England and the Father of the Modern Olympics

Photo of bust of Baron Pierre de Coubertin at the Museum Colet in Barcelona, Spain courtesy 123rf.com

Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-937) was a French aristocrat, who chose as his occupation the life of an intellectual, became an educator and historian, and wrote on many topics including education, history, literature, and sociology.  He was profoundly impressed by the physical education opportunities in England, and helped to promote and expand them there, but was not successful in convincing France to do the same.  He romanticized Ancient Greece, and also had strong views about physical education and its effect on society.  All these interests, his theories about physical education, and his idealism caused him to want to revive the Olympic Games, to found the International Olympic Committee, and to take an active part in the administration of the beginning of the modern Olympic games.

The Pierre de Coubertin Medal, also known as The True Spirit of Sportsmanship Medal, is considered the highest award given at the modern Olympics, even higher than any gold medal.

There is a statue of him at the Gateway of Dreams in the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.  There is also a statue of him where he was buried in Lausanne, the seat of the foundation of the modern Olympics; but as he desired, his heart was buried in a monument near the Olympia ruins, the site of the Ancient Greek Olympics.

For more information click here. and click here.  What did you learn today?

Women Chariot Racers In The Ancient Olympics

Photo of the Louvre's engraving of "Helena's Return in a quadriga" courtesy 123rf.com

In the Ancient Greek Olympics, rich unmarried women participated in the Chariot Races, which was under the category of Equestrian Events.  There were two-horse and four-horse chariot races.  Since only the rich could afford to participate in these particular events, the prizes were not given to the winners, but were given to the horses instead.  In 396 and 392 B.C. a Spartan princess, Cynisca, won the Chariot Races.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Mouries' Margarine

Photo of margarine on a spoon, where it should stay, courtesy 123rf.com

On this day in 1869 French chemist Hippolyte Mege Mouries (1817-1880) was granted a patent for margarine.  He developed this substitute for butter for a contest sponsored by Napoleon III.  Mouries coined the word margarine from the Greek word marganon, which means pearl, because in his experiments he isolated a substance that looked like pearls.

During the Industrial Revolution people migrated from farms to cities to work, which produced a shortage of butter in France.  So Napolean III sponsored the contest for producing a butter substitute, which Mouries won.

Margarine is vegetable oil or meat fats mixed with milk and salt, and dye to give it the yellow color.  Some people say margarine is better for you than butter.  Some people say butter is better for you than margarine.  I just say, "Please pass the butter."

For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Who Is YOUR Friday Named After?

Photo of Venus and Freya courtesy 123rf.com

I knew that Friday was named after the Norse Goddess Freya, but I didn't know that is not true for all western languages.  In some languages Friday is named after the Greek Goddess Venus.  So, in French Friday is called Vendredi, which I knew since I speak French, but I never questioned the origin.  In Romanian Friday is Vineri.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Sun King Dines Alone With 300 People

Photo of symbol of Louis XIV on the railing of the Louvre courtesy 123rf.com

Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King of France (reigned from 1643-1715), in theory dined alone.  However, it took about 100 people to get him ready for the day after he woke in the morning, and these people were in attendance when he had his beef broth for breakfast.  At 1:00 P.M. he would lunch, again alone in his chamber, but he would simultaneously receive men of the court.  At dinner, again he would dine alone if not entertaining, but it would take about 300 people to arrange, prepare, and serve this meal, so he was never really alone for any meal of his life.  For more information click here and click here.  What did you learn today?

Eiffel Tower 133 Years Old

Photo courtesy 123rf.com

On this day in 1889 the Eiffel Tower officially opened for the Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) held, of course, in Paris.  For more information click here.

Medieval Plague Masks

Photo courtesy 123rf.com

The plague mask was probably designed in the 17th century by the doctor of  Louis XIII, Charles de Lorme.  In the beak was stored perfume and herbs to block what were perceived to be the poisonous vapors associated with the foul air caused by the decomposition of the bodies of Black Plague victims.

Click here or more information in this week's post by The Chirurgeon's Apprentice.

The First Winter Olympics

1987 stamp from Laos depicting the biathlon
Photo courtesy 123rf.com

On this day in 1924, the first Winter Olympics began in Chamonix, France, which is in the French Alps.  The closing date was February 5.  The events were biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, nordic combined, ski jumping, and speed skating.  For more information, videos, and photos from the 1924 games, click here.

My favorite winter sport to participate in is cross country skiing.  What is yours?  (You can leave comments below.)

WHO Helped Fund the American Revolution ?!?!

Photo of oil painting of French author Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-1799) by French artist Jean-Marc Nattier (1685-1766) courtesy Giraudon/Art Resource, New York, via EncyclopediaBritannica.com

I like Mozart's (1756-1791) operas, and think Beaumarchais's plays (from which the libretti for some of Mozart's operas are taken) are fabulous.  What I didn't know is that Beaumarchais "coordinated the initially secret French program to supply the nascent U.S. of A. with money and arms early in the Revolutionary War".  For more information click here.

What operas do you like?  (You may leave comments below.)

Toulouse-Lautrec's Drink: The Earthquake!

Photo of "A Corner in a Dance Hall" painting by Toulouse-Lautrec courtesy AllPaintings.org

One of my favorite artists is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901).  I especially like his crowd scenes.  Whenever I visit the Art Institute of Chicago, the first thing I always do is go to the Impressionists/Post-Impressionists section to see At the Moulin Rouge.  What I didn't know is that Toulouse-Lautrec is credited with creating a drink that became very popular at the time, called Tremblement de Terre or Earthquake, which is half absinthe & half cognac.  In the early 19th century absinthe was believed to cure digestive disorders, and so some thought the drink he created was almost wholesome!  In time, however, some brewers began using lethal solvents in the production of absinthe, which led to the eventual outlawing of absinthe in most of Europe and the United States.

Who is your favorite artist?

The First Photograph of the Moon

The earliest extant photograph of the moon:  Draper, John W., “First Astronomical Photograph - Draper's Moon Daguerreotype,” Greenwich Village History, accessed January 6, 2012, http://aphdigital.org/GVH/items/show/119.

On this day in 1839, French photographer Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1789–1851) took the first photograph of the moon.  This photograph was burned in the March 8, 1839 fire that destroyed Daguerre's laboratory.  The photograph was actually a daguerreotype, an early method of photography named after Louis Daguerre.  During this photographic process a silver-coated copper plate is treated with iodine vapor.  Prior to this invention, pictures of the moon for texts and articles had to be drawn by hand.

My favorite moon photos are those with astronauts walking around, because they make me imagine what that might feel like.  What are your favorite moon photos?

Tonight: Fornax!

Hubble photo of Ultra Deep Field in Fornax Constellation courtesy SOS.NOAA.gov













Photo of the constellation Fornax courtesy Chandra.Harvard.edu

Tonight in the northern hemisphere you may be able to see the three-star constellation Fornax--unfortunately it will be an overcast, rainy night where I live, so I won't be able to see it.

The fornax is a chemical furnace, or combustion furnace, created by French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794).  He named the furnace after Fornax, the Ancient Roman goddess of bread and baking.  French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (1713-1762) created the three-star constellation in 1752, and named it Fornax in honor of his friend, Lavoisier.

Did you see Fornax tonight?  Have you seen it before?  What was it like seeing it tonight?

Earliest Mechanical Calculator

Photo courtesy FreeImagesLive

The earliest attempt at designing a mechanical adding machine was probably by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), according to some of his notes found in 1967 in the National Museum of Spain.  The next two documented attempts were by the German Wilhelm Schickard (1592-1635) in 1623.  The location or existence of the two prototypes are unknown.

In 1642, the 18 year old Frenchman, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), invented the first "arithmetical machine", and subsequently developed it further.  About 50 of these machines still exist.

Mayonnaise

Photo courtesy FreeImagesLive.co.uk

Many people in the U.S. think the best part of Thanksgiving Dinner is the leftover-turkey salad that is made and usually used in sandwiches (for a change, try adding a little ground cumin--yum).  To make the salad you have to first make the mayonnaise from scratch--yes, I'm from The South, that's the 15 southern states in the United States (actually I'm from The Deep South: Alabama, aka "The Heart of Dixie").  If I'm not able to make mayonnaise from scratch (which is Never--I always make my mayo from scratch--I'm from The South, remember), then I would, of course, buy Hellmann's (The South, etc...).  When I lived in California the mayonnaise to buy was Best Foods, which is Hellmann's west of the Rockies.  A lot of people would say just about anything savory can taste better with mayonnaise on it.  I've even added a cup of mayo to a chocolate cake recipe, which made it more moist & delicious.

I've always wondered who developed the mayonnaise recipe, and how did they know--or did they know--that the chemical reaction of slowly dribbling oil into beaten eggs would not produce a drippy, oily mess but a fluffy, white emulsion that makes the tongue happy.

The most widely accepted story begins with the British rule of Port Mahon in 1756.  The French sent the infamous Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, 3rd Duc de Richelieu (1696-1788) to take the port.  During the course of the siege, the French ran short of supplies, but the Duc still wanted to host a banquet.  The Duc's chef decided to try whipping eggs and oil together to serve in place of the seasonings that they did not have, and it was a big hit.  The French won the Battle of  Port Mahon and returned home with, among other things, the new recipe named after the battle and called mayonnaise.

Below is my basic mayonnaise recipe, which is made in a food-processor and can be doubled.  There are endless variations, just try an internet search if you don't believe me.  Try adding a little onion powder to the recipe:  I swear it tastes like fried onion rings, and of course anything savory OR sweet tastes better fried, doesn't matter where you're from.

1 egg
2 egg-yolks
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 & 1/3 cups Wesson vegetable oil

1.  Process eggs for one minute. 
2.  Add salt and juice and process for 30 seconds. 
3.  With processor running, add oil in a very tiny steady stream until all oil is used.

11-12-11, 11:12 A.M., In Harm's Way

Photo courtesy Naval History & Heritage Command

On November 16, 1778, American Navy Captain John Paul Jones (1747-1792) wrote a letter to the French government hoping they would provide for him a ship to use in the Americans' rebellion against the British.  In the letter he stated, "I wish to have no Connection with any Ship that does not Sail fast for I intend to go in harm's way."  His phrase "in harm's way" has most often been used to refer to people in the military who are sent "in harm's way" during wartime.

For more information, in addition to the above links, see the websites of the U.S.S. John Paul Jones and The Top 10 Quotes About & By the U.S. Marines.