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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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