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Nicolaes Tulp
On October 9, 1593, Claes Pieterszoon was born in Amsterdam. He came from a prosperous family, and grew up to become a doctor. He built himself a house in 1616, and named it De Tulp, after tulips. He evidently liked tulips quite a lot, because the next year he also changed his own name to… Continue reading
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October 9
October 9, 1701, the Collegiate School was chartered in the colony of Connecticut. The thinking was that Harvard College, which had been around for over 60 years by that time, was getting much too liberal and a new school was needed that would “maintain the Puritan religious orthodoxy.” The school didn’t have a permanent location,… Continue reading
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Don’t be lazy
I’m a young dog at the start of the daybut the things I have learned are not new.Like “humans can sleep altogether too lateand neglect all the stuff they should do.” They can sleep pretty hardbut a lick in their earwill wake them right up;Yes, it works! Never fear! Then they’re handy with doorsand to… Continue reading
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Okay, I’ll be social
I never used to like to meetanother dog out on the streetThe reason why I can’t suppose;Now I greet them, nose to nose. -Chocolate Continue reading
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October 8
Ken Warby was born in 1939 — not on October 8; he’s not appearing here because of his birthday. It’s because Warby’s boyhood hero was Donald Campbell. To Donald Campbell, the most important thing was speed records — he set speed records (eight of them) for top speeds in cars and boats. He was following… Continue reading
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Don’t get me wet
Rain is a pain;I do not enjoy damp.Drips on my coatget no OK stamp If it’s raining don’t botherwe don’t need to talk;I’ll just go right on napping;Forget the darn walk. -Chocolate Continue reading
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Don’t be shy
Literature set in England in the 1700s and 1800s is a good place to find exclamations like “You hare-hearted, milk-livered poltroon!” (1769). It was both a generalized insult and a specific reference to being cowardly. It’s such an apt thing to shout at someone that you still find it in modern works like Mutiny on the… Continue reading
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October 7
Railroads are older than you think. That’s because when we think of railroads, we naturally envision a locomotive (diesel, electric, or steam powered) and railcars, all rolling on steel tracks. But what are the really essential parts of the system? Tracks, certainly, along with some kind of containers being conveyed along them in some way. … Continue reading
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Stinky is stinky
Not too long after Izaak Walton wrote a heartfelt guide to fishing in The Compleat Angler in 1653, George Gascoigne penned The Noble Arte of Venerie or Hunting in 1575. Both books were what today we might call how-to guides. Among the handy pointers Gascoigne dispensed was this: “There is difference betweene the fewmet of… 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. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.
Recent Posts
- Dis- or Ab-?
- Thoughtfulness about fake thought
- Drink plenty of liquids
- “Hawkweed?”
- Walked to school in the snow uphill both ways
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