Download or read book The World of Maria Gaetana Agnesi Mathematician of God written by Massimo Mazzotti and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2007-10-24 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: She is best known for her curve, the witch of Agnesi, which appears in almost all high school and undergraduate math books. She was a child prodigy who frequented the salon circuit, discussing mathematics, philosophy, history, and music in multiple languages. She wrote one of the first vernacular textbooks on calculus and was appointed chair of mathematics at the university in Bologna. In later years, however, she became a prominent figure within the Catholic Enlightenment, gave up the academic world, and devoted herself to the poor, the sick, the hungry, and the homeless. Indeed, the life of Maria Agnesi reveals a complex and enigmatic figure—one of the most fascinating characters in the history of mathematics. Using newly discovered archival documents, Massimo Mazzotti reconstructs the wide spectrum of Agnesi's social experience and examines her relationships to various traditions—religious, political, social, and mathematical. This meticulous study shows how she and her fellow Enlightenment Catholics modified tradition in an effort to reconcile aspects of modern philosophy and science with traditional morality and theology. Mazzotti's original and provocative investigation is also the first targeted study of the Catholic Enlightenment and its influence on modern science. He argues that Agnesi's life is the perfect lens through which we can gain a greater understanding of mid-eighteenth-century cultural trends in continental Europe. -- Paula Findlen

Download or read book The Witch of Agnesi A Novel Based on the Life of Maria Agnesi written by Eric D. Martin and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Almost broken from the relentless pressure to perform, an anxious child prodigy struggles to break free and find her true calling. All Maria Agnesi wants to do is stay in her room and read books. But her father has other plans for his “little genius.” Thrust into Milan’s elite academic and social circles, the shy introvert performs dutifully for astonished audiences—at the expense of her own physical and emotional health. Having easily mastered multiple languages and advanced calculus as a child, there is one problem Maria can’t crack. No doubt her talents are God-given, but could God also be calling her to abandon her gifts for a humble, but perhaps more noble, cause? Raised to be an obedient 18th-century woman—albeit the first woman to write a mathematics textbook—Maria questions her responsibility to her ever-growing family versus her need to follow her own passion and inner voice.

Download or read book Analytical Institutions written by Maria Gaetana Agnesi and published by . This book was released on 2012-03-02 with total page 698 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hardcover reprint of the original 1801 edition - beautifully bound in brown cloth covers featuring titles stamped in gold, 8vo - 6x9. No adjustments have been made to the original text, giving readers the full antiquarian experience. For quality purposes, all text and images are printed as black and white. This item is printed on demand. Book Information: Agnesi, Maria Gaetana. Analytical Institutions In Four Books: Originally Written In Italian. Indiana: Repressed Publishing LLC, 2012. Original Publishing: Agnesi, Maria Gaetana. Analytical Institutions In Four Books: Originally Written In Italian, . London: Printed By Taylor And Wilks, 1801. Subject: Mathematics

Download or read book The Dream of Life written by Kate Fuglei and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Too young to hear the drum beat of a world preparing for war, little Federico daydreamed on the shores of Italy's Adriatic Sea. At night the boy soared over his provincial town, his head swimming with fantastical visions unconstrained by earthly boundaries and limitations. As he came of age, Fellini found his soul in the heart of Rome. Through his work as a caricaturist and journalist he played a leading role in the city's avant-garde scene and soon found his inspiration behind the film camera. Fellini held tight to the world of childhood, imagination and the dream state. His ability to capture the frailty and wonder of what it is to be human, and to find irony, humor and beauty in the life of post war Italy earned him four best Foreign Language Oscars. Film directors worldwide study his craft in neo-realist masterpieces such as I Vitellonni, La Strada, La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2 the magic of which gave birth to the well-familiar addition to our lexicon—Felliniesque.

Download or read book At Last written by Stacia Raymond and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The golden age of the Hollywood musical celebrated through the life of unsung hit-maker Harry Warren. Eliciting a swell of nostalgia, Harry Warren’s jaunty melodies lift our spirits as much today as they did for Depression-era moviegoers. Navigating a business already known for its glamour, excess, and ruthless business practices, Warren quietly but resplendently helped create a new American art form. A self-taught musician, Warren was nominated for eleven best original song Academy Awards and took home three Oscars. He composed twenty musicals including 42nd Street and unforgettable American standards such as "We’re in the Money," "Chattanooga Choo Choo," and “That’s Amore.” At Last brings readers on a journey through yesteryear's Tin Pan Alley, Busby Berkeley set pieces, cocktails with the Gershwins, and the creative and collaborative process of a prolific musical genius.

Download or read book A Boxing Trainer s Journey written by Jonathan Brown and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To train the greatest, he had to be the greatest. On the streets of South Philly, Angelo Dundee learned what it took to survive—a sense of purpose, a clear head, and sometimes . . . a powerful right uppercut. Boxing was the family business and the ring was his home. A skilled trainer and cut man, Dundee intuitively adapted to whatever his fighter needed, be it doctor, therapist, drillmaster, or friend. With gauze and liniment or a well-timed joke, Dundee knew how to keep his guy in the fight and instill confidence in the bleakest of final rounds. For the boxing legends of our time, including Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, there was no one else they wanted in their corner.

Download or read book Relentless Visionary written by Michael Berick and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If asked to list important inventors, few remember to include Alessandro Volta. Yet, his is a household name more spoken than that of Alexander Graham Bell, the Wright Brothers, or even Thomas Edison. That’s because the terms “volt” and “voltage” can be attributed to Volta, the inventor of the “Voltaic pile,” which is recognized as the first electric battery. A product of the Age of Enlightenment—a time when ideas about reason, science, literature and liberty took center stage—Volta employed a very modern, hands-on approach to his work. Though he had no formal education, he was the first person to identify the gas known as methane, and created the first authoritative list of conducting metals. Alessandro Volta saw things not just as they were, but as what they could be. He was a disrupter, an innovator and a visionary. Above all, he was relentless. Without Volta’s hunger to create and his drive to invent and discover, we might not have electric cars, laptops, cellphones, and hearing aids today.

Download or read book What a Woman Can Do written by Peg A. Lamphier, PhD and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Weary of hearing what a woman couldn’t do, she had no choice but to show them what she could. Four centuries later, the world finally noticed. Though she was “just a girl,” Artemisia Gentileschi’s father recognized and nurtured his daughter’s raw talent and escorted her into the male-dominated elite circle of seventeenth-century fine artists. Later dishonored in the most humiliating way and betrayed by her father for the sake of his own reputation and fortune, the Caravaggio-inspired teenager summoned the fortitude to confront the monster who had stolen her virtue in a very public months-long trial. At a time when a woman’s reputation meant everything, Artemisia was considered damaged goods. Undeterred, she forged a daring path, earning a living through commissions from popes and cardinals, dukes and duchesses, kings and queens. Though traditionally objectified in art, Artemisia’s brushstrokes celebrated women’s strength and defiance. For centuries, her father got credit for many of her paintings, but today they stand on their own merit, their creator’s dishonor and personal tragedies lost to time. Until now.

Download or read book The Embrace of Hope written by Kate Fuglei and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Friend, you are a divine mingle-mangle of guts and stardust. So hang in there! If doors opened for me, they can open for anyone.”—Frank Capra Crossing the Atlantic Ocean was going to be the biggest adventure of Frank Capra’s life, but the five-year-old Sicilian boy’s dreams were soon hobbled by the cramped steamship’s unsanitary conditions. Feverish and weak, Frank suffered the seemingly endless nightmare through rolling seas torn from his family and frightened in the isolated sick bay. Emerging from the darkness into a new world, Frank craned his neck to see the torch atop Lady Liberty’s reaching arm. Awestruck, his heart swelled with a hope and gratitude that came to define his life and his work. Frank Capra’s movies celebrated the individual’s power to define their own destiny through hard work and selflessness. Today, It Happened One Night, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and other classics elicit nostalgia for an America that was, and continue to inspire audiences with the deep-rooted sense of patriotism and optimism held by their creator.

Download or read book The Judicious Use of Intangibles written by W.A.W. Parker and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of how a chance encounter with an Italian countess helped one man reach for the sky and bring us closer to the divine. Luck, talent, and hard work. Pietro Belluschi was blessed with all three—whether crossing paths with Ernest Hemingway or Ayn Rand, surviving World War I battlefields, or with the Ivy League scholarship that brought him to America. Belluschi’s designs at an Oregon architectural firm garnered national attention. Whether in homes, churches, or office buildings, his “judicious use of such intangibles as space, light, texture, and color” distinguishes him as a pioneer of modern architecture. His respect for the environment, carefully selected materials, and eloquent designs endure in the Equitable Building—the first constructed of aluminum and glass—the Pan Am Building (now Met Life), and thousands of others. Mentored by Frank Lloyd Wright and mentor to thousands as the dean of M.I.T.’s School of Architecture, Belluschi’s influence on the American landscape cannot be overstated.

Download or read book No Person Above the Law written by Cynthia Cooper and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The country faced a Constitutional crisis during the Watergate conspiracy. He stood firm to set the record straight. As the chief judge of the federal court in Washington D.C. in 1972, John J. Sirica took on the trial of burglars arrested while planting electronic bugs in the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate complex. Who had sent them? The defendants weren’t saying and President Nixon disavowed any knowledge of the conspirators. Sirica came to the law as the son of an Italian immigrant who lived a hardscrabble life. From these roots, he fought as a boxer while simultaneously going to law school. Practicing law in D.C., he defended criminals and prosecuted them, too. As a judge, he earned the nickname “Maximum John” for the maximum sentences he was apt to deliver. No Person Above the Law describes how Sirica was determined to see the truth come out during the Watergate scandal, even going toe-to-toe with the White House to order the release of secret tapes. Named Time Man of the Year, Judge Sirica held high the central promise of the U.S. Constitution: no person is above the law.

Download or read book Character Is What Counts written by Jonathan Brown and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faith. Fairness. Fortitude. And Football. Every time he confessed his sins, young seminarian Vince Lombardi sought forgiveness for the one he just couldn’t stop committing—playing football. Football was more than a game to Lombardi. It was life. And the values it took to succeed—“perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and respect for authority”—were ones he lived by and inspired in others. Considered one of the best coaches of all time, whatever the sport, Lombardi was uncompromising in his expectations of himself and his players, both on the field and off. Sidelined and underestimated throughout his life because of his Italian heritage, Vince Lombardi took a brave stance against homophobia and racism. In a country and a sport divided by race the oft-quoted “Pope of Green Bay” had zero tolerance for bigotry and showed his players, fans, and other teams and coaches that character is what counts.

Download or read book Defying Danger written by Nicole Gregory and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Forbidden City—home to the opium-addicted Ming Dynasty emperor and protected by thousands of ruthless eunuchs—no European had ever been inside. Would a simple Jesuit priest be the first? Armed with a homemade clock, a wealth of patience, and an uncompromising drive to share his faith with a new people, Father Matteo Ricci would overcome one barrier only to be met by another: treacherous seas, a complex language, and a culture with an unshakable mistrust of foreigners and rooted in the teachings of Buddha and Confucius.In sharing European understanding of astronomy, Ricci garnered the respect of the Chinese and despite the urgency he felt to talk about his beliefs, he tread carefully and respectfully, adopting their ways rather than imposing his own. He was one of the first Westerners to speak and read Mandarin and compiled the first Chinese-Western dictionary. By translating Greek mathematics texts into Chinese and Confucian works into Latin, as well as drawing the first world map with Chinese characters, Ricci forged a path for future scholars, explorers, and missionaries.

Download or read book Soldier Diplomat Archaeologist written by Peg A. Lamphier, PhD and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: He fought for himself. He fought for his country. He fought for acceptance. As the son of an Italian count, Cavalry Colonel Louis Palma di Cesnola had more military experience than most of the leading officers in the Civil War. Objecting to his general’s orders, di Cesnola led his men into battle, earning himself a Medal of Honor. When di Cesnola was captured and thrown into the notorious Libby Prison, he was forced to examine his life decisions. Upon release, di Cesnola was torn between his desire to return to war or to his wife and daughter—a battle of his heart and his duty. Once the war ended, di Cesnola became America’s consul for archaeological excavators, and eventually became the first director of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. With every step of success, di Cesnola was forced to prove himself in a country that emphatically disapproved of immigrants. His plight forged a path of national acceptance of Italian-Americans throughout the entire country.

Download or read book The Architect Who Changed Our World written by Pamela Winfrey and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From ancient ruins he carved a staircase to his dreams and a style that continues to instill beauty and harmony across the world. In a time when birth and class determined one’s destiny, Andrea Palladio’s father recognized there was nothing common about his son and vowed to nurture his gifts. Impressed by the boy’s sketches, quick mind, and ease with numbers, influential mentors took an interest in young Palladio and he didn’t disappoint. Palladio’s life experiences, talents, and apprenticeships with stone carvers led him to an unexpected career—architecture. Commissioned by nobles who had no design experience, but plenty of opinions, each new project came with a unique set of problems that were further complicated by the Italian peninsula’s ongoing wars as well as his own financial worries and family tragedies. With the Alps as a background and Italy for his canvas, Palladio reinterpreted ancient Roman architecture to build breathtaking palazzos, villas, and churches that continue to awe and inspire. Palladio’s perfection of proportion and symmetry and his use of porticos, columns, and rotundas have become architectural standards, making him the most imitated architect of all time.

Download or read book Sinner Servant Saint written by Margaret O'Reilly and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: His neighbors thought he was spoiled and lazy. His teachers found him incorrigible. His own father believed he was crazy. His mother never doubted that he was a true son of God. Arrogant and grandiose, young Francis di Bernardone was an embarrassment to his family and a source of amusement to his community. He led a lavish, undisciplined life, squandering his father’s fortune on the finest food, wine, and late-night parties with his coterie of friends. Convinced that he was destined for greatness, Francis joined the fight for Assisi’s independence, fully expecting to find glory in battle. Those dreams were crushed when he was captured by the enemy and held in a medieval dungeon for a year. After his release, Francis resumed his search for glory—but this time he sought the Glory of God. In his determination to follow Christ’s example of humility and poverty, Francis was beset by ill health, family strife, abuse, derision, war, Vatican politics, and his own shortcomings. Yet many were inspired by the authenticity of his message and his obvious conviction. A brotherhood formed around him that grew from twelve to many thousands within his lifetime. The Friars Minor, now called Franciscans after their founder, has spread worldwide and continued through the centuries to carry forward Francis’ legacy of bringing Christ to the world.

Download or read book Dark Labyrinth written by Peter David Myers and published by Barbera Foundation. This book was released on with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From hero to heretic, would he live to see honor again? Enchanted by the labyrinth of stars above, Italian professor Galileo Galilei was determined to unearth the mysteries held within. It was 1609 and inspired by the newly invented “perspective glass,” which magnified objects on land up to three times their size, Galileo designed prototype after prototype until he achieved an unheard of 20x magnification. He pointed his invention to the heavens and the world would never be the same. He was the first to see the moon’s craters, Jupiter’s moons, and Saturn’s rings, but when Galileo dared challenge the commonly held belief that the earth was the center of the solar system, the darling of the Medicis and Italy’s elite salon scene was assailed by the most dangerous men and powerful institution of all time. Swift and ruthless, the Inquisition had Galileo in its sights. His crime? Questioning authority and defending a truth he—the rebel later known as the Father of the Scientific Method—had proven.