On This Day
879 – Pope John VIII gives blessings to Branimir of Croatia and to the Croatian people, considered to be international recognition of the Croatian state.[1]
Branimir (Latin: Branimiro) was a ruler of Duchy of Croatia who reigned as duke (Croatian: knez) from 879 to c. 892. His country received papal recognition as a state from Pope John VIII on 7 June 879.[2][3] During his reign, Croatia retained its sovereignty from both Carolingian and Byzantine rule and became de jure independent.[4][5] His rule marks the first real peak of early medieval Croatia.[6] It was characterized by establishing closer relations with the Holy See, ecclestical re-organization in the former Roman province of Dalmatia, Christianization, and (re)construction of churches. Branimir is mentioned, for the period, in many reliable primary and secondary written and ephigraphic sources.[2][4][7]
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853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.[2]
The Sack of Damietta was a successful raid on the port city of Damietta on the Nile Delta by the Byzantine navy on 22–24 May 853. The city, whose garrison was absent at the time, was sacked and plundered, yielding not only many captives but also large quantities of weapons and supplies intended for the Emirate of Crete. The Byzantine attack, which was repeated in the subsequent years, shocked the Abbasid authorities, and urgent measures were taken to refortify the coasts and strengthen the local fleet, beginning a revival of the Egyptian navy that culminated in the Tulunid and Fatimid periods.
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1793 – Battle of Famars during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition.
The Battle of Famars was fought on 23 May 1793 during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition. An Allied Austrian, Hanoverian, and British army under Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld defeated the French Army of the North led by François Joseph Drouot de Lamarche. The battle occurred near the village of Famars in northern France, five km south of Valenciennes.
1420 – Henry the Navigator is appointed governor of the Order of Christ.[4]
Dom Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu (4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry the Navigator (Portuguese: Infante Dom Henrique, o Navegador), was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and in the 15th-century European maritime discoveries and maritime expansion. Through his administrative direction, he is regarded as the main initiator of what would be known as the Age of Discovery. Henry was the fourth child of King John I of Portugal, who founded the House of Aviz.[1]
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Born On This Day
1527 – Philip II of Spain (d. 1598)
Philip II[note 1] (21 May 1527 – 13 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent (Spanish: Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain[note 2] from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He was also jure uxoris King of England and Ireland from his marriage to Queen Mary I in 1554 until her death in 1558.[1] He was also Duke of Milan from 1540.[2] From 1555, he was Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands.
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1009 – Su Xun, Chinese writer (d. 1066)
Su Xun (Chinese: 蘇洵; 22 May 1009 – 21 May 1066) was a scholar, essayist and philosopher during the Song dynasty, listed as one of the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song, along with his sons Su Shi and Su Zhe.[1]
675 – Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II, King of Mutharaiyar dynasty, Tamil Nadu, India
Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar (705 AD-745 AD), also known as Suvaran Maran and Perarasar Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar,[1] was a king of Thanjavur from the Mutharaiyar dynasty. He ruled over Thanjavur, Trichy, Pudukkottai, Perambalur and Thiruvarur as a feudatory of the Pallava dynasty.[2] He attended the coronation of Nandivarman II.[3]
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1276 – Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral.
Magnus Ladulås (pronounced [l’ɑːdɵloːs], lit. ’Barnlock’) or Magnus Birgersson, (c. 1240 – 18 December 1290), was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290.[1]
He was the second son of Birger Jarl, and became a king after a rebellion against his brother Valdemar. He was succeeded by his ten-year-old son Birger Magnusson with Torkel Knutsson acting as his guardian.
Medieval Swedish kings did not use regnal numbers as part of their title.[2] In modern literature he may be referred to as either Magnus I[3] or Magnus III.[4][5]
1335 – Margaret of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary (d. 1349)
Margaret of Bohemia (24 May 1335 – 1349, before October), also known as Margaret of Luxembourg, was a Queen consort of Hungary by her marriage to Louis I of Hungary. She was the second child of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor by his first wife Blanche of Valois.[1] She was a member of the House of Luxembourg.
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1416 – Jakobus (“James”), Count of Lichtenburg (d. 1480)
James of Lichtenburg (sometimes known as James the bearded) (25 May 1416 – 5 January 1480) was a nobleman from Lichtenberg in the northern part of Alsace. He served as overlord of Strasbourg and was the last in the male line of the House of Lichtenberg.
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
Condolences
By Leah Sarnoff and Sam Sweeney, ABC News: Bette Nash, world’s longest-serving flight attendant, dies at 88 Nash served as an American Airlines flight attendant for nearly 67 years.
Wynning History: Podcast – Yearbook Superlatives… but for Museums
CutterLight: Painted Geese over Breaking Surf
James Clear: 3-2-1: How to be great, the power of cold emails, and the dangers of working late
Public Library of Science: Scientists find Eurasian jays can use ‘mental time travel’ like humans
Does your city have a Real Time Crime Center? If so, what do you think of it?
Bureau of Justice: The Mission of a Real Time Crime Center
AXON: Protect life in real time: RTCCs and the Axon ecosystem
Atlas of Surveillance: Anchorage, AK
Check out 2:35!
Conservative Twins: Black Guy Squares Up to FIGHT COP in GYM HE THEN REGRETS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!
Bodycam video shows moment baby was saved during hostage situation
BRCC Presents: The Legend of Chief Shannon Kent
BRCC: Marty Skovlund, Jr – Journalist, Photographer, and Filmmaker | BRCC #318
Cleared Hot Podcast: Death Comes For Us All
Recipes
Tim Kennedy: How to preserve eggs naturally for long term storage at home
By Lesley Balla, Taste of Home: 93 Summer Side Dishes You’ll Love
By Peggy Woodward, RDN, Taste of Home: 37 Sheet Pan Desserts That Will Feed A Crowd
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
- Creamy Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Risoni (orzo) January 15, 2025The name’s a tongue twister, but this dish is a breeze to make! Goat cheese and roasted red peppers are the shortcuts for this creamy, smoky risoni recipe. Under $20 for 4 servings, ready in 20 minutes. Serve as a meal or side — it’s like a Mediterranean risotto! Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper... […]Nagi
- 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
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 15 January 15, 2025Picture of the day Cluster of Breath roots (pneumatophores) of a Taxodium distichum at the water's edge. Focus stack of 4 photos.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 14 January 14, 2025Picture of the day Mute swan (Cygnus olor) at Lake Geneva during the golden hour of sunset
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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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