Friday, 5 September 2014
Bloodletting, Bone Brushes, and Tooth Keys: White-Knuckle Adventures in Early Dentistry. “Dentures were often referred to as ‘Waterloo Teeth’ after those ripped from the bodies of dead soldiers."
Tomorrow is the 257th anniversary of the birth of the Marquis de Lafayette - some quotes, video and history.
How Movies Synchronize the Brains of an Audience.
ICYMI, Wednesday's links are here, including photos of LA when it was an oil field, the oak bucket challenge that 2,000 people died for, and some excellent royal epithets including (but not limited to) Fruela the Leprous, Alfonso the Slobberer and Wilfred the Hairy.
I read, I study, I examine, I listen, I reflect, and out of all of this I try to form an idea into which I put as much common sense as I can.
~Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (letter to his father-in-law, the Duc d'Ayan, 4 December 1776)
I am not strong enough even to get beaten.
~Lafayette (letter to Washington, 1781)
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| Lafayette as a Lieutenant General, in 1791. Portrait by Joseph-Désiré Court |
Humanity has won its battle. Liberty now has a country.
~Lafayette (variously attributed, after Yorktown)
I would never have drawn my sword in the cause of America if I could have conceived thereby that I was founding a land of slavery.
~Lafayette (to Washington, urging him to free his slaves)
When the government violates the people's rights, insurrection is, for the people and for each portion of the people, the most sacred of the rights and the most indispensable of duties.
~Lafayette (speech to the Constituent Assembly, Paris, 20 February 1790)
He devoted himself, his life, his fortune, his hereditary honors, his towering ambition, his splendid hopes, all to the cause of liberty. He came to another hemisphere to defend her. He became one of the most effective champions of our Independence; but, that once achieved, he returned to his own country, and thenceforward took no part in the controversies which have divided us.
~John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) (of Lafayette, address to the U.S. Congress, 31 December 1834)
Tomorrow is the 257th anniversary of the birth of French patriot Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (wiki) (1757-1834), who fought in both the American and French revolutions. Born Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier to a noble family of the Auvergne, Lafayette entered the French army, but inspired by the ideals of American fight for independence from Britain, he decamped to America and offered his services to the Continental Congress. He became a close friend of George Washington and served the Americans - without pay - as both a general and a diplomat.
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| John Ward Dunsmore's depiction of Lafayette (right) and Washington at Valley Forge |
Early in the Revolution, he participated in the battles of Brandywine and Monmouth and in the expeditions against Canada and Rhode Island. Later, he was given responsibility for the defense of Virginia and played a prominent role at Yorktown. Returning to France, Lafayette became involved in the French Revolution - eventually commanding the National Guard - until during the Terror he fell out of favor with the Jacobins, who ordered his arrest. Fleeing France in 1792, Lafayette spent the next five years as a political prisoner in Austria and Prussia. Napoleon allowed him to return in France in 1799, and although he lived in retirement during the First Empire, he became active again in French and European politics after the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. Recognizing the debt owed to Lafayette during the American Revolution, an American officer, Charles E. Stanton, remarked famously while placing a wreath at his tomb in Paris on 4 July 1917, Lafayette, nous voilà!
This 9 minute video entitled Lafayette: Champion of Liberty is a Strange as it Seems short film - part of a series of produced by Universal in the 1930's.
Taken from Ed's Quotation of the Day, only available via email. If you wish to be added to his list, leave your email address in the comments.
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
A bit of IBM history: "For thirty-seven years," reads the opening passage in the book, "the gatherings and conventions of our IBM workers have expressed in happy songs the fine spirit of loyal cooperation and good fellowship which has promoted the signal success of our great IBM Corporation in its truly International Service for the betterment of business and benefit to mankind."
TO THOS. J. WATSON, PRESIDENT, I. B. M. OUR INSPIRATION
Tune: "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean"
Thomas Watson is our inspiration,
Head and soul of our splendid IBM.
We are pledged to him throughout all nations,
He’s our President and most beloved man.
His great wisdom has guided each division
In such service to all humanity
That we all unite to make this one decision,
None can match him or our worldwide company.
Chorus
T. J. Watson, we all honor you,
You’re so big and so square and so true,
We will follow and serve with you forever,
All the world shall know what I. B. M. can do.
OTTO E. BRAITMAYER, VICE-PRESIDENT I. B. M.
OTTO E. BRAITMAYER, VICE-PRESIDENT I. B. M.
Tune: "Tipperary"
We adore you, Otto Braitmayer
Our great pioneer,
You’re a wise and able leader.
And you always are sincere.
You’re our President’s right bower-
Our Manufacturing Guiding Star,
I. B. M. will honor you forever
I. B. M. will honor you forever
Vice-President Braitmayer.
OUR I. B. M. SALESMEN
OUR I. B. M. SALESMEN
Tune: "Jingle Bells"
I. B. M., Happy men, smiling all the way.
Oh what fun it is to sell our products night and day.
I. B. M., Watson men, partners of T. J.
In his service to mankind-that’s why we are so gay.
More at Retronaut, Ars Technica, Business Insider and the links above.
I've pasted a few pages below, but the full version of the 1937 songbook is available as a PDF here and a plain text version of the the 1935 songbook is here - I haven't compared them but assume that they're largely (if not entirely) identical. There's a .wav version of the official IBM theme song, Ever Onward, here and more music clips here.
As an aside, my mom worked as a secretary for Tom Watson Sr. at IBM during WWII while they were making munitions - once the war was over all of the women were fired to make jobs available for the returning "boys".
Forget Catherine the Great and Ivan the Terrible - here are Fruela the Leprous, Alfonso the Slobberer and Wilfred the Hairy.
Everything you ever wanted to know about Over the Rainbow.
The Oak Bucket Challenge That 2,000 People Died For.
Photos: When Los Angeles was an Oil Field.
Is It True That a T-Rex Couldn’t See You If You Didn’t Move?
How to Listen to the Radio: The BBC’s 1930 Manual for Using a New Technology.
ICYMI, Friday's links are here and include (without limitation) Skynet self-awareness, Amazon customer service chat between Thor and Odin, and the dark side of fairy tales.
Everything you ever wanted to know about Over the Rainbow.
The Oak Bucket Challenge That 2,000 People Died For.
Photos: When Los Angeles was an Oil Field.
Is It True That a T-Rex Couldn’t See You If You Didn’t Move?
How to Listen to the Radio: The BBC’s 1930 Manual for Using a New Technology.
ICYMI, Friday's links are here and include (without limitation) Skynet self-awareness, Amazon customer service chat between Thor and Odin, and the dark side of fairy tales.
Tuesday, 2 September 2014
In the 1890s, the small town of Los Angeles (population 50,000) began a transformation driven by the discovery and drilling of some of the most productive oil fields in history. By 1930, California was producing nearly one quarter of the world's oil output.
Additional (and larger) pictures at The Atlantic.
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| A forest of oil derricks sprouts up on the Signal Hill oil field, Long Beach, California, in 1937. |
In the decades that followed, many wells closed, but even more opened, surrounded by urban and suburban growth. Machinery was camouflaged, loud noises were abated, methane pockets were vented, as residents learned to live side-by-side with oil production facilities.
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| Oil wells in Venice, California, bringing oil up from beach area in 1952. |
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| An oil well pumps in a newly constructed neighborhood near Shell Oil Company Alamitos No. 1 discovery well on Signal Hill in Long Beach on May 30, 2003. |
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| Oil rig pumpjacks extract crude from the Wilmington Field oil deposits area where Tidelands Oil Production Company, which is owned by Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Oxy), operates near Long Beach, California, on July 30, 2013 |
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| A decorated oil derrick looms over Beverly Hills High School, background, and the derrick's service compound in this view from the southwest on February 25, 2003. |
These royal epithets are nicknames used to encapsulate a leader’s personality or appearance, or to sum up the events or legacy of their time in power. Frequently, as you can see, they're not particularly flattering.
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This guy, King Oskar of Sweden, is not on this list but is funny-looking enough that maybe he should be. |
ALEXANDER THE POTBELLY was Prince of Suzdal, in western Russia, from 1414-17. Other holders of the same title included “George Longarm,” and “John the Strongbow.”
ALFONSO THE SLOBBERER was King of Galicia from 1188-1230. He apparently earned his nickname because he foamed at the mouth when enraged.
BERENGUER-RAMON THE FRATRICIDE was an 11th century Count of Barcelona who earned his unappealing nickname when rumors began to circulate that he had been involved in his twin brother’s death in a hunting accident in 1082.
BERNARD THE HAIRY-FOOTED was a 9th century Count of Auvergne. If not a genuine reference to his feet, his nickname might instead have been inspired by some family crest or emblem.
BOLKO THE STRICT was a 13th century Prince of Germany. His father was Bolesław the Bald, and his brother was Bernard the Lightsome.
BROCHWEL THE FANGED, or Brochwel Ysgrithrog, was a 6th century ruler of Powys in central Wales. His epithet ysgrithog means “fanged” or “tusked,” and probably refers either to his large or prominent teeth, or to his aggressive, short-tempered personality.
BURMUDO THE GOUTY, King of Léon from 984-999, suffered from such a bad case of gout towards the end of his life that he couldn’t ride his horse and had to be carried everywhere by his courtiers.
ALFONSO THE SLOBBERER was King of Galicia from 1188-1230. He apparently earned his nickname because he foamed at the mouth when enraged.
BERENGUER-RAMON THE FRATRICIDE was an 11th century Count of Barcelona who earned his unappealing nickname when rumors began to circulate that he had been involved in his twin brother’s death in a hunting accident in 1082.
BERNARD THE HAIRY-FOOTED was a 9th century Count of Auvergne. If not a genuine reference to his feet, his nickname might instead have been inspired by some family crest or emblem.
BOLKO THE STRICT was a 13th century Prince of Germany. His father was Bolesław the Bald, and his brother was Bernard the Lightsome.
BROCHWEL THE FANGED, or Brochwel Ysgrithrog, was a 6th century ruler of Powys in central Wales. His epithet ysgrithog means “fanged” or “tusked,” and probably refers either to his large or prominent teeth, or to his aggressive, short-tempered personality.
BURMUDO THE GOUTY, King of Léon from 984-999, suffered from such a bad case of gout towards the end of his life that he couldn’t ride his horse and had to be carried everywhere by his courtiers.
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| Charles II is not, for some reason, known as Charlie the Big-Nose |
CHILDERIC THE IDIOT was King of the Franks from 743-751. No one is quite sure what he did to earn the epithet “the Idiot,” but seeing as he ended his reign by being deposed and consigned to a monastery, it may be nothing more than an attempt by his successors to tarnish his name.
CONSTANTINE THE DUNG-NAMED was the nickname of Constantine V, the Byzantine Emperor from 741-55. The Latin epithet Copronymus, “dung-named,” was unsurprisingly bestowed on him by his many enemies.
DOMNALL THE SPECKLED was the freckle-faced ruler of Argyll in Scotland from 629-42. He’s also a distant ancestor of Kate Middleton.
FERDINAND THE BOMB was King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, who ruled from 1830-59. He earned the Italian epithet re bomba, “The Bomb King,” when he ordered the shelling of a Sicilian town believed to be a stronghold of antimonarchist separatists, despite its large civilian population, in 1848.
FREDERICK THE BITTEN was apparently bitten on the cheek by his mother when he was just a baby. He served as Margrave (a medieval title equivalent to marquis) of Meissen in Germany from 1291-1323.
FRUELA THE LEPROUS was king of Asturias in northern Spain from 910 until his death from leprosy in 925.
GARCÍA THE TREMBLER, García Sánchez II, was king of Pamplona in Spain from 994-1004. According to one account, “though a man of tried courage, he never prepared for battle without visibly trembling from head to foot.”
HALFDAN THE BAD ENTERTAINER, also known as King Halfdan the Mild, was the son of Eystein the Fart. His nickname apparently refers to his habit of paying his soldiers generously, but providing them with little food or entertainment.
HARALD THE LOUSY ruled Norway as King Harald I for almost 50 years from 872-930. He is better known as “Harald Fairhair,” but is also referred to as “Harald Tanglehair” and “Harald the Shockhead.”
HENRY THE IMPOTENT was king of Castile from 1454-74. His nickname probably refers to his disastrously ineffectual reign, although some accounts have since suggested that Henry was genuinely impotent, if not secretly homosexual.
IVAYLO THE CABBAGE, also known as “Ivaylo the Swineherd,” was a Bulgarian farmer who led a peasants’ revolt in the late 13th century and proclaimed himself Emperor of Bulgaria in 1278. He was overthrown the following year and assassinated.
IVAR THE BONELESS was a 9th century Viking leader. Although some accounts claim his nickname was a reference to impotence, a more likely theory is that he was an incredibly swift fighter and was able to move quickly and effortlessly in battle.
LOUIS THE STAMMERER was King Louis II of France, the great-great-grandfather of Louis the Good-for-Nothing. He reigned for just two years from 877-879.
CONSTANTINE THE DUNG-NAMED was the nickname of Constantine V, the Byzantine Emperor from 741-55. The Latin epithet Copronymus, “dung-named,” was unsurprisingly bestowed on him by his many enemies.
DOMNALL THE SPECKLED was the freckle-faced ruler of Argyll in Scotland from 629-42. He’s also a distant ancestor of Kate Middleton.
FERDINAND THE BOMB was King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, who ruled from 1830-59. He earned the Italian epithet re bomba, “The Bomb King,” when he ordered the shelling of a Sicilian town believed to be a stronghold of antimonarchist separatists, despite its large civilian population, in 1848.
FREDERICK THE BITTEN was apparently bitten on the cheek by his mother when he was just a baby. He served as Margrave (a medieval title equivalent to marquis) of Meissen in Germany from 1291-1323.
FRUELA THE LEPROUS was king of Asturias in northern Spain from 910 until his death from leprosy in 925.
GARCÍA THE TREMBLER, García Sánchez II, was king of Pamplona in Spain from 994-1004. According to one account, “though a man of tried courage, he never prepared for battle without visibly trembling from head to foot.”
HALFDAN THE BAD ENTERTAINER, also known as King Halfdan the Mild, was the son of Eystein the Fart. His nickname apparently refers to his habit of paying his soldiers generously, but providing them with little food or entertainment.
HARALD THE LOUSY ruled Norway as King Harald I for almost 50 years from 872-930. He is better known as “Harald Fairhair,” but is also referred to as “Harald Tanglehair” and “Harald the Shockhead.”
HENRY THE IMPOTENT was king of Castile from 1454-74. His nickname probably refers to his disastrously ineffectual reign, although some accounts have since suggested that Henry was genuinely impotent, if not secretly homosexual.
IVAYLO THE CABBAGE, also known as “Ivaylo the Swineherd,” was a Bulgarian farmer who led a peasants’ revolt in the late 13th century and proclaimed himself Emperor of Bulgaria in 1278. He was overthrown the following year and assassinated.
IVAR THE BONELESS was a 9th century Viking leader. Although some accounts claim his nickname was a reference to impotence, a more likely theory is that he was an incredibly swift fighter and was able to move quickly and effortlessly in battle.
LOUIS THE STAMMERER was King Louis II of France, the great-great-grandfather of Louis the Good-for-Nothing. He reigned for just two years from 877-879.
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| Caption contest! Leave your "Obama the _____" suggestions in the comments. |
MANUEL THE SAUSAGE-MAKER was Count Manuel Francisco Domingo Godoy, Prime Minister of Spain from 1792-1797 and 1801-1809. Born in an area of central Spain known for producing sausages, Godoy’s epithet is probably also a crude reference to his long-term affair with the Spanish Queen, Maria Luisa.
PIERO THE UNFORTUNATE was ruler of Florence for two years from 1492-1494. Abandoning an alliance with France in favor of one with Naples, Piero lost control of the city when the French invaded, then was ousted from power when the people revolted and plundered the Medici Palace. As if that weren’t unfortunate enough, he eventually drowned crossing a river while fleeing from a battle in 1503.
VASILY THE CROSS-EYED was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1434 until he was overthrown the following year by an alliance of forces loyal to his brother Dmitry and his cousin, Vasily II. He was subsequently blinded and banished from the Kremlin.
WILFRED THE HAIRY was a 9th century Catalan nobleman and Count of Barcelona. According one medieval description of him, Wilfred was “hairy in places not normally so in men.”
PIERO THE UNFORTUNATE was ruler of Florence for two years from 1492-1494. Abandoning an alliance with France in favor of one with Naples, Piero lost control of the city when the French invaded, then was ousted from power when the people revolted and plundered the Medici Palace. As if that weren’t unfortunate enough, he eventually drowned crossing a river while fleeing from a battle in 1503.
VASILY THE CROSS-EYED was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1434 until he was overthrown the following year by an alliance of forces loyal to his brother Dmitry and his cousin, Vasily II. He was subsequently blinded and banished from the Kremlin.
WILFRED THE HAIRY was a 9th century Catalan nobleman and Count of Barcelona. According one medieval description of him, Wilfred was “hairy in places not normally so in men.”
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