September 29, 2008: Just taking a brief moment to wish Admiral Horatio Nelson a happy 250th birthday.

Bearing the distinguished titles of viscount, knight, baron, most noble lord, vice admiral, duke and knight grand, I like to think of him as Mr. Trafalgar himself.

His defeat of the French and Spanish fleet during the Napoleonic wars is legendary enough to merit an English square to carry its name.

He’s made appearances in such literary works as James Joyce’s Ulysses and Susan Sontag’s The Volcano Lover: A Romance and such films as Master and Commander or, Winston Churchill’s favorite, The Hamilton Women.

He’s not simply worth celebrating because he was a naval bad ass (and he was), but also because he powerfully serves to remind us that it’s possible to do more with one eye and one arm than most leaders do with two of each.