On This Day
1762 – French Huguenot Jean Calas, who had been wrongly convicted of killing his son, dies after being tortured by authorities; the event inspired Voltaire to begin a campaign for religious tolerance and legal reform.
Jean Calas (1698 – March 10, 1762) was a merchant living in Toulouse, France, who was tried, tortured and executed for the murder of his son, despite his protestations of innocence. Calas was a Protestant in an officially Roman Catholic society. Doubts about his guilt were raised by opponents of the Catholic Church and he was exonerated in 1764. In France, he became a symbolic victim of religious intolerance, along with François-Jean de la Barre and Pierre-Paul Sirven.
1702 – The Daily Courant, England’s first national daily newspaper is published for the first time.
The Daily Courant, initially published on 11 March 1702, was the first British daily newspaper. It was produced by Elizabeth Mallet at her premises next to the King’s Arms tavern at Fleet Bridge in London.[1] The newspaper consisted of a single page, with advertisements on the reverse side.[2] Mallet advertised that she intended to publish only foreign news and would not add any comments of her own, supposing her readers to have “sense enough to make reflections for themselves”.[3]
After only forty days Mallet sold The Daily Courant to Samuel Buckley, who moved it to premises in the area of Little Britain in London, at “the sign of the Dolphin”. Buckley later became the publisher of The Spectator.[4] The Daily Courant lasted until 1735, when it was merged with the Daily Gazetteer.[5]
Born On This Day
1628 – Marcello Malpighi, Italian physician and biologist (d. 1694)
Marcello Malpighi (10 March 1628 – 29 November 1694) was an Italian biologist and physician, who is referred to as the “Father of microscopical anatomy, histology, physiology and embryology”. Malpighi’s name is born by several physiological features related to the biological excretory system, such as the Malpighian corpuscles and Malpighian pyramids of the kidneys and the Malpighian tubule system of insects. The splenic lymphoid nodules are often called the “Malpighian bodies of the spleen” or Malpighian corpuscles. The botanical family Malpighiaceae is also named after him. He was the first person to see capillaries in animals, and he discovered the link between arteries and veins that had eluded William Harvey. Malpighi was one of the earliest people to observe red blood cells under a microscope, after Jan Swammerdam. His treatise De polypo cordis (1666) was important for understanding blood composition, as well as how blood clots. In it, Malpighi described how the form of a blood clot differed in the right against the left sides of the heart.[1]
The use of the microscope enabled Malpighi to discover that invertebrates do not use lungs to breathe, but small holes in their skin called tracheae.[2] Malpighi also studied the anatomy of the brain and concluded this organ is a gland. In terms of modern endocrinology, this deduction is correct because the hypothalamus of the brain has long been recognized for its hormone-secreting capacity.[3]
Because Malpighi had a wide knowledge of both plants and animals, he made contributions to the scientific study of both. The Royal Society of London published two volumes of his botanical and zoological works in 1675 and 1679. Another edition followed in 1687, and a supplementary volume in 1697. In his autobiography, Malpighi speaks of his Anatome Plantarum, decorated with the engravings of Robert White, as “the most elegant format in the whole literate world.”[4]
His study of plants led him to conclude that plants had tubules similar to those he saw in insects like the silk worm (using his microscope, he probably saw the stomata, through which plants exchange carbon dioxide with oxygen). Malpighi observed that when a ring-like portion of bark was removed on a trunk a swelling occurred in the tissues above the ring, and he correctly interpreted this as growth stimulated by food coming down from the leaves, and being blocked above the ring. [5]
Read more ->
1854 – Jane Meade Welch, American journalist and lecturer (d. 1931)
Jane Meade Welch (March 11, 1854 – September 30, 1931) was a 19th-century American journalist and historian who lectured and wrote on American history. She was the first woman in Buffalo, from New York to become a professional journalist, the first American woman to lecture at Cambridge University, and the first American woman whose work was accepted by the British Association. Welch was a pioneer among American women in developing an extensive group of American history lecture courses.
FYI
Soap Legend & ‘90210’ Star Jed Allan Dead at 84
Jed Allan (born Jed Allan Brown; March 1, 1935 – March 9, 2019[1]) was an American actor and television host, best known as C.C. Capwell on Santa Barbara, Don Craig on Days of Our Lives, Rush Sanders on Beverly Hills, 90210, Scott Turner on Lassie, Harold Johnson on The Bay, and the host of Celebrity Bowling.[2]
Read more ->
Atlas Obscura: How one artist is capturing America’s lost river communities aboard a shantyboat; Museum of Copies; Sculpture Trail and more ->
Alaska Institute Ashley R.: Managing Depression and which path to take
WSAZ News Channel: After 5-year-old locks himself in cooler, Igloo issues recall
The products under recall are the 54-quart (item #00049374), 72-quart (item #00049375), 94-quart (item #00049574) and 110-quart (item #00034108) Igloo Marine Elite coolers. The recall concerns only those coolers with stainless-steel ability to lock latches.
Customers can also replace the latches on their coolers with a free latch-replacement kit. Igloo is working to send the kits out, but if you haven’t received one, you can call the company toll free at 1(888)-257-0934.
By Christine Cube Blog Profiles: Food & Recipe Blogs
IHOP: We’re celebrating with a FREE short stack of Buttermilk Pancakes on March 12, 2019, from 7 am to 7 pm, with select locations until 10 pm. Dine-in only. One free short stack per guest.
By jomatami: Duff McKagan Reveals How Much Money He Made From First GN’R Check, Explains Why He Went Back to School to Study Finance
“Publishing is a thing young musicians don’t know anything about – because it means nothing to you,” the bassist says.
By Erika Owens: Event Roundup, March 11 Upcoming journalism code events and deadlines
Open Culture: Bill Murray Explains How a 19th-Century Painting Saved His Life; The Amazing Franz Kafka Workout!: Discover the 15-Minute Exercise Routine That Swept the World in 1904; Alan Watts Presents a 15-Minute Guided Meditation: A Time-Tested Way to Stop Thinking About Thinking and more ->
State of Newspapers: SPLC: Newspapers stolen after story about former Catholic university professor accused of child abuse by diocese and more ->
The Rural Blog: About one rural hospital a month has closed since 2010; independent hospitals at highest risk of closure; Manufacturers oppose clean water bill passed by W.Va. House, said West Virginians are fatter and harder to poison; AP uses paper GateHouse closed as example of troubles of local journalism, but says ‘This isn’t a hopeless story’; As digital challenge increases for journalism, paymasters must adapt, be reliable and relevant, and be true to values and more ->
By Paul Chisholm: ’Does Your Knee Make More Of A Click Or A Clack?’ — Teaching ‘Car Talk’ To New Docs
By Georgina Pearce: The girl who was never meant to survive
By Edwin L. Battistella: Where did the phrase “yeah no” come from? Sorry About That: The Language of Public Apology
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 17 January 17, 2025Picture of the day Legend of the Holy Ermite by an unknown artist of the Cologne School of Painting depicts the life of Anthony the Great, one of the Desert Fathers known as the Father of All Monks. Today is his feast day in most of Christianity.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 16 January 16, 2025Picture of the day Focus stacked image (composed of 59 frames) of a trilobite of the species Austerops speculator found in Jebel Oufatene, Morocco. It lived in the early Devonian period and is approximately 400 million years old. The length of the fossil is about 3 centimetres (1.2 in).
Recipes
By In The Kitchen With Matt: Brigadeiro Brazilian Chocolate Treat (3 Ingredients)
By loranditsum: How to Make … Aloo Paratha
Widget not in any sidebars
Widget not in any sidebars
Widget not in any sidebars