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Things other people accomplished when
Things other people accomplished when they were my age
This
is sort of depressing. At age 21: Italian violinist and composer Giuseppe
Tartini had a dream in which he sold his soul to the Devil. The piece he
wrote upon waking, the "Devil's Sonata," was the best he ever wrote, though
far inferior to the one he heard in his dream. American novelist Herman
Melville jumped ship and spent a month as the captive of a cannibal tribe.
This became the source of his novel Typee. Jack London went to the Klondike
with the first rush of gold-seekers, returning home a year later as poor
as when he had left. English chemist Humphry Davy discovered nitrous oxide
("laughing gas"), and suggested that it may have use as an anaesthetic. Thomas
Alva Edison created his first invention, an electric vote recorder. After
it failed to sell, he decided to devote his energy to inventions for which
there was a market. John Dillinger robbed a grocery store, was caught and
spent 9 years in prison. He later became "public enemy number one," before
being gunned down by the FBI. Luther Burbank purchased 17 acres of land
near Lunenburg, Massachusetts and began a plant-breeding career that would
span 55 years. Pablo Casals made significant modifications in cello playing
technique and was acclaimed as a master. Pittsburgh songwriter Stephen Foster
wrote "Oh! Susanna!" which quickly gained great popularity. Future robber
baron Jay Gould began investing in the leather business and speculating in
railroad stocks. Robert Browning publishes his first poetry; it is poorly
received. Alfred Tennyson publishes his first poetry; it is poorly received.
College dropout Steven Jobs co-founded Apple Computer.
srah - Thursday, 11 April 2002 - 12:43 PM
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