On This Day
1653 – By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage.[4]
The Coonan Cross Oath, also known as the Great Oath of Bent Cross, the Leaning Cross Oath or the Oath of the Slanting Cross, taken on 3 January 1653 in Mattancherry, was a public avowal by members of the Saint Thomas Christians of the Malabar region in India, that they would not submit to the Jesuits and Latin Catholic hierarchy, nor accept Portuguese dominance (Padroado) in ecclesiastical and secular life.[1][2][3]
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871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.[2]
The Battle of Reading was a victory for a Danish Viking army over a West Saxon force on about 4 January 871 at Reading in Berkshire. The Vikings were led by Bagsecg and Halfdan Ragnarsson and the West Saxons by King Æthelred and his brother, the future King Alfred the Great. It was the second of a series of battles that took place following an invasion of Wessex by the Danish army in December 870.[1]
Born On This Day
1509 – Gian Girolamo Albani, Italian cardinal (d. 1591)[56]
Gian Girolamo Albani (1509–1591) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal of Albanian descent.
1077 – Emperor Zhezong of China (d. 1100)[46]
Emperor Zhezong of Song (4 January 1077 – 23 February 1100), personal name Zhao Xu, was the seventh emperor of the Song dynasty of China. His original personal name was Zhao Yong but he changed it to “Zhao Xu” after his coronation. He reigned from 1085 until his death in 1100, and was succeeded by his younger half-brother, Emperor Huizong, because his son died prematurely.
Emperor Zhezong was the sixth son of Emperor Shenzong. He ascended the throne at the age of nine under the supervision of his grandmother, Grand Empress Dowager Gao.
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
CBS Sunday Morning: “Hail and farewell”: A tribute to those we lost in 2023
James Clear: 3-2-1: Starting the new year the right way, how to stay focused, and a lesson on long-term thinking
Angus Hervey, Future Crunch: 66 Good News Stories You Didn’t Hear About in 2023
Good News Network: Best Uplifting Photos of 2023 Are Guaranteed to Make Your Eyes Smile
By Jaisal Noor, yes! magazine: Cooperative Ways to Weather the Silver Tsunami
The Marginalian by Maria Popova: (More) resolutions for a vibrant and rewarding life borrowed from inspiring humans (James Baldwin, Kurt Vonnegut, Bertrand Russell, Rilke, and more)
The Marginalian by Maria Popova: Resolutions for a life worth living
The Marginalian by Maria Popova: Octavia Butler on creativity, the generative power of our obsessions, and how we become who we are
The Marginalian by Maria Popova: The essence of friendship — poet and philosopher John O’Donohue on the beautiful ancient Celtic notion of “soul-friend”
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: How Londinium Became London, Lutetia Became Paris, and Other Roman Cities Got Their Modern Names
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: The Surprising Map of Plants: A New Animation Shows How All the Different Plants Relate to Each Other
By Collin Marshall, Open Culture: What’s Entering the Public Domain in 2024: Enjoy Classic Works by Virginia Woolf, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, D. H. Lawrence, Bertolt Brecht & More
Jacques Lusseryn: I Loved in a Stream of Light
French author and political activist Jacques Lusseyran (1924-1971) was blinded at the age of 7. In 1941, at the age of 17, he became a leader in the French resistance against Nazi Germany’s occupation of France. Eventually, he was sent to Buchenwald concentration camp because of his involvement in the resistance. He was one of 30 out of 2000 inmates in his group to survive. Later, he wrote about his life experiences, including his time during the war. This stirring 16-minute audio selection is taken from both his autobiography, And There Was Light, and his book, Against the Pollution of the I.
“Light is within us, even if we have no eyes. Without my eyes, light was much more stable than it had been with them.”
Jacques Lusseyran
By Open Culture: Dance Like David Byrne! An Easy-to-Follow Instructional Video Shows You How
By Melissa McCart and Sabrina Imbler, Wirecutter: The Best French Press
By Wirecutter Staff: The Best Cold-Brew Coffee Maker
Recipes
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: Your New Mexican-Night Favorites
By Collette Reitz, the Kitchn: We Tried Dozens of Famous Celebrity Recipes in 2023 — These Are the Ones We’ll Make Forever
By Nina Derwin, the Kitchn: I Tried Taylor Swift’s Viral Birthday Cake and the Hype Is So Real, I’m Ordering One Every Year
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 23 November 23, 2024Picture of the day Rainbow yarn for knitting displayed in front of a needlework shop in Graz, Austria
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for November 22 November 22, 2024Picture of the day Sanderling (Calidris alba) looking for food on the beach of Westkapelle, Netherlands
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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.
Thanks to everyone involved to keep this forum going: our blogging team, the well-read Stumper Magicians, the many referrals, and of course to everyone who fondly remembers the wonder of books from their childhood and wants to share or revisit that wonder. Isn’t it amazing, the magic of a book?