Catalonia’s forgotten contributions to the world, resurrected in a book

Brussels (CNA).- Many breakthroughs and historic contributions were made by Catalans but the authorship of most of them was universally forgotten. To compensate for this, cultural promoter Joan Amorós has set off on a European tour to present the English, Spanish and French editions of his book “Universal Catalan Contributions”. The collection features over 200 illustrated and chronologically organised contributions made by Catalans throughout history and which were sometimes “hidden and passed off as Spanish”, according to Amorós. Amongst those listed are the blood bank, the submarine, the Christian calendar and the first reaction engine, as well as less tangible contributions made by artists, musicians, doctors, and secret double agents. “The book demonstrates that Catalonia is an outstanding nation”, stated Amorós.

The blood bank, the Christian calendar and the submarine are only a few of the 223 Catalan contributions to global progress made over the years. Thanks to the efforts of la Fundació Occitano-Catalana (the Occitan-Catalan Foundation), they can all be found listed in the book “Aportacions catalanes universals” (“Universal Catalan Contributions”). Published in 2014 in Catalan, the work has now been translated into English, French and Spanish. “One of the book’s objectives is to encourage Catalonia’s international recognition”, explained Amorós in an interview with CNA. “Catalonia is a nation with a long history, which has had an incredible international exposure and that has the potential for fantastic creativity, and this must remind us that it deserves international recognition”, he stated.

The book, which is more than 700 pages long, includes 223 global contributions from Catalonia. The entries are chronologically organised and illustrated, and the book has already been presented in Brussels. In the upcoming weeks, it will also be presented in Paris and Vienna. “I want to make it everywhere, if possible even onto Obama’s desk” assured Amorós. “There are some spectacular contributions: Ramon Monturiol invented the submarine, and he was Catalan” he highlighted.

“We want to create confidence amongst Catalans, because we aren’t aware of much of what we have done” stated Amorós, president of FERRMED, a committee dedicated to promoting the railway network between the North and the South of Europe. He nuanced that it is not about “false modesty” but a situation which rather, is regrettably due to ignorance – both worldwide and at home. For example, Amorós explained that “nobody knows” that Ramon Casanova, Catalan, created the first reaction engine, long before the Germans made a similar version to bomb London during the Second World War.

Additionally, Amorós explained how “many of the contributions have been hidden and passed off as Spanish”. As an example, the cultural promoter mentioned Pau Casals, a celebrated Catalan cellist and conductor, who was internationally known by the Spanish version of his name, ‘Pablo Casals’.

“There are some truly colourful contributions”, he added. “We all use the calendar without anyone knowing that it was a Catalan invention.” It was the archbishop Berenguer de Vilademuls who, in 1180, promoted the use of the Christian calendar, thereby ending the tradition of counting the years by the reign of monarchs. “Each country had different monarchic systems and they said ‘Why don´t we all agree?’ It then began to be applied to the rest of the Crown of Aragon, then Castile, and so on, until it spread to the rest of the world”, he told CNA.

Joan Pujol, Catalan, worked as a double agent for the Allies and was able to trick the Nazis about the British and American troops’ plans to land on the continent. “He saved many lives”, Amorós pointed out, highlighting that Pujol was so credible that “both the Germans and the English believed him and rewarded him”.

The book also touches on the effects of conflict and war on Catalan contributions.

“It brought about a sharpened wit”, claims Amorós. The cultural promoter and president of FERRMED also mentioned the blood bank which is, in fact, a Catalan invention. “Previously, when performing a transfusion, one would place the patient giving the blood and the one receiving it side by side. Someone then suggested ‘Why don´t we store [the blood] and then distribute it?’”

Additionally, during the Spanish Civil War, one of the most famous doctors in Catalonia, Dr. Trueta made many useful contributions to medicine, such as a system to heal fractures without causing gangrene. Amorós pointed out that due to the war “many people had to go into exile, and therefore many contributions have been made from other countries, but by Catalan people”.

“The book demonstrates that Catalonia is an outstanding nation” and “an important nation within the European project” he stated. Something which, according to Amorós, “should be made known”. The book, which was backed by crowdfunding and released by the publishing house Pagès in 2014, includes names such as Ramon Llull, a writer, philosopher, and logician, conductor and cellist Pau Casals, surrealist painter Salvador Dalí and painter and sculptor Joan Miró, as well as many contributors which remain anonymous. The edition also contains information about the history of Catalonia, focusing on cultural contributions such as the Sardan, a traditional Spanish dance, and Castells, human towers performed at festivals which reach impressive heights.