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Gu Yanwu (1613–1682) was a Chinese historian, philologist, and poet. Born in Qiandun, he pursued advancement in the imperial examination system but failed to achieve the rank of juren. He was a Ming loyalist after the Qing conquest and declined political positions to travel across China. His work, Rizhilu, is an edited collection of his notes on various topics, mainly statecraft and historiography. He was critical of Neo-Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and the political centralization and reliance on law codes. He advocated for historical study centered on primary sources. Rizhilu and his phonology treatise Yinxue wushu were published during his lifetime; his other surviving works were published by Pan Lei after his death. Gu's thought influenced scholars throughout the Qing period, and 19th-century scholars such as He Shaoji venerated him at a Beijing temple constructed in his honor. Revolutionaries such as Liang Qichao praised his work, stressing his empiricism and resistance to Qing rule. (Full article...)

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Margaret (circled) photographed in 2003

... that Uranus's moon Margaret (pictured) is named after a Shakespearean character, an astronomer's daughter, and its discoverer's mother?
... that, when King Akengbuda's heir sent him grey hairs to urge his abdication, he replied with powdered chalk and salt to signify that the world was too pleasant for him to leave?
... that author Lutz Van Dijk drew inspiration from murdered Ugandan LGBTQ activist David Kato to write a novel about a gay Ugandan teenager fleeing persecution?
... that, when Pedro Morales Pino took his band on their first international tour, they lost members to typhus, marriage, schizophrenia, and suicide?
... that spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 is the only type of spinocerebellar ataxia that consistently results in vision degradation?
... that the shark god Kāneikokala, according to Hawaiian tradition, rescued shipwrecked sailors and returned them to their home islands?
... that Kanye West claims in his song "King" that he would not have married Bianca Censori without the work of Martin Luther King Jr.?
... that the reliquary believed to contain the remains of Maria Afonso may instead hold the body of her infant nephew?
... that Sheikh Chilli may not be Sheikh Chilli?

In the news

Beth Mooney

The International Olympic Committee provisionally lifts its suspension of the Russian Committee.
In cricket, the Women's T20 World Cup concludes with Australia defeating England in the final (player of the match Beth Mooney pictured).
Keiko Fujimori is elected President of Peru.
The Catholic Church declares the Society of Saint Pius X to be in schism and excommunicates its members following a consecration dispute.

On this day

July 10: Independence Day in the Bahamas (1973)

Lady Jane Grey

1372 – The Treaty of Tagilde was signed between Ferdinand I of Portugal and representatives of John of Gaunt of England, marking the beginning of the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, which remains in effect today.
1553 – Lady Jane Grey (pictured) was proclaimed the successor to King Edward VI of England, beginning her disputed reign as the "Nine Days' Queen".
1921 – Irish War of Independence: One day after a truce was agreed between the Irish Republican Army and British forces, violence broke out between Catholics and Protestants in Belfast.
1941 – The Holocaust: Ethnic Poles murdered at least 340 Jewish residents of Jedwabne in German-occupied Poland.
2011 – The Russian river cruise liner Bulgaria was caught in a storm in Tatarstan on the Volga and sank in several minutes, resulting in 122 deaths.

Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham (d. 1460)
Eleonora di Garzia di Toledo (d. 1576)
Mahathir Mohamad (b. 1925)
Gwendoline Yeo (b. 1977)

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From today's featured list

One hundred fifty-one episodes of the American television sitcom Malcolm in the Middle aired over the course of seven seasons. The series was created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows a dysfunctional, working-class family, focusing on child prodigy Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), who also narrates the series by addressing the audience. The first season began airing on January 9, 2000, and aired through May 21, consisting of 16 episodes. Ratings for the season were high, with the premiere garnering 22.35 million viewers, before peaking at 23.24 million with the second episode the following week. Malcolm in the Middle continued to air regularly until its seventh and final season, which began on September 30, 2005, and ended on May 14, 2006. (Full list...)

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Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous U.S. state, stretching west–east from Lake Erie to the Delaware River and north–south from the New York border to the Mason–Dixon line. Founded in 1681 by William Penn as a haven for religious tolerance, it played a central role in the birth of the United States, hosting the Second Continental Congress, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitutional Convention. The state was also the scene of the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Pennsylvania is known for its diverse geography, industrial heritage, and major cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. This 1876 illustration of the state's coat of arms was part of a series produced by engraver Henry Mitchell.

Illustration credit: Henry Mitchell; restored by Godot13

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