On This Day
1693 – Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Perignon’s invention of champagne; it is not clear whether he actually invented champagne, however he has been credited as an innovator who developed the techniques used to perfect sparkling wine.
Dom Pierre Pérignon, O.S.B. (French pronunciation: [dɔ̃ pjɛʁ peʁiɲɔ̃]; December 1638 – 14 September 1715), was a French Benedictine monk who made important contributions to the production and quality of Champagne wine in an era when the region’s wines were predominantly still red. Popular myths frequently, but erroneously, credit him with the invention of sparkling Champagne, which did not become the dominant style of Champagne until the mid-19th century.
The famous Champagne Dom Pérignon, the prestige cuvée of Moët & Chandon, is named for him. The remains of the monastery where he spent his adult life is now the property of that winery.
Dom Pérignon was a contemporary of Louis XIV (1638-1715).
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Born On This Day
1938 – Ellen Schrecker, American historian and academic
Ellen Wolf Schrecker (born August 4, 1938) is an American professor emerita of American history at Yeshiva University. She has received the Frederick Ewen Academic Freedom Fellowship at the Tamiment Library at NYU. She is known primarily for her work in the history of McCarthyism. Historian Ronald Radosh has described her as “the dean of the anti-anti-Communist historians.”[3]
FYI
Lit Hub Weekly: In Praise of Parents Who Don’t Clock Curfew and more ->
Lit Hub Weekly: May 10-14, 2021
Atlas Obscura: Are these the last days of India’s touring tent cinemas? And more ->
Atlas Obscura: The flat, rainbow-like stacks that appear in sunny skies and more ->
Gastro Obscura: 25 coffee shops to visit before you die; The youth reforesting Puerto Rico and more ->
The Passive Voice, From Jane Friedman: The Secret Ingredient of a Commercially Successful Novel
The Passive Voice, From Smart Bitches/Trashy Books: Worse Than a Dumpster Fire:
By Josh Jones, Open Culture: Is the Viral “Red Dress” Music Video a Sociological Experiment? Performance Art? Or Something Else?
By Ernie Smith, Tedium -> Andrew Eagan: The Things That Go Bump On The Web
By Ernie Smith, Tedium: Plug and Pray Why an early design decision around the IBM PC created the need for an innovation called plug and play—something we very much take for granted today.
Starts at 6:02 ->
NSFW
Recipes
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: 19 Recipes That Prove Your Skillet Is a Dinnertime Hero
“More from Magnolia: Recipes from the World-Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey’s Home Kitchen.”: Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes
RecipeTinEats
- 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
- Vegetable Tian June 5, 2026Meet Vegetable Tian – a colourful Provençal vegetable bake that I absolutely love! It’s full of beautiful colours, Mediterranean vibes, and looks as good as it tastes. Serve it as a side dish or enjoy it as a vegetarian main. Let’s go! Vegetable Tian I’ve been a ratatouille guy for as long as I can... […]Chef JB (RecipeTin)
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 11 June 11, 2026Picture of the day Panorama of Hong Kong's harbour and skyline, as seen from Victoria Peak on a rainy night of June 11, 2019.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 10 June 10, 2026Picture of the day Hills of České Středohoří (Central Bohemian Highlands): Malý Křižák, Křižák, Brník, Srdov, Milá
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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?