On This Day
1297 – King Kyawswa of Pagan is overthrown by the three Myinsaing brothers, marking the de facto end of the Pagan Kingdom.[5]
he Myinsaing Kingdom (Burmese: မြင်စိုင်းပြည် [mjɪ̀ɰ̃záɪɰ̃ kʰɪʔ]) also known as Myainsaing Regency was the regency that ruled central Burma (Myanmar) from 1297 to 1313. It was founded by three brothers—Athinkhaya, Yazathingyan and Thihathu from Myinsaing—[1] and was one of many small kingdoms that emerged following the collapse of the Pagan Empire in 1287. Myinsaing successfully fended off the second Mongol invasion in 1300–1301, and went on to unify central Burma from Tagaung in the north to Prome (Pyay) in the south. The brothers’ co-rule ended between 1310 and 1313, with the death of the two elder brothers Athinkhaya and Yazathingyan. In 1315, the central Burmese state split into two rival states of Pinya and Sagaing. Central Burma would not be reunified until the rise of Ava five decades later.
1118 – The city of Zaragoza is conquered by king Alfonso I of Aragon from the Almoravid.[1]
Zaragoza (Spanish: [θaɾaˈɣoθa] ⓘ) also known in English as Saragossa,[a][5] is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the Huerva and the Gállego, roughly in the centre of both Aragon and the Ebro basin.
1562 – The Battle of Dreux takes place during the French Wars of Religion.[4]
The Battle of Dreux was fought on 19 December 1562 between Catholics and Huguenots. The Catholics were led by Anne de Montmorency while Louis I, Prince of Condé, led the Huguenots. Though commanders from both sides were captured, the French Catholics won the battle which would constitute the first major engagement of the French Wars of Religion and the only major engagement of the first French War of Religion.
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1808 – Peninsular War: The Siege of Zaragoza begins.
The siege of Zaragoza was the French capture of the Spanish city of Zaragoza (also known as Saragossa) in 1809 during the Peninsular War. It was particularly noted for its brutality.[4] The city was heavily outnumbered against the French. However, the desperate resistance put up by the Army of Reserve and its civilian allies had been heroic: a great part of the city lay in ruins, the garrison had suffered 24,000 deaths being augmented by 30,000 civilians dead.[5]
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1140 – After a siege of several weeks, the city of Weinsberg and its castle surrender to Conrad III of Germany.[3]
The siege of Weinsberg took place in 1140 in Weinsberg, in the modern state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. The siege was a decisive battle between two dynasties, the Welfs and the Hohenstaufen. The Welfs for the first time changed their war cry from “Kyrie Eleison” to their party cries.[4][5] The Hohenstaufen used the ‘Strike for Gibbelins’ war cry.[clarification needed][6]
1135 – Three weeks after the death of King Henry I of England, Stephen of Blois claims the throne and is privately crowned King of England, beginning the English Anarchy.[5]
Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne jure uxoris from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 until 1144. His reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda, whose son, Henry II, succeeded Stephen as the first of the Angevin kings of England.
962 – The Sack of Aleppo as part of the Arab–Byzantine wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo.
The sack of Aleppo in December 962 was carried out by the Byzantine Empire under Nikephoros Phokas. Aleppo was the capital of the Hamdanid emir Sayf al-Dawla, the Byzantines’ chief antagonist at the time.
1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned.[5]
Pope Boniface VIII (Latin: Bonifatius PP. VIII; born Benedetto Caetani; c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 until his death in 1303. The Caetani family was of baronial origin, with connections to the papacy. He succeeded Pope Celestine V, who had abdicated from the papal throne. Boniface spent his early career abroad in diplomatic roles.
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Born On This Day
1554 – Ernest of Bavaria, Roman Catholic bishop (d. 1612)
Wittelsbach-Hapsburg aristocrat Ernest of Bavaria (German: Ernst von Bayern) (17 December 1554 – 17 February 1612) was Prince-Elector-Archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne and, as such, Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire and Duke of Westphalia, from 1583 to 1612 as successor of the expelled Archbishop Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg.
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1499 – Sebald Heyden, German musicologist and theologian (d. 1561)[13]
Sebald Heyden (8 December 1499 – 9 July 1561)[1] was a German musicologist, cantor, theologian, hymn-writer and religious poet. A member of the Haiden family of Nuremberg, he is perhaps best known for his De arte canendi (“On the Art of Singing”, third installment published 1540) which is considered to have had a major impact on scholarship and the teaching of singing to young boys.[2] He wrote hymns such as “O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß”. It has been speculated that Heyden was the world’s first true musicologist.[3]
1554 – Philip William, Prince of Orange (d. 1618)
Philip William, Prince of Orange (19 December 1554 in Buren, Gelderland – 20 February 1618) was the eldest son of William the Silent by his first wife Anna van Egmont. He became Prince of Orange in 1584 and Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1599.
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1496 – Joseph ha-Kohen, historian and physician (d. 1575)
Joseph ben Joshua ben Meïr ha-Kohen (also HaKohen, Hakohen or Hacohen; 20 December 1496 in Avignon – 1575 or shortly thereafter in Genoa) was a Jewish historian and physician of the 16th century.[2][3]
1468 – William Conyers, 1st Baron Conyers, English baron (d. 1524)
William Conyers, 1st Baron Conyers (21 December 1468 – 14 April 1524), also known as William Conyers of Hornby, was an English baron and aristocrat.
1525 – John Albert I, duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1576)
John Albert I, in older literature known as John or Johann (23 December 1525 – 12 February 1576), was the reigning duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow from 1547 to 1556 and of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1556 to 1576. In 1549 John Albert I saw to it that the parliament of Mecklenburg carried through the Reformation for the entire duchy.
1474 – Bartolomeo degli Organi, Italian musician (d. 1539)[48]
Bartolomeo degli Organi (24 December 1474 – 12 December 1539) was an Italian composer, singer and organist of the Renaissance. Living in Florence, he was closely associated with Lorenzo de’ Medici, and was music teacher both to the Florentine composer Francesco de Layolle and Guido Machiavelli, the son of the famous writer.
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FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
EarthSky News
This Day in Tech History
This Day In History
Interesting Facts
Word Genius: Word of the Day
Wise Trivia
Condolences
Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (December 25, 1958 – December 20, 2024), nicknamed “Man of Steal”, was an American professional baseball left fielder who played 25 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. He is widely regarded as baseball’s greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner.[1][2] He holds MLB records for career stolen bases, runs, unintentional walks, and leadoff home runs. At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the 10-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport’s top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in walks. In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
I never saw a good ballet that made me think.
Arlene Croce,
dance critic, founder of Ballet Review magazine
1934-2024
Arlene Louise Croce (/ˈkroʊtʃiː/; May 5, 1934 – December 16, 2024) was an American dance critic. She founded Ballet Review magazine in 1965. From 1973 to 1996 she was a dance critic for The New Yorker magazine.
Lance Thomas Morrow (September 21, 1939 – November 29, 2024) was an American essayist and writer, chiefly for Time magazine,[1] as well as the author of several books. He won the 1981 National Magazine Award for Essay and Criticism and was a finalist for the same award in 1991. He had the distinction of writing more “Man of the Year” articles than any other writer in the magazine’s history and appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and The O’Reilly Factor. He was a professor of journalism and University Professor at Boston University.
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James Clear: 3-2-1: How to deal with stress, forging your own reality, and learning vs. achieving
By MessyNessy, 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 723): These paintings of Paris by a lesser known impressionist; Camille Claudel sculpture discovered in abandoned Paris apartment; Really nice news: an anonymous donor gifts $3.54 M. to Milwaukee Art Museum to Make Admission Free for Kids; One Minute Park; A Simple, Down-to-Earth Christmas Card from the Great Depression (1933); This pretty Spanish mountain town will pay you to relocate there; Dubbed “one of the worst fossil reconstructions in history,” the so-called “Magdeburg Unicorn” first appeared in 1663; 1,065 Unique Dog Names from the Middle Ages; For stepping up your Christmas cookie game and more ->
By MessyNessy, A Brief Compendium of Forgotten Christmas Specials. A Smoky Mountain Christmas, 1986, starring Dolly Parton
The Mr. T & Emmanuel Lewis Christmas Special, 1984
Bing Crosby’s last Christmas special featuring David Bowie and Twiggy, 1977 and more ->
Letters to Santa: The Weird and the Wonderful
Iron Clad: Are the Drones a Distraction From Something Bigger? I Mike Glover & Andy Stumpf Discuss
Cleared Hot Podcast: Full Auto Friday – Forks in the Road
The Dan Bongino Show [12/21/2024] 🚨 Saving The U.S. Military w/ SEAL Andy Stumpf
YOU DON’T JUST LOSE SOMEONE ONCE Donna Ashworth
Irish Hospice Foundation
We’re sharing this for those who are coping with grief over the holidays. This may be a tough and isolating time for you, but remember to look after yourself and love yourself. ❤️
Courtesy of Donna Ashworth’s beautiful book of poetry “Loss”.
Ideas
By rschoenm: Wooden Reindeer Figures
Recipes
The Kitchn: How To Make Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Sandwiches Breakfast on rushed weekday mornings, solved.
Chef Standards: Chicken-Stuffed Crescent Rolls to Impress
By In The Kitchen With Matt: Easy 3-Ingredient Chocolate Fudge
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
- 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.
Thanks to everyone involved to keep this forum going: our blogging team, the well-read Stumper Magicians, the many referrals, and of course to everyone who fondly remembers the wonder of books from their childhood and wants to share or revisit that wonder. Isn’t it amazing, the magic of a book?