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Franz Anton Mesmer

Franz Anton Mesmer (May 23, 1734 – March 5, 1815) discovered what he called magnétism animal (animal magnetism) and others often called mesmerism. Mesmer's ideas and practices would later be developed by James Braid as modern hypnosis. Mesmer's technique of healing was met with great enthusiasm by members of the public, but with extreme skepticism by members of the medical profession who considered him a charlatan. In Mesmer's time there was no room for "alternative" medicine in Europe—medical treatments had to be validated scientifically and have a logical explanation. Mesmer's "invisible fluid" and his esoteric techniques were no match for the doctors and academicians. Thus, his life was alternately one of success, fame, and fortune on the one hand, and exile and ruin—both financial and of his reputation—on the other.

Popular Article: Percussion instrument

A traditional Indonesian gamelan orchestra, composed almost entirely of percussion instruments

A percussion instrument can be any object which produces a sound by being struck, shaken, rubbed, and scraped with an implement, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. The term usually applies to an object used in a rhythmic context with musical intent. Percussion imitates the repetition of the human heartbeat. It is the most primal of all forms of expression. From aboriginal times, every civilization has used the drum to communicate.

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"America's Mermaid," Esther Williams, was famous for movies featuring "water ballet" now known as synchronized swimming (source: Esther Williams)

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