THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

“Correction does much, but encouragement does more.”

— Goethe

BIRTHDAYS:

1632 Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-born composer, conductor, and dancer who rose to prominence as the leading musical figure at the court of Louis XIV, pioneering the French style of opera known as tragédie lyrique and establishing foundational elements of French Baroque music. Born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany. March for the Turkish Ceremony, and Entrée d’Apollon

1757 William Blake, English poet, painter, and printmaker whose visionary works integrated poetry and visual art through his invention of illuminated printing, a relief-etching technique that allowed text and illustrations to be produced together on copper plates.

1784 Ferdinand Ries, German pianist, composer, and Beethoven’s secretary and copyist, baptized in Bonn, Electorate of Cologne, Holy Roman Empire. Symphony No. 1 in D Major : Movement 1

1828 Anton Rubinstein, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor of Jewish origin who achieved international fame as one of the foremost virtuoso performers of the nineteenth century. Romance in E flat Major, Op.44 No.1, and Piano Concerto No.4 Op.70 (33:51)

1858 William Stanley, American inventor and electrical engineer best known for developing the first practical alternating current (AC) transformer, a breakthrough that enabled efficient long-distance power transmission and laid the foundation for modern electrical grids.

1866 Henry Bacon, American Beaux-Arts architect best known for designing the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

MISCELLANEOUS:

ATTENTION STARGAZERS. Skywatching in December 2025

INTERESTING. Virtual retina could help vision loss – university

IN THE FUTURE, BEFORE LOCKING THINGS DOWN AGAIN (INCLUDING FREE SPEECH AND THE FREEDOM TO ASSEMBLE), THE AUTHORITIES MIGHT WANT TO REACQUAINT THEMSELVES WITH THE FOLLOWING:

Nuremberg Code

Disease Mitigation Measures in the Control of Pandemic Influenza

Great Barrington declaration