Saints o' the
Day include, but are not limited to, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (patron
saint of bakers), Saint Gregory of Tours, Saint Gregory the Wonderworker,
Saint Hilda, Saint Hugh of Lincoln, the Martyrs of Paraguay, and Saint
Philippine Duchesne.
***
August Mobius
was born on this day in 1790. Someone once welded me a Mobius band.
It was a nice present and I don't understand how I could have lost
it, so I probably gave it away. In case you don't know what a Mobius
band is, here's how to make one. Cut a strip of paper and fasten the
two ends together, but first take one half twist.
These
pictures were taken from
John
Robinson and Ronnie Brown -
Making the Mobius Band .
The man who welded
me the Mobius band told me to pretend I was a fly and to start walking
along the band. I walked my fingers around and around, AND AROUND
AND AROUND!!! Why, it never ended! There was no end to a Mobius band.
That is the amazing thing about them: they are one-sided, one-edged
surfaces! How can you make something with two sides and two edges
into something with one side and one edge and do nothing to reduce
its size? It sounds impossible. I love Mobius bands. Incidentally,
some people refer to them as Mobius strips. Same same.
So what does
all that mean? What is the significance of one-sided figures and Mobius
bands? Darned if I know. I am still trying to figure out baking powder
and ice.
***
In addition to
August Mobius, today is also the birthday of
Danny DeVito (1944, Neptune, New Jersey); RuPaul (1960, San Diego); and Lorne Michaels (1944, Toronto). And last
but not least, Martin Scorsese turns 64 today (and is noted here as
a special favor to Saint Report watchdog and member of the No Combover
for Me Club, Chuck Davis, who shares Martin's birthday).
Born today in 1951 was Denise McNair, one of the four girls killed in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.
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©
Marilyn Jones 2000-2006