Tsutomu Yamaguchi, the only officially recognized survivor of the world’s first two – and so far only – atomic attacks during early August 1945, has died of stomach cancer at age 93. On 6 August 1945, the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb, “Little Boy,” on Hiroshima. Somehow Yamaguchi survived. Only three days later, on 9 August 1945, Bock’s Car dropped the second atomic bomb, “Fat Man,” on Nagasaki. Somehow Yamaguchi survived – AGAIN. Once made him truly remarkable; twice made him truly unique.
The world has lost yet another model of humility, justice, and peace.
Recently (ok, it was a few months ago, 23 November 2009), I sat down with a beer, pizza, and … Kafka? Yes, Kafka. I had time for a short story, so I decided to read Franz Kafka’s “A Country Doctor” (1919). How did I come to choose that particular short story? Well, I was reading an article in the New York Times by Benedict Carey called “How Nonsense Sharpens the Intellect.” In the article, Carey reviews recent research that analyzes the impact of the absurd, the illogical, the unexpected, and the disorienting on how we think about and respond to the world around us. The resulting sensation – unease or creepiness, really – apparently primes the brain, allowing it to potentially discern patterns that we might otherwise miss as it strives to impose order, meaning, and coherence. Kafka’s “Country Doctor” is proffered as one such example of the absurd that prompts the brain to think differently. I was intrigued, and thus motivated to read it. A strange, surreal, and twisted story, indeed!
Many years ago, over countless beers, three historians (TJD, PJG, and BAW) cobbled together the title of what, in their humble view, was the best dissertation never written. This blog bears that title, but its contents have almost nothing to do with it. What is here is a collection of eclectic musings on a wide variety of topics, often far removed from the realm occupied by professional historians. Then again, maybe not…
