March 28

Are You Sure ... (March 28)

• ... that philosopher, mathematician, and political scientist Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis of Condorcet embodied the ideals of the Age of Enlightenment and rationalism; and that his thinking remains influential to this day?

• ... that mathematician Alexander Grothendieck was the leading figure in the creation of modern algebraic geometry; and that his research extended the scope of the field and added elements of commutative algebra, homological algebra, sheaf theory, and category theory; and that his relative perspective led to advances in pure mathematics?

• ... that physicist and academic John D. Strong contributed to optical physics, developing optical devices and materials including improved telescope mirrors and anti-reflective coatings; and that Strong detected water vapor in the atmosphere of Venus?

• ... that the image Pyramid of the Sun is an entirely digital image, with no hand drawing, and that its pyramidal effects arises from the halftone effect?

Screenshot: Are You Sure (March 28, 2021)

On This Day in History and Fiction

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  1794: Philosopher, mathematician, and early political scientist Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis of Condorcet dies. His ideas and writings were said to embody the ideals of the Age of Enlightenment and rationalism, and remain influential to this day.

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  1928: Mathematician and theorist Alexander Grothendieck born. He will become the leading figure in the creation of modern algebraic geometry.

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  1933: The Imperial Airways biplane City of Liverpool crashes after a fire break out. Sabotage will be suspected due the suspicious behaviors of a passenger who seemingly jumped from the aircraft before it crashed.

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  1979: A coolant leak in the Unit 2 nuclear reactor of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station leads to core overheating and a partial core meltdown.

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  1992: Physicist and academic John D. Strong dies. Strong contributed to optical physics: he was the first to detect water vapor in the atmosphere of Venus, and he developed optical devices and materials including improved telescope mirrors and anti-reflective coatings.

Daily Favorites

Batman

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  The Artaud Knight is a 1980 psychological thriller film about an avant-garde artist (Antonin Artaud) who must stop a deranged billionaire (Bruce Wayne) from routinizing the charisma of Gotham City.

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  The Dark Water is a superhero comedy thriller film starring Michael Caine, Valerie Perrine, and Heath Ledger.