Mercury: Did you mean...?

The Aeneid, written by the Roman poet Virgil (70-19 BCE), is a twelve-book-long epic poem that describes the early mythology of the founding of Rome. The eponymous hero Aeneas, a Trojan prince and son of Venus, faces trials and tribulations...

Cú Chulainn (pron. Koo-kul-in), also Cúchulainn, is one of the greatest heroes of Irish-Celtic mythology, particularly the Ulster Cycle. The son of another cultural hero-figure, Lugh, Cú Chulainn is a mighty warrior whose weapon is Gáe Bolga...

Philolaus (l. c. 470 to c. 385 BCE) was a Pythagorean philosopher who claimed that fire was the first cause of existence and heat the underlying source of human life. He is best known for his pyrocentric model of the universe, which replaced...

Johannes Hevelius (1611-1687) was a Polish astronomer based in Danzig (Gdańsk). He worked from his own privately funded observatory, creating maps of the Moon's surface, discovering the first variable star, and spotting several new comets...

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was a German composer of Romantic music, particularly piano and orchestral works, as well as over 250 songs or lieder. He was also a musical critic and founded his own magazine. His wife Clara Schumann (1819-1896...

Henry Laurens (1724-1792) was an American statesman from South Carolina who played an important role in the politics of the American Revolution (1765-1789). He served as president of the Second Continental Congress from 1777-78 and presided...

A replica model of the barometer designed by Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647) in 1643 which used mercury in a thin glass tube stood in a container of mercury to measure air pressure. (Science Museum, London)

Chrocus (Crocus) was a king of the Alemanni who invaded Roman Gaul c. 256 CE until he was defeated by the Roman legions at Arles and then executed. Conversely, he was a king of the Alemanni who served Rome and supported Constantine the Great...

Roman marble copy from the late 1st century CE - early 2nd century CE after a Greek original of 450-440 BCE (right hand restored). Possibly here as Hermes Psychopompos, leader of souls - the left hand beckons. Part of a monument in Athens...

The Black Death is the 19th-century CE term for the plague epidemic that ravaged Europe between 1347-1352 CE, killing an estimated 30 million people there and many more worldwide as it reached pandemic proportions. The name comes from the...