On This Day
748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.[1]
The Abbasid Revolution, also called the Movement of the Men of the Black Raiment,[2] was the overthrow of the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE), the second of the four major Caliphates in early Islamic history, by the third, the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1517 CE). Coming to power three decades after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and immediately after the Rashidun Caliphate, the Umayyads were an Arab Empire ruling over a population which was overwhelmingly non-Arab. Non-Arabs were treated as second-class citizens regardless of whether or not they converted to Islam, and this discontent cutting across faiths and ethnicities ultimately led to the Umayyads’ overthrow.[3] The Abbasid family claimed to have descended from al-Abbas, an uncle of Muhammad.
The revolution essentially marked the end of the Arab Empire and the beginning of a more inclusive, multiethnic state in the Middle East.[4] Remembered as one of the most well-organized revolutions during its period in history, it reoriented the focus of the Muslim world to the east.[5]
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Born On This Day
1404 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher (d. 1472)
Leon Battista Alberti (Italian: [leˈom batˈtista alˈbɛrti]; 14 February 1404 – 25 April 1472) was an Italian Renaissance humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, and cryptographer; he epitomised the nature of those identified now as polymaths. He is considered the founder of Western cryptography, a claim he shares with Johannes Trithemius.[1][2]
Although he often is characterized exclusively as an architect, as James Beck has observed,[3] “to single out one of Leon Battista’s ‘fields’ over others as somehow functionally independent and self-sufficient is of no help at all to any effort to characterize Alberti’s extensive explorations in the fine arts”. Although Alberti is known mostly for being an artist, he was also a mathematician of many sorts and made great advances to this field during the fifteenth century.[4] The two most important buildings he designed are the churches of San Sebastiano (1460) and Sant’Andrea (1472), both in Mantua.[5]
Alberti’s life was described in Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects.
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FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
This Day in Tech History
Interesting Facts
Word Genius: Word of the Day
By Adam Volz, Preply: Mapped: Love around the world Preply’s new world map shows how countries around the globe express their love.
By Messy Nessy 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. DCXXXVI): A 1920s Long Island Mansion complete with Underground Art Deco Playground; The Walker Library of The History of Human Imagination (a Billionaire’s Private Library); This couple exploring the wilder side of Europe in their self built cabin-on-wheels and making tapestries; The anti-KKK group called “Knights of the Invisible Jungle of the Tiger’s Eye” in 1922.; The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, 1962 and more ->
Rare Historical Photos: Freddie Mercury: The Life of The Iconic Queen Frontman Through Old Photos; Timeless Old Photos of Adorable Couples from the 19th-Century and more ->
By Matt Growcoot, PetaPixel: Fish Can Recognize Themselves in Photos, Study Finds
By Madison Troyer, Stacker: Most popular songs that never won a Grammy
By Joshua Finnell, Jstor: The First Famous Football Team Behind Bars Sing Sing’s football team, The Black Sheep, ascended to fame even though its players were incarcerated. One player was so good, he signed with the Eagles.
By Louisa Mellor, Rosie Fletcher, Elizabeth Donoghue, Alec Bojalad, Kirsten Howard, Brynna Arens, Den of Geek: Which TV or Movie Cop Would You Want To Investigate Your Murder? A maverick or a letter-of-the-law type? A slick rick or a hapless bumbler? Which TV cop would you choose to solve your murder case?
Play with an emulation of a Mac from 1995 (best on desktop).
Google Arts & Culture: The Heart of the Matter: A History of Valentine Cards
Recipes
By Chris Koon, Midlothian, Virginia, ToH: Broiled Chicken & Artichokes
By Peggy Woodward, RDN, ToH: 34 Diabetic-Friendly Soup Recipes with a Perfect 5-Star Rating
kitchn: Fancy No-Bake Chocolate Caramel Tart Recipe
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
- Nutella Stuffed Cookies November 22, 2024Nutella Stuffed Cookies. Yes, they are as naughty and indulgent as they look. But so much easier to make than you think! No electric beater, just a wooden spoon. That moment when the melty Nutella floods in your mouth…. send help! Nutella Stuffed Cookies This is no ordinary cookie. This is a cookie that is... […]Nagi
- New Orleans Chicken Wings November 19, 2024Why settle for plain chicken wings when you can have bold, spicy, New Orleans sass?! Tossed in Creole seasoning and garlic butter then baked until golden, the smell alone will make you drool. Easy enough for dinner, excellent for parties. Get in my belly! New Orleans Chicken Wings Today’s recipe is inspired by New Orleans... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for November 24 November 24, 2024Picture of the day The Scroll of Eighty-Seven Immortals, drawn by an unknown painter, measuring 30cm high and 292cm wide, is a line-drawing Chinese figure painting. Drawn on a long silk scroll with lines, the painting depicts 87 taoist immortals, including three supreme gods with halo, ten divine generals, seven deities and 67 celestial maidens […]
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for November 23 November 23, 2024Picture of the day Rainbow yarn for knitting displayed in front of a needlework shop in Graz, Austria
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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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