THE MATHEMATICIAN WORE A LARGE AND FLOPPY HAT PART 1
SONJA KOWALESKI’S HAT was intended to keep “her marvelous blue eyes” from distracting Karl Weierstrass, famed 19th-century mathematician, when she approached him as a prospective student. Kowaleski was “twenty, very … Continue reading
TRUST OF SCIENCE WORLDWIDE
THE PEW RESEARCH Center published an extensive study of world perceptions concerning science. Do people trust science? Distrust science? And which people? Educated? Uneducated? Politically to the left? Politically to … Continue reading
CONAN DOYLE (LITERARY AGENT)—MOTORING ENTHUSIAST PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1, we learned details of the 1911 Prince Henry Tour, a German-sponsored automobile competition honoring the coronation of Britain’s George V. Today in Part 2, we identify … Continue reading
CONAN DOYLE (LITERARY AGENT)—MOTORING ENTHUSIAST PART 1
LITERARY AGENT COMMISSIONS paid by Brigadier Etienne Gerard and Dr. John H. Watson got put to good use: Literary agent Sir Arthur Conan Doyle participated in motor sports by taking … Continue reading
THE HABSBURGS—MORE THAN THE JAW PART 2
YESTERDAY WE RECOUNTED origins of the Habsburg’s 1000-year dynasty. Today in Part 2, we learn how nearly two centuries of inbreeding led to its royal downfall, not to say a … Continue reading
THE HABSBURGS—MORE THAN THE JAW PART 1
I KNEW VERY little about the Habsburg royals, other than Emperor Joseph II being Mozart’s Amadeus patron and Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s 1913 assassination precipitating World War I. Mixed fame, I … Continue reading
AUTOMOBILING—BY THE DECADES
IHS MARKIT SPECIALIZES in information and analytics of many categories, including the automobile industry. A recent Automotive News includes a 14-page insert from IHS Markit that identifies key elements in … Continue reading
UP, WITH A TWIST, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, PLEASE
I SAVOR A Bombay Sapphire Martini, up, with a twist, on special occasions, the most recent being the Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates. Coincidentally, The New Yorker recently posted Roger … Continue reading
GP TEAM MANAGEMENT IN DAYS OF YORE
THE CONTROLLED FURY of Grand Prix racing has always been laced with team shenanigans. Here’s an example that occurred in the 1953 Swiss Grand Prix, with striking contrasts as well … Continue reading
RULERS—BEFUDDLED, MAD, AND DRUG-ADDLED
HISTORY IS RIDDLED with rulers who have different rules from the rest of us. Here are several examples, including one about whom it was said, “Do not turn your back … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 