Michelle


 * St. Sebastian**

According to the legends regarding Sebastian, he was born at Narbonne, in Gaul (now France and northern Italy). His parents were from Milan, Italy, so it makes sense that he was brought up here also.

He was a fervent servant of Jesus Christ, and though he had an aversion to a military life, so that he could, without suspicion, be better able to assist the Christians in their sufferings, he went to Rome and enlisted in the army under the emporer Carinus around the year 283AD.

Sebastian was named captain in the praetorian guards by Emperor Diocletian as well as by Emperor Maximian when Diocletion went to the East. Sebastian made numerous converts: among them were the master of the rolls, Nicostratus, who was in charge of the prisoners and his wife, Zoe, who had been deaf and mute for six years. Sebastian healed her by doing the sign of the cross on her lips. Also converted were their two children Marcus and Marcellianus (whom Sebastian had strengthened while they were in prison), the jailor Claudius, and other prisoners.

When Emperor Maximian bore down on the Christians he found out that Sebastian was one as well. He then ordered that Sebastian be shot with arrows. He was then left for dead. When his body was recovered it was found that he was still alive. A widow nursed him back to health. Once he was fully recovered he confronted the Emporer Maximian who had given the command to kill him for being a Christian and denounced him for his cruelty in torturing and killing Christians. The Emperor gave the order to have Sebastian beaten to death. This time he was killed and buried on the Appian Way. He was venerated and is now known as St. Sebastian in his hometown of Milan and throughout the world. He is the patron saint of archers, athletes, and soldiers and is appealed to for the healing of the sick.

~** http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=103
 * Sources:
 * ~** http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/SEBASTN.htm


 * Euclid**

Euclid was a Greek mathematician who was also known as "Euclid of Alexandria" but is most often referred to as "The Father of Geometry." Euclid was the author of the book __Elements__, the world's most definitive text on geometry. The book synthesized earlier knowledge about geometry and was used for centuries in western Europe as a geometry textbook. The text contained definitions, postulates ("Euclid's postulates"), and common opinions. It also contained results by geometric proof. Euclid also proved what is generally known as "Euclid's Second Theorem." In his book Euclid also discussed the so-called __Euclidean algorithem__ for finding the greatest common divisor of two numbers and is credited with the well-known proof of the Pythagorean theorem.

Neither the year nor the place of Euclid's birth have been established, though it is thought that he lived around the year 300 BC. Nothing of the circumstances of his death are known. He is known to have lived and worked for much of his life in Alexandria, Egypt, supposedly during the reign of Ptolemy 1 (323-283BC). In addition, there is no known bust which can be verified to be his likeness. It is left to the artist's own imagination to create what Euclid looked like.

~** http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Euclid.html
 * Sources:
 * ~** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclid
 * ~** __Illustrated World Encyclopedia #8__, Albert H. Moorehead. Illustrated World Encyclopedia, Inc. New York, 1968.