Month: January 2022

Max Theiler (1899)

Born in South Africa, Theiler moved to the US in 1922 and became known for his research on yellow fever, encephalomyelitis, and other tropical viruses. At a time when yellow fever outbreaks were plague-like—one epidemic alone wiped out 20,000 people—his team proved that the disease is caused by a virus, not bacteria. Theiler’s development of a safe and effective vaccine brought yellow fever under control, earning him the 1951 Nobel Prize in medicine. On what did he initially test his vaccine? Discuss

The Cloud of Unknowing

The Cloud of Unknowing is an anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in Middle English in the 14th century. This spiritual guide on contemplative prayer counsels a young student to seek God not through knowledge but through intense contemplation motivated by love and stripped of all thought. According to the author, through this method God’s true nature will be revealed. “The Cloud of Unknowing” has remained a popular concept, even appearing in what famous 1961 fictional work? Discuss

materials

taboret – An artist’s multi-drawer cabinet table for tools and materials. More…

compendium – Latin for “that which is weighed together,” it is a complete summary or abridgment or a concise collection of materials—not an all-encompassing or comprehensive work (plural is compendiums or compendia). More…

hygroscopic – Describing the ability or tendency of a material to take up moisture readily from the surrounding air or other moist materials. More…

molecular gastronomy – The study and application of chemistry, physics, and other scientific principles on cooking processes, preparation, and materials. More…

Queen Victoria Creates the Victoria Cross (1856)

Queen Victoria created the Victoria Cross—the highest British military award for valor—on January 29, 1856, in the late stages of the Crimean War. The impetus for a new medal arose during the war—one of the first with modern reporting—as correspondents documented many acts of bravery by British servicemen that went unrewarded. Thus, Victoria instituted her eponymous award for acts of devotion and valor in the presence of the enemy. From what was the Victoria Cross originally made? Discuss

Thomas Paine Day

Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was a propagandist and humanitarian whose influential pamphlet, Common Sense, is credited with persuading the American colonies to declare their independence from Great Britain. On January 29, Paine’s birthday, he is honored by members of the Thomas Paine National Historical Association in New Rochelle, New York. They lay a wreath at his monument in the Thomas Paine Memorial Museum, which houses some of his letters and personal effects. The cottage in which Paine lived is only a short walk away. Discuss

William Claude Dukenfield, AKA W. C. Fields (1880)

An archetypal American comedian, Fields started out as a vaudeville juggler. With his inimitable raspy voice completing his characterization of a habitually tipsy misanthrope, he became a major star in talking films and radio. His real-life personality was quite similar—he was an inveterate drinker who deeply distrusted most established institutions and even went so far as to keep his money in savings accounts in scores of banks, under fictitious names. What did he call alcohol while on set? Discuss

The Atom

Though atoms are a fundamental building block of matter, scientific understanding of them is relatively recent. Ernest Rutherford developed the first coherent explanation of the atom’s structure in 1911 and showed that it consists of a positively charged core—the nucleus—orbited by negatively charged particles—electrons. However, classical theory held that electrons are continuously being accelerated. By Rutherford’s theory, then, electrons would spiral into the nucleus. Who solved this issue? Discuss