On This Day
1432 – The first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active phase of the Lithuanian Civil War.[3]
The Lithuanian Civil War of 1432–1438[1] was a war of succession to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, after Vytautas the Great died in 1430 without leaving an heir.[2][3][4] The war was fought on the one side by Švitrigaila, allied with the Teutonic Knights, and on the other by Sigismund Kęstutaitis, backed by the Kingdom of Poland. The war threatened to sever the Union of Krewo, the personal union between Poland and Lithuania.[2] Švitrigaila’s alliance with the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Paul von Rusdorf, launched the Polish–Teutonic War (1431–1435) but failed to secure victory for Švitrigaila.[5]
Read more ->
1877 – Russo-Turkish War: The Russian Army captures Plevna after a 5-month siege. The garrison of 25,000 surviving Turks surrenders. The Russian victory is decisive for the outcome of the war and the Liberation of Bulgaria.
The siege of Plevna or Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of Russian Empire and Kingdom of Romania against the Ottoman Empire.[6] After the Russian army crossed the Danube at Svishtov, it began advancing towards the centre of modern Bulgaria, with the aim of crossing the Balkan Mountains to Constantinople, avoiding the fortified Turkish fortresses on the Black Sea coast. The Ottoman army led by Osman Pasha, returning from Serbia after a conflict with that country, was massed in the fortified city of Pleven, a city surrounded by numerous redoubts, located at an important road intersection.
Read more ->
861 – Assassination of the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil by the Turkish guard, who raise al-Muntasir to the throne, start of the “Anarchy at Samarra”.[3]
Ja’far ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (Arabic: جعفر بن محمد بن هارون, romanized: Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn); March 822 – 11 December 861, commonly known by his regnal name al-Mutawwakil ala Allah (Arabic: المتوكل على الله, romanized: al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh, lit. ’He who relies on God’), was the tenth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 847 until his assassination in 861. He succeeded his brother, al-Wathiq (r. 842–847), and is known for expanding the empire to its maximum extent.[1] He was deeply religious, and is remembered for discarding the Muʿtazila, ending the Mihna (a period of persecution of Islamic scholars), and releasing Ahmad ibn Hanbal. He is also known for his tough rule, especially with respect to non-Muslim subjects.
Read more ->
1862 – American Civil War: USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River.[4]
USS Cairo /ˈkeɪroʊ/ is the lead ship of the City-class casemate ironclads built at the beginning of the American Civil War to serve as river gunboats.
Cairo is named for Cairo, Illinois. In June 1862, she captured the Confederate garrison of Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, enabling Union forces to occupy Memphis. As part of the Yazoo Pass Expedition, she was sunk on 12 December 1862, while clearing mines for the attack on Haines Bluff. Cairo was the first ship ever to be sunk by a mine remotely detonated by hand.
The remains of Cairo can be viewed at Vicksburg National Military Park with a museum of its weapons and naval stores.
Read more ->
1643 – English Civil War: The Battle of Alton takes place in Hampshire.[7]
The Battle of Alton (also Storm of Alton),[7] of the First English Civil War, took place on 13 December 1643 in the town of Alton, Hampshire, England.[α] There, Parliamentary forces serving under Sir William Waller led a successful surprise attack on a winter garrison of Royalist infantry and cavalry serving under the Earl of Crawford.[3] The Battle of Alton was the first decisive defeat of Sir Ralph Hopton, leader of Royalist forces in the south, and the event had a significant psychological effect on him as commander.[7] More important to Hopton was the loss of men, however, as he was already short-handed in much-needed infantry. The successful Parliamentarians were able, after their victory, to attack and successfully besiege Arundel, a larger and more formidable Royalist outpost to the south-east of Alton.[2][5]
Read more ->
1812 – The French invasion of Russia comes to an end as the remnants of the Grande Armée are expelled from Russia.[8]
The Grande Armée (pronounced [ɡʁɑ̃d aʁme]; French for ‘Great Army’) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empire to exercise unprecedented control over most of Europe. Widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest fighting forces ever assembled, it suffered catastophic losses during the disastrous Peninsular War followed by the invasion of Russia in 1812, after which it never recovered its strategic superiority and ended in total defeat for Napoleonic France by the Peace of Paris in 1815.
Read more ->
Born On This Day
1482 – Frederick II, Elector Palatine (d. 1556)
Frederick II, Count Palatine of the Rhine (9 December 1482 – 26 February 1556), also Frederick the Wise, a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was Prince-elector of the Palatinate from 1544 to 1556, and pretender to the Norwegian Throne from 1535 to 1556.
The Kurfürst-Friedrich-Gymnasium in Heidelberg is named after him.
Read more ->
1452 – Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1531)[21]
Johannes Stöffler (also Stöfler, Stoffler, Stoeffler; 10 December 1452 – 16 February 1531) was a German mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, priest, maker of astronomical instruments and professor at the University of Tübingen.
Read more ->
1566 – Manuel Cardoso, Portuguese organist and composer (d. 1650)
Manuel Cardoso (baptized 11 December 1566 – 24 November 1650) was a Portuguese composer and organist. With Duarte Lobo and John IV of Portugal, he represented the “golden age” of Portuguese polyphony.
Read more ->
1685 – Lodovico Giustini, Italian pianist and composer (d. 1743)[33]
Lodovico Giustini (12 December 1685 – 7 February 1743) was an Italian composer and keyboard player of the late Baroque and early Classical eras. He was the first known composer ever to write music for the piano.
Read more ->
1484 – Paul Speratus, German Lutheran (d. 1551)[22]
Paul Speratus (13 December 1484 – 12 August 1551) was a Swabian Catholic priest who became a Protestant preacher, reformer and hymn-writer. In 1523, he helped Martin Luther to create the First Lutheran hymnal, published in 1524 and called Achtliederbuch.[1]
Read more ->
1546 – Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer and chemist (d. 1601)[22]
Tycho Brahe (/ˈtaɪkoʊ ˈbrɑː(h)i, – ˈbrɑː(hə)/ TY-koh BRAH-(h)ee, - BRAH(-hə), Danish: [ˈtsʰykʰo ˈpʁɑːə] ⓘ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, Danish: [ˈtsʰyːjə ˈʌtəsn̩ ˈpʁɑːə];[note 1] 14 December 1546 – 24 October 1601), generally called Tycho for short, was a Danish astronomer of the Renaissance, known for his comprehensive and unprecedentedly accurate astronomical observations. He was known during his lifetime as an astronomer, astrologer, and alchemist. He was the last major astronomer before the invention of the telescope. Tycho Brahe has also been described as the greatest pre-telescopic astronomer.[3][4]
Read more ->
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
James Clear: 3-2-1: On acting with confidence, the different types of age, and the importance of momentum
Wickersham’s Conscience: Return of Bird of the Week: Buff-necked Ibis
The Associated Press: Hundreds of bookstore staffers receive holiday bonuses from author James Patterson
Linda Hitchcock, Brook Trib. Longmire Faces Deadly Alaskan Tundra in Latest From Craig Johnson
By Jeff Haden, Inc.: Here’s What Happened When I Complimented Everyone I Met for an Entire Day If you take on this challenge, here’s some advice: Don’t go to the grocery store.
Shawn Ryan Show: Alan C. Mack – Flying Through Hell: Real Combat Stories from a Night Stalker Pilot | SRS #148
Education and Intelligence are not the same!
Navy SEAL Andy Stumpf is Back! | BRCC #332
Cleared Hot Podcast: Raising Legends, Building Defenders, and Finding Balance
Cleared Hot Podcast: SSS and Genghis Cohen – Dark Desert Defense, Machine Guns, Helicopters, and Strippers
Recipes
Food Talk Daily: Creamy Cauliflower Pasta Bake
Dizzy, Busy and Hungry: One Pot Cheesy Taco Skillet
Food Talk Daily Recipe Roundups: 11 Winter Stews For Weeknight Dinners Winter is stew time, and these delicious and easy stews are the best comfort food for weekday family dinners
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
E-book Deals:
BookGorilla
The Book Blogger List
BookBub
The Book Junction: Where Readers Go To Discover Great New Fiction!
Books A Million
Digital Book Spot
eBookSoda
eBooks Habit
FreeBooksy
Indie Bound
Love Swept & The Smitten Word
Mystery & Thriller Most Wanted
Pixel of Ink
The Rock Stars of Romance
Book Blogs & Websites:
Alaskan Book Cafe
Alternative-Read.com
Stacy, Carol RT Book Reviews
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?
