May 15, 2016
Nov. 11, 1923: “The serpent, the king, the tiger, the stinging wasp, the small child, the dog owned by other people, and the fool: these seven ought not to be awakened from sleep,” the figure from ancient Indian history, Chanakya, is said to have said. But what better way to flout his advice than with this instrument, called the serpent, here shown by Albert Salaba of St. Paul, Minn., which was played in military bands in the 19th century, in a Mozart opera and in the score of the film, Alien. Photo: The New York Times
