Thomas Babington Macaulay, a child prodigy with a photographic memory and passion for books, once accompanied his father on a visit to Horace Walpole's home at Strawberry Hill.

As beverages were being served, a servant accidentally spilled hot coffee on the boy's legs, much to the chagrin of their hostess, Lady Waldegrave. When the mess had been cleaned up, she expressed concern for her young guest and asked how he was feeling. "Thank you, madam," Macaulay graciously replied, "the agony is abated."

He was four years old.