TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 7 MAY
On 7 May 1925, William Lever, Lord Leverhulme, died. He created a massive industry as the Lever Brothers soap manufacting industry with international production.
What was remarkable about his philanthropy was the way in which he believed in a six-hour work day for his employees, as just one aspect of his support for his workers' living conditions. At his great soap works of Port Sunlight, England, he built a town to house his employees, with churches, clubs, schools for children, technical schools for adults, an inn, swimming pool, hospital, library, gymnasium, baths, tennis courts and common gardens.
An article in a 1919 issue of The Chemical Age, Soap and Sociology, provides an insight into a far higher concern for the workers than is seen in present times!
On 7 May 1911, Raymond Arthur Lyttleton was born, an English mathematician and theoretical astronomer who researched stellar evolution and composition. In 1939, with Fred Hoyle, he demonstrated the large scale existance of interstellar hydrogen, refuting the existing belief of that space was devoid of interstellar gas. Today's book pick is: Mysteries of the solar system, by Raymond Arthur Lyttleton, which contains seven essays, expanded from a series of lectures given at Brandeis university in 1965. They cover topics studied by the author during his 30 year career. He writes in an informal style that makes easy reading.
It is available from Amazon, typically about Used from $4.54. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | The scientist describes what is; the engineer creates what never was. — Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-American physicist and aeronautical engineer (died 7 May 1963).  |
 | Civilisations as yet have only been created and directed by a small intellectual aristocracy, never by crowds. Crowds are only powerful for destruction. — Gustave Le Bon, French social psychologist (born 7 May 1841). |
 | As science has supplanted its predecessors, so it may hereafter be superseded by some more perfect hypothesis, perhaps by some totally different way of looking at the phenomena—of registering the shadows on the screen—of which we in this generation can form no idea. The advance of knowledge is an infinite progression towards a goal that for ever recedes. — Sir James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist (died 7 May 1941). |
| Before you look at today's web page, see if you can answer some of these questions about the events that happened on this day. Some of the names are very familiar. Others will likely stump you. Tickle your curiosity with these questions, then check your answers on today's web page. | |
| Births | |
 | On 7 May 1939, Sidney Altman was born, a Canadian-American molecular biologist who won a share of the 1989 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. His work concerned what is known by the letters RNA. What is the full name for RNA? |
 | An American inventor and physicist, born 7 May 1909, created the one-step process for developing and printing photographs which was the greatest innovation in photography since the introduction of roll film. He first demonstrated the Polaroid camera in 1947, which gave fully developed prints in 60 seconds. He also applied the name Polaroid to the light-polarizing filter as used in the lenses of sunglasses. What is the name of this inventor? |
| Deaths | |
 | Allan MacLeod Cormack was a South African-born American physicist (1924-1998) whose formulation of mathematical algorithms made possible a powerful new disagnostic X-ray imaging process. First described in his paper of 1963, the method used a machine that a series of imaginary slices through a body. For this work, he won a share of a Nobel Prize in 1979. What imaging process did he create? |
 | James Nasmyth (1890-1808) was a British engineer who is remembered primarily for his invention of a steam operated machine. For what steam-operated machine is Nasmyth remembered? |
| Events | |
 | On 7 May 1963, it was time for AT&T to replace an earlier communications satellite, and it was launched on this date. On its tenth orbit, it transmitted the first transatlantic TV program seen in color. It took its name after the earlier famous U.S. satellite, but followed by "II." What is the name of the satellite used to transmit the first transatlantic color TV program? |
 | On 7 May 1955, an important U.S. national vaccination program was suspended due to problems with faulty production of the vaccine. Some children had acquired the disease from the vaccine that was supposed to be prevented. For what disease was the vaccine intended? |
| | On 7 May 1952, the concept was first published for what became the next generation of electronic components after the invention of the transistor. The inventor was Geoffrey W.A. Dummer. What is the name of this next generation electronic component? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for May 6: Victor Grignard • Robert Edwin Peary • Henry David Thoreau • Polaris submarine • (Lakehurst) New Jersey • mechanical refrigerator.
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