Sunday, October 19, 2014

"Bow Ties Are Cool"


"Bow ties are cool" the 11th Doctor is forced to say on a number of occasions to those who wince at his fashion choice. Well, I happen to agree and as proof here are several important figures who have donned the bow-tie:


1.) A.J.P. Taylor- A favorite historian of mine. In fact Taylor is largely responsible for my intellectual turn from biblical studies to history proper. He was an old style diplomatic historian writing the kind of history that is largely disparaged today. While there is much to fault in Taylor's works he is a pleasure to read having written with a style and wit that I have yet to find matched by any other historian.


2.) Alfred Kinsey- Pioneer sex researcher. Wrote two of the first comprehensive studies concerning male and female sexuality. Had the habit of shagging his own students (both female and male) and so quite rightly some of his studies were, umm, tainted.


3.) George Washington Carver- Gave the world peanut butter and thus the greatest candy ever, Peanut Butter M&M's. No more need be said.


4.) Bill Nye- Science promoter extraordinaire; educates the young about the joys of science while tackling asinine pseudo-scientific ideas.


5.) Mark Twain- One of America's greatest authors. Though he is primarily known for the characters of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Twain was also a witty and funny fella penning such famous sayings as "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics" and "A lie can travel half way round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."


6.) Louis Pasteur- It could be argued that Pasteur has saved more lives than any individual in history with his compelling experiments proving the validity of the germ theory of disease. Also gave us a safer way of drinking milk. Ever had a glass of milk after eating some peanut butter m&m's? It's a heavenly experience.


7.) Erwin Schrodinger- Contributed a ton to the advancement of physics, particularly quantum physics, but best known for tempting us all to test whether our cats can be both alive and dead at the same time. Don't worry I never gave in to this temptation. My two cats are definitively alive in their present quantum state.


8.) Winston Churchill- Led Britain in WWII; simply one of the greatest leaders of our time. Told Hitler to bugger off...while drinking tea...in his flat...eating fish and chips....and humming "Rule Britannia."


9.)  Albert Einstein- Known for his great hair of course.


10. Abraham Lincoln- Just freed the slaves; that's all. No biggie.


11. Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. aka Indiana Jones- Battled Nazis, bedded broads, fought a Hindu god, passed on immortality, and met some aliens, uh, I mean, inter-dimensional beings. And taught us all that X never marks the spot...while wearing a bow tie.


Yeah, bow ties are cool.


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