Two of my kids have rowed crew, so I’ve now attended quite a few crew regattas. Of course I appreciate the beauty and synchronicity, but I also know how hard the rowers work in practice, and how grim and repetitive… Read More
Conductors have used batons for centuries, but prior to the nineteenth century, it was also common for choir directors and conductors to beat the time by banging a long staff on the floor.
On January 8, 1687, Louis XIV’s royal… Read More
After the Catholic king Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) fled for their lives. Many countries sheltered the refugees. The city of Geneva, with a population of 16,000 people, welcomed 4,000 Huguenots.… Read More
Francois Vatel (1631 – 1671) was a famous chef who put on an extravagant banquet for 2,000 people in honor of King Louis XIV. When mishaps occurred, including the late delivery of the seafood, he killed himself by running himself… Read More
King Louis XIV (1638 –1715) was at the height of his reign when, in 1685, his butt started to hurt. A lot. His royal physicians tried all kinds of treatments, endeavoring to shrink the swelling, but finally, after months of… Read More
You may be familiar with the ongoing court case involving the shoe designer, Christian Louboutin, who claims that the designer Yves Saint Laurent stole his signature design by making and selling red-soled shoes. Louboutin believes he ought to be granted… Read More
Famous people born on Leap Day include composer Gioacchino Rossini (1792), jazz performer Jimmy Dorsey (1902), Randy Jackson, the American Idol judge (1952), and Frederic, from Pirates of Penzance.