December 31: Áedán mac Gabráin Published On

Áedán mac Gabráin was a king of Dál Riata from circa 574 until circa
609. The kingdom of Dál Riata was situated in modern Argyll and Bute,
Scotland, and parts of County Antrim, Ireland. Genealogies record that
Áedán was a son of Gabrán mac Domangairt. He was a contemporary of
Saint Columba, and much that is recorded of his life comes from
hagiography such as Adomnán of Iona's Life of Saint Columba. Other
sources include Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum and Irish
annals; none of the sources are contemporary. Áedán appears as a
character in Old Irish and Middle Irish language works of prose and
verse, some now lost. Áedán also appears in some Welsh sources, making
him one of the few non-Britons to figure in Welsh tradition. The Irish
annals record his campaigns against his neighbours, in Ireland, and in
northern Britain, including expeditions to the Orkney Islands, the Isle
of Man, and the east coast of Scotland. As recorded by Bede, Áedán was
decisively defeated by Æthelfrith of Bernicia at the Battle of
Degsastan. Áedán may have been deposed, or have abdicated, following
this defeat, and the annals report nothing of him until his death around
six years later.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81ed%C3%A1n_mac_Gabr%C3%A1in>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1225:

Lý Chiêu Hoàng, the only empress regnant in the history of
Vietnam, married Trần Thái Tông, making him the first emperor of the
Trần Dynasty at age seven.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BD_Chi%C3%AAu_Ho%C3%A0ng>

1857:

Queen Victoria selected Ottawa (Parliament Hill pictured), then
a small logging town, to be the capital of the British colony of Canada.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa>

1963:

Despite Prime Minister Roy Welensky's efforts, the Central
African Federation officially collapsed, splitting into three separate
nations: Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Welensky>

1983:

Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was selected to lead Nigeria
after a successful military coup d'etat that overthrew civilian
President Shehu Shagari.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammadu_Buhari>

1993:

Brandon Teena, an American trans man, was raped and murdered in
Humboldt, Nebraska; his death led to increased lobbying for hate crime
laws in the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Teena>

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Wiktionary's word of the day:

reverie:
A state of dreaming while awake; a loose or irregular train of thought;
musing or meditation; daydream.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reverie>

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Wikiquote quote of the day:

  The most important thing for the world today in my opinion is a
spiritual regeneration which would reestablish a feeling of good faith
among men generally. Discouraged people are in sore need of the
inspiration of great principles. Such leadership can be the rallying
point against intolerance, against distrust, against that fatal
insecurity that leads to war. It is to be hoped that the democratic
nations can provide the necessary leadership.  
--George Marshall
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Marshall>

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