Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon: August Wilson
First, read the rules of the game.
This week’s challenge is Pulizer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson.
I was able to link August Wilson to Sir Francis Bacon in six degrees or fewer, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Thursday, May 31.
Good luck!
And congratulations to DeLisa for winning last week’s challenge by linking Paul Wolfowitz to Sir Francis Bacon in three degrees:
Paul Wolfowitz > Richard Nixon > William Shakespeare > Sir Francis Bacon
Paul Wolfowitz worked for the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency under President Richard Nixon, who in high school showed a penchant for the writings of William Shakespeare, who is believed by some to be Sir Francis Bacon.
May 26th, 2007 at 1:56 am
I’m finally going to ask: who the hell is Sir Francis Bacon? Can we just call the came 5 degrees of Shakespeare?
May 26th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Sir Francis Bacon was an English statesman, philospher, and scientist who lived around the time of Shakespeare. He was one of those rare minds, like Leonardo DaVinci and Benjamin Franklin, who excelled in numerous fields. This makes him a good choice for the game.
You can read the Wikipedia entry for more, but I guess the most important thing about him is that he created the scientific method. He argued that instead of following the church’s version of science, people should form hypotheses and test them against observable data. It seems pretty obvious now, but at the time it was revolutionary.
Some people say that he wrote the plays of Shakespeare, but there isn’t really any evidence to support that. The idea that two of the most transcendent geniuses in human history lived in the same city at the same time is truly remarkable, but that seems to be what happened. It’s kind of like Liverpool in the 1960’s.
Anyway, he’s also got the same last name as Kevin Bacon, who is the subject of the original game that this one is based on. Five Degrees of Shakespeare loses the verbal joke. But feel free to play it as Five Degrees of Shakespeare, if you like. Ken got the one two weeks ago by linking to Bacon through Elizabeth I. I believe you can also get to Bacon through Thomas Jefferson and Edgar Allan Poe.
Enjoy!
May 27th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Wilson -> Faulkner-> Ulysses S. Grant-> Thomas Jefferson->Francis Bacon
May 27th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
And I LOVE this game. Just the way it is. And see – no Shakes above! :-)
May 28th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
DeLisa, I don’t see the link from Faulkner to Grant. There’s also not a good link from Grant to Jefferson (boxed links don’t count according to the rules).
So, the challenge is still open.