On This Day
438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus[1]
The Codex Theodosianus (Eng. Theodosian Code) was a compilation of the laws of the Roman Empire under the Christian emperors since 312. A commission was established by Emperor Theodosius II and his co-emperor Valentinian III on 26 March 429[1][2] and the compilation was published by a constitution of 15 February 438. It went into force in the eastern and western parts of the empire on 1 January 439.[1] The original text of the codex is also found in the Breviary of Alaric (also called Lex Romana Visigothorum), promulgated on 2 February 506.[3][4]
The Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945 (also known as the Anti-Discrimination Law of 1945[1] Alaska Statutes 44.12.065)[2] was the first state or territorial anti-discrimination law enacted in the United States in the 20th century. The law, signed on February 16, 1945, prevents and criminalizes discrimination against individuals in public areas based on race. The law came about after Alaska Natives fought against segregation and other forms of discrimination in Alaska.
Born On This Day
1809 – Cyrus McCormick, American journalist and businessman, co-founded International Harvester (d. 1884)
Cyrus Hall McCormick (February 15, 1809 – May 13, 1884) was an American inventor and businessman who founded the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which later became part of the International Harvester Company in 1902.[2] Originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, he and many members of the McCormick family became prominent residents of Chicago. McCormick has been simplistically credited as the single inventor of the mechanical reaper. He was, however, one of several designing engineers who produced successful models in the 1830s. His efforts built on more than two decades of work by his father Robert McCormick Jr., with the aid of Jo Anderson, who was enslaved by the family.[3] He also successfully developed a modern company, with manufacturing, marketing, and a sales force to market his products.[4]
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1878 – Pamela Colman Smith, English occultist and illustrator (d. 1951)
Pamela Colman Smith (16 February 1878 – 18 September 1951), also nicknamed Pixie, was a British artist, illustrator, writer, publisher, and occultist. She is best known for illustrating the Rider–Waite tarot deck (also called the Rider–Waite–Smith or Waite–Smith deck) for Arthur Edward Waite. This tarot deck became the standard among tarot card readers, and remains the most widely used today.[1][2][3] Colman also illustrated over 20 books, wrote two collections of Jamaican folklore, edited two magazines, and ran the Green Sheaf Press, a small press focused on women writers.[4]
FYI
The Marginalian by Maria Popova: Rebecca Solnit on trees and the shape of time, Barry Lopez on storytelling, an animated ode to the Hubble and the human hunger to know the universe
By Quartz Weekly Obsession: Zambonis: Smooth operators
The New York Times: A priest, a murder and a mystery
Wickersham’s Conscience: Notes on the Devil’s Weed
Wickersham’s Conscience: Great Gray Owls WC Has Met
Wickersham’s Conscience: Valentine’s Day: Say It With Auklets
Wickersham’s Conscience: Experiencing the Blues
Rare Historical Photos: Vintage photos from the First Tour de France, 1903
Rare Historical Photos: Photographs of Kwakwakaʼwakw ceremonial dress and masks captured by Edward Curtis, 1914-1915
Rare Historical Photos: Diving Horse: Vintage photos from one of the most dangerous stunt shows ever performed, 1900-1970
Rare Historical Photos: Photographs from the surplus vehicle boneyards of World War Two, 1945-1948
Rare Historical Photos: Haunting pictures of Londoners sheltering in the Underground during World War II, 1940-1941
Rare Historical Photos: Courtship stereo cards that depict naughty and suggestive scenes from everyday life, 1875-1905
Rare Historical Photos: Photos of Victorian women who never cut their hair, 1860-1900
Rare Historical Photos: Historical photos of the iconic Cliff House in San Francisco, 1860-1950
Rare Historical Photos: Haunting portraits from an English lunatic asylum, 1870s
The Passive Voice, From Tech Crunch: Ginger VS Grammarly: Which Grammar Checker is Better in (2022) ?
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
Ideas
Best of Instructables: 74 Weird Inventions
By Greg Seebregts: 48 Adorable DIY Toys You Can Make Today
Recipes
Just the Recipe: Paste the URL to any recipe, click submit, and it’ll return literally JUST the recipe- no ads, no life story of the writer, no nothing EXCEPT the recipe.
By ElisesEats: Breakfast Taquitos
By makendo: Savory French Toast Breakfast Melts
By Ivan Beldiagin: Cheese Pancakes
By Mimikry: Banoffee Potstickers / Dumplings Crazy Good!
Little House Big Alaska: Air Fryer Mini Meatloaf Recipe
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: Egg Roll Casserole
By Sue Stetzel, Taste of Home: Facebook Flipboard Twitter Pinterest Email Home Recipes Ingredients Chocolate & Cocoa 27 Delicious Things to Do With a Box of Chocolate Pudding
DamnDelicious
RecipeTinEats
- Spinach French Onion Cob Dip – Australia’s favourite dip! June 19, 2026Meet Australia’s favourite dip!!! This Spinach French Onion Cob Dip is made using a French Onion Soup mix and is served in a cob bread loaf. It is unapologetically retro, gloriously unfashionable, breaks every real-food rule I preach, and is completely addictive!! Spinach French Onion Cob Dip This dip has been a fixture at Australian... […]Nagi
- Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Shredded Beef June 16, 2026Slow Cooker BBQ Shredded Beef is what you make when you want a big batch of crowd-pleasing food with relatively little effort. The succulent pulled beef is smothered in an incredible homemade barbecue sauce, and there’s so many ways to serve it – pile into sliders, heap onto plates or stuff into baked potatoes! Easy... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 21 June 21, 2026Picture of the day Bags of organic fertiliser adorn newly-planted fields against a backdrop of the Western Catchment in the Nilgiri mountains. Tamil Nadu, India
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 20 June 20, 2026Picture of the day Flower of a Geranium sanguineum, bloody crane's-bill. Focus stack of 51 photos.
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Welcome to the Stump the Bookseller blog!
Stump the Bookseller is a service offered by Loganberry Books to reconnect people to the books they love but can’t quite remember. In brief (for more detailed information see our About page), people can post their memories here, and the hivemind goes to work. After all, the collective mind of bibliophiles, readers, parents and librarians around the world is much better than just a few of us thinking. Together with these wonderful Stumper Magicians, we have a nearly 50% success rate in finding these long lost but treasured books. The more concrete the book description, the better the success rate, of course. It is a labor of love to keep it going, and there is a modest fee. Please see the How To page to find price information and details on how to submit your Book Stumper and payment.
Thanks to everyone involved to keep this forum going: our blogging team, the well-read Stumper Magicians, the many referrals, and of course to everyone who fondly remembers the wonder of books from their childhood and wants to share or revisit that wonder. Isn’t it amazing, the magic of a book?