Iceland on This Day in History

This Day In History: Iceland became a sovereign state on this day in 1918. Iceland only has a population of 360,000 and I read once where it is a custom there to drink an entire bottle of Vodka on Friday. Like many other European countries, their flag bears a cross. The United Kingdom actually has three crosses on their flag (St George's Cross, St Andrews Cross and St Patrick's Cross). On the other hand, the United States, which is now more Christian than Europe, has a very secular flag.

Iceland has a market economy with relatively low taxes compared to other OECD countries, and when the banking crisis hit in 2008, they actually jailed their bankers. Not a bad idea.

Books by Icelandic author Snorri Sturluson (1179 – 1241)

Why Is Violent Crime So Rare in Iceland?

In Praise of Norse Mythology

Scandinavian Superstitions by William Chambers 1842

The Wolf and the Norse Gods by Jon A. Hjaltalin 1871

Iceland HDR 4k Dolby Vision

Michael Jackson & Pink Floyd on This Day in History

Pink Floyd: Behind the Wall (FULL DOCUMENTARY)

This Day In History: Pink Floyd's album "The Wall" was released on this day in 1979. Michael Jackson's Thriller was released on this day in 1982. Both would be included on the list of top 10 best-selling albums of all time. According to Wikipedia Thriller is the best-selling album, but according to Business Insider it is The Eagles Greatest Hits. In fact, Business Insider includes two Eagles albums in the top 10: the Greatest Hits and Hotel California. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon also sold well, spending over 900 weeks in total in the Billboard 200. Three Canadians are featured prominently in the best-selling charts: Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette. I can really only find two artists from the past 20 years on the top 50: Adele and Linkin Park.

Thriller

The Jackson's - Motown 25

C.S. Lewis on This Day in History

This Day In History: C.S. Lewis was born on this day in 1898. Best known for writing The Chronicles of Narnia he was involved in other areas as well, particularly theology. My favorite quote from him is often used to describe government: “Of all the tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.  It may be better to live under robber barons than under the omnipotent moral busybodies.  The robber barons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” Or as Reagan put it, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

He is also known for what came to be called "Lewis's trilemma," an apologetic argument used to argue for the deity of Christ by arguing that the only alternatives were that he was evil or deluded, best known as the: "Lunatic, Liar, or Lord", or "Mad, Bad, or God" argument. Methinks he was simply limiting his options. After all, Jesus could simply be a divine agent with a unique relationship to God. 

Listen to Mere Christianity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgwq09sIpLQ

Listen to Surprised by Joy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnRWg-GBzNE

Listen to The Pilgrim Regress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftkAJP97Tfw

Listen to Screwtape Letters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9hNfQ9kg2Q&t

Listen to the Chronicles of Narnia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc8387H7oYc

Listen to his short story collection
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0btcA_etbmQ&list=PLBsdQVyQoDTGJS-bkFHPEq4htvuV36mGk

Was C.S. Lewis a Libertarian?

The C.S. Lewis Archives

Jeffrey Dahmer on This Day in History

Watch: Jeffrey Dahmer - Serial Killer - Documentary

This Day In History: Jeffrey Dahmer was killed in prison on this day in 1994. Known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, Dahmer was serial killer and sex offender who committed the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men and boys. When interviewed, he said something very interesting. He wanted to set the record straight that he was "not a racist." We live in interesting times when being called a RACIST carries greater stigma than being called a cannibal serial killer.

Listen to: The Serial  Killer Files

Also Sprach Zarathustra on This Day in History

Elvis and Also Sprach Zarathustra/See See Rider

This Day In History: The classical music piece, Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, was first performed on this day in 1896. Most know this piece from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is named after Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical novel of the same name, and as such, this is labelled a tone poem (or Symphonic poem), which is a piece of orchestral music that is based on a poem, story, novel etc. On the list of the 100 Greatest Classical Music Works of all time it is ranked number 66
(https://classicalmusiconly.com/list/100-greatest-classical-music-works-f164de5b)

See also Great Quotes by Nietzsche

Nietzsche, Darwinism and Morality by William Jennings Bryan 1922

The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche - 100 Books on CDrom

Alice in Wonderland on This Day in History

This Day In History: Alice in Wonderland was published on this day in 1865. Its enduring success was probably due to Lewis Carroll's savvy marketing. Like Disney would later do, Carroll allowed for brand licensing and product tie-ins. Alice in Wonderland tins, lunch pails and shirts are still available online. As a result, the book has never been out of print. Lewis Carroll was also a noted mathematician, so much so that math made its way into the book. In fact, pop math guru Martin Gardner published an Annotated Alice.

Lewis Carroll also wrote: A Syllabus of Plane Algebraic Geometry (1860)

The Fifth Book of Euclid Treated Algebraically (1858 and 1868)

An Elementary Treatise on Determinants, With Their Application to Simultaneous Linear Equations and Algebraic Equations

Euclid and his Modern Rivals (1879), both literary and mathematical in style

Symbolic Logic Part I

Symbolic Logic Part II (published posthumously)

The Alphabet Cipher (1868)

The Game of Logic (1887)

Curiosa Mathematica I (1888)

Curiosa Mathematica II (1892)

The Theory of Committees and Elections, collected, edited, analysed, and published in 1958, by Duncan Black

See also Alice's adventures in algebra: Wonderland solved

Algebra in Wonderland

The Hidden Math Behind Alice In Wonderland

The Best Victorian Literature, Over 100 Books on DVDrom

Tesla on this Day in History

This day in history: Tesla started a tour to promote their Model S Electric Car on this day in 2011. I believe this went better than the recent rollout of the hideously ugly Cybertruck. (This vehicle looks like a John DeLorean rejected concept design. I can see Robocop driving this though). #Cybertruck has been trending online since this rollout mainly because the "unbeakable" windows on the vehicle actually broke. Most Tesla vehicles look great though, but I have a hard time respecting them because they get millions (perhaps billions) in taxpayer money and subsidies, only to produce cars that only rich people can afford.

Of course, there have been many bad product rollouts: Google Glass, the Apple Newton, Windows Vista, Harley Davidson perfume, Microsoft's Zune and the Edsel come to mind.