Today is a day of reflection - the day when we remember the anniversary of the death of Chile’s greatest national hero, Arturo Prat. He was killed in 1879 at the Naval Battle of Iquique after jumping on board the Peruvian armored monitor Huascar.
A first class commander, his name became a rallying cry for Chilean forces, and Captain Prat is still considered a hero by residents of the width-challenged nation. Captain Prat was survived by his wife and three little Prats.
Tragically, exactly 15 years later, German physicist, August Kundt also passed away. In 1866, he developed a valuable method for the investigation of aerial waves within pipes with an experimental apparatus called a Kundt's tube. Wiki does not record whether he was survived by a wife or any little children.
A question for readers: who do you think led a more valuable life? The brave Chilean Prat or the brilliant German Kundt?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
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6 comments:
Who do you think led a more valuable life?
The brave Prat is remembered by Chileans.
The brilliant German Kundt is remembered by physicists.
MM
At http://formerspook.blogspot.com/2008/05/remembering-hero.html
Remembering a Hero:Jimmy Stewart
A very diplomatic answer to the question, stackja.
They don't make celebrities like Stewart anymore. His life is something to ponder next time we see some actor or pop singer being described as "brave" for speaking out about the Brazilian rainforest.
...a case in point:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/people/harrisons-chest-wax-stunt-to-help-save-planet/2008/05/21/1211182859686.html
Margo's you wouldn't say that if you knew how many Hollywood actors had been disappeared through their outspokennessness. Steve Gutenberg, Emilio Estevez, Sean Young. The list is endless.
And great link Stackja. Stewart was a genuine hero. The documentary they refer to that he appeared in was the great World at War series narrated by Laurence Olivier.
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