On This Day
1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege.[3]
Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (Chinese: 鄭成功; pinyin: Zhèng Chénggōng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tīⁿ Sêng-kong; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (Chinese: 國姓爺; pinyin: Guóxìngyé; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kok-sìng-iâ), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China’s southeastern coast.
In 1661, Koxinga defeated the Dutch outposts on Taiwan[2][3] and established a dynasty, the House of Koxinga, which ruled part of the island as the Kingdom of Tungning from 1661 to 1683.
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880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III of France is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.[1]
The Battle of Lüneburg Heath (also called the Battle of Ebstorf) was a conflict between the army of King Louis the Younger and the Norse Great Heathen Army fought on 2 February 880 AD, at Lüneburg Heath in today’s Lower Saxony.
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1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, uniting the fortunes of those two states.[1]
Douce I (also Dulcia or Dolça, called “of Rouergue” or “of Gévaudan”) (c. 1090 – 1127) was the daughter of Gilbert I of Gévaudan and Gerberga of Provence and wife of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona. In 1112, she inherited the county of Provence through her mother. She married Ramon Berenguer at Arles on 3 February that year.
In 1113, Douce ceded her rights in Provence, Gévaudan, and the viscounty of Millau to her husband. According to a once prevailing opinion, “Provençal troubadours … entered Catalonia at the time” and even the Catalan language was imported from Provence.[1] According to nationalist historians it was the beginning of l’engrandiment occitànic (the Occitan aggrandisement): a great scheme to unite various lands on both sides of the Pyrenees.[2]
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1169 – A strong earthquake strikes the Ionian coast of Sicily, causing tens of thousands of injuries and deaths, especially in Catania.[3]
The 1169 Sicily earthquake occurred on 4 February 1169 at 08:00 local time on the eve of the feast of St. Agatha of Sicily (in southern Italy). It had an estimated magnitude of between 6.4 and 7.3 and an estimated maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The cities of Catania, Lentini and Modica were severely damaged, and the earthquake also triggered a tsunami. Overall, the earthquake is estimated to have caused the deaths of at least 15,000 people.
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62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.[1]
On 5 February AD 62, an earthquake of an estimated magnitude of between 5 and 6 and a maximum intensity of IX or X on the Mercalli scale struck the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, severely damaging them. The earthquake may have been a precursor to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, which destroyed the same two towns. The contemporary philosopher and dramatist Seneca the Younger wrote an account of the earthquake in the sixth book of his Naturales quaestiones, entitled De Terrae Motu (Concerning Earthquakes).
Born On This Day
1261 – Walter de Stapledon, English bishop and politician, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1326)[38]
Walter de Stapledon (or Stapeldon) (1 February 1261 – 14 October 1326) was Bishop of Exeter 1308–1326 and twice Lord High Treasurer of England, in 1320 and 1322. He founded Exeter College, Oxford and contributed liberally to the rebuilding of Exeter Cathedral. His tomb and monument, of great architectural importance, survives in Exeter Cathedral. He was killed by a mob during the London uprising.
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450 – Justin I, Byzantine emperor (d. 527)[15]
Justin I (Latin: Iustinus; Greek: Ἰουστῖνος, Ioustînos; c. 450 – 1 August 527) was the Eastern Roman emperor from 518 to 527. Born to a peasant family, he rose through the ranks of the army to become commander of the imperial guard, and when Emperor Anastasius died he out-maneouvered his rivals and was elected as his successor, in spite of being almost 70 years old. His reign is significant for the founding of the Justinian dynasty that included his eminent nephew Justinian I and three succeeding emperors. His consort was Empress Euphemia.
He was noted for his strongly orthodox Christian views. This facilitated the ending of the Acacian schism between the churches of Rome and Constantinople, resulting in good relations between Justin and the papacy. Throughout his reign he stressed the religious nature of his office and passed edicts against various Christian groups seen at the time as non-Orthodox. In foreign affairs he used religion as an instrument of state. He endeavoured to cultivate client states on the borders of the Empire, and avoided any significant warfare until late in his reign.
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1338 – Joanna of Bourbon (d. 1378)[17]
Joanna of Bourbon (Jeanne de Bourbon; 3 February 1338 – 6 February 1378) was Queen of France by marriage to King Charles V. She acted as his political adviser and was appointed potential regent in case of a minor regency.
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1447 – Lodovico Lazzarelli, Italian poet (d. 1500)[20]
Ludovico Lazzarelli (4 February 1447 – 23 June 1500) was an Italian poet, philosopher, courtier, hermeticist and (likely) magician and diviner of the early Renaissance.
Born at San Severino Marche, he had contact with many important thinkers of his time and above all with the preacher and hermeticist Giovanni Mercurio da Correggio. Himself a follower of hermetism, Lazzarelli also translated the Corpus Hermeticum, a translation which follows and enlarges the hermetic texts previously translated and collected by Marsilio Ficino.
976 – Sanjō, emperor of Japan (d. 1017)
Emperor Sanjō (三条天皇, Sanjō-tennō, February 5, 976 – June 5, 1017) was the 67th emperor of Japan,[1] according to the traditional order of succession.[2]
Sanjō’s reign spanned the years from 1011 through 1016.[3]
FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
This Day in Tech History
Interesting Facts
Word Genius: Word of the Day
By Alex Dalenberg, Pocket Collections: 7 Essential Reads About Groundhog Day
Everything you ever wanted to know about one of North America’s weirdest traditions (and also the Bill Murray classic).
Extended Bill Murray Jeep Gladiator ‘Groundhog Day’ Commercial
James Clear: 3-2-1: The process of life, joys of walking, and best hour of your week
By Patrick Sauer, The Smithsonian Magazine: S.E. Hinton Is Tired of Talking About ‘The Outsiders.’ No One Else Is The author reflects on her classic 1967 novel, its 1983 film adaptation and its legacy today
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By Alexandra Lange, CityLab: Lessons From the Golden Age of the Mall Walkers Shopping malls won over a wide range of admirers, from teens to seniors, by providing something they couldn’t find in their public parks or sidewalks: a safe pedestrian experience.
Ideas
By iamsewcrazy: Ballpoint Pen Monsters!
By sun.: Modular Spice Rack
By Jeromina: Glitter Glue Jellyfish Suncatchers
By makendo: Easy 72 Pencil Sculpture
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Recipes
By Momos75: Zebra Bread
By Meghan Splawn, The Kitchn: Cheesy Garlic Butter Bubble Bread Familiar enough to please, while still offering something new and fun.
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
- Thai Sweet Chilli Beef Bowls December 4, 2024This quick dinner using beef mince channels Thai chilli basil stir fry vibes (except, no basil!) with poke bowl versatility (except, no pricey raw fish!). The sweet chilli drizzle sauce ties it all together, and gives you the flex to use any raw or cooked veg side. Jumble it all up and dig in! About these... […]Nagi
- Book tour diaries November 29, 2024The Tonight book tour for 2024 is finished. 12 events. Over 5,000 books signed. Countless hugs and selfies. Here’s what went down – the ridiculous, the hectic, the happy, the tasty! Welcome back to book tour diaries! Welcome back to the latest (final??) instalment of book tour diaries! There’s so much to share – but... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 5 December 5, 2024Picture of the day Trier, Alter Krahn on the Mosel.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 4 December 4, 2024Picture of the day Early 12th-century Romanesque apsis of Notre-Dame-et-Sainte-Barbe de Savigny, Manche, France, with 14th-century murals presenting scenes from the martyrdom of St. Barbara. Her feast day is today on 4 December.
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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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