The Morgan Black Hours is an illuminated book of hours produced in Bruges between 1460 and 1480. It is one of seven surviving black books of hours, all originating from Bruges and dated to the mid- to late 15th century. They are named for their unusual dark blueish colourisation, achieved through the expensive process of dyeing the vellum with iron gall ink. The Morgan Black Hours consists of 121 leaves, most containing rows of Latin text written in Gothic minuscule script inscribed in silver and in gold. The pages are typically dyed a deep blueish black, with borders ornamented with flowers, foliage and grotesques. Although considered a masterpiece of Late Gothic manuscript illumination, there are no surviving records of its commission, but its dark tone, expense of production, quality and rarity suggest ownership by privileged and sophisticated members of the Burgundian court. It has been in the collection of the Morgan Library & Museum in New York since 1912.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hours,_Morgan_MS_493

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1846:

Mexican–American War: Mexican forces defeated American troops over the disputed border of Texas, later serving as the primary justification for the U.S. Congress's declaration of war on Mexico. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornton_Affair

1920:

At the San Remo conference, the principal Allies of World War I passed a resolution allocating League of Nations mandates for the administration of former Ottoman territories in the Middle East. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Remo_conference

1960:

The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sandblast

1990:

Violeta Chamorro took office as president of Nicaragua, becoming the first female head of state in the Americas to have been elected in her own right. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violeta_Chamorro

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

chur: 1. (New Zealand, informal) A strong voicing of agreement, approval, or thanks: awesome!, cheers!, ta!, thanks!. 2. (New Zealand, informal) A parting salutation: bye, see you later. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chur

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The best that most of us can hope to achieve in physics is simply to misunderstand at a deeper level.   --Wolfgang Pauli https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Pauli