“We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and—in spite of True Romance magazines—we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely—at least, not all the time—but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don't see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.” - Hunter S. Thompson

The San Francisco Examiner, California November 16, 1933

During the Bubonic Plague, particularly in the 17th century, doctors wore beak masks as part of what was known as a "plague doctor costume." At the time, the prevailing medical theory was that diseases like the plague were caused by "miasmas" or bad air. It was believed that these malodorous airs contained the seeds of the plague.