Emery Molyneux was an Elizabethan maker of globes, mathematical
instruments and ordnance. His terrestrial and celestial globes, first
published in 1592, were the first to be made in England and the first
to be made by an Englishman. Molyneux was known as a mathematician and
maker of mathematical instruments such as compasses and hourglasses. He
became acquainted with many prominent men of the day, including the
writer Richard Hakluyt and the mathematicians Robert Hues and Edward
Wright. He also knew the explorers Thomas Cavendish, Francis Drake,
Walter Raleigh and John Davis. Davis probably introduced Molyneux to
his own patron, the London merchant William Sanderson, who largely
financed the construction of the globes. When completed, the globes
were presented to Elizabeth I. Molyneux emigrated to Amsterdam with his
wife in 1596 or 1597. He succeeded in interesting the States-General,
the parliament of the United Provinces, in a cannon he had invented,
but he died suddenly in June 1598, apparently in poverty. The
globe-making industry in England died with him. Only six of his globes
are believed to be still in existence.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emery_Molyneux>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1759:
The British Museum in London, today containing one of the largest and
most comprehensive collections in the world, opened to the public in
Montagu House, Bloomsbury.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum>
1777:
The Republic of New Connecticut declared its independence from several
jurisdictions and land claims of the British colonies of New Hampshire
and New York.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Republic>
1885:
American photographer Wilson Bentley took the first known photograph of
a snowflake by attaching a bellows camera to a microscope.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Bentley>
1908:
Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Greek-lettered sorority established and
incorporated by African American college women, was founded at Howard
University in Washington, D.C. by nine students.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Kappa_Alpha>
1943:
The highest-capacity office building in the world, the headquarters of
the United States Department of Defense known as the Pentagon, was
dedicated.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the_Pentagon>
1993:
Salvatore "The Beast" Riina, one of the most powerful members of the
Sicilian Mafia, was arrested after three decades as a fugitive.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvatore_Riina>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
damask (n):
1. An ornate silk fabric originating from Damascus.
2. A damask rose.
3. A grayish-pink color, like that of the damask
rose
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/damask>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems.
And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't popular
to talk about it in some circles today. I'm not talking about emotional
bosh when I talk about love, I'm talking about a strong, demanding
love. And I have seen too much hate... I have decided to love. If you
are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And
the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it,
because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God,
but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of
ultimate reality.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King%2C_Jr.>
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