#HappyBirthday to Alice Maud Krige, the beguiling South African actor / producer, born #OnThisDay in 1954. An ethereal presence as Eva / Alma in John Irvin's evocative, pictured #GhostStory (1981), her 100+ screen credits include as the future Mary Shelley in #HauntedSummer (1988),
the incestuous shape-shifting mum in Stephen King's #Sleepwalkers (1992), a titular role in #InstituteBenjamenta, the Borg Queen in #StarTrek: First Contact (1996) and a moving representation of post-'MeToo' empowerment in Charlotte Colbert's #SheWill (2022).
Physicist Maria Goeppert Mayer was born #OTD in 1906. She developed the nuclear shell model of the nucleus, for which she was awarded the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physics.
She was the second woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics (1963) for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus. Her Ph.D. thesis in physics explored how atoms might intereact with photons.
Scientist now use the Goeppert Mayer (GM) unit to measure two-photon absorption. via @iaeaorg
On this day in 1666, Oliver Ancketill was buried at Monaghan where an elaborate monument was erected to his memory. Find out more about the Ancketill family in the Journals: https://bit.ly/ancketill
"Nothing is more certain than that worlds on worlds, and spheres on spheres, stretch behind and beyond the actually seen."
Edward Carpenter died #OTD in 1929. He was an early activist for gay rights and prison reform. As a philosopher, he was particularly known for his publication of Civilisation: Its Cause and Cure, where he described civilisation as a form of disease through which human societies pass. @Wikipedia
In 1847, she discovered a comet named 1847 VI that was later known as "Miss Mitchell's Comet" in her honor. Mitchell was the first internationally known woman to work as both a professional astronomer and a professor of astronomy after accepting a position at Vassar College in 1865. via @Wikipedia
"I filosofi hanno il torto di non pensare alle bestie e davanti agli occhi di una bestia crolla come un castello di carte qualunque sistema filosofico."
Luigi Pirandello was born #OTD in 1867. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre." via @Wikipedia
"Le plus fort n’est jamais assez fort pour être toujours le maître, s’il ne transforme sa force en droit et l'obéissance en devoir. De là le droit du plus fort."
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born #OTD in 1712. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution & the development of modern political, economic, & educational thought.
Happy Birthday to American author, activist, educator, and rights advocate for people living with disabilities Helen Keller (born June 27, 1880). Also fought for workers' rights, early NAACP supporter, anti-lynching activist, and early birth control advocate. Wrote 14 books and 475+ speeches/essays. #OTD#TDIH
Image source: https://www.loc.gov/item/2004668359/
Happy Birthday to American author, activist, educator, and rights advocate for people living with disabilities Helen Keller (born June 27, 1880). Fought for workers' rights, early NAACP supporter, anti-lynching activist, and early birth control advocate. Wrote 14 books and 475+ speeches/essays. #OTD#TDIH
Image source: https://www.loc.gov/item/2004668359/
Happy Birthday to American author, activist, educator, and rights advocate for people living with disabilities Helen Keller (born June 27, 1880). Fought for workers' rights, early NAACP supporter, anti-lynching activist, and early birth control advocate. Wrote 14 books & 475+ speeches/essays. #OTD#TDIH
Image source: https://www.loc.gov/item/2004668359/
Happy Birthday to poet and writer Paul Laurence Dunbar (born June 27, 1872 in Dayton, Ohio). Born to formerly enslaved parents, one of the first African Americans to earn a living as a writer. Wrote in folk dialect, gave voice to Black experiences, early influencer of the New Negro Movement and Harlem Renaissance. #OTD#TDIH#BlackHistory
Image source: https://www.loc.gov/item/93509689/
One of the pioneers of elasticity theory, she won the grand prize from the Paris Academy of Sciences for her essay on the subject. Her work on Fermat's Last Theorem provided a foundation for mathematicians exploring the subject for hundreds of years after. Before her death, Gauss had recommended that she be awarded an honorary degree, but that never occurred. via @Wikipedia
"No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit."
Helen Adams Keller was born #OTD in 1880. She lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when she was 19 months old. She then communicated primarily using home signs until the age of seven, when she met her first teacher and life-long companion Anne Sullivan. via @Wikipedia
"Oh, how with more than dreams the soul is torn, ere sleep comes down to soothe the weary eyes."
Paul Laurence Dunbar was born #OTD in 1872. Born in Dayton, Ohio, he began writing stories and verse when he was a child. He published his first poems at the age of 16 in a Dayton newspaper, and served as president of his high school's literary society. via @Wikipedia
"The time of illusion, then, is the beautiful moment of passion; it represents the artistic zone in which the poet or romance writer ought to be free to do the very best that he can."
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn, aka Koizumi Yakumo was born #OTD in 1850. He was a Greek-Japanese writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the West. via @Wikipedia
On this day in 1755, Dennis Flin died aged 71. See this and other gravestone inscriptions from Clare Abbey, Co. Clare, in the Journals: https://bit.ly/flin1755
On this date in 1981, 'For Your Eyes Only' was released in the US.
Not many people like the movie and even fewer people like the song.
I have a soft spot for both movie and song, maybe because it was the first Bond I saw in a theater.
But then: It has everything you wanted from a Bond in this era:
scuba diving stunts, awesome skiing stunts, silly car stunts with a 2CV and much much more
#OTD 26 June 1921 Violette Szabo was born in France to British parents. During WW2 she was an agent in the British Special Operations Executive, parachuting into France to coordinate the Resistance. She was captured, tortured & finally killed at Ravensbrück concentration camp. To learn about the women secret agents of the SOE in France listen to my episode with Dr. Kate Vigurs here: https://www.thefrenchhistorypodcast.com/women-secret-agents-in-ww2-with-dr-kate-vigurs/
William Thomson, the Lord Kelvin, was born #OTD in 1824.
With Faraday, he introduced the idea of fields into electromagnetism, laying a foundation for Maxwell's work. Later, he would devise much of the theory and supporting technology for the first transatlantic telegraph cable.
He is largely responsible for the formulation of thermodynamics that emerged in the mid-1800s, including both the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics.
Sonic Youth release their sixth studio album, “Goo”
Up to this point, I really only liked Daydream Nation. Their music was more…musical. Now on a major label, Goo takes Sonic Youth’s songwriting skills to the next level, and offers an even more accessible sound.
First thing I noticed was the Raymond Pettibon album cover artwork. It was a classic signifier of cool. Also noticeable was how each track segued nicely into the next. The sound production was a step up, and the videos from the album are great pieces in their own right.
I don’t recall a ton of commercial radio airplay, but this album was in high rotation at college radio stations everywhere, for several years. There are so many great songs to choose from, it had a pretty long initial run. It’s a classic.