FYI February 02-03, 2024

On This Day

962 – Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
Translatio imperii (Latin for “transfer of rule”) is a historiographical concept that was prominent in the Middle Ages, but originated from older concepts.[1] History is viewed as a linear succession of transfers of an imperium that invests supreme power in a singular ruler, an “emperor” (or sometimes even several emperors, e.g., the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Holy Roman Empire). The concept is closely linked to translatio studii (the geographic movement of learning). Both terms are thought to have their origins in the second chapter of the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible (verses 39–40).[2]

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1488 – Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal lands in Mossel Bay after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, becoming the first known European to travel so far south.[3]
Bartolomeu Dias[pron 1] (c. 1450 – 29 May 1500) was a Portuguese mariner and explorer. In 1488, he became the first European navigator to round the southern tip of Africa and to demonstrate that the most effective southward route for ships lies in the open ocean, well to the west of the African coast. His discoveries effectively established the sea route between Europe and Asia.


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Born On This Day

1208 – James I of Aragon (d. 1276)[19]
James I the Conqueror (Catalan: Jaume el Conqueridor; Aragonese: Chaime I o Conqueridor; Spanish: Jaime el Conquistador; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276 and Count of Barcelona. His long reign of 62 years is not only the longest of any Iberian monarch, but one of the longest monarchical reigns in history, ahead of Hirohito but remaining behind Queen Victoria and Ferdinand III of Naples and Sicily. He saw the expansion of the Crown of Aragon in three directions: Languedoc to the north, the Balearic Islands to the southeast, and Valencia to the south. By a treaty with Louis IX of France, he achieved the renunciation of any possible claim of French suzerainty over the County of Barcelona and the other Catalan counties, while he renounced northward expansion and taking back the once Catalan territories in Occitania and vassal counties loyal to the County of Barcelona, lands that were lost by his father Peter II of Aragon in the Battle of Muret during the Albigensian Crusade and annexed by the Kingdom of France, and then decided to turn south. His great part in the Reconquista was similar in Mediterranean Spain to that of his contemporary Ferdinand III of Castile in Andalusia. One of the main reasons for this formal renunciation of most of the once Catalan territories in Languedoc and Occitania and any expansion into them is the fact that he was raised by the Knights Templar crusaders, who had defeated his father fighting for the Pope alongside the French, so it was effectively forbidden for him to try to maintain the traditional influence of the Count of Barcelona that previously existed in Occitania and Languedoc.

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1393 – Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, English nobleman and military commander (d. 1455)[22]
Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (3 February 1393 – 22 May 1455) was an English nobleman and military commander in the lead up to the Wars of the Roses. He was the son of Henry “Hotspur” Percy, and the grandson of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland. His father and grandfather were killed in different rebellions against Henry IV in 1403 and 1408 respectively, and the young Henry spent his minority in exile in Scotland. Only after the death of Henry IV in 1413 was he reconciled with the Crown, and in 1414 he was created Earl of Northumberland.


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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
 
 

Carl Weathers (January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024) was an American actor, director and American football linebacker. He was known for his roles as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in Predator (1987), and Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise. He also portrayed Det. Beaudreaux in the television series Street Justice (1991–1993) and a fictionalized version of himself in the comedy series Arrested Development (2004, 2013), and voiced Omnitraxus Prime in Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2017–2019). He had a recurring role as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019–2023), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

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Mike McGroarty, Mike’s Backyard Nursery: Let Amazon help you with weed control in your gardens.

 
 
 
 

Mia McPherson’s On The Wing Photography: Great Blue Heron And Reflection On The Bear River
 
 
 
 

By Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR: Your appendix is not, in fact, useless. This anatomy professor explains

 
 
 
 

By Lisa Hix, Collectors Weekly: It Came From the ’70s: The Story of Your Grandma’s Weird Couch
 
 
 
 
By Emily Mullin, Wired: A Startup Has Unlocked a Way to Make Cheap Insulin

 
 
 
 

By Emily Stewart, Vox: Why Every Website Wants You to Accept Its Cookies
 
 
 
 
By Abi Jackson, Stylist: The 100 Most Powerful and Poignant Closing Lines From Literature
 
 
 
 

By Gillian Brockell, The Washington Post: The Jewish Commando Who Rescued His Parents From a Nazi Concentration Camp
 
 
 
 

Franklin County, N.C. Government: Broadband Expansion with Will Doerfer
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Recipes

Taste of Home: Million-Dollar Chicken Casserole
 
 
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: Italian Faves Made in the Slow Cooker
 
 
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: 16 Sugar Cookie Mix Hacks
 
 
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
 
 


 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

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Book Blogs & Websites:

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Stacy, Carol RT Book Reviews

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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