gutenberg_org

gutenberg_org, 23 hours ago (edited 21 hours ago) to mathematics

#OTD in 1936.

Alan Turing submits On Computable Numbers for publication.

His proof shows that there can be no mechanical, general method (i.e., a Turing machine or a program in some equivalent model of computation) to determine whether algorithms halt. However, each individual instance of the halting problem has a definitive answer, which may or may not be practically computable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing%27s_proof

#mathematics #computerscience #lgbtq

gutenberg_org, 23 hours ago to Astronomy

#OTD in 585 BC.

A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher & scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of the Eclipse, leading to a truce.

How exactly Thales predicted the eclipse remains uncertain; some scholars assert the eclipse was never predicted at all. Others have argued for different dates, but only the eclipse of May 585 BC matches the conditions of visibility necessary to explain the historical event.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_of_Thales

#astronomy

gutenberg_org, 23 hours ago to books

"The greater the happiness that nature sets before me, the more I lament that he is not here to taste it: the greater the bliss we might enjoy together, the more I feel our present wretchedness apart."

Helen Graham (Ch. XXV : First Absence) - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848)

~Anne Brönte died #OTD in 1849

#books #literaure #poetry

gutenberg_org, 23 hours ago (edited 21 hours ago) to art

Carl Larsson was born #OTD in 1853.

Carl Larsson's most famous works are those depicting his family and home in Sundborn, Sweden. His watercolors and illustrations, such as those in his books "Ett Hem" (A Home), "Larssons", and "At Solsidan", showcase a unique blend of detailed realism and an idealized, idyllic vision of family life.

Books illustrated or by Carl Larsson at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/42221

#art #paintings

gutenberg_org, 19 hours ago to books

American lexicographer, editor, and author Noah Webster died #OTD in 1843.

His early contributions to education include a series of textbooks known collectively as the "Blue-Backed Speller." His first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, was published in 1806. However, his most significant achievement came with the publication of An American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/139

#books #dictionaries #lexicography

gutenberg_org, 18 hours ago to mathematics

Serbian mathematician, astronomer, climatologist Milutin Milanković was born #OTD in 1879.

He is best known for his theory of climate change (Milankovitch cycles), which explains the long-term cycles in Earth's climate based on changes in its orbit and orientation relative to the Sun. He used his expertise in mathematics to develop detailed models of how these orbital changes influence the distribution of solar radiation on Earth’s surface.

https://web.archive.org/web/20120419011102/http://www.climatedata.info/Forcing/Forcing/milankovitchcycles.html

#climatology #mathematics

gutenberg_org, 23 hours ago to humanrights

Amnesty International was founded in London #OTD in 1961 by the lawyer Peter Benenson.

In what he called "The Forgotten Prisoners" and "An Appeal for Amnesty", which appeared on the front page of the British newspaper The Observer, Benenson wrote about two students who toasted to freedom in Portugal and four other people who had been jailed in other nations because of their beliefs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_International

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1961/may/28/fromthearchive.theguardian

#humanrights