Thursday, December 01, 2011

Madame Tussaud, Lady Astor, Sherlock Holmes and Pies


I have to confess I have never really considered the origin of the waxworks at Madame Tussaud's, I just recall being freaked out by the Chamber of Horrors.  Marie Tussaud was born on this day in 1761 in Strasbourg. She was appointed art tutor to Elisabeth, the sister of Louis XVI until the Revolution and during the Reign of Terror she was given the gruesome task of creating death masks from the guillotined heads. Right.

This day in 1887 saw the publication of Conan Doyle's Study in Scarlet - the first in the series to introduce Sherlock Holmes. Again I veer off the point but Julian Barnes' Arthur and George is one of my all time favourites and is a firm favourite on my Christmas shopping list.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Lady Astor took her seat in the House of Commons on December the 1st 1919 having been elected on November the 28th. This by John Singer Sargent, courtesy as ever of Wikipedia:



December the 1st marks the anniversary of the signing of The Antarctic Treaty in 1959. Twelve governments agreed to make the uninhabited continent a scientific reserve. More details can be found here on the National Science Foundation Website.


Today is the feast day of Saint Eligius, the Patron Saint of goldsmiths, metal workers and coin collectors.


Food. Apparently today is National Pie Day, I have included a link to this wonderful blog I came across recently. Enjoy,

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