On This Day
1207 – Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established.
Terra Mariana (Medieval Latin for “Land of Mary”) was the official name[1] for Medieval Livonia or Old Livonia[a] (Low German: Oolt-Livland, Livonian: Jemā-Līvõmō, Estonian: Vana-Liivimaa, Latvian: Livonija). It was formed in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade, and its territories were composed of present-day Estonia and Latvia. It was established on 2 February 1207,[4] as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire,[5] but lost this status in 1215 when Pope Innocent III proclaimed it as directly subject to the Holy See.[6]
The papal legate William of Modena divided Terra Mariana into feudal principalities: the Duchy of Estonia (dominum directum to the king of Denmark);[7][8] the Archbishopric of Riga; the Bishopric of Courland; the Bishopric of Dorpat; the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek; and territories under the military administration of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. After the 1236 Battle of Saule, the surviving members of the Brothers merged in 1237 with the Teutonic Order of Prussia and became known as the Livonian Order. In 1346 the Livonian Order bought the Duchy of Estonia from Denmark.
Throughout the existence of medieval Livonia there was a constant struggle over supremacy, between the lands ruled by the Church, the Order, the secular German nobility, and the citizens of the Hanseatic towns of Riga and Reval. Following its defeat in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, the Teutonic Order and the State of the Teutonic Order fell into decline, but the Livonian Order managed to maintain its independent existence.
In 1561, during the Livonian War, Terra Mariana ceased to exist.[1] Its northern parts were ceded to Sweden and formed into the Duchy of Estonia, its southern territories became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania — and thus eventually of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth — as the Duchy of Livonia and the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. The island of Saaremaa became part of Denmark. Since the beginning of the 20th century Terra Mariana (Estonian: Maarjamaa) has been used as a poetic name or sobriquet for Estonia. In 1995 the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, a state decoration, was instituted to honor the independence of Estonia.[9]
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1870 – The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing voting rights to male citizens regardless of race.
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying or abridging a citizen’s right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” It was ratified on February 3, 1870,[1] as the third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments.
In the final years of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era that followed, Congress repeatedly debated the rights of the millions of former black slaves. By 1869, amendments had been passed to abolish slavery and provide citizenship and equal protection under the laws, but the election of Ulysses S. Grant to the presidency in 1868 convinced a majority of Republicans that protecting the franchise of black male voters was important for the party’s future. On February 26, 1869, after rejecting more sweeping versions of a suffrage amendment, Congress proposed a compromise amendment banning franchise restrictions on the basis of race, color, or previous servitude. After surviving a difficult ratification fight, the amendment was certified as duly ratified and part of the Constitution on March 30, 1870.
United States Supreme Court decisions in the late nineteenth century interpreted the amendment narrowly. From 1890 to 1910, southern states adopted new state constitutions and enacted laws that raised barriers to voter registration. This resulted in most black voters and many poor white ones being disenfranchised by poll taxes and discriminatory literacy tests, among other barriers to voting, from which white male voters were exempted by grandfather clauses. A system of white primaries and violent intimidation by white groups also suppressed black participation.
In the twentieth century, the Court began to interpret the amendment more broadly, striking down grandfather clauses in Guinn v. United States (1915) and dismantling the white primary system in the “Texas primary cases” (1927–1953). Voting rights were further incorporated into the Constitution in the Nineteenth Amendment (voting rights for women) and the Twenty-fourth Amendment (prohibiting poll taxes in federal elections). The Voting Rights Act of 1965 provided federal oversight of elections in discriminatory jurisdictions, banned literacy tests and similar discriminatory devices, and created legal remedies for people affected by voting discrimination. The Court also found poll taxes in state election unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment in Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections (1966).
Born On This Day
1829 – William Stanley, English engineer and philanthropist (d. 1909)
William Ford Robinson Stanley (2 February 1829 – 14 August 1909) was a British inventor with 78 patents filed in both the United Kingdom and the United States of America. He was an engineer who designed and made precision drawing and mathematical instruments, as well as surveying instruments and telescopes, manufactured by his company “William Ford Stanley and Co. Ltd.”
Stanley was a skilled architect who designed and founded the UK’s first Trades school, Stanley Technical Trades School (now Harris Academy South Norwood), as well as designing the Stanley Halls in South Norwood. Stanley designed and built his two homes. He was a noted philanthropist, who gave over £80,000 to education projects during the last 15 years of his life. When he died, most of his estate, valued at £59,000, was bequeathed to trade schools and students in south London, and one of his homes was used as a children’s home after his death, in accordance with his will.
Stanley was a member of several professional bodies and societies (including the Royal Society of Arts, the Royal Meteorological Society (elected 17 May 1876), the Royal Astronomical Society (elected 9 February 1894) and the British Astronomical Association (elected 31 October 1900)).[1][2] Besides these activities, he was a painter, musician and photographer, as well as an author of a variety of publications, including plays, books for children, and political treatises.
1943 – Shawn Phillips, American-South African singer-songwriter and guitarist
Shawn Phillips (born February 3, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, primarily influential in the 1960s and 1970s. His work is rooted in folk rock but straddles other genres, including jazz fusion and funk. Phillips has recorded twenty-six albums[1] and worked with musicians including Donovan, Paul Buckmaster, J. Peter Robinson, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bernie Taupin, Tim Hardin, Manos Hatzidakis and many others.[2][3]
Rock impresario Bill Graham described the Texas-born musician as “the best kept secret in the music business”.[4] Phillips’ AllMusic biography states: “His refusal to pigeonhole his music – which seamlessly melds folk, rock, jazz, funk, progressive, pop, electro, classical, and global folk traditions – to meet anyone else’s expectations allowed him to retain his cult following without ever achieving the stardom that his talent seemed to merit.”[2]
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FYI
https://youtu.be/yXVUUh0Er-w
https://youtu.be/I2h_jlK-6ZY
https://youtu.be/M_APYdoC_6s
By Rebekah Barnett, TED Ideas: 9 Pieces of Practical Advice About Bullying A teacher, psychologist, crisis-line supervisor, and others share their suggestions for what you can do.
By Anna Holmes, The New Yorker: The Radical Woman Behind “Goodnight Moon” Margaret Wise Brown constantly pushed boundaries—in her life and in her art.
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NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
Ideas
By linus strothmann, Saunaboat: Turning an Old Unused Boat Into a Swimming Sauna
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Recipes
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.
Food Talk Daily: Welcome! Browse Recipes by Category
The Food Network: 32 Easy Game-Day Cocktails Drinks are a staple at any great Super Bowl party — so why not mix up a few margaritas, beer cocktails or big-batch sips for your bash?
By In The Kitchen With Matt: Air Fryer Green Beans
By Ronna Farley: Homemade English Muffins
Little House Big Alaska: Air Fryer Stuffed Pork Chops
I Wash You Dry: Creamy Ground Beef Taco Pasta
Homemade on a Weeknight: Cheesy Beef & Potato Casserole
The Food Network: Our Best Pot Pie Recipes Pot pie is always delicious — no matter how you make it. These recipes, which range from traditional to twists on the classic (pretzel topping, anyone?) all share one thing in common: they’re sure to satisfy any comfort food craving.
The Food Network: 52 Valentine’s Day Desserts Chocolate, strawberries, cheesecake and more! Who needs Cupid when you’ve got these sweet, swoon-worthy treats?
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 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 […]
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 8 January 8, 2025Picture of the day The view of Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park, California, United States
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