2020 had me thinking: was it THIS BAD in the year 1010? What happened then, in that palindrome-year?

Let’s have a look around the world.

The Nile River in #Egypt froze over. Literally froze over.

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It was the 2nd time only (the 1st in 829 CE).

English climatologist HH Lamb (1966) deduced Siberian-origin anticyclones blew south and then north, which caused the cold air to contract, get denser, weigh more, and thus increase surface air pressure over the Nile.

Over in #England in 1010, Eilmer of Malmesbury, a Benedictine monk, decided to fly.

He created wings, launched himself off of the Abbey, and flew for ~220 yards/201 metres).

He just forgot to add a tail, and instead glided down after ~15 seconds.

He landed with a thud, broke both legs, and was ordered by the Abbot to never try THAT again.

He remained a quiet scholar, limping around town on crutches for the rest of his life.

That same year Thorfinn Karlsefni and his Vikings left the #Iceland, sailed to N America (discovered by Leif Erikson in 1000), and settled in Newfoundland in search of resources.

Thorfinn's son Snorri is considered the 1st white child born in the New World (13thc Vinland Sagas).

One day when trading with the natives, a dispute arose when a bad-tempered Viking bull attacked.

The natives retaliated and a fight with the Vikings ensued.

Although the Vikings prevailed, they packed up and set sail back to Iceland.

#Baghdad was the largest city in the world in 1010 — the 1st to reach 1 million people (1/300th of the Earth’s population then.)

Al-Ya‘qūbī (اليعقوبي) in his Kitab al-Buldan (كتاب البلدان; Book of Countries) called it “the crossroads of the universe”.



Founded 762 CE by Caliph al-Mansur (أبو جعفر المنصور), Baghdad during this Golden Age of Islam was home to scientists, astronomers, mathematicians, musicians, historians, poets, jurists and philosophers in its famed House of Wisdom.

Also in 1010, #Persian poet Ferdausi finishes the Shahnameh (Book of Kings), the greatest epic of #Iranian culture, in March.

The histories of the Shahs of Iran comprises 50,000 distichs (rhyming couplets) in 62 stories.

It is the world's longest work by a single author.

Half myth and half historical narrative, the Shanameh includes monsters and villains, warriors and princesses.

It tell the story of Iran from the beginning of the world through the fall of the Sassanian Empire to the #Muslim #Arabs.

The embodiment of evil in the Shanameh is Zahak (‘Serpent King’).

Truly a bad dude, he overthrows the great king Jamshid, murders his own father in a pact with Satan, cooks the brains of young men to feed the pet snakes from his shoulders, and establishes a 1,000-year tyranny.

In 1010, Hishām II (ھشام) was restored as 5th Caliph of #Cordoba.

He had been 3rd Caliph until he was taken hostage by Muhammad II (4th Caliph). This resulted in a Muslim-Christian alliance, which then routed the enemy in the Battle of Aqbat al-Bakr.

What else? Well, #Beowulf — the most important Old English epics — is finished.*

It is the story of Beowulf of the Goths (Sweden)who is attacked by a monster when rescuing the king of the Danes.

He becomes king of the Goths but is killed 50 years later by a dragon.

* Approx

And lastly: WE HAVE A PLAGUE!

It’s actually the only instance of a plague recorded in the early histories.

It broke out amongst the Danes. This time they invaded Canterbury, England, burnt the city, massacred the inhabitants…


…or took them captive to their ships — including Elphege, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Londoners raised £40,000 (over £20 bill/$27 bill) as ransom for the archbishop’s release, but Elphege refused release.

So he was stoned to death.

But!

Then "a pestilence fell upon the invaders…which destroyed them."

The plague (probably dysentry) caused such a stench that just dead unburied body "so infected the air as to bring a plague upon those of them who had remained well."

The martyred Archbishop became Saint Elphege.

So yes, the patronymic year 1010 was rather memorable too.

Including the *first plague ever recorded*.

Think I'll skip hanging around for 3030.

PS: It's Twitter. It's a #threaducation. Not space for footnotes and sources and expounding on arguments as to 'arguably could be...'

:-)

PPS: Enough with weak 'yeah but...

* 'discover' (versus evolutionary migration under different climactic conditions)
* palindrome definitions (in the absence of any other term, thus conjunction)
* plague recorded (I do non-myth, contemporarily recorded).

Will no longer respond.