This date in 1561 saw the birth of Francis Bacon. Here are 10 facts about him:
He was the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, keeper of the great seal for Elizabeth I
Bacon studied at Cambridge University and at Gray's Inn.
He became a member of parliament when he was elected MP for Bossiney, Cornwall, in a by-election in 1581. After that he was MP for several different constituencies: Melcombe in Dorset, Taunton, Liverpool, Middlesex, Ipswich and Cambridge University.
However, his political career didn’t really take off until 1603 on the accession of James I. He was knighted by James and was appointed to a succession of posts culminating with keeper of the great seal, like his father before him.
He was especially interested in science. At the time, the Greek philosopher Aristotle was the biggest influence in scientific thought. Bacon would have been taught that scientific truth could be found through authoritative argument, that is, if sufficiently clever men discussed a subject long enough, the truth would be discovered. Bacon challenged this, arguing that truth required evidence from the real world. Bacon has been called the father of empiricism.
He was also very religious, a devout Anglican. The purpose of scientific investigation, to Bacon, had the sole purpose of proving the existence of God.
When he was 36, Bacon courted Elizabeth Hatton, a young widow of 20, but she jilted him for Sir Edward Coke, who had more money. Bacon didn’t marry until he was 45. His bride, Alice Barnham, was 13. Bacon’s letters had started talking about her: “an Alderman's daughter, an handsome maiden to my liking” when she was just 11. Accounts differ as to whether the marriage was successful or not. Bacon’s secretary said it was, but others referred to friction between the couple as Alice wanted fame and fortune and wasn’t happy when household finances dwindled. It is rumoured she had an affair with a man called John Underhill. Bacon and Alice had no children.
Bacon was a patron of Libraries and developed a system for cataloguing books, and after retiring from Parliament, one of his pastimes was writing. There is a theory that it was Bacon who wrote all the plays attributed to William Shakespeare. This was first suggested in the 19th century.
In 1618 he was appointed lord chancellor, the most powerful position in England, and in 1621 he was created viscount St Albans.
His scientific methods proved to be the death of him. He died in London on 9 April 1626 of pneumonia, which it is said he contracted after stuffing a Chicken with Snow as part of an experiment into food preservation.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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