"If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain."
Life, p. 6 - Collected Poems (1993)

American lyric poet Emily Dickinson died #OTD in 1888. Although she wrote 1789 poems, only a few of them were published in her lifetime, all anonymously, and some perhaps without her knowledge.

Emily Dickinson at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/996

#books #literature #poetry

#OnThisDay, 14 May 1943, Vera Leigh returns to France to work as a courier for the British Special Operations Executive.

A fashion designer, Leigh had fled France in 1942 after running escape lines for Allied airmen.

After her return, Leigh carried documents and equipment such as guns and explosives around her network's area. Arrested by the Gestapo in 1944, she was executed at Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp.

#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #WorldWar2 #Histodons

English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing Florence Nightingale was born #OTD in 1820.

Nightingale became famous for her work as a nurse during the Crimean War (1853–1856). Beyond her work in the Crimean War, Nightingale was a prolific writer and statistician. She used statistical methods to analyze and present data on healthcare and public health, making significant contributions to the field of medical statistics.

#books #statistics

American physicist Richard Feynman was born #OTD in 1918.

He developed the Feynman diagrams, a pictorial representation of the mathematical expressions governing the behavior of subatomic particles, which provided a powerful tool for calculating complex interactions among particles. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 jointly with Julian Schwinger and Shin'ichirō Tomonaga for their fundamental contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics (QED).

#books #physics
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"Women are the equals of men before the law, and are equal in all their rights."

#OnThisDay, 10 May 1872, Victoria Woodhull was nominated to run for US president by the Equal Rights Party. Her nomination was ratified on June 6, 1872, making her the first woman candidate.

Woodhall had co-founded, with her sister, both a Wall Street brokerage and a newspaper. She was also an anti-abortionist and eugenics supporter.

#WomenInHistory #Histodons #VotesForWomen #AmericanHistory #OTD

Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker Hokusai died #OTD in 1849.

The Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji are noteworthy not only for their beauty and technical prowess but also for the cultural significance of Mount Fuji in Japan. Hokusai's innovative use of the then-new Prussian blue pigment helped to popularize his prints during his lifetime and influenced not only Japanese art but also Western artists like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.

#art #painting

“I feel that if I have to answer for the deeds done in my body just as much as a man, I have a right to have as much as a man.”

#OnThisDay, 9 May 1867, Sojourner Truth addresses the American Equal Rights Association, arguing for equal rights for Black women.

Read a brief history of Truth’s life: https://wams.nyhistory.org/a-nation-divided/antebellum/sojourner-truth/

#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #EqualRights #BlackAmericanHistory #AmericanHistory #Histodons

#OTD in 1923.

The première of Bertolt Brecht's play In the Jungle of Cities (Im Dickicht der Städte) at the Residenz Theatre in Munich is disrupted by Nazi demonstrators, hooting, whistling and throwing stink bombs at the actors on the stage.

This production was directed by Erich Engel, with set design by Caspar Neher. The cast included Otto Wernicke as Shlink the lumber dealer, Erwin Faber as George Garga, and Maria Koppenhöfer as his sister Mary.

#books #literature #theatre

#OnThisDay, 8 May 1946, Estonian teens Aili Jürgenson and Ageeda Paavel blew up a Soviet war memorial in response to Soviet destruction of Estonian war memorials. They served eight years in the gulag as punishment. In 1988 they were awarded the Estonian Order of the Cross of the Eagle to recognise their fight.

We only have a photo of Aili Jürgenson.

#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #EuropeanHistory

Very early #OnThisDay, 6 May 1944, Marguerite 'Peggy' Knight parachutes into occupied France to be a courier for the Special Operations Executive. The British SOE supported the French resistance.

Knight fought her way out of an attempted capture, and returned to the UK in September 1944.

#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #WorldWar2 #Histodons

American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher Henry David Thoreau died #OTD in 1862.

In addition to "Walden," Thoreau is well-known for his essay "Civil Disobedience," which was inspired by his 1846 arrest for refusing to pay poll taxes as a protest against slavery and the Mexican-American War. His political writings later influenced many political leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

Books by Henry David Thoreau at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/54

#books #literature

#OTD in 1940.

John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.

The book was first published in April 14, 1939. The book won the National Book Award & Pulitzer Prize for fiction, & it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. When preparing to write the novel, Steinbeck wrote: "I want to put a tag of shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible for this [the Great Depression and its effects]."

#books #literature

Police State: Over 4 thousand arrested.

“Dissent must never lead to disorder.” #Biden said of the student crackdown.

On the anniversary of #KentState #otd 1970.

#OTD in 1715.

A total solar eclipse is visible across northern Europe and northern Asia, as predicted by Edmond Halley to within four minutes accuracy. He also drew a predictive map showing the path of totality across Great Britain. The original map was about 20 miles off the observed eclipse path, mainly due to his use of inaccurate lunar ephemeris. After the eclipse, he corrected the eclipse path, and added the path and description of the 1724 total solar eclipse.

#books #science #astronomy

"The mentality in the 1960s was that women weren't smart or strong enough to be jockeys. But I proved that a woman could do the job."

#OnThisDay, 2 May 1970, Diane Crump becomes the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby.

#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #AmericanHistory

American author E. E. Smith was born #OTD in 1890.

E. E. "Doc" Smith is considered a major figure in the history of science fiction literature, particularly for his development of the space opera genre. His first major work, "The Skylark of Space" (1928), is often considered one of the first space operas. Perhaps his most famous work, the Lensman series, began with "Triplanetary" in 1934.

Books by E. E. Smith at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/9515

#books #literature

#OnThisDay, 1 May 1944, South African Phyllis Latour parachutes into occupied France to be a radio operator for the British Special Operations Executive.

She's never captured.

She died in 2023, in New Zealand.

#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #WorldWar2
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Albert Einstein completed his dissertation “A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions” #OTD in 1905.

When he submitted it to the University of Zürich on July 20, his committee complained that it was a little short. It was only 21 pages long!

https://www.research-collection.ethz.ch/bitstream/handle/20.500.11850/139872/eth-30378-01.pdf

Very early #OnThisDay, 30 April 1944, New Zealander Nancy Wake parachutes into occupied France to be a courier for the Special Operations Executive. The British SOE supported French Resistance to Nazi occupation.

Nick-named 'the white mouse' by the Gestapo, she is never captured. She died in 2011.

#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #WorldWar2 #Histodons

#OTD in 1852.

Roget's Thesaurus, created by retired British physician Peter Mark Roget, is first published as Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases Classified and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary Composition in London.

Roget's Thesaurus at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10681

#books #dictionary

Happy Terry Pratchett Day to all who celebrate! 🥳 🥂

#Bookstodon #Discworld #OTD

"Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience."
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (ed. 1793)

British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights Mary Wollstonecraft was born #OTD in 1759. In "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" (1792), Wollstonecraft argued that women are not naturally inferior to men but appear so only because of a lack of education.

Books by Mary Wollstonecraft at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/84

#books #literature