The Philosopher's Cat

Philip Gosse, (August 13, 1879 to October 3, 1959), the son of the eminent 19th century literary critic, Edmund Gosse, was himself an author. Sometimes the sons of famous men get lost in the wake of their fathers' acclaim, so let us take a moment to review Philip Gosse's biographical notes.   The son of Edmund Gosse was a medical doctor, (general practitioner), naturalist and an historian of piracy. His books include Notes on the Natural History of the Aconagua Valley  (1899) The Pirates' Who's Who,  (1924) ‎‎ ‎ The Birds of the Balearic Islands  (1926) ‎‎   The Mammals of Flanders  (1926) ‎‎   My Pirate Library  (1926) ‎‎ ‎ The Life of Sir John Hawkins  (1930) ‎‎  Gosse finished his medical education in 1907. He married Gertrude Agnes Gosse Hay on July 14, 1908.They had a daughter, and sometime before 1930, were divorced. He retired in 1930 from practising medicine. On November 28, 1930 ...

  On October 2, 1988, the Olympic Games held in Seoul Korea ended, ending also the best Olympic mascot ever: Hodori. Hodori was a friendly little tiger designed by Kim Hyun to show the spirit of the games. His name comes from the Korean word for Tiger, and Dori, little boy. The friendly tiger of Seoul wore the Olympic Rings around its neck, much like a medal, while sporting a traditional Korean dance hat on its head.

The very first issue of Picture Post Magazine, appeared on October 1, 1938. This was a British equivalent of the American Life magazine , and was very popular and profitable. Throughout the magazine's run, 1938 to 1957, Kurt Hutton was associated with it, as a photographer. Born on the French border with Germany, (Alsace) in 1893 his name was shortened from Hubschmann to Hutton during his career in England. A history of the magazine, written by David J. Marcou  notes "With the passage of time both (Man and Hutton) today have become internationally renowned as cameramen to an extent the gentle, conscientious Hutton at least would never have expected." He did like cats and there are many of his pictures to see if you do an image search on "Kurt Hutton" cat.

  Truman Capote's birthday is September 30, 1924. Capote, whose portrayal of the cat in  Breakfast at Tiffany's  would guarantee him a place in a pantheon of cat saints, was, of course, an animal lover. One of his (real) cats was named Diotima, after " a Greek priestess who taught Socrates the philosophy of love."

  Bryan MacMahon, an Irish writer of some fame, lived from September 29, 1909 to February 13, 1998. According to one blurb, MacMahon was: Winner of the 1993 American Ireland Fund Literary Award. MacMahon is one of Ireland's great writers, a teacher who, to use his own inimitable phrase, has left 'the track of his teeth on a parish for three generations'. This account of his life has all the magic, drama, love of language, and love of Ireland that has made him famous as a talker, ballad-maker, playwright, novelist, and short-story writer of international stature.  MacMahon was from Listowel, County Kerry. His books include  The Lion Tamer, and Other Stories  (1949) and  The Red Petticoat and Other Stories  (1955). His autobiography he titled,  The Master  (1994). One of his sons is currently a judge on the Irish High Court. It is a story included in  The Red Petticoat  that caught our intention today: "The Cat and the Cornfield" in the wo...

  On September 28, 1980, the 13 part series "Cosmos" first aired on public television. It made a media star of a scientist, Carl Sagan. In a later book, "Billions and Billions,Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millenium," Sagan would sketch out the conundrum that led American and German scientists to invent the ozone destroying Freon. It turned out that the chemicals used to allow refrigeration, in the 1920s, were poisonous gases like ammonia, and thus a search for an inert chemical began, a chemical which was not "...flammable, doesn't corrode, burn your eyes, attract bugs, or even bother the cat." In outlining the ironic story of the invention of Freon, is Sagan blaming cats for climate change?

Although some sources disagree, I have seen September 27, 1844 listed as the date of death for Charles Nodier, French writer and archivist. He was elected a member of the Academie Francaise after a career as first, a half hearted revolutionist, and then, a half hearted monarchist. His biography was written by Prosper Merimee, who is not as forgotten as our subject. Nodier's writings were brief stories, typically, with some fantasy elements. The following two paragraph excerpt is from a story called "Trilby, or the Fairy of the Argyle" (1822). "There are privileges attached to houses inhabited by household sprites! They are preserved from the accidents of storm and the ravages of fire... [The sprites protect], also, the peaceful inhabitants of the barn-yard, and the feathered creatures, to which Providence has given only cries wherewith to make their complaints known, and which Providence has left without weapons for their defence. Oftentimes the blood-thirsty wild-ca...