On This Day
1822 – The government of Central America votes for total annexation to the First Mexican Empire.[5]
From January 1822 to July 1823, the Captaincy General of Guatemala, a former Spanish colony, was controlled by the First Mexican Empire, and briefly, the Supreme Executive Power—the provisional government that succeeded Mexican imperial rule. The captaincy general consisted of the provinces of Chiapas, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua—the six southernmost provinces of the Mexican Empire. The incorporation of Central America brought Mexico to the height of its territorial extent.
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1449 – Constantine XI is crowned Byzantine Emperor at Mystras.[5]
Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos or Dragaš Palaeologus (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος, Kōnstantînos Dragásēs Palaiológos; 8 February 1404 – 29 May 1453) was the last Byzantine emperor, reigning from 1449 until his death in battle at the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Constantine’s death marked the definitive end of the Eastern Roman Empire, which traced its origin to Constantine the Great’s foundation of Constantinople as the Roman Empire’s new capital in 330.
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1558 – French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, take Calais, the last continental possession of England.[3]
The French siege of Calais in early 1558 was part of the Italian War of 1551–1559 between France and England and their respective allies. It resulted in the seizure of the town and its dependencies by France.
1297 – François Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, leads his men to capture the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco, establishing his family as the rulers of Monaco.[3]
Francesco Grimaldi (French: François; English: Francis), called il Malizia (from Italian: “the malicious”) was the Genoese leader of the Guelphs who captured the Rock of Monaco on the night of 8 January 1297. He was the son of Guglielmo Grimaldi by his wife Giacobina or Giacoba, a Genoese noble.
1038 – An earthquake in Dingxiang, China kills an estimated 32,300.[2]
The 1038 Dingxiang earthquake devastated present-day Shanxi Province, northern China on 9 January. At least 32,300 people died across the province when the Ms 7.25 earthquake struck Dingxiang and Xinxian counties.[1] In Xinzhou, about 19,742 people died and 5,655 were injured. More than 50,000 livestock also perished. About 759 were killed in Guoxian County and in present-day Taiyuan, 1,890 people died.[2]
9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the beginning of his own, the Xin dynasty.[2]
The Mandate of Heaven (Chinese: 天命; pinyin: Tiānmìng; Wade–Giles: T’ien1-ming4; lit. ‘Heaven’s command’) is a Chinese political ideology that was used in Ancient China and Imperial China to legitimize the rule of the king or emperor of China.[1] According to this doctrine, Heaven (天, Tian) bestows its mandate[a] on a virtuous ruler. This ruler, the Son of Heaven, was the supreme universal monarch, who ruled Tianxia (天下; “all under heaven”, the world).[3] If a ruler was overthrown, this was interpreted as an indication that the ruler was unworthy and had lost the mandate.[4] It was also a common belief that natural disasters such as famine and flood were divine retributions bearing signs of Heaven’s displeasure with the ruler, so there would often be revolts following major disasters as the people saw these calamities as signs that the Mandate of Heaven had been withdrawn.[5]
930 – Sack of Mecca by the Qarmatians.[3]
The Sack of Mecca occurred on 11 January 930, when the Qarmatians of Bahrayn sacked the Muslim holy city amidst the rituals of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Born On This Day
1548 – Francisco Suárez, Spanish priest, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1617)[42]
Francisco Suárez SJ (5 January 1548 – 25 September 1617) was a Spanish Jesuit priest, philosopher and theologian, one of the leading figures of the School of Salamanca movement. His work is considered a turning point in the history of second scholasticism, marking the transition from its Renaissance to its Baroque phases. According to Christopher Shields and Daniel Schwartz, “figures as distinct from one another in place, time, and philosophical orientation as Leibniz, Grotius, Pufendorf, Schopenhauer and Heidegger, all found reason to cite him as a source of inspiration and influence.”[2]
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1486 – Martin Agricola, German composer and theorist (d. 1556)[62]
Martin Agricola (6 January 1486 – 10 June 1556) was a German composer of Renaissance music and a music theorist.[1][a]
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1414 – Henry II, Count of Nassau-Siegen (d. 1451)[50][51][52]
Count Henry II of Nassau-Siegen[note 1] (7 January 1414 – 18 January 1451), German: Heinrich II. Graf von Nassau-Siegen, official titles: Graf zu Nassau, Vianden und Diez, Herr zu Breda, was since 1442 Count of Nassau-Siegen[note 2] (a part of the County of Nassau), of Vianden and of half Diez. He descended from the Ottonian Line of the House of Nassau.
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1583 – Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1643)[59]
Simon Episcopius (8 January 1583 – 4 April 1643) was a Dutch theologian and Remonstrant who played a significant role at the Synod of Dort in 1618.[1] His name is the Latinized form of his Dutch name Simon Bisschop.
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1304 – Hōjō Takatoki, Japanese shikken of the Kamakura bakufu (d. 1333)[52][unreliable source?]
Hōjō Takatoki (北条 高時, 9 January 1304 – 4 July 1333) was the last Tokusō and ruling Shikken (regent) of Japan’s Kamakura shogunate; the rulers that followed were his puppets. A member of the Hōjō clan, he was the son of Hōjō Sadatoki, and was preceded as shikken by Hōjō Mototoki.
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1538 – Louis of Nassau (d. 1574)[36]
Louis of Nassau (Dutch: Lodewijk van Nassau, January 10, 1538 – April 14, 1574) was the third son of William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen and Juliana of Stolberg, and the younger brother of Prince William of Orange Nassau.
1209 – Möngke Khan, Mongolian emperor (d. 1259)
Möngke Khan (also Möngke Khagan or Möngke;[a] 11 January 1209 – 11 August 1259) was the fourth khagan of the Mongol Empire, ruling from 1 July 1251 to 11 August 1259. He was the first Khagan from the Toluid line, and made significant reforms to improve the administration of the Empire during his reign. Under Möngke, the Mongols conquered Iraq and Syria as well as the kingdom of Dali (modern Yunnan).[2]
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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
Wise Trivia
Condolences
Samuel David Moore (October 12, 1935 – January 10, 2025) was an American singer who was best known as a member of the soul and R&B duo Sam & Dave from 1961 to 1981. He is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame (for “Soul Man”), the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
Sam Moore – “Soul Man” (Live on CabaRay Nashville)
Ringo Starr – Look Up (Official Music Video)
By All About Space magazine: 10 everyday NASA inventions and spin-offs you can find in your home
Lily Hay Newman, Wired: Hey, Maybe It’s Time to Delete Some Old Chat Histories
Smithsonian Magazine: Discover the Astounding Secrets of Scotland’s Stone Age Settlements
By Erin McCarthy, Mental Floss: What’s the Longest Word in English?
By Gabrielle Decamous, MIT Press Reader: The Dark Radiance of Atomic Bomb Literature The more we expose ourselves to the prose of the victims, the more visibility we give them.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) discusses energy on “America’s Newsroom” – January 6, 2025
Rory Gallagher In-Depth Innerviews Interview
Shawn Ryan Show: Chris Fettes – A SEAL Team 6 Sniper’s Worst Nightmare | SRS #156
Jocko Podcast 472: Avoiding the Pressure Won’t Get You Anywhere. W/ Matt Hasby
Army Apache Pilot Emily Joy Hills | Mike Drop Episode 36 *Special Re-Release*
Cleared Hot Podcast: CyberTrucks and Green Berets
Cleared Hot Podcast: Episode 368 – Nic Mckinley
Ideas
By jessyratfink: Knit a Slouchy Hat on a Round Loom
By crumpart: Gesso and Watercolour Ground Recipes
Recipes
By Yumchief: Korean Twisted Doughnuts (Kkwabaegi)
Taste of Home: 71 Winter Comfort Food Recipes
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
- Popcorn chicken January 10, 2025This is a KFC popcorn chicken copycat recipe. It’s downright addictive – I challenge you to stop at just one! Surprisingly quick, they take just 2 minutes to cook, and just shallow fried at that. Popcorn chicken Many people have tried this popcorn chicken now, including an entire crew of builders at my home which... […]Nagi
- Honey mustard dipping sauce January 10, 2025This is a lovely dipping sauce that’s creamy, a bit tangy, a bit sweet and takes barely a minute to make. Particularly great with crunchy crumbed chicken tenders, popcorn chicken, nuggets and fish fingers, though I also use it for veggie sticks and spoon it over simple pan-fried chicken or fish. One of my most... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 11 January 11, 2025Picture of the day Sninský kameň, Vihorlatské vrchy in the winter, frost on trees
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 10 January 10, 2025Picture of the day Kapelle St. Martin-Caplutta Sogn Martin. Breil-Brigels. Wooden main door of the chapel. (Detail).
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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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