Quirky pursuits

10 surprising hobbies of historical figures

Image: Nguyen Minh Kien

What would life be like without hobbies? Even the most brilliant minds and influential figures throughout history found time to pursue personal passions, some of which even intertwined with their main work, leading to groundbreaking discoveries. From gardening to pigeon collecting and dwarfs, here are 10 fascinating hobbies that shaped history's greatest personalities and helped fuel their success.

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Winston Churchill, known for his leadership during WWII, was also an avid painter. He took up painting later in life, at the age of 40, as a way to relax and express his admiration for impressionists like Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and Paul Cézanne.

His paintings, mostly landscapes, were showcased at various exhibitions, and some were even sold to raise money for charity.

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Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was passionate about gardening and horticulture. He meticulously planned and cultivated his extensive gardens at Monticello.

Jefferson's love for gardening went beyond leisure; he used it as a scientific experiment to test new crops and plant varieties.

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Albert Einstein, one of the most brilliant minds in science, was also an accomplished violinist. He began playing at the age of six and continued throughout his life, often performing for friends and family.

Einstein found music to be a source of relaxation and inspiration, and he believed it enhanced his creativity. He even stated that if he weren't a physicist, he would have been a musician.

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Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was a passionate hiker and adventurer. He often explored the rugged wilderness of the American West, particularly the Badlands of North Dakota, where he developed a deep connection with nature.

His personal experiences in the wild fueled his dedication to preserving natural landscapes, ultimately leading to the establishment of many national parks and natural monuments during his presidency.

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Beyond the passion for nature and biology that led him to his theory of evolution, Charles Darwin was also an enthusiastic birdwatcher in his spare time.

In fact, his observations of various bird species, particularly in the Galápagos Islands, played a pivotal role in the development of his theories and led to groundbreaking insights into the process of natural selection.

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Not surprisingly, Napoleon Bonaparte, one of history’s most renowned military leaders, was also a skilled chess player. His approach to the game mirrored his battlefield strategy, with a focus on intense, calculated moves.

For Napoleon, chess was both a mental challenge and a form of relaxation. His strategic thinking, sharpened on the chessboard, likely played a role in his success during military campaigns.

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Mark Twain, the celebrated American author best known for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and other works that captured the essence of American rural life, had a lifelong passion for fishing.

Just like his characters, he spent considerable time along the Mississippi River, where he enjoyed fishing as both a relaxing and philosophical activity.

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Nikola Tesla, the brilliant inventor known for his contributions to electrical engineering, had a uniquely unusual hobby—keeping and caring for pigeons. He developed a particular attachment to a white pigeon he often referred to as his "greatest companion."

A solitary—and often misunderstood—man, Tesla's affinity for pigeons gave him a sense of companionship in his later years.

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The surrealist artist Salvador Dalí had a complicated relationship with insects. He felt both repelled and inexplicably fascinated by these creatures, using them as inspiration in some of his paintings, particularly ants, which he associated with death and decay.

Dalí’s obsession with insects extended beyond art; he kept live specimens in his home and often used them for bizarre experiments.

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Edgar Allan Poe, the master of macabre literature, had a secret passion for cryptography. He enjoyed creating and solving complex ciphers and was one of the early proponents of the use of codes and ciphers in literature.

Poe even published an essay on cryptography, calling it the "art of secret writing."

SPICE UP YOUR LANGUAGE, AMICI!

Beyond pizza: 10 Italian words every American knows and uses

Image: Dan Novac

Whoever has been to Italy knows that Italians have a rich cultural history. Their beautiful language includes terms that perfectly encapsulate the meaning of things other languages need more than one word to define. Since food and classical music are two very successful Italian exports, it should come as no surprise that many words we use in English-speaking countries relating to these areas can be traced back to their Italian origins. However, there are many other instances where this bella lingua has made its way into our daily conversations. Are you familiar with the following ten?

Image: Hayley Murray

Some of the words on this list are more obviously Italian than others, and "bravo" is definitely one of them. We use this word in the same way as you use it in Italian, as a congratulatory exclamation that accompanies the name of the subject.

The main difference between the way it is used in Italian and English is that in Italian, a woman is described as brava, while a man is bravo. In English, however, we say "bravo" for both men and women.

Image: Manuel Nägeli

It should come as no surprise that many words in this list come from the realm of classical music. The word "maestro" is an exact translation of the word "master" and is used to describe an expert in an artistic field. It is also sometimes used to describe a sports star.

Image: Edward Cisneros

Keeping on with the trend of classical music terms, we encounter "prima donna." In the English language, this term is used as a single word and it describes the same character as in Italian: the lead female singer in an opera.

However, the most common use of the word in English is to describe people who take themselves too seriously and expect others to treat them in the same way.

Image: Stefan C. Asafti

A term that sounds as Italian as it should, "al Forno" means "in the oven." It is used to describe dishes that are cooked in an oven, like pizza, prosciutto, pasta, and more. The term is commonly seen in Italian restaurants, written on menus, and elsewhere.

Image: Rachel Loughman

While in English, the word "tempo" is used to describe the different time signatures used in music, the term in its original Italian means "time" and is used in that broad sense.

The tempo of music refers to the speed and measures the beats per minute of a certain piece.

Image: Museums of History New South Wales

A fancy word, indeed, "circa" is used in English in the same way as in Italian, to mean "approximately." The term is used when one needs to mark a specific year or period and is more commonly seen in written text than in spoken language.

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Another Italian term that has become a household word, thanks to its ubiquitous use in menus and restaurant names, is "panini." As we all know by now, in English-speaking countries, a panini is a toasted sandwich.

But, if we ask for a "panini" in Italy, we will receive two, or more, sandwiches, since panini is the plural and "panino" is the singular.

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A similar word to the previously mentioned "prima donna," a "diva" describes a woman of great talent in the opera. But it is more commonly used to refer to a woman who is temperamental or difficult to please. The word is very much associated with the world of show business but it can also be used in other contexts.

Image: Clem Onojeghuo

As it happens with "panini," the word "paparazzi" is the plural form in its original Italian version. But, unlike a panini which is usually required as a single item, even if the word is in its plural form, paparazzi photographers are rarely alone, making the use of the plural form, appropriate. A single photographer would be called a "paparazzo."

Image: Helena Lopes

We finish the list with a word used mostly in academic circles but heard in many other areas, especially since the explosion of social media in recent decades. A "dilettante" is an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to know the matter at hand.

We all have encountered such individuals. They are everywhere, offering their "expert" advice on things as varied as economics, life lessons, skincare, cooking tips, and everything you can think of. Thanks to Italians, we have a word for them.