On This Day
1266 – Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by Manfred, King of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples.[4]
The Battle of Benevento was a major medieval battle fought on 26 February 1266, near Benevento in present-day Southern Italy, between the forces of Charles I of Anjou and those of King Manfred of Sicily. Manfred’s defeat and death resulted in Charles’ conquest of the Kingdom of Sicily, effectively ending the rule of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in the Italian Peninsula and marking the rise of the royal Capetian House of Anjou. The engagement was part of the conflict which pitted Guelphs against Ghibellines.
1626 – Yuan Chonghuan is appointed Governor of Liaodong, after leading the Chinese into a great victory against the Manchurians under Nurhaci.[7]
Yuan Chonghuan (Chinese: 袁崇煥; Jyutping: jyun4 sung4 wun6; pinyin: Yuán Chónghuàn; 6 June 1584 – 22 September 1630), courtesy name Yuansu, art name Ziru, was a Chinese politician, military general and writer who served under the Ming dynasty. Widely regarded as a patriot in Chinese culture, he is best known for defending Liaoning from invasions launched by the Jurchen-led Later Jin dynasty. As a general, Yuan Chonghuan excelled as a cannoneer and sought to incorporate European cannon designs into the Ming arsenal.
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1525 – Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on the order of conquistador Hernán Cortés.[3]
Cuauhtémoc (Nahuatl pronunciation: [kʷaːʍˈtemoːk] ⓘ, Spanish pronunciation: [kwawˈtemok] ⓘ), also known as Cuauhtemotzín, Guatimozín, or Guatémoc, was the Aztec ruler (tlatoani) of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521, making him the last Aztec Emperor.[1] The name Cuauhtemōc means “one who has descended like an eagle”, and is commonly rendered in English as “Descending Eagle”, as in the moment when an eagle folds its wings and plummets down to strike its prey. This is a name that implies aggressiveness and determination.
Born On This Day
1416 – Christopher of Bavaria (d. 1448)
Christopher (26 February 1416 – 5/6 January 1448), known as Christopher of Bavaria (German: Christoph von Pfalz-Neumarkt; Danish and Norwegian: Christoffer af/av Bayern; Swedish Kristofer av Bayern), was King of Denmark (1440–48, as Christopher III), Sweden (1441–48) and Norway (1442–48) during the era of the Kalmar Union.[1]
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1343 – Alberto d’Este, Marquis of Ferrara (d. 1393)
Alberto (V) d’Este (27 February 1347 – 30 July 1393) was lord of Ferrara and Modena from 1388 until his death.
He was associated in the lordship of the House of Este by his brother Niccolò in 1361, becoming the sole ruler of Ferrara and Modena after the latter’s death in 1388. He was the son of Obizzo III d’Este, who had ruled in Ferrara from 1317 to 1352.
Alberto founded the University of Ferrara in 1391. In the same year he married Giovanna de’ Roberti (d. 1393). After her death, he married his mistress Isotta Albaresani.
He was succeeded by his legitimated son Niccolò (III).
1518 – Francis III, Duke of Brittany, Duke of Brittany (d. 1536)[28]
Francis III (Breton: Frañsez; French: François; 28 February 1518 – 10 August 1536) was Dauphin of France and, after 1524, Duke of Brittany. Francis and his brother, Henry, were exchanged as hostages for their father, Francis I, who had been captured at the Battle of Pavia. They would be hostages for three years. Made duke of Brittany in 1532, this precipitated Brittany’s integration with the Kingdom of France. Francis died 10 August 1536, possibly from tuberculosis.
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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
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: The Armored-Knight “Robot” Designed by Leonardo da Vinci (circa 1495)
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: The Life & Work of Richard Feynman Explored in a Three-Part Freakonomics Radio Miniseries
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: A Preview of Sora, the New OpenAI Tool That Creates Remarkable AI-Generated Videos
By Nathaniel Herz, Northern Journal: Can jet-setting ski racers be climate activists? Anchorage athlete leans into “imperfect advocacy.” Climate change poses an existential threat to cross-country skiing. But it’s hard to talk about for some top athletes, who fear being accused of hypocrisy because of their travel-intensive lifestyles.
If Someone from the BACKWOODS Handled the BORDER CRISIS! | Buddy Brown
BizPac Reviews: This is why you DO NOT mess with Navy Seals…
Shawn Ryan Show: Jonathan Wilson – Navy SEAL Operator | SRS #98
Cleared Hot Podcast: The Last Promise: Duty, Loss, and Healing – With Scott Tatum
Evan Hafer BRCC Bear Handlon – Navy Seal and Born Primitive Founder | BRCC #305
Recipes
The Food Network: Chicken Parmesan Casserole
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
- 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?