Moon mapper, Sun spotter: the astonishing Thomas Harriot
The phrase ‘publish or perish’ came into use in the twentieth century to encapsulate academic pressures. It is also a lesson from the life of Thomas Harriot, who lived when there were no academic journals, and who never taught at a university.A contemporary of William Shakespeare, Harriot was an English mathematician, astronomer and natural philosopher whose original work bears comparison with that of Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei. Yet, outside the enthusiastic circle of historians of early modern science who call themselves Harrioteers, his name is almost unknown: he never pub...
The Brilliant, Young Samuel Reshevsky
Samuel Reshevsky was born in Poland on November 26, 1911 and started to play chess at the age of four.He came to the U.S. permanently at age nine (1920). From 1924 to 1931 he quit chess completely to get an education in the U.S., and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1934 (he got a accounting degree and did well as an accountant).Reshevsky then moved to New York for the rest of his life, married Norma Mindick (they had three children), and spent the rest of his days doing his job (he was never a chess pro) and playing chess whenever possible....
The macho sperm myth
Before science was able to shed light on human reproduction, most people thought new life arose through spontaneous generation from non-living matter. That changed a smidgen in the middle of the 17th century, when natural philosophers were able (barely) to see the female ovum, or egg, with the naked eye. They theorised that all life was spawned at the moment of divine creation; one person existed inside the other within a woman’s eggs, like Russian nesting dolls. This view of reproduction, called preformation, suited the ruling class well. ‘By putting lineages inside each other,’ notes the ...
On the Eminent Dignity of the Poor in the Church: A Sermon by Jacques Bénigne Bossuet
Jacques Benigne Bossuet gave this public sermon at Vincent de Paul’s request in 1659. It was written during a time of unprecedented poverty, when the French government was forcing the poor into institutions. Bossuet’s sermon “represents a classic statement of the theology of the seventeenth century’s charitable revival.” Its thesis is that like Jesus, the Church reverses the order of the temporal world to mirror that of the kingdom of God. The rich have all the privileges and advantages of the world, but the kingdom of God and the Church belong to the poor. This is because Jesus...
Walter O’Brien: Inspiring Genius Around the Globe
A scientifically momentous few people have walked on the moon. Believe it or not, fewer people have a major network television show based upon their lives air while they are living.Dubbed a “30-year overnight success,” Walter O’Brien was born the son of a humble dairy farmer in rural Ireland. So rural, in fact, he notes that they still don’t have Internet or cell phone coverage to this day.O’Brien never fit in and always asked too many questions which, lucky for him, led to an IQ test. Yes, it’s higher than yours or mine – his reported 197 is one of the highest ever measured. ...
