Maupertuis (remember Maupertuis? Captured by Austrians when joining Fritz on campaign, president of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin, quarreled with Voltaire?), back in 1736 (aka when Fritz was still Crown Prince), went on an Arctic expedition to Lapland.
The reason is actually kinda cool. You know how the Earth bulges at the center and is kind of flat on the top, because of gravity and rotation and all that? Whether it was bulging at the center, or stretched out toward the poles like an egg, was a big scientific debate at the time. Maupertuis was convinced it was the former, so he led an expedition in the direction of the North Pole to take measurements. This expedition ended up proving him right.
Anyway, Algarotti was invited to help take measurements and also write poetry to immortalize and popularize the expedition. Which is pretty cool, because not everyone is qualified to be the scientist and the poet of the expedition.
Unfortunately, posterity didn't always appreciate Algarotti's polymathy. The Algarotti dissertation recounts a scene from a novel written in 1869:
"In a scene that is set in 1750, a party is held in honour of Algarotti's arrival in Venice. In it, one of the characters asks to know who the 'pallid, skinny little thing with the necklace, the medallions, and the cross on his chest' is. He is told that this person is Algarotti, who is then described with a touch of sarcasm as, 'member of all the universities, and of all the academies that ever were, that are, and that ever will be; astronomer, poet, painter, architect, violinist...Of many people it is usual to ask what they are...in his case, one ought rather to ask what he is not.'"
As someone who was given a good-natured ribbing by a fellow student in high school for monopolizing all the prizes and awards, to the point of being accused of being named "best male athlete" (I was neither male nor an athlete--although the track coach tried to recruit me for four years: I was notoriously faster than the male athletes)...I sympathize, Algarotti. I will join you in "Posterity: Mildred who?" land. <3
Long tangent: the reason Algarotti didn't end up going to Lapland with Maupertuis was that he was choosing between this offer and a simultaneous offer to come live with Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet. He ended up choosing the latter, which was kind of interesting.
Voltaire was jealous, saying that if it weren't so cold, he would have accepted a position as poet, if he had been invited. [Me: That's a lot of "if"s, Voltaire.] But since it was cold and he wasn't invited, he and du Châtelet were like, "Pleeeeease, pleeeease come live with us! We love you forever! We're way better than Lapland! We will appreciate you like you deserve!"
They won, but Algarotti ended up staying with them for only 6 weeks. I was kind of joking when I wrote "Live with Voltaire! *double take* Live with Voltaire? *sigh*" as his reason for leaving. My sources give *no* reason why Algarotti left so quickly. What we know is that he continued to be on very complimentary terms with both his hosts after leaving, and they with him. My wanton and unsubstantiated speculation is based on two things: 1) Voltaire is Voltaire. 2) This is also how Algarotti later broke up with Fritz, as you may remember. "ILU! ILU from very far away!" "ILU too! Come back soon!" "When pigs fly, but ILU anyway!"
Algarotti seems to have been master of the amicable unofficial breakup, IOW. Even Lady Mary was left in some doubt as to his interest in her until she showed up in Italy several years later trying to move in with him. [ETA: My library shocked me by having the 3-volume set of the complete letters! I have placed a hold and will scan the Algarotti letters as soon as they arrive. Wheeee.]
Plus 3) I couldn't resist throwing some shade at Voltaire. :P
Algarotti
Maupertuis (remember Maupertuis? Captured by Austrians when joining Fritz on campaign, president of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin, quarreled with Voltaire?), back in 1736 (aka when Fritz was still Crown Prince), went on an Arctic expedition to Lapland.
The reason is actually kinda cool. You know how the Earth bulges at the center and is kind of flat on the top, because of gravity and rotation and all that? Whether it was bulging at the center, or stretched out toward the poles like an egg, was a big scientific debate at the time. Maupertuis was convinced it was the former, so he led an expedition in the direction of the North Pole to take measurements. This expedition ended up proving him right.
Anyway, Algarotti was invited to help take measurements and also write poetry to immortalize and popularize the expedition. Which is pretty cool, because not everyone is qualified to be the scientist and the poet of the expedition.
Unfortunately, posterity didn't always appreciate Algarotti's polymathy. The Algarotti dissertation recounts a scene from a novel written in 1869:
"In a scene that is set in 1750, a party is held in honour of Algarotti's arrival in Venice. In it, one of the characters asks to know who the 'pallid, skinny little thing with the necklace, the medallions, and the cross on his chest' is. He is told that this person is Algarotti, who is then described with a touch of sarcasm as, 'member of all the universities, and of all the academies that ever were, that are, and that ever will be; astronomer, poet, painter, architect, violinist...Of many people it is usual to ask what they are...in his case, one ought rather to ask what he is not.'"
As someone who was given a good-natured ribbing by a fellow student in high school for monopolizing all the prizes and awards, to the point of being accused of being named "best male athlete" (I was neither male nor an athlete--although the track coach tried to recruit me for four years: I was notoriously faster than the male athletes)...I sympathize, Algarotti. I will join you in "Posterity: Mildred who?" land. <3
Long tangent: the reason Algarotti didn't end up going to Lapland with Maupertuis was that he was choosing between this offer and a simultaneous offer to come live with Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet. He ended up choosing the latter, which was kind of interesting.
Voltaire was jealous, saying that if it weren't so cold, he would have accepted a position as poet, if he had been invited. [Me: That's a lot of "if"s, Voltaire.] But since it was cold and he wasn't invited, he and du Châtelet were like, "Pleeeeease, pleeeease come live with us! We love you forever! We're way better than Lapland! We will appreciate you like you deserve!"
They won, but Algarotti ended up staying with them for only 6 weeks. I was kind of joking when I wrote "Live with Voltaire! *double take* Live with Voltaire? *sigh*" as his reason for leaving. My sources give *no* reason why Algarotti left so quickly. What we know is that he continued to be on very complimentary terms with both his hosts after leaving, and they with him. My wanton and unsubstantiated speculation is based on two things: 1) Voltaire is Voltaire. 2) This is also how Algarotti later broke up with Fritz, as you may remember. "ILU! ILU from very far away!" "ILU too! Come back soon!" "When pigs fly, but ILU anyway!"
Algarotti seems to have been master of the amicable unofficial breakup, IOW. Even Lady Mary was left in some doubt as to his interest in her until she showed up in Italy several years later trying to move in with him. [ETA: My library shocked me by having the 3-volume set of the complete letters! I have placed a hold and will scan the Algarotti letters as soon as they arrive. Wheeee.]
Plus 3) I couldn't resist throwing some shade at Voltaire. :P