tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post5847377191902492205..comments2024-03-28T04:26:30.557-05:00Comments on Boston 1775: Benjamin Thompson’s Flesh and CunningUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-956348714143611502008-07-30T10:15:00.000-05:002008-07-30T10:15:00.000-05:00Thompson's loyalist leanings were well known to hi...Thompson's loyalist leanings were well known to his fellow townsmen, particularly in New Hampshire where he and his wife were living before he deserted her after being disappointed by not receiving a commission from the non-royal government.<BR/><BR/>As for the Rumford Baking Powder, Horsford named it for Rumsford, because prior to his manufacturing days, Horsford had held the "Rumsford Chair" in the Science Department at Harvard.<BR/><BR/>While I have no doubt that Thompson makes an appealing "Flashman-like" character, I still think there is much to be learned about his real life here in America.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-65297029566835088322008-07-02T13:44:00.000-05:002008-07-02T13:44:00.000-05:00I was quite amused several years ago to see that t...I was quite amused several years ago to see that the Boston Harbor Hotel had named its lower grille room after Thompson. The staff had no idea that he had been a spy for the Brits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-54195901238422847132008-07-02T03:52:00.000-05:002008-07-02T03:52:00.000-05:00Yes, indeed, thought it’s significant that Thompso...Yes, indeed, thought it’s significant that Thompson/Rumford himself didn’t have anything to do with the <A HREF="http://www.rumfordworld.com/htdocs/rumford.htm" REL="nofollow">development of Rumford Baking Powder</A>. The inventor, Eben Norton Horsford (1818-1893), named his product in honor of the count, then known mainly as a brilliant scientist. <BR/><BR/>I’m not sure Horsford would have made the same decision if American historians of his time had known about Rumford’s spying for the British during 1775, and other real and rumored activities during the Revolutionary War. Then again, the count’s scientific achievements are indubitable.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-21248394512611920092008-07-01T21:07:00.000-05:002008-07-01T21:07:00.000-05:00You can find a nice silhouette of Rumford in your ...You can find a nice silhouette of Rumford in your local grocery store - just stroll down the baking aisle: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518AZCKPSNL._SL500_.jpg<BR/>And guess what, folks? It's both gluten AND aluminum-free! <BR/>-EKHAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com