Category: Mining Engineer

Herbert Hoover and the Tommyknockers: Mythic Gnomes of the Mine Shafts

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By Thomas F. Schwartz If there is any public recognition of the word “Tommyknocker” it is probably a reference to the 1987 Stephen King novel The Tommyknockers or spin off ABC miniseries with Jimmy Smits and Marg Helgenberger.  The Stephen King novel’s use of “Tommyknocker” has nothing to do with the ancient mythic gnome that … Continue reading Herbert Hoover and the Tommyknockers: Mythic Gnomes of the Mine Shafts

De Re Metallica, Translated

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Before entering public service, Herbert Hoover was a successful and wealthy mining engineer. In fact, he and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover, both majored in geology at Stanford University. In 1905, Lou attempted to find an adequate English translation of the medieval mining treatise De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola. Because classical Latin is not … Continue reading De Re Metallica, Translated