On This Day
1240 – Mongol invasion of Rus’: Kyiv, defended by Voivode Dmytro, falls to the Mongols under Batu Khan.[2]
The Mongol Empire invaded and conquered much of Kievan Rus’ in the mid-13th century, sacking numerous cities including the largest: Kiev (50,000 inhabitants) and Chernigov (30,000 inhabitants). The siege of Kiev in 1240 by the Mongols is generally held to mark the end of the state of Kievan Rus’,[1][2] which had already been undergoing fragmentation.[3] Many other principalities and urban centres in the northwest and southwest escaped complete destruction or suffered little to no damage from the Mongol invasion, including Galicia–Volhynia, Pskov, Smolensk, Polotsk, Vitebsk, and probably Rostov and Uglich.[1][4][5][6]
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1732 – The Royal Opera House opens at Covent Garden, London, England.
The Royal Ballet and Opera, formerly the Royal Opera House (ROH), is a historic opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. The first theatre on the site, the Theatre Royal (1732), served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented. A year later, the first season of operas, by George Frideric Handel, began. Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres there.
Born On This Day
1421 – Henry VI of England (d. 1471)
Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471,[1] and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne upon his father’s death at the age of eight months; he succeeded to the French throne on the death of his maternal grandfather, Charles VI, shortly afterwards.
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903 – Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, Persian astronomer and author (d. 986)
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ṣūfī (Persian: عبدالرحمن الصوفی; 7 December 903 – 25 May 986) was a Persian astronomer.[1][2] His work Kitāb ṣuwar al-kawākib (“The Book of Fixed Stars”), written in 964, included both textual descriptions and illustrations. The Persian polymath Al-Biruni wrote that al-Ṣūfī’s work on the ecliptic was carried out in Shiraz. Al-Ṣūfī lived at the Buyid court in Isfahan.
FYI
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Wise Trivia
Calvin Murray Sinclair CC OM MSC (Ojibway name Mizanay (Mizhana) Gheezhik; January 24, 1951 – November 4, 2024) was a Canadian politician who was a member of the Senate, and a First Nations lawyer who served as chairman of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 2009 to 2015.[4]
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Jake Wynn – Public Historian: Newspaper headlines across Pennsylvania’s Coal Region announce the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor | December 1941
Jake Wynn – Public Historian: A Pennsylvania teenager remembers learning of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941
By Falene Nurse, Inverse: How the “Mother of Yoda” Conquered Hollywood — And Why She Disappeared
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Recipes
Simply Recipes: The 4-Ingredient Side Dish That Wows My Guests Every Time
Taste of Home: Confetti Kielbasa Skillet
Homemade on a Weeknight: Chocolate Christmas Crack
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: Eggnog Spritz Cookies
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
- 2024 Ultimate Christmas menu planning guide December 12, 2024Here’s a handy list of my Christmas recipes, organised by make-ahead and reheating suitability, and those best made fresh. Perfect for menu planning, especially alongside the new Christmas recipe index! I thrive on holiday menu planning. It’s like the Olympics of cooking – except less athleticism and more butter! The goal, as always, is a... […]Nagi
- Easy Christmas Cheesecake Slab – no bake! December 6, 2024This no bake Christmas cheesecake is designed for sizzling Aussie summers – no sweating over a hot oven! Designed to serve a crowd, it’s the easiest cheesecake recipe I know yet it still captures all the hallmarks of a beautiful classic baked cheesecake. Decorate with whipped cream, berries and rosemary sprigs for an effortless, pretty... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 25 December 25, 2024Picture of the day Nativity of Christ scene from the Kefermarkt Altarpiece. Today is Christmas.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 24 December 24, 2024Picture of the day Silhouettes at the Fort of Santo Antônio da Barra, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It was constructed to guard the entrance to the Bay of All Saints, during the time of the Portuguese Empire.
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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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