On This Day
1831 – Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England, cause it to collapse.
Broughton Suspension Bridge was an iron chain suspension bridge built in 1826 to span the River Irwell between Broughton and Pendleton, now in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. One of Europe’s first suspension bridges, it has been attributed to Samuel Brown, though some suggest it was built by Thomas Cheek Hewes, a Manchester millwright and textile machinery manufacturer.[1][2]
On 12 April 1831, the bridge collapsed, reportedly due to mechanical resonance induced by troops marching in step.[3] As a result of the incident, the British Army issued an order that troops should “break step” when crossing a bridge. Though rebuilt and strengthened, the bridge was subsequently propped with temporary piles whenever crowds were expected. In 1924 it was replaced by a Pratt truss footbridge, still in use.
Born On This Day
1883 – Imogen Cunningham, American photographer and educator (d. 1976)
Imogen Cunningham (/ˈkʌnɪŋəm/; April 12, 1883 – June 23, 1976) was an American photographer known for her botanical photography, nudes, and industrial landscapes. Cunningham was a member of the California-based Group f/64, known for its dedication to the sharp-focus rendition of simple subjects.[1]
FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
What Do I Know: Great Anchorage Student Art At Museum
Matt Buxton from The Midnight Sun Memo: GOP senators bash GOP-favored redistricting plan as ‘absolutely ridiculous and more ->
Did you know if the police spray pepper spray all over your home, it’s not their job to clean it up? And cleaning it up can include stripping the house of its carpets and drywall. From the ADN: The aftermath of a SWAT standoff upends life in a neighboring Anchorage apartment
Fireside Books presents Shelf Awareness for Readers for Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Fireside Books presents Shelf Awareness for Readers for Tuesday, April 12, 2022 Inbox
Our Third Thirds: A Very Good Jar
Our Third Thirds: Toronto — Round Two
Our Third Thirds: The Perils of Updating
Courtesy of Gretchen Rubin Moment of Happiness
I love studying the five senses, and in taste, I’m particularly intrigued by sour — so was very interested to read this piece about “The Paradox of Sour Food.” Why do we experience the taste of sour?
I love reading, I love libraries, and I was absolutely charmed by this short, funny video about how the National Library Board of Singapore launched a surprising campaign to remind people of the joy of reading. Think “haunted tricycle for sale.”
Celebrating personal anniversaries makes me happy, and this week is the sixth anniversary of my “Little Happiers.” I release these very short (2-4 minute) episodes every Monday as part of the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast feed. Writing these “Littles” is one of my favorite things to do.
As I mentioned episode 369 of Happier, I love to work on a hooky book (a hooky project is what you work on as a break from your main project). I used to worry that I was procrasti-creating — after all, working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination — but I came to realize the creative value of allowing myself to goof off. My “hooky book” is my Book of Aphorisms. Do you have a hooky project? (And did you notice the aphorism I just slipped in?)
A thoughtful listener told me about the Unexplainable series from Vox that is currently covering the five senses. I’m researching the five senses, so they’re always on my mind. Also on my mind: the many powers of dogs. So it made me unexpectedly happy to have the “Making sense: no one nose” episode cover possible ways that dogs can advance scent science and cancer research.
A thoughtful reader sent me this article—it was interesting to see the mention of the “empty shelf” from my book “The Happiness Project” in this piece about the margin of safety in finance.
Ideas
By Spektyr: Trunk Lid Organizer
By JoeF: Pebble Rock Art – “The Lighthouse”
Recipes
By Brooklyntonia: Stitch Character Bread and Lessons Learned
By chezpollyofficial: Sweet Easter Bread (Eastern European Style)
By Federica: Prawns and Peppers Soup With Braided Breadsticks
By Marve48: Wicked Thai Chicken Soup
By RenataCreates: Foraged Nettle Soup With Biscuit Waffles
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.
DamnDelicious
RecipeTinEats
- Creamy Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Risoni (orzo) January 15, 2025The name’s a tongue twister, but this dish is a breeze to make! Goat cheese and roasted red peppers are the shortcuts for this creamy, smoky risoni recipe. Under $20 for 4 servings, ready in 20 minutes. Serve as a meal or side — it’s like a Mediterranean risotto! Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper... […]Nagi
- Popcorn chicken January 10, 2025This is a KFC popcorn chicken copycat recipe. It’s downright addictive – I challenge you to stop at just one! Surprisingly quick, they take just 2 minutes to cook, and just shallow fried at that. Popcorn chicken Many people have tried this popcorn chicken now, including an entire crew of builders at my home which... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 15 January 15, 2025Picture of the day Cluster of Breath roots (pneumatophores) of a Taxodium distichum at the water's edge. Focus stack of 4 photos.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 14 January 14, 2025Picture of the day Mute swan (Cygnus olor) at Lake Geneva during the golden hour of sunset
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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?