On This Day
1891 – The Mino–Owari earthquake, the largest inland earthquake in Japan’s history, occurs.
The Nōbi earthquake (濃尾地震, Nōbi Jishin) struck the former Japanese provinces of Mino and Owari (present-day Gifu Prefecture) in the Nōbi Plain in the early morning of October 28 with a surface wave magnitude of 8.0 and a moment magnitude of 7.5. The event, also referred to as the 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake (美濃・尾張地震, Mino-Owari Jishin), the Great Gifu earthquake (岐阜大地震, Gifu Daijishin), or the Great Nōbi earthquake (濃尾大地震, Nōbi Daijishin), is the largest known inland earthquake to have occurred in the Japanese archipelago.
The earthquake came at a time when Japan was undergoing a transformation into a more industrial nation and while advancing its scientific understanding in many fields. Damage from the event was widespread and the loss of life was significant. The many kilometers of visible fault breaks on the surface of the earth presented scientists with opportunities for field investigations that ultimately led to an improved understanding of the fault scarps that earthquakes often generate.
Read more ->
Born On This Day
1816 – Malwida von Meysenbug, German writer (d. 1903)
Malwida von Meysenbug (28 October 1816 — 23 April 1903) was a German writer, her work including Memories of an Idealist, the first volume of which she published anonymously in 1869. As well, she was a friend of Friedrich Nietzsche and Richard Wagner, and met the French writer Romain Rolland in Rome in 1890.
Von Meysenbug was born at Kassel, Hesse. Her father Carl Rivalier descended from a family of French Huguenots, and received the title of Baron of Meysenbug from William I of Hesse-Kassel. The ninth of ten children, she broke with her family because of her political convictions. Two of her brothers made brilliant careers, one as a minister of state in Austria, and the other as Minister of the Karlsruhe. von Meysenbug, however, refused to appeal to her family and lived first by joining a free community in Hamburg, and then by immigrating in 1852 to England where she lived by teaching and translating works. There, she met the republicans Ledru-Rollin, Louis Blanc, and Gottfried Kinkel, all political refugees; the young Carl Schurz also became acquainted with her there.
In 1862 von Meysenbug went to Italy with Olga Herzen, the daughter of Alexander Herzen, known as the “father of Russian socialism” (and whose daughters she taught) and resided there. Olga Herzen married Gabriel Monod in 1873 and established herself in France, but Malwida’s poor health obstructed her from joining her.
Von Meysenbug introduced Nietzsche to several of his friends, including Helene von Druskowitz. She invited Paul Rée and Nietzsche to Sorrento, a town which overlooks the bay of Naples, in the autumn of 1876.[1] There, Rée wrote The Origins of Moral Sensations, and Nietzsche began Human, All Too Human.[2]
In 1890, the late nineteenth century English novelist George Gissing wrote in his diary that he was ‘re-reading Memoiren einer Idealisten’. [3] In 1901 von Meysenbug was the first woman ever to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature after having been nominated by the French historian Gabriel Monod.[4]
Malwida von Meysenbug died in Rome in 1903 and is buried in the Protestant Cemetery in the city.
FYI
David Sherry, Caffeine: The Good Life/Detox, Work/Not-Work
The Passive Voice, From veteran publishing consultant Mike Shatzkin: Every publishing strategy should start with Amazon and Ingram
The Passive Voice, From The Creative Penn: You Are A Writer. You Create And License Intellectual Property Assets.
Atlas Obscura: Eat Like a Medieval Saint; A giant pink bunny sits on an Italian hill; Ghost Towns and Hometowns and more ->
The Marginalian by Maria Popova: FROM THE ARCHIVE | The Monarchs, Music, and the Meaning of Life: The Most Touching Deathbed Love Letter Ever Written
NSFW
Ideas
By deluges: Adjustable Height Grow Light Shelf
By adegothseir: Audrey II From Little Shop of Horror Halloween Costume
Recipes
The Joy Filled Kitchen, Food Talk Daily: PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE SWIRL MUFFINS
By That Guy Who Grills, Food Talk Daily: Smoked Cream Cheese on the PitBoss
By Natasha Kravchuck, Natasha’s Kitchen: Cheesy Mashed Potato Pancakes Recipe
I Wash You Dry: Quick Easy Hawaiian Haystacks
By Caroline Stanko, Taste of Home: 50 of Our Best Slider Recipes
I Wash You Dry: Creamy Tortellini Sausage Skillet
By petachhock: Delicious Savoury Cakes
By Patty Catalano, The Kitchn: The Rice Krispies Treat Upgrade You Need to Try
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: Better-Than-Almost-Anything Cake
DamnDelicious
RecipeTinEats
- Vegetable Tian June 5, 2026Meet Vegetable Tian – a colourful Provençal vegetable bake that I absolutely love! It’s full of beautiful colours, Mediterranean vibes, and looks as good as it tastes. Serve it as a side dish or enjoy it as a vegetarian main. Let’s go! Vegetable Tian I’ve been a ratatouille guy for as long as I can... […]Chef JB (RecipeTin)
- Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup with Noodles June 2, 2026This is my homemade version of Chicken and Sweet Corn Cup-a-Soup with noodles. It’s quick and easy, and the flavour is in a completely different league to the instant kind! Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup with Noodles I often get recipe ideas just by wandering the aisles of the grocery store, seeing what everyone’s buying.... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 10 June 10, 2026Picture of the day Hills of České Středohoří (Central Bohemian Highlands): Malý Křižák, Křižák, Brník, Srdov, Milá
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 9 June 9, 2026Picture of the day Ringed kingfisher flying with freshly caught fish in Mato Grosso, Brazil
E-book Deals:
The Book Junction: Where Readers Go To Discover Great New Fiction!
Mystery & Thriller Most Wanted
Book Blogs & Websites:
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?