Eric Scheske

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History

Kasparov's Politics

A few days ago, the Chicago Tribune ran a piece about chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov's political ambitions. Link [http://news.yahoo.com/s/chitribts/20050705/ts_chicagotrib/checkmatingputinischesskingsgambit] . Excerpt: > Announcing his retirement from professional chess in March, Kasparov threw himself headlong into Russian politics, undaunted by its

Caligula and Other Classics

Lew Rockwell has run an entertaining article today about ancient fools. The implied parallel to President Bush is a bit shrill and the nutshell summaries of Stoicism and Epicureanism are a little misleading, but it's still entertaining. Link [http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/case3.html#_ftn7]. Excerpt: >

Heretics in History

Excerpt from Eric Scheske's regular Wednesday column at Catholic Exchange: > Two traits unite Arius, Amaury, and Marcion: (1) They taught heretical ideas while members of the Church; (2) They were charming. It's a curious combination. Men with heretical ideas, ideas meant to undermine the Church,

Being Old Never Sounded So Good

Phil Brennan celebrates a birthday this week. He tells readers how old he is. Charming and thoughtful stuff. Link [http://www.etherzone.com/2005/bren062905.shtml]. Excerpts: > I'm old enough to remember that my paternal grandfather was born in 1850 and enrolled in Manhattan College a mere

Absalom

Absalom has one of the oddest deaths in the Encyclopedia Britannica. During a battle in the forest, he got his flowing hair caught in the branches of an oak tree, which allowed his enemy, Joab, to catch him and slay him. We'd never heard this story during all

Louis XIV

> An Italian chemist came to Louis XIV with plans for the first bacteriological weapon. Louis XIV refused. He never developed the weapon, never used it against other European nations. But even more impressive, he paid the chemist an annual salary to keep the bioweapon a secret from the world.

Kierkegaard

> Kierkegaard was haunted by the fact that his Dad--when he was a struggling tenant farmer--stood on a hill and solemnly cursed God, an act that Kierkegaard believed doomed the entire family. Source: The Know-It-All. We're a bit skeptical about K's reaction to the cursing (perhaps

One of Our Favorite Saintly Anecdotes

In 372, Valens' zealous Arian servant, Modestus (the “Count of the East”), came to Caesarea and summoned Basil. Basil–emaciated from his asceticism but mentally rigorous–came. Modestus shouted at him: “Basil, how dare you defy our great power? How dare you stand alone? Everyone else has yielded, and

Evil Rules

> History is brimming with evil leaders you've never heard of. Early on, there was Jean-Bedel Bokassa, head of the Central African Republic, who . . . crowned himself emperor in a sumptuous $20 million ceremony that helped bankrupt his country. Though he did find enough money to also kill a

Encyclopedia Miscellany

Isaac Asimov wrote about five hundred books. When he was 81, P.T. Barnum fell gravely ill. At his request, a New York newspaper printed his obituary in advance so he could enjoy it. Watch for this to become a source of revenue for newspapers seeking to shore up their