gutenberg_org

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
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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, 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 (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

#OTD in 1923.

Dorothy L. Sayers' fictional English detective and bibliophile, Lord Peter Wimsey, makes his first appearance in the novel Whose Body?, published by Boni & Liveright in the United States. The first U.K. edition follows in October from T. Fisher Unwin.

Whose Body? at Project Gutenberg:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/58820

#books #literature

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, 5 days ago to books

#OTD in 1905

The first stage performance in England of Oscar Wilde's tragedy Salome (the original version having been banned in 1892) takes place privately at the New Stage Club of the Bijou Theatre, London, with Millicent Murby in the title role, directed by Florence Farr.

The first production was in Paris in 1896. Because the play depicted biblical characters it was banned in Britain and was not performed publicly there until 1931.

Salomé at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42704

#books #theatre

Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley for the first English edition of the play (1894)

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

American author Samuel Griswold Goodrich (aka Peter Parley) died #OTD in 1860.

In 1828, Goodrich created the character of Peter Parley, a gentle old man who narrated tales of history, geography, and science for children. Some of his most notable works include titles such as "Peter Parley's Tales About America and Australia" (1827) and "Peter Parley's Universal History" (1837).

Books by Samuel Griswold Goodrich at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4027

#books #literature

Cover of Famous Men of Ancient Times by Samuel G. Goodrich. "Famous Men of Ancient Times" is a classic historical work authored by Samuel Griswold Goodrich, who is better known by his pseudonym, Peter Parley. Published in 1843, the book aims to provide young readers with accessible and engaging biographies of significant figures from ancient history. Goodrich was a prolific 19th-century American author, particularly famous for his children’s books and educational materials, and his works often combined instructive purpose with engaging narrative. In "Famous Men of Ancient Times," Goodrich presents the lives and achievements of several key figures from antiquity, helping to popularize historical and biographical knowledge among the American youth of his time.

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 1921.

The première of Luigi Pirandello's Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore at the Teatro Valle in Rome divides the audience.

An absurdist metatheatric play about the relationship among authors, their characters, and theatre practitioners, it premiered at the Teatro Valle in Rome to a mixed reception, with shouts from the audience of "Manicomio!" and "Incommensurabile!", a reaction to the play's illogical progression.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18457

#books #literature #theatre

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

gutenberg_org, 6 days ago to books

American author Augusta Jane Evans Wilson was born #OTD in 1835.

Her literary career began early; she published her first novel, "Inez: A Tale of the Alamo," in 1855 when she was only 20 years old. Wilson's most famous novel, "St. Elmo," published in 1866. Her other significant works include "Beulah", and "Macaria", a novel that was banned in the North during the Civil War for its Confederate sympathies.

Books by Augusta Jane Evans at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1399

#books #literature

Macaria by Augusta J. Evans AUTHOR OF "BEULAH," "ST. ELMO," "INFELICE," ETC., ETC. WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED LONDON AND MELBOURNE 1921

gutenberg_org, 6 days ago to books

Scottish Playwright & Novelist J.M. Barrie was born #OTD in 1860.

His early works were modestly successful, including novels such as "Auld Licht Idylls" & "A Window in Thrums". His famous Peter Pan character first appeared in a section of "The Little White Bird", a novel for adults. This was expanded into the stage play "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," which premiered in London in 1904 & was an immediate hit.

Books by J.M. Barrie at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/10

#books #literature

Frintispiece of Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie. Illustrated by F.D. Bedford an published by Charles Scribner's & Sons

gutenberg_org, 6 days ago to books

German Poet, Playwright, Historian Friedrich Schiller died #OTD in 1805.

Initially intended for the priesthood, in 1773 he entered a military academy in Stuttgart and ended up studying medicine. His first play, The Robbers, was written at this time and proved very successful. His major plays include "Don Carlos", and the Wallenstein trilogy, which delves into the tumultuous period of the Thirty Years' War.

Books by Friedrich Schiller at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/289

#books #literature #theatre

gutenberg_org, 7 days ago to books

American writer, literary critic and journalist Edmund Wilson was born #OTD in 1895.

Over his career, he contributed to numerous periodicals and his essays and reviews are often credited with influencing public and scholarly opinion on many subjects. Wilson was the author of more than twenty books, including Axel's Castle, Patriotic Gore, and Memoirs of Hecate County. He was a friend F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and John Dos Passos.

#books #literature #literarycriticism