2005-06-07
A Chicken in Every Pot...
- There is really more than I can possibly share in this visit to
Réaumur's home in the Vendée village from which he takes his name.
He was named to the Royal Academy of Science by Henri IV's grandson,
Louis XIV. In the last great days of Versailles, Louis' realm had
shined across the world, but endless wars and and reckless economic
policies were leaving France in ruin. Réaumur examined every means
to put the kingdom back in the black. His real genius was the
natural world of science. He examined (and here are just a few):
- The oyster and the pearl
- the silk worm the spider and their production
- metals and the means to produce the tin can
- ropes and the means to make them stronger
- wood and the means to protect forests while encouraging building of
ships and homes
- iron, steel and the means to make "unbreakable" anchors, drills,
wheels... (note our TGV so recently)
- bees and the ideal conditions for production of honey.
- Last but not least: chickens and the best
conditions for natural and artificial incubation: if you eat a lot
of chicken today, it may be because of Henri IV and his promise, or it
may be because Louis XIV named Réaumur to the Académie des Sciences...
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This page last updated on 2005-06-07 7:09:42 PM.