On This Day
1607 – An estimated 200 square miles (51,800 ha) along the coasts of the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary in England are destroyed by massive flooding, resulting in an estimated 2,000 deaths.[3]
The Bristol Channel floods of 30 January 1607[a] drowned many people and destroyed a large amount of farmland and livestock during a flood in the Bristol Channel area of the UK. The known tide heights, probable weather, extent and depth of flooding, and coastal flooding elsewhere in the UK on the same day all point to the cause being a storm surge rather than a tsunami.
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1504 – The Treaty of Lyon ends the Italian War, confirming French domination of northern Italy, while Spain receives the Kingdom of Naples.
The Italian Wars of 1499–1504 are divided into two connected, but distinct phases: the Second Italian War (1499–1501), sometimes known as Louis XII’s Italian War, and the Third Italian War (1502–1504) or War over Naples. The first phase was fought for control of the Duchy of Milan by an alliance of Louis XII of France and the Republic of Venice against Ludovico Sforza, the second between Louis and Ferdinand II of Aragon for possession of the Kingdom of Naples.
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1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege.[3]
The siege of Fort Zeelandia (Chinese: 熱蘭遮城包圍戰; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Jia̍t-lân-jia Siâⁿ Pau-ûi-chiàn) of 1661–1662 ended the Dutch East India Company’s rule over Taiwan and began the Kingdom of Tungning’s rule over the island.
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Born On This Day
1520 – William More, English courtier (d. 1600)[29]
Sir William More (30 January 1520 – 20 July 1600), of Loseley, Surrey, was the son of Sir Christopher More. The great house at Loseley Park was built for him, which is still the residence of the More Molyneux family. Of Protestant sympathies, as Sheriff and Vice-Admiral of Surrey he was actively involved in local administration of the county of Surrey and in the enforcement of the Elizabethan religious settlement, and was a member of every Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was the owner of property in the Blackfriars in which the first and second Blackfriars theatres were erected.[1] He has been described as “the perfect Elizabethan country gentleman” on account of his impeccable character and his assiduity and efficiency of service.[2]
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1583 – Peter Bulkley, English and later American Puritan (d. 1659)[27]
Peter Bulkley (31 January 1583 – 9 March 1659, last name also spelled Bulkeley) was an influential early Puritan minister who left England for greater religious freedom in the American colony of Massachusetts. He was a founder of Concord,[1] and was named by descendant Ralph Waldo Emerson in his poem about Concord, “Hamatreya”.[2]
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1435 – Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy (d. 1472)[43]
Amadeus IX (1 February 1435 – 30 March 1472), nicknamed the Happy, was the Duke of Savoy from 1465 to 1472. The Catholic Church venerates him with a liturgical feast on March 30.
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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
ITV News: Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull dies aged 78 | ITV News
Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 5 single “As Tears Go By” and became one of the leading female artists of the British Invasion in the United States.
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Condolences
Time: Dick Button, Olympic Great And Voice of Skating, Dies at 95
Richard Totten Button (July 18, 1929 – January 30, 2025) was an American figure skater and skating analyst. He was a two-time Olympic champion (1948, 1952) and five-time consecutive world champion (1948–1952). He was also the only non-European man to have become European champion. Button is credited as having been the first skater to successfully land the double Axel jump in competition in 1948, as well as the first triple jump of any kind – a triple loop – in 1952. He also invented the flying camel spin, which was originally known as the “Button camel”.[1] He “brought increased athleticism” to figure skating in the years following World War II.[2] According to figure skating historian James R. Hines, Button represented the “American School” of figure skating, which was a more athletic style than skaters from Europe.[3]
Colleen Mondor: #21: What I mean when I say an aviation accident must not be political
Colleen Mondor: #16: I’ve been reading accident reports & have some thoughts
By Gene Ching, Den of Geek: How Jet Li’s Debut Film Saved the Real-Life Shaolin Temple
LoudWire: The six most underrated hair metal singers.
Wickersham’s Conscience: The Colombia Recap
“But We Had Music” by Maria Popova (read by Nick Cave for The Universe in Verse)
BUT WE HAD MUSIC
by Maria Popova
Right this minute
across time zones and opinions
people are
making plans
making meals
making promises and poems
while
at the center of our galaxy
a black hole with the mass of
four billion suns
screams its open-mouth kiss
of oblivion.
Someday it will swallow
Euclid’s postulates and the Goldberg Variations,
swallow calculus and Leaves of Grass.
I know this.
And still
when the constellation of starlings
flickers across the evening sky,
it is enough
to stand here
for an irrevocable minute
agape with wonder.
It is eternity.
CBS Morning: Brazilian prison using geese for security
My First Breakup… At 40! | Gabriel Iglesias
Jack CarrUSA: A Master Class with David Morrell: The Art of the Thriller
Mike Ritland: Cartels, COPS, and Crips: Undercover Narcotics Officer Tegan Broadwater | Mike Drop Episode 224
IronClad: Inside The Most Ruthless Crime Syndicate Operating Across 5 Continents | CA #101
Cleared Hot Podcast: Semi Auto Friday – With Michael Shelton
Recipes
By: Lesley Porcelli, Food Network: 39 Reasons To Have Breakfast for Dinner Tonight
By Elizabeth Ann Quirino, Simply Recipes: The Easy Chicken and Rice My Family Has Made for Decades
By Molly Adams, Simply Recipes: For the Best Hello Dolly Bars, Use a Boxed Brownie Mix
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
- Thai Red Duck Curry January 31, 2025There’s something magical about the combination of rich duck meat and Thai red curry! This duck curry recipe features duck breast with golden skin served in a coconut red curry sauce. Add lychees or pineapples for a very special dish that’s to die for! * THAT IS NOT A PRAWN/SHRIMP in the photo! It’s the... […]Nagi
- How to cook duck breast January 31, 2025This is a recipe for how to cook duck breast so you have lovely crispy golden skin and the flesh is cooked perfectly so it’s beautifully juicy. It’s very straight forward! Start on the stove to render out the fat and crisp the skin, then finish in the oven so this luxurious, rich meat is... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for February 1 February 1, 2025Picture of the day Eruption of Strokkur (Icelandic for "churn") a fountain geyser located in the Haukadalur geothermal area, southwest of Iceland.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 31 January 31, 2025Picture of the day A juvenile green iguana (Iguana iguana) in Brejo da Madre de Deus, Pernambuco, Brazil
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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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