As we approach the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, I’ve got Marie Curie on my mind. I love this little book that writes her story so beautifully.
Her discoveries made it possible to take X-rays on the battlefields. I bet there are a lot of soldiers who are all, “Hey Marie, thanks for saving my limbs. Limbs are very cool. We like limbs.” No one likes turning into an amputee. Amputee day is a bummer.
Since she couldn’t study in Poland, because girls couldn’t do such things back then, she high-tailed it to France, and basically, rocked science for the rest of her life. They were all, “Merci Marie, here’s a stamp.”
And the First Day Cover…
Little known fact. Marie Curie discovered radium and polonium, two highly radioactive elements. Her remains are so radioactive that she is interred in inch-thick lead in the Pantheon in Paris to prevent the radiation from harming those who come to visit her.
You learn so many interesting medical facts while you’re in a medical crisis. For instance, we have CT scanners thanks to… the Beatles.
True fact. “Partial credit for the development of the CT scanner is due the Beatles, according to British radiologist Ben Timmis. That’s because the band’s recording label, EMI, heavily funded the research of the CT’s inventor, Sir Godfrey Hounsfield. Because the Beatles sold so many records and made so much money for EMI, Hounsfield was able to devote four years of full-time work to the development of a commercial CT machine, which was called the EMI-Scanner. ” Source: The Writer’s Almanac
All these fun facts have melded together in my noggin’ and inspired this month’s Paris Letter, which is about the close relationship you have with your local pharmacist in Paris.
All my updates with friends these days start with medical stuff, then end in fun stuff. So now that the medical stuff is over, a quick fun story. A lovely reader was wanting a personalized bookplate from my shop so she could add it into her book. Fair enough.
However she sent the request for a personalized message for the bookplate to the bookseller instead. The bookseller responded to this confusing request with this spark of genius:
“Hello Leah,
(Your book(s) asked to write you a personal note – it seemed unusual, but who are we to say no?)
Holy canasta! It’s me… it’s me! I can’t believe it is actually me! You could have picked any of over 2 million books but you picked me! I’ve got to get packed! How is the weather where you live? Will I need a dust jacket? I can’t believe I’m leaving Mishawaka, Indiana already – the friendly people, the Hummer plant, the Linebacker Lounge – so many memories. I don’t have much time to say goodbye to everyone, but it’s time to see the world!
I can’t wait to meet you! You sound like such a well read person. Although, I have to say, it sure has taken you a while! I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but how would you like to spend five months sandwiched between Jane Eyre (drama queen) and Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (pyromaniac)? At least Jane was an upgrade from that stupid book on brewing beer. How many times did the ol’ brewmaster have one too many and topple off our shelf at 2am?
I know the trip to meet you will be long and fraught with peril, but after the close calls I’ve had, I’m ready for anything (besides, some of my best friends are suspense novels). Thanks to your socially conscious book shopping, I’ve found a new home. Even better, your book buying dollars are helping kids read from Brazil to Botswana.
But hey, enough about me, I’ve been asked to brief you on a few things:
We sent your order to the following address: “
How fun is THAT?!?!