gutenberg_org

gutenberg_org, 6 hours ago to books

"If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain."
Life, p. 6 - Collected Poems (1993)

American lyric poet Emily Dickinson died #OTD in 1888. Although she wrote 1789 poems, only a few of them were published in her lifetime, all anonymously, and some perhaps without her knowledge.

Emily Dickinson at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/996

#books #literature #poetry

Cover of the first edition of Poems, published in 1890

gutenberg_org, 4 hours ago to books

Dutch poet, literary critic, & essayist Albert Verwey was born #OTD in 1865.

Verwey was a central figure in the Dutch literary movement known as the Tachtigers, which sought to revolutionize Dutch poetry by emphasizing individualism, emotion, and innovative language and form. The Tachtigers rejected the conventional poetic styles & themes of their time, advocating for a more personal and introspective approach to poetry.

Books by Albert Verwey at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/38843

#books #literature

Cover of Holland en de oorlog by Albert Verwey

gutenberg_org, 6 hours ago to science

#OTD in 1618.

Johannes Kepler confirms his previously rejected discovery of the third law of planetary motion (he first discovered it on March 8 but soon rejected the idea after some initial calculations were made).

The elliptical orbits of planets were indicated by calculations of the orbit of Mars. The third law expresses that the farther a planet is from the Sun, the slower its orbital speed, and vice versa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler%27s_laws_of_planetary_motion

#science #astronomy

gutenberg_org, 6 hours ago to books

Scottish astronomer Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming was born #OTD in 1857.

Fleming's most significant contributions came in the field of stellar classification. She developed a system for classifying stars based on their spectra, which became known as the Harvard Classification Scheme. In 1890, she published the first catalog of stellar spectra, which contained over 10,000 stars classified according to her system.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_classification#Harvard_spectral_classification

#books #astronomy #womeninscience

Harvard Computers working in a room in the new brick building, built in 1892. According to the information of a calendar shown in the image, this photo taken in March 1898. Williamina Fleming is standing. Immediatly in front of her are Evelyn Leland (back row center) and Ida E. Woods to the right. The rest are unknown, but the woman closest to the camera could be Annie Jump Cannon. This description is based on http://heawww.harvard.edu/~fine/Observatory/eleland.html#ComputersBrickBuilding Photo credit: UAV 630.271 (E4116), olvwork432388. Harvard University Archives.

gutenberg_org, 1 day ago to art

German composer and pianist Fanny Mendelssohn died #OTD in 1847.

Among Fanny´s most celebrated works are her piano compositions, including "Das Jahr", and her collection of songs, which are noted for their sensitivity and intimacy. Despite facing challenges as a female composer, Fanny's musical talents were widely recognized within her family circle, and she played a significant role in shaping her brother Felix's musical development.

https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Fanny_Hensel

#art #music

Beginning of April from the sutie 'Das Jahr', music by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, artwork by Wilhelm Hensel.
Fanny Hensel: January, composition from the piano cycle The Year, autograph with a vignette of her husband Wilhelm Hensel, written after the trip to Italy in 1839/40

gutenberg_org, 1 day ago to books

#OTD in 1925.

Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs Dalloway is published by the Hogarth Press in Bloomsbury, London.

The working title of Mrs Dalloway was The Hours. The novel originated from 2 short stories, "Mrs Dalloway in Bond Street" & the unfinished "The Prime Minister". In autumn 1922, Woolf began to think of the "Mrs. Dalloway" short story as the first chapter of her new novel, and she completed the manuscript in late autumn 1924.

Mrs. Dalloway at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/71865

#books #literature

gutenberg_org, 1 day ago to books

French illustrator, etcher, lithographer, caricaturist, and novelist Albert Robida was born #OTD in 1848.

One of Robida's most significant contributions to literature and art was his pioneering work in the genre of science fiction. He was a visionary artist who imagined futuristic worlds filled with advanced technology, air travel, space exploration, and other innovations that were ahead of his time.

Books by Albert Robida at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1043

#books #literature #illustration

gutenberg_org, 2 days ago to books

Brazilian novelist & journalist Lima Barreto was born #OTD in 1881.

His literary career began in the early 20th century, and he is best known for novels such as "Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma" - a bitter satire of the first years of the República Velha in Brazil, was published in 1911. Despite facing difficulties & setbacks during his lifetime (alcoholism and mental health issues), he continued to write until his death.

Books by Lima Barreto at PG
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Lima+Barreto&submit_search=Go%21

#books #literature

Cover page of Triste Fim de Polycarpo Quaresma by Lima Barreto

gutenberg_org, 2 days ago to books

French poet, dramatist, and novelist Jean Aicard died #OTD in 1921.

He was associated with the Parnassian movement, which emphasized formalism, craftsmanship, and the use of classical mythology and historical themes in poetry. He was also a prolific playwright and novelist. One of Aicard's most famous works is the novel "Le Roi de Camargue" (The King of Camargue), was published in 1872.

Books by Jean Aicard at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/6209

#books #literature #poetry #theatre

Book cover of Maurin des Maures by Jean Aicard

gutenberg_org, 2 days ago to books

Medical doctor Ronald Ross was born #OTD in 1857.

In 1897, Ross made a significant breakthrough when he discovered that malaria parasites were transmitted by mosquitoes. He found malaria parasites in the stomach tissue of a mosquito and demonstrated their life cycle in the insect. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1902, becoming the first British Nobel laureate in Medicine.

Books by Ronald Ross at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/44647

#books #physiology #medicine

The page in Ross' notebook where he recorded the "pigmented bodies" in mosquitoes that he later identified as malaria parasites.

gutenberg_org, 2 days ago to art

"I have made a great discovery. I no longer believe in
anything. Objects don't exist for me except in so far as a rapport
exists between them or between them and myself. When one attains this
harmony, one reaches a sort of intellectual non-existence — what I can
only describe as a sense of peace, which makes everything possible and
right. Life then becomes a perpetual revelation. That is true poetry."

~Georges Braque was born #OTD in 1882.

#art #painting #cubism

gutenberg_org, 3 days ago to books

English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing Florence Nightingale was born #OTD in 1820.

Nightingale became famous for her work as a nurse during the Crimean War (1853–1856). Beyond her work in the Crimean War, Nightingale was a prolific writer and statistician. She used statistical methods to analyze and present data on healthcare and public health, making significant contributions to the field of medical statistics.

#books #statistics

"Diagram of the causes of mortality in the army in the East" by Florence Nightingale. Example of polar area diagram by Florence Nightingale (1820–1910). This "Diagram of the causes of mortality in the army in the East" was published in Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency, and Hospital Administration of the British Army and sent to Queen Victoria in 1858. This graphic indicates the annual rate of mortality per 1,000 in each month that occurred from preventable diseases (in blue), those that were the results of wounds (in red), and those due to other causes (in black). The legend reads: The Areas of the blue, red, & black wedges are each measured from the centre as the common vertex. The blue wedges measured from the centre of the circle represent area for area the deaths from Preventable or Mitigable Zymotic diseases, the red wedges measured from the centre the deaths from wounds, & the black wedges measured from the centre the deaths from all other causes. The black line across the red triangle in Nov. 1854 marks the boundary of the deaths from all other causes during the month. In October 1854, & April 1855, the black area coincides with the red, in January & February 1856, the blue coincides with the black. The entire areas may be compared by following the blue, the red, & the black lines enclosing them.

gutenberg_org, 3 days ago to science

English chemist Dorothy Hodgkin was born #OTD in 1910.

Among her most influential discoveries are the confirmation of the structure of penicillin as previously surmised by Edward Abraham and Ernst Boris Chain; and mapping the structure of vitamin B12, for which in 1964 she became the third woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Hodgkin also elucidated the structure of insulin in 1969 after 35 years of work.

#science #chemistry #womeninscience

gutenberg_org, 3 days ago to books

American educator Catharine Beecher died #OTD in 1878.

One of Beecher's most influential works was "A Treatise on Domestic Economy" (1841), which became a widely used textbook on household management and domestic skills. In this book, Beecher argued that women's education should include practical instruction in areas such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare, in addition to more traditional academic subjects.

Books by Catharine Beecher at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/2109

#books #literature

Title: A Treatise on Domestic Economy; For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School Author: Catharine Esther Beecher Release date: June 14, 2007 [eBook #21829] Language: English Original publication: New-York: Harper & Brothers, 82 Cliff Street, 1845

gutenberg_org, 3 days ago to books

English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright John Dryden died #OTD in 1700.

Dryden was one of the most influential literary figures of his time and is often referred to as the "Father of English Criticism." As a poet, Dryden's works ranged from satires and political verse to heroic couplets and translations. He was also a prolific playwright, producing numerous comedies, tragedies, and heroic dramas.

Books by John Dryden at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/807

#books #literature #poetry

The title page of The Hind and the Panther John Dryden - https://archive.org/details/hindandpanther00dryduoft

gutenberg_org, 4 days ago (edited 4 days ago) to books

American physicist Richard Feynman was born #OTD in 1918.

He developed the Feynman diagrams, a pictorial representation of the mathematical expressions governing the behavior of subatomic particles, which provided a powerful tool for calculating complex interactions among particles. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 jointly with Julian Schwinger and Shin'ichirō Tomonaga for their fundamental contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics (QED).

#books #physics
1/3

gutenberg_org, 4 days ago (edited 4 days ago) to books

#OTD in 1926.

C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien first meet in Oxford.

Both men served on the English faculty at Oxford University and were active in the informal Oxford literary group known as the Inklings. The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who praised the value of narrative in fiction and encouraged the writing of fantasy.

C.S. Lewis at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/782

J.R.R. Tolkien at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/42379

#books #literature

gutenberg_org, 4 days ago to books

German nobleman Hieronymus Karl Friedrich von Münchhausen was born #OTD in 1720.

Münchhausen's stories gained widespread popularity, and they were collected and published by various authors over the years. The most famous collection is attributed to Rudolf Erich Raspe, who published "Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia" in 1785.

Books by Rudolph Erich Raspe at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1120

#books #literature

The Baron retrieved from the whale, illustrated by Gustave Doré. Illustrations of Baron von Münchhausen by Gustave Doré

gutenberg_org, 4 days ago to science

American astronomer Walter Sydney Adams died #OTD in 1956.

One of Adams' most notable achievements was his collaboration with the astronomer Theodore Dunham, Jr., in the early 20th century. Together, they developed a method for measuring the radial velocities of stars using spectroscopy, which involves analyzing the light emitted or absorbed by celestial objects. This method allowed them to determine the speed at which stars were moving toward or away from Earth.

#science #astronomy

gutenberg_org, 4 days ago to books

American realist novelist, literary critic, & playwright William Dean Howells died #OTD in 1920.

He is often referred to as "The Dean of American Letters." He became the assistant editor of The Atlantic Monthly in 1866 and later served as its editor-in-chief from 1871 to 1881. As an editor, he was instrumental in promoting the works of many prominent American authors, including Mark Twain, Henry James, and Emily Dickinson.

William Dean Howells at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/97

#books #literature

Cover page of Stories Of Ohio by William Dean Howells.

gutenberg_org, 5 days ago to art

Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker Hokusai died #OTD in 1849.

The Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji are noteworthy not only for their beauty and technical prowess but also for the cultural significance of Mount Fuji in Japan. Hokusai's innovative use of the then-new Prussian blue pigment helped to popularize his prints during his lifetime and influenced not only Japanese art but also Western artists like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.

#art #painting

Kajikazawa in Kai Province, from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Chōshi in Shimosha, from Oceans of Wisdom

gutenberg_org, 5 days ago (edited 5 days ago) to books

British astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was born #OTD in 1900.

In 1925 she proposed that stars were composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Her groundbreaking conclusion was initially rejected, because it contradicted the science of the time, which held that no significant elemental differences distinguished the Sun and Earth. Independent observations eventually proved that she was correct.

Books by Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin are coming soon at PG.

#books #astrophysics

gutenberg_org, 6 days ago to books

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of.

Over 1,000 years before the internet and smartphone apps, Persian scientist and polymath Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī invented the concept of algorithms.

By Debbie Passey. via @ConversationUK

https://theconversation.com/why-are-algorithms-called-algorithms-a-brief-history-of-the-persian-polymath-youve-likely-never-heard-of-229286

#books #mathematics #algorithm

gutenberg_org, 6 days ago to books

Polish Physicist Albert A. Michelson died #OTD in 1931

His most famous experiment - Michelson-Morley experiment, was conducted in 1887 in collaboration with Edward Morley. Their experiment for the expected motion of the Earth relative to the æther, the hypothetical medium in which light was supposed to travel, resulted in a null result. Their results leaded H. Lorentz to devise his Lorentz contraction equations as a means of explaining the null result.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4093

#books #science

This diagram illustrates the folded light path used in the Michelson–Morley interferometer that enabled a path length of 11 m. a is the light source, an oil lamp. b is a beam splitter. c is a compensating plate so that both the reflected and transmitted beams travel through the same amount of glass (important since experiments were run with white light which has an extremely short coherence length requiring precise matching of optical path lengths for fringes to be visible; monochromatic sodium light was used only for initial alignment). d, d' and e are mirrors. e' is a fine adjustment mirror. f is a telescope. Albert Abraham Michelson (1852 – 1931) with Edward Morley (1838 - 1923) - aip.org Fig. 4 from "On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Ether".

gutenberg_org, 6 days ago to books

#OTD in 1923.

The première of Bertolt Brecht's play In the Jungle of Cities (Im Dickicht der Städte) at the Residenz Theatre in Munich is disrupted by Nazi demonstrators, hooting, whistling and throwing stink bombs at the actors on the stage.

This production was directed by Erich Engel, with set design by Caspar Neher. The cast included Otto Wernicke as Shlink the lumber dealer, Erwin Faber as George Garga, and Maria Koppenhöfer as his sister Mary.

#books #literature #theatre