Amber pages
John Evelyn, English diarist, born today in 1620. Among his more interesting diary entries was this one, on February 6 1698. It simply reads:
"The Czar Emperor of Muscovy, having a mind to see the Building of Ships, hired my house at Says Court & made it his Court & palace."
AirBnB in the post-Tudor style. You can read more about said Emperor's stay in Deptford on my page for June 9, and the fuller tale of how that diary-entry, and Peter's yobbish ruination of Says Court, became the preface to the founding of the Russian Empire, here, or even fuller here
Jan Vermeer, Dutch painter, born today in 1632. The illustrations (above) may or may not be by him; though they are definitely the Vermeers that Göring stole for Adolf Hitler, "The Art of Painting" from 1666 on the left, "The Astronomer" from 1688 on the right. Or are they forgeries? And if so, by one of Himmler's gang at the Alt-Aussee in Austria (for which see my novel "The Flaming Sword"), or decades, even centuries earlier? For a fascinating article on the entire Vermeer mystery, click here. The blue of this entry is the headscarf of the girl with a pearl earring (click here)
Joseph Wilson Swan, English scientist and inventor, born today in 1828 - see July 24
Chiang Kai-Shek, founder of Nationalist China, born today in 1887
Martin Luther nailed his "95 Theses" to the door of Wittenberg's Palace church, today in 1517. Presumably one nail through the left hand and one through the right, a crown of nails around its head and a long spear of a nail just below the fifth rib. The vinegar sponge was unnecessary; all its sour bitterness was already included in the text.
Lyndon Johnson announced a halt to the bombing of North Vietnam, today in 1968.
Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, assassinated, today in 1984
Jan Vermeer, Dutch painter, born today in 1632. The illustrations (above) may or may not be by him; though they are definitely the Vermeers that Göring stole for Adolf Hitler, "The Art of Painting" from 1666 on the left, "The Astronomer" from 1688 on the right. Or are they forgeries? And if so, by one of Himmler's gang at the Alt-Aussee in Austria (for which see my novel "The Flaming Sword"), or decades, even centuries earlier? For a fascinating article on the entire Vermeer mystery, click here. The blue of this entry is the headscarf of the girl with a pearl earring (click here)
Joseph Wilson Swan, English scientist and inventor, born today in 1828 - see July 24
Chiang Kai-Shek, founder of Nationalist China, born today in 1887
Martin Luther nailed his "95 Theses" to the door of Wittenberg's Palace church, today in 1517. Presumably one nail through the left hand and one through the right, a crown of nails around its head and a long spear of a nail just below the fifth rib. The vinegar sponge was unnecessary; all its sour bitterness was already included in the text.
Lyndon Johnson announced a halt to the bombing of North Vietnam, today in 1968.
Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, assassinated, today in 1984
You
can find David Prashker at:
Copyright
© 2018 David Prashker
All
rights reserved
The
Argaman Press
No comments:
Post a Comment