Humanity: Good News, Bad News

[Thought]

Another one that I've heard that I'm rather skeptical of (but, I don't know, might be true) is that the toilet was invented by someone with the last name 'Crapper', hence that term comes into our language. But again, that might just be an urban legend of history. (I looked it up and... the myth is that he invented the flush toilet, which he didn't... but he was a plumber, heh. Poor guy.)

Ah yes, good ol Thomas Crapper (though sometimes I've heard him with the name of John Crapper, for the double hit). He didn't invent the flushable toilet, but another story goes that he manufactured them and put his name on them (basic branding). American soldiers who traveled to Europe in WWI saw it and thought that Crapper was the name of the device, not the name of the guy who made them. Still, even that is rather dubious. However, "crapper" is originally an american term, so there might be some odd connection there.

Another fun, but dubious, bit of "history" is how the paper industry got started in Europe. Legend goes that it was made possible by the underwear business, which boomed shortly before paper came into high demand. With a lot of discarded undergarments, industrious manufactures took those, beat them into a pulp, and made fine linen paper out of them.

[Prince Janus]

It isn't a matter of opinion. It was the Luminaire Bros. If you heard differently, I'd search deeper, and this time don't use Wikipedia, the encyclopedia anyone can write in.

[Thought]

It isn't a matter of opinion. It was the Luminaire Bros. If you heard differently, I'd search deeper, and this time don't use Wikipedia, the encyclopedia anyone can write in.

Call it morbid curiosity, but where did you hear such a thing? Can you give any more information on such a claim?

If you don't like Wikipedia, that is fine. The Encyclopedia Britannica doesn't have anything on the "Luminaire brothers" either. Even looking up Luminaire as a surname doesn't turn up anything (let alone specific people). No Patents were filed by the Luminaire Brothers, the name isn't in census records, birth certificates, or obituaries that I can find. A search through history journal articles produced no related results for any variation of Luminaire. No mention of the Luminaire brothers in law cases, or scientific journals. In short, there is no evidence that there was ever a person with the last name of Luminaire.  As Krispin pointed out, the name would have been quite fortuitous, so even if such people existed it is likely that Luminaire is an assumed name, or a corrupted version of their real last name.

[Burning Zeppelin]

The fact that Wikipedia is the encyclopedia anyone can write it means there is more chance of the Luminaire Bros. being in there.

[Daniel Krispin]

Well, admittedly, something did sound a slight bit familiar about what he said. Actually, there were some brothers, but it wasn't Luminaire, but Lumiere. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumi%C3%A8re_Brothers

That's what he was talking about. However, from what I gather they did not invent the light bulb (rather, they were pioneers of film), nor do we get any other words from their names. Rather theirs happens to come rather coincientally from that same Latin root from which we get words such as he listed, and also the 'Luminaire' tech in CT. Both Luminaire and Lumiere seem to be French, so in some ways it would be like having the word 'Light' in English, having a person with the last name 'Light', and having a tech called 'Lightning.' The term 'Lightning' doesn't come form the name, but from the root word. See how that goes?

[Prince Janus]

Where did you hear it?

Dr. Jordan Mogerman, my Video Production Professor.

[placidchap]

Professors can be wrong.  Whether he is or not in this case, I have no proof either way.

Looks like it goes:

Latin -> French -> English

lumen -> lumière -> luminaire

[Burning Zeppelin]

Dude, Captain B, if it was your video production professor, it's most likely lumiere bros. "were among the earliest filmmakers."

[placidchap]

lumière and luminaire sound similar to one who is not paying full attention.  or your professor mutilated the French pronunciation, which is the most likely case.

[Prince Janus]

 No, he said its Lumiere in french, but called Luminaire in English.

[placidchap]

Last names do not change or should not change with the language.  If your last name is Lumière, it is Lumière in France, Italy, US etc.  Might get a little tricky in Russia, China or other parts of the world where there is a completely different alphabet.

[BROJ]

Last names do not change or should not change with the language.  If your last name is Lumière, it is Lumière in France, Italy, US etc.  Might get a little tricky in Russia, China or other parts of the world where there is a completely different alphabet.

I think its more of a interpretation thing (e.g. names phonetically spelled out). A lot of the immigrants moving to the United States had their last names mangled because they couldn't speak English, the common tongue.

[Burning Zeppelin]

No, he said its Lumiere in french, but called Luminaire in English.

I wouldn't want my name "translated" when I move from country to country.

[BROJ]

No, he said its Lumiere in french, but called Luminaire in English.

I wouldn't want my name "translated" when I move from country to country.

You wouldn't, provided you could communicate with the locals. (via knowing the common tongue or having an interpreter)

[placidchap]

You still don't need to translate the name, whether knowing the language or not.  Just try to pronounce it as the person says it.  Sure it may not be exact, but it is respectful if you try to say it proper.  Luminaire vs Lumière  is a pretty big and lazy difference.  There is no need to butcher it.