On This Day
1535 – Pope Paul III excommunicates English King Henry VIII from the church. He drew up a papal bull of excommunication which began Eius qui immobilis.[3]
In the canon law of the Catholic Church, excommunication (Lat. ex, “out of”, and communio or communicatio, “communion”; literally meaning “exclusion from communion”) is a form of censure. In the formal sense of the term, excommunication includes being barred not only from the sacraments but also from the fellowship of Christian baptism.[1] The principal and severest censure, excommunication presupposes guilt; and being the most serious penalty that the Catholic Church can inflict, it supposes a grave offense. The excommunicated person is considered by Catholic ecclesiastical authority as an exile from the Church, for a time at least.
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Born On This Day
161 – Commodus, Roman emperor (d. 192)[14]
Commodus (/ˈkɒmədəs/;[4] 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 until his assassination in 192. For the first three years of his reign he was co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius. Commodus’ sole rule, starting with the death of Marcus in 180, is commonly thought to mark the end of a golden age of peace and prosperity in the history of the Roman Empire (the Pax Romana).
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FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
EarthSky News
This Day in Tech History
This Day In History
Interesting Facts
Word Genius: Word of the Day
Wise Trivia
By Joshua Hammer, The Guardian: The cocaine kingpin’s wildest legacy: what can be done with Pablo Escobar’s marauding hippos?
Wickersham’s Conscience: Return of Bird of the Week: Rufous-bellied Thrush
Mia McPherson’s On The Wing Photography: Inca Dove Lifer In Arkansas
Mia McPherson’s On The Wing Photography: Green Heron Images From Sequoyah NWR
Mia McPherson’s On The Wing Photography: Mount Magazine White-tailed Deer Does
Mia McPherson’s On The Wing Photography: Itty Bitty American Green Tree Frog Pictures
By Erik Vance, The New York Times: I used to be resilient. What happened?
I’ve noticed I am becoming less resilient as I age. Insults used to bounce off me; I could move to a new city at the drop of a hat. Now I stew for days about a social media slight and can barely change my hair without fretting.
Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), known professionally as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona.
In the 1970s Nomi immersed himself in the East Village art scene. He was known for his bizarre and visionary theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo that flaunted a receding hairline. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from synthesizer-laden interpretations of classical opera to covers of 1960s pop standards like Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” and Lou Christie’s “Lightnin’ Strikes”. Nomi was one of David Bowie’s backup singers for a 1979 performance on Saturday Night Live.[1]
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By Open Culture: The Enchanting Opera Performances of Klaus Nomi
By Oen Culture: Richard Feynman Creates a Simple Method for Telling Science From Pseudoscience (1966)
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: The 11 Censored Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Cartoons That Haven’t Been Aired Since 1968
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: Browse 64 Years of RadioShack Catalogs Free Online … and Revisit the History of American Consumer Electronics
By Open Culture: Maurice Sendak’s First Published Illustrations: Discover His Drawings for a 1947 Popular Science Book
Shawn Ryan Show: 1 Hour of Exposing Biden’s Disastrous Afghanistan Withdrawal | 3 Year Anniversary
Recipes
Snug and Cozy Life: Easy Weeknight Taco Skillet
Simply Recipes: 18 Dinners To Make With a Pound of Ground Beef Got beef―that is, a pound of it? Then, you have the key component of these easy dinners.
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: Malt Shoppe Memories Ice Cream Cookie Cake
By Food Network Kitchen: 29 Labor Day Desserts That Deserve a Spot at Your Cookout
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
- 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
- Introducing Jaffle! June 10, 2026Meet Jaffle! Future Chief Taste Tester. Son of a Dozer friend. A little bundle of golden, fluffy joy! 48 hours of instant happiness I didn’t expect to get a new puppy so soon after saying goodbye to Dozer. To be honest, I wasn’t sure when I’d be ready. And I had it in my head... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 14 June 14, 2026Picture of the day Wulfenite crystals with calcite, found in the Erupción Mine, Sierra de Los Lamentos, Ahumada Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 13 June 13, 2026Picture of the day An image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on a stained-glass window located in a church in St. Peters, Missouri. Today is the feast day of the Immaculate Heart in the Roman Catholic Church.
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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?