Tycho Brahe Lost his nose in a sword fight over mathematics. A Danish nobleman who employed midget jesters and owned a pet moose, Tycho Brahe was an eccentric and irascible astronomer, and what he loved most was arguing about math. At a dinner party in 1566, Brahe sparked a heated debate over a certain mathematical formula. One guest dared to disagree with him and, before anyone could stop him, the outraged Brahe challenged the man to a rapier duel. Brahe was a deft mathematician but a clumsy swordsman. And so, in the name of mathematics, he lost the bridge of his nose to a faster fencer. Brahe went on to exploit many midgets and explore the cosmos as a famous astronomer, but he did so wearing a prosthetic nose made of precious metals.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 13:35:19 +0000
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