16 September

Born in 1924 – Lauren Bacall, American actress.

Above: Bacall in 1955.

Also, born in 1745 – Mikhail Kutuzov, Russian field marshal.

In Leo Tolstoy’s 1869 novel War and Peace, an elderly Kutuzov leads the Russian troops against the invasion of Napoleon.

“Gentlemen, the disposition for tomorrow—or rather for today, for it is past midnight—cannot be altered now. And before a battle, there is nothing more important . . .” —he paused— “than a good night’s sleep.”

“If the world of human beings were amenable to science, then planning would be most important. But in a world governed by contingency, where immediate reactions to unexpected events matter most, one above all needs alertness.”

—Kutuzov, in War and Peace, advising the troops before the battle of Austerlitz.