Q: What did the teddy bear say when it was offered some birthday cake?
A: No thanks, I'm stuffed.
Vannoccio BiringuccioBorn 20 Oct 1480; died c. 1539 . Italian metallurgist and manufacturer of armaments. As head of the Papal foundry (for Pope Paul III) and a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci, he wrote detailed observations of foundry practice. HisDe la pirotechnia (Concerning Pyrotechnics, 1540) was the first significant 16th-century reference book on metallurgy—the “pyrotechnical arts.” With lavish woodcut illustrations, published postumously, it was a practical guide for distilling liquids, refining metals and mixing gun powder. It dealt with gold, silver, iron, copper, tin, steel and brass; the preparation of ores for smelting, refining, alloying; casting, cutting and making moulds. He also described the preparation and use of rockets in warfare and festivals.« |
