Wiki date meme

[altariel]

Go to Wikipedia, enter in your birthdate (sans year), post three events, two births and one death.

OK then...

Events
I'm having five, because I liked all these.

1605 - The controversial play Eastward Hoe by Ben Jonson, George Chapman, and John Marston is performed, landing two of the authors in prison.
1607 - Bank of Genoa fails after announcement of national bankruptcy in Spain.
1625 - John Milton, 16, is admitted to Christ's College, Cambridge.
1854 - The accordion is patented by Anthony Faas.
1938 - Church of England accepts theory of evolution.

Births
1926 - Michael Bond, British writer
1926 - Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, American feminist author (d. 2003)

Deaths
1941 - James Joyce, Irish writer (b. 1882)

Comments

[matildabj.livejournal.com]

1938 - Church of England accepts theory of evolution.

This is fascinating for so many reasons. I had no idea the C of E had ever officially accepted the theory of evolution, or even that they'd feel it necessary to do so.

There you go, you learn something new every day.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

From what I dimly recall of my history degree, there was a huge amount of debate pitting bishops against biologists after the publication of The Origin of the Species (see here, from the Wikipedia bio of T.H. Huxley).

[altariel.livejournal.com]

This might be of interest too.

[matildabj.livejournal.com]

Interesting links! Thank you. The problem with Wikipedia is that you just can't stop at one article, there's all those links to other articles, you end up getting deeper in than you intended.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

It's fatal, isn't it?

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I believe that Michael Bond lives in the same village as me, though AFAIK I've never met him.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

He'll be the one with the honey emporium.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

What a fascinating idea. I found that my birthdate has a Milton-related event, too (day he sold the copyright for Paradise Lost).

1854 - The accordion is patented by Anthony Faas.

And would I ever love to have access to his thought processes...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

And would I ever love to have access to his thought processes...

:-D I wonder what he was trying to invent.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

I wonder what he was trying to invent.

He was trying to design a new easy hand-pump bellows, when he fell into a piano?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Ow, sides hurt now...

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

Ow, sides hurt now...

You might be playing it wrong...

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

1625 - John Milton, 16, is admitted to Christ's College, Cambridge.

Good day! And of course Darwin was one of ours too...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I see your Milton and Darwin, and I raise you, er, Emma Thompson.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

Raise you Mr William Pitt, the younger (who became Prime Minister right in the middle of his exams).

Otherwise my college seems to spawn mad poets, martyrs, and comedians.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Pitt, the younger (who became Prime Minister right in the middle of his exams)

A time before stress was invented.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

We managed to do an honest day's work and get all our fancy book-learning in. And we only had a coal sack to wear. And we were happy.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Luxury!

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Best I can manage are Earl Mountbatten & Jan Smuts, but sadly I don't believe either were engaged in their examinations at the time of their civic duties :(

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Your college has an unfair advantage in the female department.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Neat selection of writers and writing-related stuff!

I was thinking today, and not about work, because that would be a pointless waste of time, unlike the thought I was having, which was this, that not only did Michael Bond write about Paddington, but he also wrote about a guinea pig called Olga-da-Polga, who has various adventures, which is quite impressive for a caged guinea pig, but on one of those adventures Olga meets a Russian guinea pig, and they fall in guinea-pig love (well, they shag and she gets preggers), and the Russian guinea pig is called Boris, and wouldn't it be great if they made a cartoon of it, and got Boris Johnson to voice Boris the guinea pig, because I am sure that Boris Johnson could do a great Russian guinea pig voice? And I am sure you can see why that was better than thinking about work.

And I must see if I can get some Amanda Cross novels, and read some other things that Carolyn Heilbrun has written.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

The Adventures of Olga-da-Polga and Boris Johnson. There's a certain amount of beauty there, isn't there?

You're very welcome to raid the Amanda Cross collection here; I can pop some in the post for you if you'd like.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome to raid the Amanda Cross collection here; I can pop some in the post for you if you'd like.

Thank you for the offer, but I think they'll just be something that I look out for in second-hand bookshops.

Hmm

[(Anonymous)]

1938 - Church of England accepts theory of evolution.

Swapsies? I'll trade you your dignified, stately decree for my monkey trial:

1925 - Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.

1605 - The controversial play Eastward Hoe by Ben Jonson, George Chapman, and John Marston is performed, landing two of the authors in prison.

And one incarceration deserves another:

1895 - Playwright, poet and novelist Oscar Wilde is convicted of "commiting acts of gross indecency with other male persons" and sentenced to serve two years in prison.


To make up for some of the appalling things that happened on my birthday, I get to share it with Sir Ian McKellan and Edward Bulwar-Lytton, who may be forgiven many things for the contest named in his honor.

Dwim

Re: Hmm

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Poor Oscar. But sharing a birthday with McKellan is very cool.

[jomacmouse.livejournal.com]

Carolyn Gold Heilbrun

Ah, so that's what the G stands for. I'd wondered. Pretty idly, obviously, seeing as I hadn't already looked it up for myself...

I'd be a bit afraid to do this one. I mean, it's fine by me to share a birthday with Kate Bush and Emily Bronte, but I'm not so happy about sharing the day of my natal anniversary with Arnold Schwarzenegger...