Julian of Norwich (c. 1343 – after 1416) was an English mystic and
anchoress of the Middle Ages. She lived in the English city of Norwich.
During her lifetime, the city suffered the devastating effects of the
Black Death, the Peasants' Revolt, and the suppression of the Lollards.
In 1373, believing she was on her deathbed, Julian received a series of
visions ("shewings") of the Passion of Christ. She recovered and wrote
two versions of her experiences. These, now known as Revelations of
Divine Love, are the earliest surviving English-language works known to
have been written by a woman, and the only surviving English-language
works by an anchoress. Julian lived in permanent seclusion in her cell,
which was attached to St Julian's Church, Norwich. Details of Julian's
family, her education, or her life before becoming an anchoress are not
known. Preferring to write anonymously, she was nevertheless influential
in her lifetime.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_of_Norwich>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1842:
A train derailed and caught fire near Versailles, France,
killing at least 52 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles_rail_accident>
1945:
A parade in Sétif, French Algeria, celebrating the end of
World War II in Europe became a riot and was followed by reprisals,
carried out by colonial authorities over the following weeks, that
killed thousands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9tif_and_Guelma_massacre>
1963:
In Huế, South Vietnam, soldiers opened fire into a crowd of
Buddhists protesting against a government ban on the flying of the
Buddhist flag on Phật Đản, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist
crisis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu%E1%BA%BF_Ph%E1%BA%ADt_%C4%90%E1%BA%A3n_shootings>
1972:
Four members of Black September hijacked Sabena Flight 571 to
demand the release of 315 Palestinians convicted on terrorism charges.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena_Flight_571>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
autarky:
1. (uncountable) A personal condition or state of self-reliance;
independence.
2. (economics, politics, specifically)
3. (uncountable) (A policy of) national economic self-sufficiency, aimed
at ending reliance on foreign imports to sustain a domestic economy.
4. (countable) A self-sufficient region or country which is not
dependent on international trade to function economically.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/autarky>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
There is really no way of considering a book independently of
one's special sensations in reading it on a particular occasion. In this
as in everything else one must allow a certain relativity. In a sense,
one can never read the book that the author originally wrote, and one
can never read the same book twice.
--Edmund Wilson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Wilson>
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