On 18th December 1737 Antonio Stradivari died.

Stradivari was born in Cremona, Italy, and during his life was a crafter of string instruments such as violins, for which he is most famous, but also violas, harps, cellos and guitars. Stradivari is considered to be the greatest artisan in the field of stringed instruments, crafting over 1,000 in his lifetime, which around 650 still surviving, the majority being violins. His instruments are referred to by the name Stradivarius.

How did he get so good? Well, he was born in a city associated with instrument manufacture for years. He apprenticed at a young age, probably worked six days a week, and continued working for the rest of his life., probably putting in 12 hour or more days. Work for that long at anything and you're going to get at least decent.

Image: See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antonio_stradivari.jpg)