Clint Stallard

Stinky Bottom

It’s Saturday and on this day in history:
1631 Pierre Gassendi observes 1st ever transit of Mercury predicted by Kepler
I chatted to AI about this:
This was a landmark event in the history of astronomy.
On 7 November 1631, French astronomer Pierre Gassendi became the first person to successfully observe a transit of Mercury, an event in which Mercury passes directly between Earth and the Sun, appearing as a tiny black dot moving across the Sun's face.
Why was it important?
The observation had been predicted by Johannes Kepler in his Rudolphine Tables, published in 1627. Kepler's calculations indicated that a transit of Mercury would occur in 1631.
When Gassendi observed the event from Paris, it was a major confirmation that:
Kepler's planetary calculations were remarkably accurate.
Planets orbited the Sun as described by the heliocentric model.
Astronomers could successfully predict celestial events years in advance.

Clint Stallard

Stinky Bottom

It’s Friday and on this day in history:
1153 Treaty of Wallingford (Oxfordshire) signed between King Stephen and the Empress Maude (aka Matilda)
I chatted to AI about this:
The Treaty of Wallingford (also called the Treaty of Winchester) was one of the most important peace agreements in medieval English history.
The Background: The Anarchy
For nearly 20 years, England had been torn apart by a civil war known as The Anarchy (1138-1153).
The conflict began after the death of King Henry I. Henry's only legitimate son had died in the White Ship disaster of 1120, so Henry named his daughter, Empress Matilda (Maude), as his heir. However, when Henry died in 1135, his nephew Stephen of Blois seized the throne instead.
This led to years of warfare between supporters of King Stephen and Empress Matilda.

Clint Stallard

Stinky Bottom

It’s Thursday and on this day in history:
1228 Wu MeKuan, a collection of 48 Zen koans, is compiled in China
I chatted to AI about this:
The Wúménguān (“The Gateless Gate”) is a collection of 48 koans. A koan is a short story, dialogue, question, or paradox used in Zen Buddhism to challenge conventional thinking and encourage direct insight into the nature of reality.
Unlike ordinary riddles, koans are not meant to be solved through logic alone. They are intended to help students move beyond intellectual reasoning.
The meaning of "Gateless Gate"
The title itself is a Zen paradox. If there is no gate, why must one pass through it? The idea is that the barriers to enlightenment are often creations of our own minds. Realisation comes when those imagined barriers disappear.
In much the same way that Euclid's Elements shaped mathematics or Confucius's Analects shaped Chinese philosophy, the Wúménguān became one of the foundational texts of Zen practice and thought.

Clint Stallard

Stinky Bottom

It’s Wednesday and on this day in history:
1846 American inventor Benjamin Palmer from Meredith, New Hampshire, patents the artificial leg
I chatted to AI about this:
Before Palmer's invention, many artificial legs were little more than wooden pegs or very simple mechanical devices. His design introduced:
A more natural-looking leg shape.
Improved joints at the knee and ankle.
Springs and mechanical features that helped mimic the motion of walking.
Greater comfort and mobility for the wearer.
The goal was to make walking smoother and less tiring than with earlier prosthetic limbs.

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Clint Stallard

Stinky Bottom

It’s Tuesday and on this day in history:
1869: Canada's Hamilton Football Club forms
I chatted to AI about this:
The Hamilton Football Club, founded on 3 November 1869, is one of the oldest football clubs in North America and is the direct ancestor of today's Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
The club was established in Hamilton, Ontario, during the early development of Canadian football.
At that time, the game was quite different from modern Canadian football. It resembled a mixture of rugby football and association football (soccer), with rules still evolving.
The club quickly became one of Canada's strongest teams and helped shape the sport's development.

Clint Stallard

Stinky Bottom

It’s Monday and on this day in history:
1867 Women's fashion magazine "Harper's Bazaar" is 1st published
I chatted to AI about this:
Harper's Bazaar is one of the world's most influential women's fashion magazines. Founded in New York City on 2 November 1867 by Harper & Brothers, it is widely regarded as the oldest continuously published fashion magazine still in operation.

Clint Stallard

Stinky Bottom

Happy Sunday, have a wonderful day. If you want to make the list below, pay me a visit and leave a message :)

The number of mayors signing the Stinky Bottom visitor book each day this week - Sunday: 31, Monday: 25, Tuesday: 23, Wednesday: 26, Thursday: 27, Friday: 30 & Saturday: 25, a total of 187.

Thanks for being such a great connection and one of the 70 most recent mayors to visit and sign the Stinky Bottom visitor book. The 70th post was on Sunday 25-Oct-2026, which is 7 days ago. Below, the last 70 cities:

Moist Valley
Braga
Hinotama
Sundgauer
Icy Cold North Bay
Playstation
Positive Town
Amsterdamm
Nikos The Greek
Nikos Xalkoutsi
Benny Shores
Stegosaur Quarry
Bythesea
West West Stonia
Whooooville
My Sweet Ginger
Nox Arcana
Arejaytowne
Stacystan
Pooltown
Cheeso
Scurdie Ness
Pine Hills
Florence On The Rose
Hanko Sun City
Tintinstad
Kworld
Or Other
Skyscraper
White Dreams
Cornu Copiae
Aek Original
South Bethlehem
Simcity
Nibiru
Wormriders of Arraki
Oogaboogavilleclosed
New Rob City
Heliotropolis
A E K Fc Athens
Quiltville
Sur La Baie
Kleinstadt Am Rhein
Bugztown Canada
Persiphonia
Londonopolis
Sint Amandsberg
Setback
Between The Lions
Starlight City
West Dobechester
Blue Castle
David Tennantopolis
Taylaramish
Wombat Haven
Eske City
Graestoke
Pizzazzville
Sandcity
Sunnyville
Potato Pie
Delwood City
Never Never Land
Plentitude
Kitma
Braunau Am Inn
Nov 4 2025
Lambopolis
Noviomagus Reginorum
The Sleeper Wakes

Clint Stallard

Stinky Bottom

It’s Saturday and on this day in history:
1981 "The War of the Worlds," the first live American radio drama in 25 years, is broadcast on NBC on Halloween
I chatted to AI about this:
The Original War of the Worlds Panic
The story begins with H. G. Wells' 1898 science-fiction novel The War of the Worlds, about a Martian invasion of Earth.
The novel was adapted into a radio drama by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre group, and broadcast on 30 October 1938 in the United States.
What made it remarkable was its format. Instead of sounding like a normal drama, it was presented as a series of realistic news bulletins interrupting regular programming: "Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our programme..."
Listeners tuning in late sometimes missed the introduction explaining it was fiction. Some believed a real invasion might be underway.