On This Day
1818 – The first performance of “Silent Night” takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.
“Silent Night” (German: “Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht”) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria.[1] It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011.[2] The song has been recorded by many singers across many music genres. The version sung by Bing Crosby in 1935 has sold 10 million copies as a single.[3]
Read more ->
Born On This Day
1895 – Marguerite Williams, American geologist (d. 1991)
Marguerite Thomas Williams (born Marguerite Thomas; December 24, 1895 – August 17, 1991) was an American geologist. She was the first African American to earn a doctorate in geology in the United States.[1]
Early years and education
Marguerite Thomas was the sixth of six children born to Henry C. and Clara E. Thomas. She attended Washington Normal School #2, later known as the Normal School for Colored Girls (and then accredited by congress as Miners Teacher College in 1929). She graduated from the two-year teacher-training program at the Normal School for Colored Girls in June 1916, with a scholarship to Howard University.[2] Dr. Kelly Miller of Howard University delivered the address to the graduates and a song, written by Thomas for the occasion, was sung.[2] She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University in 1923[1] where she was mentored by African American biologist Ernest Everett Just. While earning her Bachelor’s degree, Thomas worked as an elementary school teacher.[3] After finishing her degree, she returned to the Normal School to teach as an assistant professor[3] and work with the school’s theater group.[4]
Thomas was granted a leave from the Miner Teachers College (Normal School for Colored Girls) to pursue her master’s degree in geology at Columbia University, which she completed in 1930.[3][5] After completing her master’s degree, Thomas married Dr. Otis James Williams, D.D.S., and took his name.
In 1942, she completed her PhD dissertation, The History of Erosion in the Anacostia Drainage Basin, at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. This made her the first African American to earn a doctorate in geology in the United States. Her dissertation was later published by the Catholic University of America Press.[6][7]
Dissertation
In her dissertation, Williams sought to explore on the factors that eventually lead to the erosion observed in the Anacostia River. Little had been done in terms of examining the upper and lower regions of the river and the basin sedimentation. The flooding of Bladensburg, Maryland precipitated the erosion, and had caused the necessity for an investigation. She concluded that in addition to natural erosion, human activities including deforestation, agriculture and urbanization accelerated the process.[8]
Career
Williams spent most of her career teaching courses on geology and the social sciences. After gaining her PhD in 1942, she was promoted to full professor at Miner Teachers College. For a decade, from 1923-1933, she was Chair of the Division of Geography at the Miner Teachers College (Normal School for Colored Girls).[3][9][10] In addition to teaching and serving as chair, she also taught at Howard University during the 1940s.[3][5] She retired in 1955.
FYI
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: Carl Sagan on the Importance of Choosing Wisely What You Read (Even If You Read a Book a Week)
By Open Culture: The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Performs The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”: To Help Lift You Out of the COVID Gloom
Recipes
Coleen’s Recipes: JUMBO CHOCOLATE – CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
By Sheela Prakash, The Kitchn: Our 10 Most Popular Baked Goods of 2020
DamnDelicious
- Chicken Fajita Quesadillas June 13, 2026This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details. 30 minute chicken quesadillas with onions and bell peppers using leftover rotisserie chicken (huge time-saver!). So quick, so easy, so good! Why you’ll love chicken fajita quesadillas what is the best cheese to use for quesadillas? Always opt for a cheese with […]Chungah
- Lemon Butter Fish May 29, 2026This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details. Tender, juicy, flaky fish with a lemon-garlic sauce that will knock your socks off. A 20 minute dinner recipe – so fast, so easy, so good! Why you’ll love this lemon butter fish recipe key ingredients in lemon butter fish Butter Use […]Chungah
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.
E-book Deals:
The Book Junction: Where Readers Go To Discover Great New Fiction!
Mystery & Thriller Most Wanted
Book Blogs & Websites:
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?