On This Day
1087 – William II is crowned King of England, and reigns until 1100.
William II (Anglo-Norman: Williame; c. 1056 – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third son of William the Conqueror, he is commonly referred to as William Rufus (Rufus being Latin for “the Red”), perhaps because of his ruddy appearance or, more likely, due to having red hair as a child that grew out in later life.[2][a]
William was a figure of complex temperament, capable of both bellicosity and flamboyance. He did not marry nor have children, which – along with contemporary accounts – has led historians to speculate on homosexuality or bisexuality.[4] He died after being hit by an arrow while hunting, under circumstances that remain unclear. Circumstantial evidence in the behaviour of those around him raises strong, but unproven, suspicions of murder.[5] His younger brother Henry I hurriedly succeeded him as king.
Historian Frank Barlow observed William was “[a] rumbustious, devil-may-care soldier, without natural dignity or social graces, with no cultivated tastes and little show of conventional religious piety or morality – indeed, according to his critics, addicted to every kind of vice, particularly lust and especially sodomy.” On the other hand, he was a wise ruler and victorious general. Barlow noted, “His chivalrous virtues and achievements were all too obvious. He had maintained good order and satisfactory justice in England and restored good peace to Normandy. He had extended Anglo-Norman rule in Wales, brought Scotland firmly under his lordship, recovered Maine, and kept up the pressure on the Vexin.”[6]
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Born On This Day
932 – Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah, Arab caliph (d. 975)
Abu Tamim Ma’ad al-Muizz li-Din Allah (Arabic: ابو تميم معد المعزّ لدين الله, romanized: Abū Tamīm Maʿad al-Muʿizz li-Dīn Allāh, lit. ’Glorifier of the Religion of God’; 26 September 932 – 19 December 975) was the fourth Fatimid caliph and the 14th Ismaili imam, reigning from 953 to 975. It was during his caliphate that the center of power of the Fatimid dynasty was moved from Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia) to Egypt. The Fatimids founded the city of al-Qāhirah (Cairo) “the Victorious” in 969 as the new capital of the Fatimid caliphate in Egypt.[1]
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FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
By Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter: Dale McRaven, Creator of ‘Mork & Mindy’ and ‘Perfect Strangers,’ Dies at 83 Working often with Garry Marshall, he also wrote for ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ and ‘The Partridge Family’ and created two other series, ‘Angie’ and ‘The Texas Wheelers.’
By Bryan Alexander, USA Today: Louise Fletcher, Oscar winner as Nurse Ratched in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ dies at 88
She then tearfully addressed her deaf parents in Birmingham, Alabama, talking and using sign language: “I want to thank you for teaching me to have a dream. You are seeing my dream come true.”
A moment of silence was followed by thunderous applause.
Estelle Louise Fletcher (July 22, 1934 – September 23, 2022) was an American actress who portrayed Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award. She also had a recurring role as the Bajoran religious leader Kai Winn Adami in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–99), as well as the role of Sebastian’s aunt Helen Rosemond in the movie Cruel Intentions (1999). She was nominated for two Emmy Awards for her roles in the television series Picket Fences (1996) and Joan of Arcadia (2004). Her final role was as Rosie in the Netflix series Girlboss (2017).
AP News: Valery Polyakov, took longest single trip to space, dies
Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov (Russian: Валерий Владимирович Поляков, born Valeri Ivanovich Korshunov, Russian: Валерий Иванович Коршунов, 27 April 1942 – 7 September 2022) was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut. He is the record holder for the longest single stay in space, staying aboard the Mir space station for more than 14 months (437 days 18 hours) during one trip.[1] His combined space experience was more than 22 months.[2]
Selected as a cosmonaut in 1972, Polyakov made his first flight into space aboard Soyuz TM-6 in 1988. He returned to Earth 240 days later aboard TM-7. Polyakov completed his second flight into space in 1994–1995, spending 437 days in space between launching on Soyuz TM-18 and landing with TM-20, setting the record for the longest time continuously spent in space by an individual.[2]
By Peter Allen Clark, Axios: Smartphones and older users remain an uneasy match
MessyNessy 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. DCXVI): #TheQueuefortheQueen; Mrs. Man Ray; Miami Vice was a real kingmaker with guest stars…; Make your Drive Fun; One of the Smallest Restaurants in New York; This Cake; Yoga for people that don’t want to try yoga; A Good Experiment and more ->
By MessyNessy 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. DCXVII): This Incredible Pumpkin Caramel Pie to kick off fall; Painting of the Day; The British Post Office has its own Police force; the oldest recognised criminal investigation force in the world; Medieval cat armour; Dash-Mounted Coffee Maker (1959), Likely the Rarest Volkswagen Accessory Ever; A New Gucci Campaign recreates Stanley Kubrick’s most iconic cinematic moments; Mended Stockings, San Francisco, 1934, Dorothea Lange documenting the Great Depression; A Couple’s Final Words to Each Other Accidentally Recorded and mnore ->
Cision: FRANK ZAPPA’S SATIRICAL, ACID-TONGUED “VALLEY GIRL” LIKE, TOTALLY TURNS 40
By Rocky Parker, Beyond Bylines: AP Style Rules for Writing About the Royal Family, Inflation, and More
By Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic: Gen Z Never Learned to Read Cursive How will they interpret the past?
AP: Putin Grants Russian Citizenship to Tech Whiz Edward Snowden
By Stephen Johnson, LifeHacker: 15 of NASA’s Coolest Inventions That Regular People Use You don’t have to be an astronaut to enjoy the cool things NASA invented.
By Olivia B. Waxman, Time: The Little-Known History of the Black Men Who Became America’s First Paramedics
GeoBeats Animals: Woman sees sick goose in pond. Then her garage gets a redesign.
Cuddle Buddies: Goose Was Abandoned by His Flock but Found Most Unlikely Friend | Cuddle Friends
Recipes
CIA Foodies: Cheddar Corn Fritters
By Benjamin Kemper, Saveur: Sheet Pan Salmon with Dilly Potatoes and Quick Roasted Garlic Sauce Every time-pressed cook should know about this simple technique for juicy, flavorful fish.
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.
DamnDelicious
RecipeTinEats
- Bruschetta summer pasta salad January 7, 2025This summer pasta salad is everything you want when it’s too hot to cook! Quick, nearly no cook (just boil pasta) and full of bright, fresh, bruschetta-inspired tomato flavours. Also – a useful tip for how to store basil that actually really, truly works! Bruschetta summer pasta salad Every Christmas break, I have intentions of... […]Nagi
- How to store basil January 7, 2025After trying every which way to store basil so it doesn’t turn brown within a day of buying it, I’ve finally learnt how to store basil so it stays perky, green and fresh for over a week. Just stick it in a jar of water and keep it on the counter. That’s right – not... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 10 January 10, 2025Picture of the day Kapelle St. Martin-Caplutta Sogn Martin. Breil-Brigels. Wooden main door of the chapel. (Detail).
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 9 January 9, 2025Picture of the day Art installation “Himmelsleiter” (Billi Thanner) on the tower of St. Lambert's Church in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, GermanyThe artwork came from St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna to St. Lambert's Church in Münster in September 2022. It remained there until March 2024 and has been on display at Saint-Eustache Church in Paris since […]
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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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