I was thinking about The War of Jenkins Ear (s'truth) when this popped up via Professor (law, emerita) Anne Althouse.
From The Guardian, May 5, 2009:
One of life's best facts is false, according to a pair of German art historians who claim that Van Gogh did not cut off his own ear but lost it at the point of fellow dauber Paul Gauguin's sword during an argument. The story we all know was apparently invented so that Gauguin would avoid prison and Van Gogh could try to maintain a friendship with the man with whom he was, severed lobes or no, infatuated. It seems therefore an apposite time for a brief revision course in the remaining certainties of auricular history.
44BC: Mark Antony, the Roman general, required all his friends, Romans and countrymen to lend him their ears, so that the next time any consul was warned to beware the Ides of March, he would have plenty of spares to help him, you know, listen
1739-41: The War of Jenkins' Ear. Robert Jenkins was the captain of a British merchant ship who, in 1731, had his ear cut off by Spanish coastguards. Jenkins displayed the amputated cartilage in parliament seven years later when Britain was eager to go to war with Spain. When they realised what a nifty name they could give their conflict, off they went. 1992:1992:The War of Jennifer's Ear....
....MUCH MORE
Also at Althouse:
Not only is this moment historical, but the photo that @evanvucci took is also perfect.
— David Altizer (@dvdaltizer) July 14, 2024
The level of compositional mastery comes from over two decades of experience in the field and a sharpness that only comes from thousands and thousands of "reps."
1/5 pic.twitter.com/AQO7d0BYUB
THREAD (Threadreader) on Vucci, his Pulitzer, his running across a live-fire zone to get the shot, credit, more.
