Family History Fun

Family History Fun? You were expecting, perhaps, genealogy? We hope you are nevertheless not disappointed. Isaac, the autodidact, is delivering excerpts from a manuscript, Literati Limericks. which has come to his attention as a rather less painful way to sample cultural literacy than previously encountered. Kathleen is puzzled, for the 15th century history refers to the fourteen hundreds, the 16th to the fifteen hundreds, etcetera, all of which led to considerable confusion some years ago when a new millennium arrived. This has something to do with the way the calendar was set up, nor is it the only one with which we poor mortals must contend, many cultures preferring other starting points.

Ah the quattrocento! Since the blessed day Petrarch climbed Mt. Ventoux (1336) the sweet breath of humanism, gathering steam, blows across the land. It had its troubles, plagues and such, yet if we see farther today, it is only because we stand upon their shoulders.

1434 CE Artist Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Wedding Portrait

Jan van Eyck was the first to use oil
In painting some portraits that foil
With panache and bravura
The egg-based tempura
And these facts are according to Hoyle.

Van Eyck paints the pair, Arnolfini
In a mirror, convex, very teeny,
On the back upper wall,
Some folks in the hall
Are watching their pledge, nota bene.

1450 CE Nicholas of Cusa in Germany invents concave lenses for nearsightedness.

The year 1450 commences
The birth of the new concave lenses
If you couldn't see
Far away, you'll agree
'Twas a blessing that Cusa invents this.

How interesting! One wonders why the convex mirror came a tad earlier than the concave one? The Arnolfinis must have been quite prosperous to have such a new invention in their home, a quattrocento iPod™ of sorts? Kathleen remembers the difference with a mnemonic; a cave, of course, yawns inward. It is her habit to use memory crutches, for being like a sieve it retains only a small portion of what has been read or audited. Family History Fun hopes to address this painful situation.

The Old Biology Professor once propounded that one day all would have a tiny microchip planted someplace upon their person in which entire libraries would be accessed as fodder for what people really do best, which is to put them together in novel and interesting ways, such as, for instance, Family History Fun. My, does that not sound like the Internet?

At any rate, Edward states that Internet is best likened to the nervous system of the entire human race, a veritable collective unconscious, or if you will, or perhaps an over-soul for those spiritually inclined. He now launches into a homily about a shrinking world, with its instantaneous communication, and his hopes that sharing hopes and dreams or doggerel will bring us all together to be of one mind. In fact, he waxes so eloquent here in the pub that Kathleen has gone to fetch him some coffee.

Family History Fun

1453CE The Turks take Constantinople, burning and looting books in Constantine's Library.

Constantine's library's looted
And scholarly history's muted
That they burnt every work
Says not much for the Turk
Who could bring himself there to pollute it.

1465CE French poet, also thief, and rogue, Francois Villon dies

French poet, thief, and vagabond
The man that we know as Villon
A first type, the Bohemian,
Left pursuits academian
Saying "Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?"*

* "But where are the snows of yesteryear?"

1475CE A librarian at the Vatican writes first printed recipe

Well, here's one that we never knew!
The Vatican prints the first few
Recipes for the table.
Who knew they were able
To cook up a spicy ragout?

1498CE The toothbrush.

In the year, fourteen ninety-eight
Came a dental breakthrough really great
For the teeth, where the twig
Was the first with this gig
Now the toothbrush would negotiate.

1499CE Michelangelo Buonarroti sculpts the Pieta.

What but Michelangelo's wits
Could craft Pieta? Mary sits,
Jesus draped cross her lap
Grieving mother, note that
His length is reduced so he fits.

This Family History Fun page is rather academic, a project of sorts to see if learning history might be made more memorable and less painful for students. In much the same way, an upcoming book Literati Limericks, to be released early in 2009, is packed with family history fun and dozens of beautiful illustrations that will make learning academic subjects sweeter (not just history, but science, math, economics, philosophy and the like). Professor Marco Graziosi states

"I had never seen a limerick encyclopedia and was surprised to realize how suitable the limerick is for this purpose..."

Visit his quality website. If you would like to see more history taught in limerick form, contact me, I always try to respond to what the visitor wants. How about a virtual tip? It costs you nothing and tells us you find such verses helpful.

Return from Family History Fun to Home Page

Comments on Family History Fun Page