Today: 2 Great Men and 1 Number
More than a century ago ( but what does a century mean when we're talking about timeless geniuses), Thomas Alva Edison was born, a man considered by many the father of modern technology. His anniversary became Inventor's Day in the USA, in relation to how important his inventions were: to name just a few- the light bulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture camera. So, yeah, pretty much everything that would become the basis of today's technology and entertainment.
Also, my theory is that he was the inspiration for AC/DC's "Thunderstruck", but we may never know...
Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thomas-edisons-brief-stint-as-a-homemaker-114900219/
By the way, as an interesting fact, the city in which the chess automaton "The Turk" was invented, Timișoara, from my country, was the first European city to have public street lighting!
And, even though you may not see just how important his invention was, given that today we practically take electricity for granted, and technology is almost part of us as I said in a previous post, you will surely remember his genius and the importance of what he's done during a power cut in your city, or just your house, after which you will thank this man for his existence, AFTER which you will promptly proceed to badmouth your electricity provider because the power went out during that hellish boss fight in your favourite video game...
Look at that health bar! Four more hits, just four more!!!...please?
Source:http://guides.gamepressure.com/darksouls3/guide.asp?ID=34890
I say (paradoxically) that :"If he didn't exist, he should have been invented!"
And, according to title, we are moving on to our second celebration of today: it is the day when, after 26 years of prison, Nelson Mandela was freed from his cell, walking as a free man again and as a symbol of the fight against slavery, basically, he was the Gandhi of Apartheid. His peaceful and determined resistance demolished one more big pillar of injustice in contemporary history. And it also made for a great movie, that's for sure!
Source: http://www.goldenglobes.com/film/mandela-long-walk-freedom
And finally, today is also the birthday of...a number (talk about irony). To be precise, the European emergency number - 112, now, I wish I could say the name of the man that invented it but, the fact is, it's unknown. Also ironic, because due to its simplicity and necessity, it is surely a great invention, who obviously saved countless of lives after it was adopted, and that only has a downside when a smart-ass (with clear emphasis on "smart") decides he's got a bright idea of how to not take that hard test he didn't study at all for!
"I know! I'll just tell them that the dog of a friend of mine who lives next to the school and is a retired special operations dog was acting very nervous today! I'm a genius!"
Source: http://www.sahilonline.org/newsDetails.php?cid=3&nid=42832
Besides that , this number is surely a brilliant idea, from an anonymous Edison of his time, surely, and apart from having 112 on speed dial, which everyone should do, that annoying kid should also have the personal number of the smart man who made this invention, because, who knows, in that situation he could probably just help his at his test instead of him panicking an entire building...
" Listen Johnny, just write this down, (sighs) the answer is...112..."
'Til we meet again!