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Earliest Evidence of Pythagoras’ Theorem
To answer the question of what is the first evidenced knowledge of the familiar equation, a^2 + b^2 = c^2, named after the Greek philosopher Pythagoras (569-500 B.C.E.), depends on who you ask. Credit for this geometrical proof has been attributed to, of course, namesake Pythagoras, but also to the ancient Babylonians via the tablet Plimpton 322, the ancient Chinese from the Zhou Bi Suan Jing (c. 100 B.C.E.- c. 100 C.E.), the Indian mathematician Bhaskara, and to Euclid who included a variation in his text The Elements. Though the jury may be out on the rightful owner of being the first, it is evident that the ancients understood the…
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Stock Market Crash of 1987
I was in my 20s and working for a small business owner on Black Monday, October 19, 1987. I did not own stocks. I was doing good just to get by on my modest income; this was before finishing college and gaining valuable work experience. My boss, on the other hand, was in a terrible mood that financially dark, historic day. It was blatently apparent that something had gone seriously awry to everyone who came across his path. He had heard the news. The stock market had spiraled downward dropping 508 points, or 22 percent. I don’t know how much he had invested, but from his fowl disposition it was substantial and he, of course, was not alone in this predicament. A predicament that had…
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Famous Ghosts
Captain Kidd purportedly haunts the King’s Chapel Burying Ground in Boston, Massachusetts and the ‘the pond’ on Gardiner Island near New York. William “Captain” Kidd (c. 1645 – 23 May 1701)[has good reason to do some serious haunting, since he was unjustly hanged on 23 May 1701 at Execution Dock. On the first attempt, his rope broke and he fell into the mud of the River Thames. The executioners proceeded to drag him out of the muddy mess and secure a new noose around his neck. They suceeded on the second try and left him to hang, along side the other doomed pirates, for the length of three tides to…
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Ayn Rand’s Objectivism
by Research History In 1959, when Ayn Rand was relatively unknown, Mike Wallace conducted her first interview. This broadcast stirred up quite a controversy. The Russian-American philosopher and novelist called her philosophy Objectivism. Her beliefs seemed strange and extreme from an American’s point of view, but when you consider her experience as a Russian at the time of the Russian Revolution of 1917 it begins to make sense. When Rand was twelve, she and her family had their lives disrupted by the Bolshevik party under Vladimir Lenin. This resulted in the eventual confiscation of her father’s pharmacy and they were forced to flee to Crimea. Personal experience and cultural context are the staples…
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Ancient Philosophy for Seniors
According to the Greek philospher Epicurus and the teachings of Zen Buddists, always striving after the next pursuit in the later stage of life, as we do in younger days, is as foolish and empty as chasing the wind. When we are young it is a time for seeking out and exploring new avenues, seizing the brass ring, but after a certain point in life it is better to find contentment in what you have created and the relationships you have fostered. Activities such as reflection and appreciation can be richly enhanced by a full and varied past. Constant striving precludes our ability to be, and enjoy being, a wise, reflective and grateful person of a life…