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Born today: Ole Rømer
As everybody (now) knows, that first ray of sunlight you see in the morning took several minutes to travel from the sun to your window. Back in the day, although some speculated that light had a finite speed, nobody was really sure. But thanks to the chief of police in Copenhagan, now we not only Continue reading
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September 25
It was September 25, or thereabouts, in what everybody said was 1897. Mississippi, of course; you knew that it had to be Mississippi. Or France. The winds were blowing toward bad times in France, but not for a while yet. It would be just in time for a youth born in 1897 in Mississippi to Continue reading
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R(h)odomontade
Orlando was a Medieval literary character. Also known as Roland, he was a paladin (knight) in Europe around 700 to 800 CE. That was the time that Charlemagne was founding his empire and battling the Saracens. The term “saracen” comes from Greek and Roman writing, where it referred to people who lived in the Arabian Continue reading
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Arguepuncture
“I’m not sure what I did,” said Beaver, stretching his left shoulder painfully, “it just hurts.” “I hurt my leg last summer,” said Hare. “You should go talk to Dog, Beaver. Humans have all sorts of ways to fix aches and pains, and Dog knows about them. When I hurt my leg last year, Dog Continue reading
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Opodeldoc
In the mid 1800s, Samuel Beeton was a successful publisher in England. He published the first version of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in the UK, and he also created several successful periodicals, including the “Boy’s Own Magazine” and “Beeton’s Christmas Annual” — which was the first magazine to publish one of Arthur Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes Continue reading
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September 24
Powered, controlled flight (by humans, at least) started on September 24, and you’ll be surprised by the year. It was 1852. It was a rigid airship — a dirigible, if you will, although “dirigible” just means “rigid airship”— designed and built by Henri Giffard. It made a 27 kilometer trip from Paris to Élancourt, but Continue reading
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Born today: Jacques Vallée
Here in 2023 we have our share of well-known, successful technologists who also seem to have some, shall we say, ‘non-mainstream” ideas. But that’s nothing new. Jacques Vallée’s 83rd birthday is today, and he was that guy several decades ago. Vallée was born in France in 1939 and became a professional astronomer in 1961. That Continue reading
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September 23
If yesterday was a good commemoration of enduring mysteries, then today, September 23, seems to be a good day to commemorate enduring. Quite a few things began today that are still around. For one thing, September 23, 1642 was the first day anyone ever became a Harvard alum — it was their first commencement. The Continue reading
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Lodge
A “lodge” is a number of things, from a shelter to a hut to a seasonal house to an inn. If it’s an inn, that implies an innkeeper. But unless the quality of service in past centuries was particularly abysmal, why, when we have complaints, is it customary to “lodge” them? “Lodge” appeared in English Continue reading
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Foofaraw
For an old North American colloquial word that started showing up in the 1800s, “foofaraw” has a surprisingly robust entry in the Oxford English Dictionary. “Foofaraw” originated in the western US, and at first meant fussy, vain, or gaudy. It was carried back to England and appeared in “Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine” in 1848: “Them white Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate Bossypaws. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.
Check out my other blog, Techlimitics, where I’m grappling with the nature of simplicity.
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peterharbeson@me.com