On This Day
1539 – The first recorded race was held on Chester Racecourse, known as the Roodee.[2]
Chester Racecourse, known as the Roodee, is officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the oldest racecourse still in operation [1].[1] Horse racing at Chester dates back to the early sixteenth century, with 1539 cited as the year racing began. It is also thought to be the smallest racecourse of significance in England at 1 mile and 1 furlong (1.8 km) long.
Born On This Day
1854 – Aletta Jacobs, Dutch physician and suffrage activist (d. 1929)[19]
Aletta Henriëtte Jacobs (Dutch pronunciation: [aːˈlɛtaː ɦɑ̃ːriˈɛtə ˈjaːkɔps]; 9 February 1854 – 10 August 1929) was a Dutch physician and women’s suffrage activist. As the first woman officially to attend a Dutch university, she became one of the first female physicians in the Netherlands. In 1882, she founded the world’s first birth control clinic and was a leader in both the Dutch and international women’s movements. She led campaigns aimed at deregulating prostitution, improving women’s working conditions, promoting peace and calling for women’s right to vote.
Born in the mid-nineteenth century, Jacobs yearned to become a doctor like her father. Despite existing barriers, she fought to gain entry to higher education and graduated in 1879 with the first doctorate in medicine earned by a woman in the Netherlands. Providing medical services to women and children, she grew concerned over the health of working women, recognizing that as laws did not provide adequate protection for their health, their economic stability was compromised. She opened a free clinic to educate poor women about hygiene and child care and in 1882 expanded her services to include distribution of contraception information and devices. Though she continued to practice medicine until 1903, Jacobs increasingly turned her attention to activism with a view to improving women’s lives.
From 1883, when Jacobs first challenged the authorities on women’s right to vote, she strove throughout her life to change laws that limited women’s access to equality. She was successful in her campaign to establish mandatory break laws in retail workers’ employment and in attaining the vote for Dutch women in 1919. Involved in the international women’s movement, Jacobs traveled throughout the world speaking about women’s issues and documenting the socio-economic and political status of women. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and an active participant in the peace movement. She is recognized internationally for her contributions to women’s rights and status.
FYI
By Gavin Reese: Help Solve Cold Case Murders in Your Spare Time and From the Comfort of Your Own Home!
If you’d like to help more directly, you can also donate to the Howard County Police Foundation (designate the donation for Cold Cases, if you’d like) at https://hcpf.org/ and the Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland’s Cold Case efforts at http://metrocrimestoppers.org/donate-to-metro-crime-stoppers/.
By Joanne Guidoccio: Good Enough is Good Enough
Fireside Books presents Shelf Awareness for Readers for Tuesday, February 9, 2021
By Stephen Engelberg, Propublica: Twenty-Six Words Created the Internet. What Will It Take to Save It?
By Ayun Halliday, Open Culture: A New Yorker Cartoonist Explains How to Draw Literary Cartoons
By Ayun Halliday, Open Culture: The Breathtaking Courage of Harriet Tubman: An Animated History Lesson Speaks to Her Place on the $20 Bill
By Josh Jones, Open Culture: A New Database Will Document Every Slave House in the U.S.: Discover the “Saving Slave Houses Project”
Atlas Obscura: Massachusetts just elected a state dinosaur; “Cottage” Gas Station; The Underground Railroad; The Grand Kugel and more ->
Gastro Obscura: How a breast-shaped cake became Catania’s symbol; Sewing Kits, Umbilical Cords, and Mold; Eat Your Sorrow With These Biscuits; Humble Pie Sandwich and more ->
CutterLight: Chignik Lake in 29 Photos: Autumn Char (Cooking info included)
CutterLight: Chignik Lake in 29 Photos: Cherry Coho
CutterLight: Chignik Lake in 29 Photos: Rule of Tonnage
NSFW
https://youtu.be/EEyKL3jW_SY
Recipes
Taste of Home: Valentine’s Day Dinners and more ->
Taste of Home Desserts: These Are Our Most BEAUTIFUL Cakes! More ->
DamnDelicious
- Chicken Fajita Quesadillas June 13, 2026This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details. 30 minute chicken quesadillas with onions and bell peppers using leftover rotisserie chicken (huge time-saver!). So quick, so easy, so good! Why you’ll love chicken fajita quesadillas what is the best cheese to use for quesadillas? Always opt for a cheese with […]Chungah
- Lemon Butter Fish May 29, 2026This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details. Tender, juicy, flaky fish with a lemon-garlic sauce that will knock your socks off. A 20 minute dinner recipe – so fast, so easy, so good! Why you’ll love this lemon butter fish recipe key ingredients in lemon butter fish Butter Use […]Chungah
RecipeTinEats
- Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel June 12, 2026Firstly, thank you for the Jaffle love. 🥰 Hit the Jaffle button above to see what he got up to today! Secondly – cake. Specifically, Coffee Cake! A classic crumb cake with a jammy cinnamon ribbon, loaded with lots and lots of nubbly, extra crunchy cinnamon streusel. Outrageously good. Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel This... […]Nagi
- Introducing Jaffle! June 10, 2026Meet Jaffle! Future Chief Taste Tester. Son of a Dozer friend. A little bundle of golden, fluffy joy! 48 hours of instant happiness I didn’t expect to get a new puppy so soon after saying goodbye to Dozer. To be honest, I wasn’t sure when I’d be ready. And I had it in my head... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 14 June 14, 2026Picture of the day Wulfenite crystals with calcite, found in the Erupción Mine, Sierra de Los Lamentos, Ahumada Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 13 June 13, 2026Picture of the day An image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on a stained-glass window located in a church in St. Peters, Missouri. Today is the feast day of the Immaculate Heart in the Roman Catholic Church.
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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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