On This Day
1649 – The Italian city of Castro is completely destroyed by the forces of Pope Innocent X, ending the Wars of Castro.
The Wars of Castro were a series of conflicts during the mid-17th century revolving around the ancient city of Castro (located in present-day Lazio, Italy), which eventually resulted in the city’s destruction on 2 September 1649. The conflict was a result of a power struggle between the papacy – represented by members of two deeply entrenched Roman families and their popes, the Barberini and Pope Urban VIII and the Pamphili and Pope Innocent X – and the Farnese dukes of Parma, who controlled Castro and its surrounding territories as the Duchy of Castro.
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Born On This Day
1908 – Ruth Bancroft, American landscape and garden designer (d. 2017)
Ruth Petersson Bancroft (September 2, 1908 – November 26, 2017) was the creator of the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, California.
A native of the Bay Area, Bancroft began the xeric garden in the 1950s on land originally purchased by Hubert Howe Bancroft, the grandfather of Ruth’s husband, Philip Bancroft. The garden became the first in the United States to be preserved by The Garden Conservancy[1] and has been open to the public since 1992.[2][3]
FYI
The Fussy Librarian: Your ebook freebies for Wednesday
Archie McPhee: Ketchup, Shiitake, and Pho Candy Canes
The Colossal: A Dozing Owl and Tussling Hummingbirds Top the 2020 Bird Photographer of the Year Competition and more ->
Lorie Smith Schaefer: Mid-week Wisdom
By Josh Jones, Open Culture: Behold a Beautiful 400-Year-Old ‘Friendship Book’ Featuring the Signatures of Historic Figures
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: Take Immersive Virtual Tours of the World’s Great Museums: The Louvre, Hermitage, Van Gogh Museum & Much More
By Josh Jones, Open Culture: Bronze Age Britons Turned Bones of Dead Relatives into Musical Instruments & Ornaments
The Passive Voice: Fact Checking Is the Core of Nonfiction Writing. Why Do So Many Publishers Refuse to Do It?
Street View of 1940s New York
Recipes
By Betty Cocker Kitchens: Everyone Needs a Trademark Dip—Find Yours
By Vianney Rodriguez, The Kitchn: Slow Cooker Hominy Squash Casserole
By Lisa Kaminski, Taste of Home: We Made Dolly Parton’s Hearty Chicken and Dumplings
Taste of Home: Giant Buckeye Cookie