On This Day
1407 – Ming–Hồ War: Retired King Hồ Quý Ly and his son King Hồ Hán Thương of Hồ dynasty are captured by the Ming armies.
The Ming invasion of Viet (Chinese: 明入越[5]/平定交南[6]), known in Vietnam as the Ming–Đại Ngu War (simplified Chinese: 大虞与明战争; traditional Chinese: 大虞與明戰爭; Vietnamese: Chiến tranh Đại Ngu–Đại Minh / cuộc xâm lược của nhà Minh 1406–1407; Hán Nôm: 戰爭大虞 – 大明) was a military campaign against the kingdom of Đại Ngu (present-day northern Vietnam) under the Hồ dynasty by the Ming dynasty of China. The campaign began with Ming intervention in support of a rival faction to the Hồ dynasty which ruled Đại Ngu,[1] but ended with the incorporation of Đại Ngu into the Ming dynasty as the province of Jiaozhi. The invasion is acknowledged by recent historians as one of the most important wars of the late medieval period, whereas both sides, especially the Ming, used the most advanced weapons in the world at the time.[7]
653 – Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism.[1]
Pope Martin I (Latin: Martinus I, Greek: Πάπας Μαρτῖνος; between 590 and 600 – 16 September 655), also known as Martin the Confessor, was the bishop of Rome from 21 July 649 to his death 16 September 655. He served as Pope Theodore I’s ambassador to Constantinople and was elected to succeed him as Pope. He was the only pope during the Eastern Roman domination of the papacy whose election was not approved by an imperial mandate from Constantinople. For his strong opposition to Monothelitism, Pope Martin I was arrested by Emperor Constans II, carried off to Constantinople, and ultimately banished to Cherson. He is considered a saint by both the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church and he is the last pope recognized as a martyr.
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656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Arabic: عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; c. 600 – 661 CE) was the last Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, the successor state to the Islamic prophet Muhammad’s political dominions. He is considered by Shia Muslims to be the first Imam, the rightful religious and political successor to Muhammad. The issue of succession caused a major rift between Muslims and divided them into two major branches: Shia following an appointed hereditary leadership among Ali’s descendants, and Sunni following political dynasties. Ali’s assassination in the Grand Mosque of Kufa by a Kharijite coincided with the rise of the Umayyad Caliphate. The Imam Ali Shrine and the city of Najaf were built around Ali’s tomb and it is visited yearly by millions of devotees.[3]
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1586 – English colonists leave Roanoke Island, after failing to establish England’s first permanent settlement in North America.
Roanoke Island (/ˈroʊənoʊk/) is an island in Dare County, bordered by the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was named after the historical Roanoke, a Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English colonization.
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1180 – First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan.[1]
The first battle of Uji is famous and important for having opened the Genpei War.
In early 1180, Prince Mochihito, the Minamoto Clan’s favored claimant to the Imperial Throne, was chased by Taira forces to the Mii-dera, a temple just outside Kyoto. Due to the interference of a Mii-dera monk with Taira sympathies, the Minamoto army arrived too late to help defend the temple.[citation needed]
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1621 – Execution of 27 Czech noblemen on the Old Town Square in Prague as a consequence of the Battle of White Mountain.
Old Town Square execution (Czech: Staroměstská exekuce) was the execution of 27 Bohemian leaders (three noblemen, seven knights and 17 burghers) of the Bohemian Revolt by the Austrian House of Habsburg that took place on 21 June 1621 at the Old Town Square in Prague.[1]
After the Prague Defenestration in 1618 and subsequent Protestant uprising of the Bohemian estates against the Catholic Habsburgs resulted in Thirty Years’ War and a final defeat in the Battle of White Mountain, Habsburgs took their revenge and executed some of the key leaders of the uprising, although with some others the punishment was reduced and some were pardoned.
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Born On This Day
1139 – Emperor Konoe of Japan (d. 1155)
Emperor Konoe (近衛天皇, Konoe-tennō, June 16, 1139 – August 22, 1155) was the 76th emperor of Japan,[1] according to the traditional order of succession.[2]
Konoe’s reign spanned the years from 1142 through 1155.[3]
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1239 – Edward I, English king (d. 1307)
Edward I[a] (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 to 1306, he ruled Gascony as Duke of Aquitaine in his capacity as a vassal of the French king. Before his accession to the throne, he was commonly referred to as the Lord Edward. The eldest son of Henry III, Edward was involved from an early age in the political intrigues of his father’s reign. In 1259, he briefly sided with a baronial reform movement, supporting the Provisions of Oxford. After reconciliation with his father, he remained loyal throughout the subsequent armed conflict, known as the Second Barons’ War. After the Battle of Lewes, Edward was held hostage by the rebellious barons, but escaped after a few months and defeated the baronial leader Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in 1265. Within two years the rebellion was extinguished and, with England pacified, Edward left to join the Ninth Crusade to the Holy Land in 1270. He was on his way home in 1272 when he was informed of his father’s death. Making a slow return, he reached England in 1274 and was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
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1269 – Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar (d. 1298)
Eleanor of England (18 June 1269 – 29 August 1298) was the eldest surviving daughter of King Edward I of England[1] and his first wife, Queen Eleanor of Castile.
What evidence exists for Eleanor’s early years suggests that while her parents were absent on Crusade between 1270 and 1274, she became very close to her paternal grandmother, Eleanor of Provence, with whom she continued to spend a good deal of time. She was also close to her sickly brother Henry.
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1566 – James VI and I of the United Kingdom (d. 1625)[14]
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. Although he wanted to bring about a closer union, the kingdoms of Scotland and England remained individual sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciaries, and laws, both ruled by James in personal union.
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1005 – Ali az-Zahir, Fatimid caliph of Egypt (d. 1036)
Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥākim (Arabic: أبو الحسن علي ابن الحاكم; 20 June 1005 – 13 June 1036), better known with his regnal name al-Ẓāhir li-Iʿzāz Dīn Allāh (Arabic: الظاهر لإعزاز دين الله, lit. ’He Who Appears Openly to Strengthen the Religion of God'[1]), was the seventh caliph of the Fatimid dynasty (1021–1036). Al-Zahir assumed the caliphate after the disappearance of his father al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.
906 – Abu Ja’far Ahmad ibn Muhammad, Saffarid emir (d. 963)
Abu Ja’far Ahmad ibn Muhammad (June 21, 906 – March 31, 963) was the amir of Sistan from 923 until his death in 963. He is responsible for restoring Saffarid rule over Sistan, and was a great patron of the arts.
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FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
EarthSky News
This Day in Tech History
Interesting Facts
Word Genius: Word of the Day
I like to take risks, and I want those risks to be larger than the confines of a structure that’s simply meant to entertain.
Glenda Jackson,
actor, politician
1936-2023
Glenda May Jackson CBE (9 May 1936 – 15 June 2023) was a British actress and politician. She was one of the few performers to achieve the American Triple Crown of Acting, having won two Academy Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. A member of the Labour Party, she served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Hampstead and Kilburn (known as Hampstead and Highgate until 2010) from 1992 to 2015.
Julia Elizabeth Garwood (née Murphy; December 26, 1944 – June 8, 2023) was an American writer of over twenty-seven romance novels in both the historical and suspense subgenres. Over thirty-five million copies of her books are in print, and she had at least 24 New York Times Bestsellers.[1] She also wrote a novel for young adults called A Girl Named Summer.
Garwood’s novel For the Roses was adapted for the television feature Rose Hill.[2]
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Carol Higgins Clark (July 28, 1956 – June 12, 2023) was an American mystery author and actress. She was the daughter of suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark, with whom she co-authored several Christmas novels, and the former sister-in-law of author Mary Jane Clark.
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The Marginalian by Maria Popova: Kierkegaard on the value of despair, Javier Marías on the courage to trust your intuitions, some thoughts about the ocean and the universe
ILSR’s Community Broadband Initiative: Recently in Community Networks… Week of 6/19
Wickersham’s Conscience: Evolution Is Amazing: Oilbirds
Snarky in the Suburbs: AI is Coming and I’m Not Afraid
By MessyNessy 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 654): Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s art and antique collection heads to auction; Wes Anderson Knows About the Memes and Has Thoughts; Idyllic Danish summers of the 1930s; The world’s oldest (still existing) anime was made back in 1917 and is still preserved; This guy sounds like some kind of modern day Cab Calloway meets Nina Simone; A Preserved Moment of Historical, Indisputable Black Style and more ->
Rare Historical Photos: Capturing the Art of Typing: Vintage Photographs Show High School Typing Classes from 1950s to 1970s
Clint Emerson: CAN MIKE GLOVER SURVIVE THIS PODCAST?
Ideas
By runciblefish: Easy-Care Henhouse
Recipes
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: 20 Great Recipes for Camping
Fit As A Mama Bear: Dairy-Free Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo
Whole Food Bellies: Spiced Bell Pepper and Chickpea Tacos
By Amy Manes, Food Talk Daily: Mini S’mores Cheesecakes With Vanilla Bean Marshmallow Creme
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
- 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.
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?