1376
Benjamin Jesty and Edward Jenner continue to save millions of lives because they listened to an old wives’ tale.
Surgeon Edward Jenner (1749-1823) and farmer Benjamin Jesty (1736-1816) are rightly credited with saving more lives than anyone else, by conceiving and demonstrating the principle of vaccination. What is less often emphasised is that it only happened because they listened respectfully to an old wives’ tale.
Picture: © Wellcome Trust, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0.. Source.
Posted May 20 2016
1377
Mark Twain covets the supreme sensation of being a trailblazer.
On a visit to Rome, American novelist Mark Twain reflects (tongue-in-cheek) that everything in that ancient city has been seen before by someone. How much better, he suggests, to be an idle Roman, for then all the undiscovered secrets of the New World would be yours to find!
Picture: © Uttam h, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.. Source.
Posted May 19 2016
1378
The outlaw showed that strange as it may be, he did have a code of honour.
This tale opens a mediaeval ballad called ‘The Gest of Robin Hood’, and introduces us to the dashing outlaw’s peculiar code of ethics.
Picture: © Richard Croft, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted May 18 2016
1379
A cat’s affection is not easy to win, but the rewards make the effort worthwhile.
Théophile Gautier was a French artist, critic and writer whose friends included Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, and whose many admirers have included TS Eliot and Oscar Wilde. His ‘Ménagerie intime’ (1869) includes fond recollections of the many cats in his life.
Picture: © Von grzanka, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.. Source.
Posted May 17 2016
1380
Lady Jane Grey’s accession was almost instantly overturned.
King Edward VI died when he was just fifteen. On his deathbed, he named his cousin Lady Jane Grey as his successor, but his decision was annulled just days later.
Picture: From Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image.. Source.
Posted May 13 2016