www.lesswrong.com/posts/eopA4MqhrE4dkLjHX/the-truth-behind-the-2026-j-p-morgan-h...
2 corrections found
In 1654, a Jesuit polymath named Athanasius Kircher published Mundus Subterraneus, a comprehensive geography of the Earth’s interior.
Kircher’s *Mundus Subterraneus* was published in 1665 (often cited as 1664/1665), not 1654.
Full reasoning
The post claims Kircher published Mundus Subterraneus in 1654. However, library/catalog and reference sources consistently date the work to 1665 (sometimes discussed as a 1664/1665 publication depending on edition).
- Columbia University Libraries’ exhibition record for Mundus Subterraneus lists an exact Key Date: 1665.
- A reference summary page likewise states the book was published in 1665.
Therefore, the publication year given in the post (1654) is contradicted by these sources and is incorrect.
2 sources
- Columbia University Libraries Online Exhibitions | Mundus Subterraneus
Item Information … MODS Key Date 1665 … Type of Date exact … Publication Place Amsterdam
- Mundus Subterraneus - Wikipedia
… is a scientific textbook written by Athanasius Kircher, and published in 1665.
The Westin St. Francis was built in 1904, and, throughout its entire existence, it has never, ever, even once, closed or stopped operating.
Sources describing the 1906 earthquake/fire aftermath say the hotel was gutted and later reopened in 1907 (i.e., it did not operate continuously without interruption).
Full reasoning
The post makes an absolute claim that the Westin St. Francis has “never… even once, closed or stopped operating.”
But historical accounts of the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires state that the St. Francis was gutted by fire and that a temporary replacement was used while the real hotel was restored, with the hotel reopening in 1907. That contradicts the “never closed/stopped operating” assertion.
Evidence:
- A historical write-up notes that after the 1906 quake and fire, “the subsequent fire gutted it” and “the real St. Francis … reopened on Dec. 1, 1907.”
- The Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD) similarly describes the hotel being burned during the fires after the earthquake and notes a temporary 110-room hotel opened shortly after, with rebuilding in 1907.
- A biographical entry about the hotel’s chef at the time explicitly states the “main part of the hotel closed until 1907.”
Given these sources, the claim of uninterrupted operation throughout its entire existence is not correct.
3 sources
- Northside San Francisco Magazine | The St. Francis Hotel: History of a San Francisco grande dame
… the subsequent fire gutted it. Within a few weeks a temporary replacement went up … [for] the return of the real St. Francis that reopened on Dec. 1, 1907.
- PCAD - Saint Francis Hotel #2, San Francisco, CA
… burned during the three days of fires following the April 18, 1906, San Francisco Earthquake… rebuilt in 1907… Within 40 days after the fire, a temporary, 110-room hotel opened across the street…
- Victor Hirtzler - Wikipedia
… the hotel interior was soon gutted by fires sweeping the city … and the main part of the hotel closed until 1907.