On This Day
1925 – The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake strikes northeastern North America.[7]
The 1925 Charlevoix–Kamouraska earthquake struck northeastern North America on February 28, reaching 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale.[1] It was one of the most powerful measured in Canada in the 20th century,[1] with a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale at its epicentre in the area of Charlevoix-Kamouraska along the Saint Lawrence River near île aux Lièvres and not greater than VI (Strong) in the United States.[2] The quake was felt in Quebec City, Shawinigan, Montreal, as far south as Virginia, and as far west as the Mississippi River.[3]
1562 – Sixty-three Huguenots are massacred in Wassy, France, marking the start of the French Wars of Religion.[6]
The French Wars of Religion were a prolonged period of war and popular unrest between Catholics and Huguenots (Reformed/Calvinist Protestants) in the Kingdom of France between 1562 and 1598. It is estimated that three million people perished in this period from violence, famine, or disease in what is considered the second deadliest religious war in European history (surpassed only by the Thirty Years’ War, which took eight million lives).[1]
Much of the conflict took place whilst Queen mother Catherine de’ Medici, widow of Henry II of France, held significant political influence. It also involved a dynastic power struggle between powerful noble families in the line for succession to the French throne: the wealthy, ambitious, and fervently Catholic ducal House of Guise (a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine, who claimed descent from Charlemagne) and their ally Anne de Montmorency, Constable of France (i.e., commander in chief of the French armed forces) versus the less wealthy House of Condé (a branch of the House of Bourbon), princes of the blood in the line of succession to the throne who were sympathetic to Calvinism. Foreign allies provided financing and other assistance to both sides, with Habsburg Spain and the Duchy of Savoy supporting the Guises, and England supporting the Protestant side led by the Condés and by the Protestant Jeanne d’Albret, Queen of Navarre and wife of Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme and King of Navarre, and their son, Henry of Navarre.
Moderates, primarily associated with the French Valois monarchy and its advisers, tried to balance the situation and avoid open bloodshed. This group, pejoratively known as Politiques, put their hopes in the ability of a strong centralized government to maintain order and harmony. In contrast to the previous hardline policies of Henry II and his father Francis I, they began introducing gradual concessions to Huguenots. A most notable moderate, at least initially, was the queen mother, Catherine de’ Medici. Catherine, however, later hardened her stance and, at the time of the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre in 1572, sided with the Guises. This pivotal historical event involved a complete breakdown of state control resulting in series of riots and massacres in which Catholic mobs killed between 5,000 and 30,000 Protestants over a period of weeks throughout the entire kingdom.
By the conclusion of the conflict in 1598, the Protestant Henry of Navarre, heir to the French throne, had converted to Catholicism and been crowned Henry IV of France. In that year, he issued the Edict of Nantes, which granted Huguenots substantial rights and freedoms. His conversion did not end Catholic hostility towards Protestants or towards him personally, and he was eventually murdered by a Catholic extremist. The wars of religion threatened the authority of the monarchy, already fragile under the rule of Catherine’s three sons and the last Valois kings: Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. This changed under the reign of their Bourbon successor Henry IV. The Edict of Nantes was revoked later in 1685 with the Edict of Fontainebleau by Louis XIV of France. Henry IV’s governance and selection of able administrators left a legacy of strong centralized government, stability, and relative economic prosperity.
Born On This Day
1920 – Jadwiga Piłsudska, Polish soldier, pilot, and architect (d. 2014)[41]
Jadwiga Piłsudska-Jaraczewska (Polish: [jadˈviɡa piwˈsutska jaraˈtʂɛfska]; 28 February 1920 – 16 November 2014) was a Polish pilot, who served in the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. She was one of two daughters of Józef Piłsudski.
1899 – Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, German SS officer (d. 1972)
Erich Julius Eberhard von dem Bach-Zelewski (1 March 1899 – 8 March 1972) was a high-ranking SS commander of Nazi Germany. During World War II, he was in charge of the Nazi security warfare against those designated by the regime as ideological enemies and any other persons deemed to present danger to the Nazi rule or Wehrmacht’s rear security in the occupied territories of Eastern Europe. It mostly involved atrocities against the civilian population. In 1944 he led the brutal suppression of the Warsaw Uprising. At the end of 1941 the forces under von dem Bach numbered 14,953 Germans, mostly officers and unteroffiziere, and 238,105 local “volunteers” (most war crime victims were executed by local collaborators under Nazi command.)[1]
Despite his responsibility for numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity, Bach-Zelewski did not stand trial in the Nuremberg trials, and instead appeared as a witness for the prosecution. He was later convicted for politically motivated murders committed before the war and died in prison in 1972.
FYI
By Rocky Parker, Beyond Bylines: 12 Events for Journalists and Bloggers in March
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By Ayun Halliday, Open Culture: Free Coloring Books from 101 World-Class Libraries & Museums: Download and Color Hundreds of Free Images
Eat Your Words from Edible Alaska: #25: Spring Forward—the new issue is here…
Eat Your Words from Edible Alaska: #24 It’s true. We love you.
Gastro Obscura: Eat like a renaissance royal in this Italian town and more ->
Gastro Obscura: The tyranny of Europe’s noble grapes and more ->
Gastro Obscura: Why did America stop making hot sodas? And more ->
Gastro Obscura: The spellbinding Swedish song that calls cows home and more ->
Gastro Obscura: ‘Taco Tuesdays’ around the world and more ->
Gastro Obscura: 13 places to let your fromage-flag fly and more ->
Lynn V Andrews: March 2022 Inspirit Newsletter
Wickersham’s Conscience: Meet the Pigtails
Wickersham’s Conscience: Return of Bird of the Week: Band-tailed Manakin
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
Ideas
By mrstapleton: Giant Ice Lens (or Just a Big One)
By Rusticworks: Build Your Own Banjolele!
The Kitchen Garten: Easy Garden Seed Storage Ideas
The Kitchen Garten: How to Prune Blueberry Bushes
Recipes
Homemade on a Weeknight: Sweet Bourbon BBQ Chicken Pizza
Food Network: Cheesy Skillet Chicken + Cauliflower Rice
DamnDelicious
RecipeTinEats
- Vegetable Tian June 5, 2026Meet Vegetable Tian – a colourful Provençal vegetable bake that I absolutely love! It’s full of beautiful colours, Mediterranean vibes, and looks as good as it tastes. Serve it as a side dish or enjoy it as a vegetarian main. Let’s go! Vegetable Tian I’ve been a ratatouille guy for as long as I can... […]Chef JB (RecipeTin)
- Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup with Noodles June 2, 2026This is my homemade version of Chicken and Sweet Corn Cup-a-Soup with noodles. It’s quick and easy, and the flavour is in a completely different league to the instant kind! Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup with Noodles I often get recipe ideas just by wandering the aisles of the grocery store, seeing what everyone’s buying.... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 9 June 9, 2026Picture of the day Ringed kingfisher flying with freshly caught fish in Mato Grosso, Brazil
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 8 June 8, 2026Picture of the day Flower buds of a shrubby St. John's wort (Hypericum androsaemum). Focus stack of 25 photos.
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