gutenberg_org

gutenberg_org, 10 days ago to books

English poet Alfred Austin was born #OTD in 1835.

Austin served as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1896 until his death in 1913. Despite holding this prestigious position, his poetry received mixed reviews, and he is often remembered more for the controversies surrounding his appointment than for his literary accomplishments.

Books by Alfred Austin at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/37643

#books #literature #poetry

Cover of Lamia's Winter-Quarters by Alfred Austin "Lamia's Winter-Quarters" is a narrative poem by Alfred Austin, published in 1898. The poem reflects Austin's fascination with nature, myth, and the poetic traditions of his time. It combines elements of classical mythology with Victorian sensibilities, depicting a rich tapestry of themes and imagery. The poem is centered around the character Lamia, who is derived from Greek mythology. In myth, Lamia is often depicted as a beautiful woman who becomes a serpent or monster. However, Austin's portrayal is more sympathetic and nuanced, focusing on her longing and transformation.

gutenberg_org, 10 days ago to books

American writer Randolph Silliman Bourne was born #OTD in 1886.

Bourne's career was marked by his prolific writing and his engagement with contemporary social and political issues. His essays and articles were published in influential magazines like The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, and The Dial. His incisive critique of World War I and his vision of a pluralistic America have left a lasting impact on American thought and cultural studies.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/54325

#books #literature

Title page of History of a literary radical, and other essays by Randolph Silliman Bourne

gutenberg_org, 10 days ago to books

French geographer and historian André Duchesne died #OTD in 1640.

He is often regarded as the father of French history due to his extensive and methodical research into the history of France and its nobility. He is noted for his systematic approach to historical research, emphasizing the importance of primary sources and critical analysis. His work often involved the collection and publication of historical documents, charters, and records.

#books #history #geography

gutenberg_org, 10 days ago to books

American poet and dramatist Josephine Preston Peabody was born #OTD in 1874.

Peabody's literary career began early, with her first poems published while she was still a teenager. Over her career, she produced several volumes of poetry and a number of plays, many of which were performed on stage. Her notable works are: "The Wayfarers", "The Singing Man", "The Piper" , "Harvest Moon".

Books by Josephine Preston Peabody at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/3012

#books #literature

"The Journey": illustration by Elizabeth Shippen Green for a series of poems by Josephine Preston Peabody, entitled "The Little Past", which relate experiences of childhood from a child's perspective. Poems and illustration were published in Harper's Magazine, December 1903. "The Journey": Illustration depicts a young boy absorbed in watching the scenery from his seat in a railway car for a series of poems by Josephine Preston Peabody entitled "The Little Past." The poems relate experiences of childhood from a child's perspective. Published in: "The Little Past : the Journey" by Josephine Preston Peabody, Harper's magazine, 108:95 (Dec. 1903). 1 painting : oil. Digital file from original.

gutenberg_org, 10 days ago to books

"L'écriture est la peinture de la voix."

French writer & philosopher François-Marie Arouet died #OTD in 1778.

Voltaire left his mark on his era through his literary output and political commitments. His influence on the educated classes was considerable in the decades preceding the French Revolution & in the early 19th century, but diminished thereafter with the triumph of Rousseauist philosophy & the development of pre-Romanticism.

Voltaire at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/913

#books #literature

This was a frontispiece of Voltaire's Candide, or Optimism. It reads, "Candide, or Optimism. Translated from the German of Dr. Ralph."

gutenberg_org, 11 days ago to physics

British physicist Peter Higgs was born #OTD in 1929.

In 1964, Higgs proposed a theory explaining how particles acquire mass. This mechanism involves the interaction of particles with a field, now known as the Higgs field. The field has an associated particle (Higgs boson). The search for the Higgs boson became a major focus of particle physics experiments. In 2012, scientists at CERN's Large Hadron Collider announced the discovery of a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson.

#physics

gutenberg_org, 11 days ago to books

English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator W. S. Gilbert died #OTD in 1911.

He is best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan in creating the famous series of comic operas known as the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The most famous of these include H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre, The Mikado.

Books by W. S. Gilbert at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/395

#books #literature

Scene from "The Happy Land" by W. S. Gilbert (as F. Latour Tomline) and Gilbert á Beckett, showing the actors dressed as Gladstone, Lowe, and Ayrton. Illustrator D. H. Friston.

gutenberg_org, 11 days ago to books

Irish astronomer, astrophysicist & historian of science Mary Brück was born #OTD in 1925.

Although her astronomical research, she is probably best remembered as a writer, with a particular interest in the history of science. Her published works include ‘The Peripatetic Astronomer: The Life of Charles Piazzi Smyth’; ‘Agnes Mary Clerke and the Rise of Astrophysics’; ‘Women in Early British and Irish Astronomy: Stars and Satellites’; and ‘Ladybird Book of the Night Sky’.

#books #historyofscience

gutenberg_org, 11 days ago to science

#OTD in 1919.

Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin.

The Eddington experiment was organised by the astronomers Frank Watson Dyson & Arthur Stanley Eddington in 1919. The observations were of the total solar eclipse of 29 May 1919 and were carried out by two expeditions which aim was to measure the gravitational deflection of starlight passing near the Sun.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddington_experiment

#science #relativity #astronomy

gutenberg_org, 11 days ago to books

English author, philosopher, literary and art critic G. K. Chesterton was born #OTD in 1874.

Chesterton created the character Father Brown, a Catholic priest and amateur detective. The first collection, "The Innocence of Father Brown," was published in 1911. His most famous novel is "The Man Who Was Thursday" (1908), a metaphysical thriller that explores themes of anarchy and order.

Books by G. K. Chesterton at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/80

#books #literature

Cover of The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G. K. Chesterton

gutenberg_org, 12 days ago to mathematics

Serbian mathematician, astronomer, climatologist Milutin Milanković was born #OTD in 1879.

He is best known for his theory of climate change (Milankovitch cycles), which explains the long-term cycles in Earth's climate based on changes in its orbit and orientation relative to the Sun. He used his expertise in mathematics to develop detailed models of how these orbital changes influence the distribution of solar radiation on Earth’s surface.

https://web.archive.org/web/20120419011102/http://www.climatedata.info/Forcing/Forcing/milankovitchcycles.html

#climatology #mathematics

gutenberg_org, 12 days ago to books

American lexicographer, editor, and author Noah Webster died #OTD in 1843.

His early contributions to education include a series of textbooks known collectively as the "Blue-Backed Speller." His first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, was published in 1806. However, his most significant achievement came with the publication of An American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/139

#books #dictionaries #lexicography

gutenberg_org, 12 days ago to humanrights

Amnesty International was founded in London #OTD in 1961 by the lawyer Peter Benenson.

In what he called "The Forgotten Prisoners" and "An Appeal for Amnesty", which appeared on the front page of the British newspaper The Observer, Benenson wrote about two students who toasted to freedom in Portugal and four other people who had been jailed in other nations because of their beliefs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_International

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1961/may/28/fromthearchive.theguardian

#humanrights

gutenberg_org, 12 days ago (edited 12 days ago) to mathematics

#OTD in 1936.

Alan Turing submits On Computable Numbers for publication.

His proof shows that there can be no mechanical, general method (i.e., a Turing machine or a program in some equivalent model of computation) to determine whether algorithms halt. However, each individual instance of the halting problem has a definitive answer, which may or may not be practically computable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing%27s_proof

#mathematics #computerscience #lgbtq

gutenberg_org, 12 days ago to Astronomy

#OTD in 585 BC.

A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher & scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of the Eclipse, leading to a truce.

How exactly Thales predicted the eclipse remains uncertain; some scholars assert the eclipse was never predicted at all. Others have argued for different dates, but only the eclipse of May 585 BC matches the conditions of visibility necessary to explain the historical event.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_of_Thales

#astronomy

gutenberg_org, 12 days ago (edited 12 days ago) to art

Carl Larsson was born #OTD in 1853.

Carl Larsson's most famous works are those depicting his family and home in Sundborn, Sweden. His watercolors and illustrations, such as those in his books "Ett Hem" (A Home), "Larssons", and "At Solsidan", showcase a unique blend of detailed realism and an idealized, idyllic vision of family life.

Books illustrated or by Carl Larsson at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/42221

#art #paintings

gutenberg_org, 12 days ago to books

"The greater the happiness that nature sets before me, the more I lament that he is not here to taste it: the greater the bliss we might enjoy together, the more I feel our present wretchedness apart."

Helen Graham (Ch. XXV : First Absence) - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848)

~Anne Brönte died #OTD in 1849

#books #literaure #poetry