On This Day
879 – Pope John VIII recognizes the Duchy of Croatia under Duke Branimir as an independent state.[2]
The Duchy of Croatia (Croatian: Kneževina Hrvatska; also Duchy of the Croats, Kneževina Hrvata; Greek: Χρωβατία) was a medieval state that was established in the former Roman province of Dalmatia. Throughout its time it had several seats – namely, Klis, Solin, Knin, Bijaći and Nin. It comprised the littoral – the coastal part of today’s Croatia –, except Istria, and included a large part of the mountainous hinterland, as well. The duchy was in the center of competition between the Carolingian Empire and the Byzantine Empire for rule over the area. Rivalry with Venice emerged in the first decades of the 9th century and was to continue for the following centuries. Croatia also waged battles with the Bulgarian Empire, with whom the relations improved greatly afterwards, and the Arabs and sought to extend its control over important coastal cities under the rule of Byzantium. Croatia experienced periods of vassalage to the Franks or Byzantines and de facto independence until 879, when Duke Branimir was recognized as an independent ruler by Pope John VIII. The duchy was ruled by the Trpimirović and Domagojević dynasties. Around 925, during the rule of Tomislav, Croatia became a kingdom.
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1772 – Alexander Fordyce flees to France to avoid debt repayment, triggering the credit crisis of 1772 in the British Empire and the Dutch Republic.[6]
The British credit crisis of 1772-1773 also known as the crisis of 1772, or the panic of 1772, was a peacetime financial crisis which originated in London and then spread to Scotland and the Dutch Republic.[1] It has been described as the first modern banking crisis faced by the Bank of England.[2] New colonies, as Adam Smith observed, had an insatiable demand for capital. Accompanying the more tangible evidence of wealth creation was a rapid expansion of credit and banking leading to a rash of speculation and dubious financial innovation (venture capitalism). In today’s language, they bought shares on margin.[3]
In June 1772 Alexander Fordyce lost £300,000 shorting East India Company stock, leaving his partners liable for an estimated £243,000 in debts.[4] As this information became public within two weeks eight banks in London, and later around 20 banks across Europe collapsed.[5][6] According to Paul Kosmetatos “lurid tales abounded in the press for a time of merchants cutting their throats, shooting or hanging themselves”.[7] In 1960 it was believed the boom and subsequent crisis were most pronounced in Scotland.[1] It certainly triggered a liquidity crunch in Amsterdam in December, but the effects were of short duration. In the end, none of them actually lost money.[3] The credit boom came to an abrupt end, and the ensuing crisis harmed the East India Trading Company, the West Indies in general, and the North American colonial planters specifically.[8]
Born On This Day
1003 – Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia (d. 1048)
Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia (1003–1048), born Li Yuanhao (Chinese: 李元昊) or Tuoba Yuanhao (Chinese: 拓跋元昊), also known as Zhao Yuanhao (趙元昊), Weiming Yuanhao (嵬名元昊) and Weiming Nangxiao (嵬名曩霄), was the founding emperor of the Western Xia dynasty of China, reigning from 1038 to 1048. He was the eldest son of the Tangut ruler Li Deming.
1593 – George I Rákóczi, prince of Transylvania (d. 1648)
George I Rákóczi (8 June 1593 – 11 October 1648) was Prince of Transylvania from 1630 until his death in 1648. Prior to that, he was a leader of the Protestant faction in Hungary and a faithful supporter of Gabriel Bethlen, his predecessor as Prince. When Bohemian nobles requested military support in their struggles against the Habsburg monarchy, Rákóczi persuaded Bethlen to help and commanded Transylvanian forces in several battles. Rákóczi was elected prince after Bethlen’s death, succeeding Bethlen’s wife Catherine of Brandenburg and brother Istvan.
FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
Guillermo Paz: Hollywood celebrities who died in May 2022 – In memoriam
By Mariana Alfaro and Seung Min Kim, The Washington Post: McConaughey urges gun measures in surprise White House appearance The actor, a Uvalde, Tex., native, spent several days there after the shooting. On Tuesday, he met with President Biden and made an emotional appeal in the White House press briefing room.
“Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals,” McConaughey said. “These regulations are not a step back, they’re a step forward for civil society and the Second Amendment.”
By Antonio Regalado, MIT Technology Review: These Are Not Your Father’s GMOs A new wave of gene-edited crops are dodging regulators, and they’re about to reach stores.
Quartz Weekly: A beginner’s guide to the Robbers Cave experiment
Rare Historical Photos: Fascinating vintage TV set ads from the 1950s
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: When David Bowie & Brian Eno Made a Twin Peaks-Inspired Album, Outside (1995)
By Josh Jones, Open Culture: Remembering Dave Smith (RIP), the Father of MIDI & the Creator of the 80s’ Most Beloved Synthesizer, the Prophet-5
By Ayun Halliday, Open Culture: Play “Artle,” an Art History Version of Wordle: A New Game from the National Gallery of Art
Fox News: Cape Coral Police arrest two juvenile brothers for robbing gun store
Recipes
Country Life Vlog: Keeping Strawberries Without Boiling and Freezing for The Winter
Homemade on a Weeknight: Elote Chicken & Rice #onepotmeal
By Cup of Zest – Michelle, Food Talk Daily: Spicy Queso Dip for Two
By In The Kitchen With Matt: Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing
By NirL: Honeycomb Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
By ElisesEats: Triple Chocolate Custard
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.
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RecipeTinEats
- 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
- Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel June 12, 2026Firstly, thank you for the Jaffle love. 🥰 Hit the Jaffle button above to see what he got up to today! Secondly – cake. Specifically, Coffee Cake! A classic crumb cake with a jammy cinnamon ribbon, loaded with lots and lots of nubbly, extra crunchy cinnamon streusel. Outrageously good. Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel This... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 17 June 17, 2026Picture of the day Lt. Col. Nick Rutgers preparing his F-15 Eagle for flight
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 16 June 16, 2026Picture of the day View of Kirchberg an der Jagst, Germany, from the river Jagst. At the right the listed bridge, build in 1779; behind it the hill which supports Kirchberg Castle (top) and the old town of Kirchberg.
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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.
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