Through his friend John Stuart Mill, the English philosopher Thomas Cariyle became interested in the French Revolution and set to work on a monumental history. After five months of difficult work on this project, Cariyle completed the first volume and left it with Mill for criticism. While in Mill’s possession, the manuscript was accidentally burned […]
In an age when medical science was combating heart disease with costly hightech interventions, American physician Dean Ornish was something of a throwback. His simple, inexpensive program of lifestyle changes – which featured a low-fat, primarily vegetarian diet, moderate aerobic exercise, and daily stress management – contrasted sharply with such potentially risky treatments as bypass […]
The value of certain foods in maintaining health was recognized long before the first vitamins were actually identified. In the 18th century, for example, it had been demonstrated that the addition of citrus fruits to the diet would prevent the development of scurvy. In the 19th century it was shown that substituting unpolished for polished […]
The American actress Lauren Bacall first came into prominence as the huskyvoiced glamour girl who captivated Humphrey Bogart both on and off the screen, but enduring talent enabled her to build a solid show business career that lasted for more than 50 years. Bacall made her film debut opposite Bogart in “To Have and Have […]
Technology suggests permanent change and improvement. Once a new technique is discovered and adopted, society does not attempt to revert to the former technique. The automobile displaced the horse; the electric light replaced kerosene lamps; sound movies replaced silent films; and word processors are rapidly making typewriters obsolete. This forward march of technology is called […]
The adoption of assassination as a political weapon derives from the Islamic world of the 11th century. A secret order of Muslims was founded in Persia in about 1090 by a man named Hasan-i-Sabbah. After gaining control of a mountain fortress near the Caspian Sea, Hasan founded a sect to fight his political enemies by […]
Emma Christoffersen was twenty-eight years old when she collapsed moments after leaving a long flight from Australia. Her death highlighted the statistics concerning health-related problems during long flights. In fact, more people die from health-related incidents during flights than from air crashes. Studies show that poor air quality, low oxygen levels, and cramped seating are […]
Even the most war-hardened journalists must have felt a cold shiver of shock on the day that Miguel Gil Moreno was shot dead by rebels from Sierra Leone. Miguel was killed close to where he had recently shot his last pictures, which were images of a massacre of UN troops. The death of Miguel, who […]
When a catastrophe strikes a ship at sea and she goes to the bottom, there is usually some clue to her fate – a bit of debris or perhaps a floating life jacket. Five years after her sinking, a life jacket from the Lusitania was found, for example, floating along a wharf in Philadelphia – […]
The term Renaissance man was coined to describe the genius of Leonardo da Vinci. He was a man of so many accomplishments in so many areas of human endeavour that his like has rarely been seen in human history. Casual patrons of the arts know him as the painter of “La Gioconda” – more commonly […]