First I started at the Wikipedia page for April Fools' Day. I started here from the main page, but also hoping to find out the origin of this holiday since it is today! Apparently, one of the specified origins of this day is associated with comedy due to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Another that I have actually heard of is the poisson d'avril (April fool or literally April's fish) which I learned about in French class. It is assumed that they celebrated New Years' on March 25 and so April 1 was their way of making fun of the countries who celebrated the New Year earlier than that.
After this I was curious to learn more about Chaucer, I know I had talked about his work in a class in High School. However, I have a bad memory so I decided to read back. We all know about the Canterbury Tales from this famous poet, but what else was he known for? Apparently, he was also an astronomer and had a career in civil service! Something that drew my eye was his composition of A Treatise on Astrolabe which he wrote for his 10-year-old son.
A Treatise on Astrolabe is considered the oldest work in English about an elaborate scientific instrument. Which then lead me to look at the Astrolabe and what it is.
The Astrolabe is an ancient instrument that is astrological in nature, basically was a handheld model of the universe. It was capable of completing several kinds of problems in astronomy. This was helpful in distinguishing the longitude of the land or calm seas.
Photo Source: Wikipedia
Comments
Post a Comment