Two errors in Polish chapter
Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Dear Francis,
(we're both Quora users so I hope it won't be inappropriate to call you this way).
I love your book about my part of the world and read it with a great pleasure. I just love your writing style!
And I found two errors in the chapter about Poland that at least in Kindle version of the book can be still corrected as I suppose.
1) When an airplane with Polish president crashed in 2010 is Smolensk, they were flying to commemorate the 70th, not 60th anniversary of the Katyń massacre (1940, not 1950).
2) Kopernik couldn't use telescope as it hasn't been invented yet (first telescopes appeared in the 17th century, while Kopernik lived in the 15th and 16th).
There is a famous painting of one of the best known Polish painters, Jan Matejko, that shows Kopernik in a weird body position. It's because primarily Matejko wanted to paint him with a telescope in his hands but then learned it would be incorrect, so left his hands empty and instead added a christian cross falling, to make impression that Kopernik tries to catch it. So, Francis, you made the same mistake as a famous painter. You are in a good company!
Best Regards,
Wojtek
(we're both Quora users so I hope it won't be inappropriate to call you this way).
I love your book about my part of the world and read it with a great pleasure. I just love your writing style!
And I found two errors in the chapter about Poland that at least in Kindle version of the book can be still corrected as I suppose.
1) When an airplane with Polish president crashed in 2010 is Smolensk, they were flying to commemorate the 70th, not 60th anniversary of the Katyń massacre (1940, not 1950).
2) Kopernik couldn't use telescope as it hasn't been invented yet (first telescopes appeared in the 17th century, while Kopernik lived in the 15th and 16th).
There is a famous painting of one of the best known Polish painters, Jan Matejko, that shows Kopernik in a weird body position. It's because primarily Matejko wanted to paint him with a telescope in his hands but then learned it would be incorrect, so left his hands empty and instead added a christian cross falling, to make impression that Kopernik tries to catch it. So, Francis, you made the same mistake as a famous painter. You are in a good company!
Best Regards,
Wojtek
