On This Day
1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle: King Edward I of England takes the stronghold using the War Wolf.
The Warwolf, also known as the Loup-de-Guerre or Ludgar,[1] is believed to have been the largest trebuchet ever made.[citation needed] It was created in Scotland by order of Edward I of England, during the siege of Stirling Castle in 1304, as part of the Wars of Scottish Independence. A contemporary chronicle refers to it as une engine orrible.[2]
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1139 – Battle of Ourique: The Almoravids, led by Ali ibn Yusuf, are defeated by Prince Afonso Henriques who is proclaimed King of Portugal.
The Battle of Ourique (Arabic: معركة أوريكه) took place on 25 July 1139, in which the forces of Portuguese count Afonso Henriques (of the House of Burgundy) defeated those led by the Almoravid governor of Córdoba, Muhammad Az-Zubayr Ibn Umar, identified as “King Ismar” in Christian chronicles.
Born On This Day
1529 – Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (d. 1577)
Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (born 24 July 1529 in Pforzheim; died 23 March 1577 in Durlach), nicknamed Charles with the bag, governed the Margravate of Baden-Durlach from 1552 to 1577. On 1 June 1556 Charles issued a new Church Order, which made Lutheranism the official religion in Baden-Durlach.
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1109 – Afonso I, king of Portugal (d. 1185)
fonso I[a] (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈfõsu]; 1106/1109/1111 – 1185), also called Afonso Henriques, nicknamed the Conqueror (Portuguese: O Conquistador) and the Founder (Portuguese: O Fundador)[2][3] by the Portuguese, was the first king of Portugal. He achieved the independence of the County of Portugal, establishing a new kingdom and doubling its area with the Reconquista, an objective that he pursued until his death.
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
Tunein News Tv: Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, Final Surviving Original Member of the Four Tops, Passes Away at 88
Abdul Kareem “Duke” Fakir (December 26, 1935 – July 22, 2024) was an American singer. He co-founded the Motown quartet the Four Tops and performed in an ensemble under that name from 1953 until shortly before his death. He was the group’s last surviving original member.
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The Ed Sullivan Show: Four Tops “Reach Out I’ll Be There” on The Ed Sullivan Show
James Clear: 3-2-1: The secret to creativity, how our challenges shape us, and the value of bad workouts
By Jonathan Thompson, High Country News, Landline: Grabbing public land in the name of housing
By Ernie Smith, Tedium: Linking Through Hoops You would not believe the level of insanity you have to go through to allow a link to see an organic audience on LinkedIn.
Earth Sky News: How to Spot Deepfakes and more ->
Mia McPherson’s On The Wing Photography: Lifer Western Ribbon Snake At Sequoyah NWR
Mia McPherson’s On The Wing Photography: Hackberry Emperor Butterfly On The Hood
Mia McPherson’s On The Wing Photography: Coyote Pup Portrait From Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge
Mia McPherson’s On The Wing Photography: Coyote On The Move At Sequoyah NWR
CBS Mornings: Hidden painted rocks in Ohio spread hope and inspiration
Excellent idea! Not sure how that wold work in Anchorage or other snowy areas. Maybe a snow shoveling and moving the trash can placement business?
George Carlin Takes on White Liberals and Racial Labels
Shawn Ryan Show: Jim Caviezel – The Sound of Freedom | SRS #64
Sound of Freedom is a 2023 American Christian thriller film[5] directed and co-written by Alejandro Monteverde, and starring Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, and Bill Camp. Caviezel plays Tim Ballard, a former U.S. government agent who embarks on a mission to rescue children from sex traffickers in Colombia.[6] It is produced by Eduardo Verástegui, who also plays a role in the film. The plot centers around Ballard’s Operation Underground Railroad, an anti-sex trafficking organization. While the film is purportedly based on the life of Ballard, multiple investigative journalists have written about the real-life Ballard and O.U.R., pointing out that the events in the film bear little resemblance to reality.
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Movie Guide: How Jim Caviezel’s Wife Inadvertently Saved 200 Children from Child Trafficking
Mike Ritland: Navy SEAL Sniper Author Mark Greene
Recipes
Taste of Home: 26 Best Grilled Cheese Ideas
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: 12 Grilled Dinners We Want Right Now
By Ivy Manning, Eater: A Dinner Party-Ready Cake Recipe Doable in 20 Minutes You don’t need to turn on the oven for this coconut lime cake
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
- 2024 Ultimate Christmas menu planning guide December 12, 2024Here’s a handy list of my Christmas recipes, organised by make-ahead and reheating suitability, and those best made fresh. Perfect for menu planning, especially alongside the new Christmas recipe index! I thrive on holiday menu planning. It’s like the Olympics of cooking – except less athleticism and more butter! The goal, as always, is a... […]Nagi
- Easy Christmas Cheesecake Slab – no bake! December 6, 2024This no bake Christmas cheesecake is designed for sizzling Aussie summers – no sweating over a hot oven! Designed to serve a crowd, it’s the easiest cheesecake recipe I know yet it still captures all the hallmarks of a beautiful classic baked cheesecake. Decorate with whipped cream, berries and rosemary sprigs for an effortless, pretty... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 28 December 28, 2024Picture of the day Satellite picture of the Etna volcano erupting in eastern Sicily (Italy) in December 2018.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 27 December 27, 2024Picture of the day The Seehornsee in the Berchtesgaden Alps. On the right the normal route to the Seehorn.
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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?