Thursday Things: Here We Go Again
9 April 2020. Vol 2 No 15. By Dan McGirt. #35
Welcome to Thursday Things! It’s quiet out there. Too quiet.
Did you know that Venice invented the word “quarantine”? Photo by Ludovico Lovisetto on Unsplash
Fun Quarantine Facts from the CDC!
The practice of quarantine, as we know it, began during the 14th century in an effort to protect coastal cities from plague epidemics. Ships arriving in Venice from infected ports were required to sit at anchor for 40 days before landing. This practice, called quarantine, was derived from the Italian words quaranta giorni which mean 40 days.
If you want to brush up on your naval history, policy, and strategy discussions, all issues of the Proceedings of the U.S. Naval Institute are free to read online.
Language warning! 500-year-old manuscript contains one of earliest known uses of the “F-word”
Scotland has much to recommend it: impressive architecture, gorgeous Highlands, and a long, distinguished intellectual tradition that has spawned some of the Western world's greatest thinkers over several centuries. It's also, apparently, home to a medieval manuscript that contains the earliest known usage of the swearword "F#$%."
The profanity appears in a poem recorded by a bored student in Edinburgh while under lockdown as the plague ravaged Europe—something we can all relate to these days. The poem is getting renewed attention thanks to its inclusion in a forthcoming BBC Scotland documentary exploring the country's long, proud tradition of swearing, Scotland—Contains Strong Language.
But wait! There’s a twist! The article was updated with an even earlier appearance of the word in print:
[UPDATE 4/7/2020: Kristin Uscinski, a medieval historian at the State University of New York, Purchase, wrote in to inform us of an even earlier appearance of the F-word in the English language, "Roger F$#%-by-the-Navel who appears in some court records from 1310-11. I always make sure my students are aware of good ole Roger."]
Regardless of the true date, the word in question has clearly been around for a long time.
As if we don’t have enough things to worry about, the universe has a reset button. Physicists Accidentally Discover a Self-Destruct Button for the Entire Universe
If it did happen though, you wouldn’t know it. One instant you are here, the next, you and everything else is swallowed up by an enormous vacuum bubble, traveling at light speed in every direction. Humanity would never see it coming.
Do we ever see it coming though? I hope those guys over at the Large Hadron Collider know what they’re doing…
Mark your calendar for May 16 and look up to see a smiley face in the sky! Jupiter, Venus, and the Moon Will Be Aligning in the Form of a Smiley Face
“The moon along with Jupiter and Venus will be aligned in a position that will create a smiley face in the skies.” It isn’t that often that the heavens literally smile down on us, but I think the world will be more than ready for it in a few more weeks!
Thank you for reading Thursday Things! Stay safe, wash your hands, and we’ll see you next Thursday!
