De Amerikaanse schrijver Edward Everett Hale werd geboren op 3 april 1822 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Als schrijver werd hij bekend toen hij in 1859 in de Atlantic Monthly zijn verhaal "My Double and How He Undid Me" publiceerde. Al gauw verschenen er meer van zijn korte verhalen in dit tijdschrift. Het bekendste daarvan is The Man Without a Country (1863). In het verhaal "The Brick Moon", geeft hij als eerste een beschrijving van een satelliet.
Uit: The man without a country
I cannot give any history of him in order; nobody can now; and, indeed, I am not trying to. These are the traditions, which I sort out, as I believe them, from the myths which have been told about this man for forty years. The lies that have been told about him are legion. The fellows used to say he was the "Iron Mask"; and poor George Pons went to his grave in the belief that this was the author of "Junius," who was being punished for his celebrated libel on Thomas Jefferson. Pons was not very strong in the historical line. A happier story than either of these I have told is of the War. That came along soon after. I have heard this affair told in three or four ways,and, indeed, it may have happened more than once. But which ship it was on I cannot tell. However, in one, at least, of the great frigate-duels with the English, in which the navy was really baptized, it happened that a round-shot from the enemy entered one of our ports square, and took right down the officer [pg 026] of the gun himself, and almost every man of the gun's crew. Now you may say what you choose about courage, but that is not a nice thing to see. But, as the men who were not killed picked themselves up, and as they and the surgeon's people were carrying off the bodies, there appeared Nolan, in his shirt-sleeves, with the rammer in his hand, and, just as if he had been the officer, told them off with authority,who should go to the cockpit with the wounded men, who should stay with him,perfectly cheery, and with that way which makes men feel sure all is right and is going to be right. And he finished loading the gun with his own hands, aimed it, and bade the men fire. And there he stayed, captain of that gun, keeping those fellows in spirits, till the enemy struck,sitting on the carriage while the gun was cooling, though he was exposed all the time,showing them easier ways to handle heavy shot,making the raw hands laugh at their own blunders,and when the gun cooled again, getting it loaded and fired twice as often as any other gun on the ship. The captain walked forward by way of encouraging the men, and Nolan touched his hat and said,
Edward Everett Hale (3 april 1822 10 juni 1909)
De Engelse priester en dichter George Herbert werd op 3 april 1593 geboren, waarschijnlijk te Black Hall (Wales). Zie ook mijn blog van 3 april 2007 en ook mijn blog van 3 april 2008.
Prayer
Prayer the Churches banquet, Angels age,
Gods breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgramage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth;
Engine against th'Almightie, sinners towre,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six-daies world-transposing in an houre,
A kinde of tune, which all things heare and fear;
Softnesse, and peace, and joy, and love, and blisse,
Exalted Manna, gladnesse of the best,
Heaven in ordinarie, man well drest,
The milkie way, the bird of Paradise,
Church-bels beyond the starres heard, the souls bloud,
The land of spices; something understood.
George Herbert (3 april 1593 - 1 maart 1633)
De Amerikaanse schrijver Washington Irving werd geboren op 3 april 1783 in Manhattan, New York. Zie ook mijn blog van 3 april 2007.
Uit: A History of New York
Let us suppose, then, that the inhabitants of the moon, by astonishing advancement in science, and by profound insight into that lunar philosophy, the mere flickerings of which have of late years dazzled the feeble optics, and addled the shallow brains of the good people of our globe-let us suppose, I say, that the inhabitants of the moon, by these means, had arrived at such a command of their energies, such an enviable state of perfectibility, as to control the elements, and navigate the boundless regions of space. Let us suppose a roving crew of these soaring philosophers, in the course of an aerial voyage of discovery among the stars, should chance to alight upon this outlandish planet.
And here I beg my readers will not have the uncharitableness to smile, as is too frequently the fault of volatile readers when perusing the grave speculations of philosophers. I am far from indulging in any sportive vein at present; nor is the supposition I have been making so wild as many may deem it. It has long been a very serious and anxious question with me, and many a time and oft, in the course of my overwhelming cares and contrivances for the welfare and protection of this my native planet, have I lain awake whole nights debating in my mind, whether it were most probable we should first discover and civilize the moon, or the moon discover and civilize our globe.
Washington Irving (3 april 1783 - 28 november 1859)
Buste door Friedrich Beer, 1885, in New York
De Duitse schrijver Josef Mühlberger werd geboren op 3 april 1903 in Trautenau in Böhmen. Zie ook mijn blog van 3 april 2007.
Uit: Besuch bei Kafka
"Ich habe Ihren Schatten erkannt", sagte Kafka, führte mich über den Hof und durch eine schmale türlose Öffnung in dem Mauerwall und lud mich mit dem Worten "Der Heraufstieg wird Sie ermüdet haben" zum Sitzen auf einer Bank ein, die aus herausgefallenen Steinen aufgebaut war. Das Licht war hell, die Stelle, wo wir saßen, schattenlos, die Steine der Bank sonnenwarm. Auf dem Mauerabhang des Walles kletterten und schliefen goldgrün funkelnde Eidechsen.
Josef Mühlberger (3 april 1903 2 juli 1985)
Zie voor onderstaande schrijvers ook mijn blog van 3 april 2007.
De Duitse koopman en schrijver Friedrich Emil Rittershaus werd geboren op 3 april 1834 in Barmen.
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