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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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