On This Day
395 – Later Yan is defeated by its former vassal Northern Wei at the Battle of Canhe Slope.
Battle of Canhe Slope (Chinese: 參合陂之戰) refers to a battle in 395 where the Chinese/Xianbei state Later Yan, then ruling over northern and central China, had launched a punitive campaign against its former vassal Northern Wei, also of Xianbei extraction.
Later Yan forces were led by its crown prince Murong Bao and enjoyed some initial successes, but after being frustrated by the containment strategy of Northern Wei’s prince Tuoba Gui (the later Emperor Daowu), withdrew.
Tuoba Gui then gave chase and crushed Later Yan forces at Canhe Slope (Canhebei, 参合陂). He captured a large number of Later Yan forces, but in fear that releasing them would allow a future Later Yan campaign against Northern Wei, slaughtered them.
The battle reversed the power relations between Later Yan and Northern Wei. After Later Yan’s emperor Murong Chui (Emperor Wucheng) died in 396 and Murong Bao succeeded to the throne (as Emperor Huimin), Northern Wei would launch a debilitating campaign of conquest against Later Yan, and by 398 had captured most of Later Yan’s territory, reducing Later Yan to a small regional state.[5]
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Born On This Day
1021 – Wang Anshi, Chinese economist and chancellor (d. 1086)
Wang Anshi [wǎŋ ánʂɨ̌]; Chinese: 王安石; December 8, 1021 – May 21, 1086), courtesy name Jiefu (Chinese: 介甫), was a Chinese economist, philosopher, poet, and politician during the Song dynasty. He served as chancellor and attempted major and controversial socioeconomic reforms known as the New Policies.[3][4] These reforms constituted the core concepts of the Song-Dynasty Reformists, in contrast to their rivals, the Conservatives, led by the Chancellor Sima Guang.
Wang Anshi’s ideas are usually analyzed in terms of the influence the Rites of Zhou or Legalism had on him.[5] His economic reforms included increased currency circulation, breaking up of private monopolies, and early forms of government regulation and social welfare. His military reforms expanded the use of local militias, and his government reforms expanded the civil service examination system and attempted to suppress nepotism in government. Although successful for a while, he eventually fell out of favor with the emperor.
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FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
By Tiffany Wertheimer, BBC News: Bob McGrath: Sesame Street icon dies aged 90
You’re right, Big Bird. It’ll never be the same around here without him. But you know something? We can all be very happy that we had a chance to be with him and to know him and to love him a lot when he was here.
Knowing the impact that ‘Sesame Street’ has had on millions of kids all over the world has to be the most gratifying thing that anyone could possibly hope for.
Bob McGrath,
actor, musician
1932-2022
Skip to 1:40 for Neil
Neil Diamond makes appearance and sings at Opening Night for “A Beautiful Noise”!
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Losing two daughters — one at 8 months old and another at 18 years old — has taught Niren Chaudhary, CEO of Panera Brands, about compassion and the need to heal himself. Chaudhary also discusses the pandemic, noting that “the only way you can get a sense of control is by focusing on areas where you can have an impact.”
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NSFW
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Recipes
Feel Good Foodie: Five-Ingredient Tomato Soup Recipe Make a delicious tomato soup on the stovetop with just 5 ingredients. It’s a soul warming recipe with minimal preparation and perfect with grilled cheese.
Just the Recipe: Paste the URL to any recipe, click submit, and it’ll return literally JUST the recipe- no ads, no life story of the writer, no nothing EXCEPT the recipe.
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RecipeTinEats
- Spinach French Onion Cob Dip – Australia’s favourite dip! June 19, 2026Meet Australia’s favourite dip!!! This Spinach French Onion Cob Dip is made using a French Onion Soup mix and is served in a cob bread loaf. It is unapologetically retro, gloriously unfashionable, breaks every real-food rule I preach, and is completely addictive!! Spinach French Onion Cob Dip This dip has been a fixture at Australian... […]Nagi
- Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Shredded Beef June 16, 2026Slow Cooker BBQ Shredded Beef is what you make when you want a big batch of crowd-pleasing food with relatively little effort. The succulent pulled beef is smothered in an incredible homemade barbecue sauce, and there’s so many ways to serve it – pile into sliders, heap onto plates or stuff into baked potatoes! Easy... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 21 June 21, 2026Picture of the day Bags of organic fertiliser adorn newly-planted fields against a backdrop of the Western Catchment in the Nilgiri mountains. Tamil Nadu, India
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 20 June 20, 2026Picture of the day Flower of a Geranium sanguineum, bloody crane's-bill. Focus stack of 51 photos.
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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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