Alexis Soyer (1810–1858) was a French chef, writer and inventor, who
made his reputation in Victorian England. He worked in the kitchens of
royalty, the aristocracy and the landed gentry until 1837. He was then
appointed head chef of the Reform Club, where he designed the kitchens
on radical modern lines and became celebrated for the range and
excellence of his cooking. Soyer became a well-known author of cookery
books, aimed variously at the grand kitchens of the aristocracy, at
middle-class households and at the poorest families, whose diet he
strove to improve. He published recipes for inexpensive and nutritious
food and took a keen interest in public health. During the Irish potato
famine he set up a soup kitchen in Dublin. During the Crimean War Soyer
travelled to the front and worked with Florence Nightingale to improve
conditions for the troops. He invented the portable Soyer stove which
remained in army use for more than a century. In 1858 he died of a
stroke.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_Soyer>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1833:
Siamese–Vietnamese wars: Lê Văn Khôi escaped from prison
to begin a revolt against Emperor Minh Mạng, primarily to avenge his
adoptive father, Vietnamese general Lê Văn Duyệt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%AA_V%C4%83n_Kh%C3%B4i_revolt>
1916:
Ernest Shackleton and five companions arrived at South Georgia,
completing a 1,300 km (800 mi) lifeboat voyage over 16 days to obtain
rescue for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_of_the_James_Caird>
1940:
World War II: German forces commenced their invasion of
Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_invasion_of_Belgium_%281940%29>
2013:
One World Trade Center in New York City, the tallest building
in the Western Hemisphere, was topped out at a height of 1,776 feet
(541 m).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_World_Trade_Center>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
valence:
1. (countable, chemistry)
2. The combining capacity of an atom, functional group, or radical
determined by the number of atoms of hydrogen with which it will unite,
or the number of electrons that it will gain, lose, or share when it
combines with other atoms, etc.
3. The number of binding sites of a molecule, such as an antibody or
antigen.
4. (countable, linguistics) The number of arguments that a verb can
have, including its subject, ranging from zero to three or, less
commonly, four.
5. (uncountable, especially psychology) A one-dimensional value assigned
by a person to an object, situation, or state, that can usually be
positive (causing a feeling of attraction) or negative (repulsion).
6. (uncountable, sociology) The value which a person places on
something. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/valence>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
You know I used to think the future was solid or fixed, something
you inherited like an old building that you move into when the previous
generation moves out or gets chased out. But it's not. The future is not
fixed, it's fluid. … The world is more malleable than you think and
it's waiting for you to hammer it into shape.
--Bono
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bono>
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