Together with these wonderful Stumper Magicians, we have a nearly 50% success rate in finding these long lost but treasured books. The more concrete the book description, the better the success rate, of course. It is a labor of love to keep it going, and there is a modest fee. Please see the How To page to find price information and details on how to submit your Book Stumper and payment.

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