Monday, April 13, 2009

Kalology : The Art of Beauty


Francis Galton, a 19th centuary polymath, traveled all around Britain in order to understand beauty and how to rate it. How he actually did this was by carrying a paper and a needle. He would walk the streets or whatever and when he saw an attractive lady he would make a hole on the top , if he saw an average one he would make a hole in the middle and if he did see a really hideous one he would make a hole at the botton. He made a paper for each town he visited and in the end if it had more holes on top it meant the town was one with beauty and vice-verca. He found London to be the highest ranked for beauty and Aberdeen the lowest.

"A letter in the National Review from Charles C. Littell Jr. suggested that beauty should be measured in 'Helens'. "

- One Helen would be defined as enough beauty to launch a thousand ships.
- A Milihelen would be enough beauty to launch one ship.
- A Microhelen is sufficient beauty to inspire the launch of a plank.
- An Antimilihelen measures ugliness, one unit is enough to sink a battleship.


A little story ...Giulia Gonzaga, Duchess of Fondi measured one Helen for her amazing looks and 1,000 ships were launched by the Turk Sultan to capture her. The turks made it till there but were lost in their surroundings, a little boy saw them and went to warn the Duchess of the attack. The Duchess fled from her town to safety. The turks gave up and left empty handed.
The Duchess showed her thankfulness to the boy by getting his head chopped off.

Ya i know, sad story.

2 comments: