Dante Alighieri’s courtly love for Beatrice
On this day in 1265 Italian poet Dante Alighieri was born in Florence. Dante’s family were caught up in the fighting between various factions at... Read More
Leonardo’s fifteen masterpieces
On this day in 1519 the Italian artist and polymath Leonardo da Vinci died. His biographer, Giorgio Vasari said: “In the normal course of events... Read More
Tom Wolfe nearly made a career in baseball
On this day in 1931 the writer and journalist Tom Wolfe was born. Wolfe excelled both academically and at baseball – he considered turning professional.... Read More