TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 29 JUNE
On 29 Jun 1956, the Act that made possible the modern interstate highway system in the U.S. was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower had seen the speed and efficiency in moving troops and equipment on the four-lane autobahns in Germany during WW II.
You can read a newspaper article from the next day reporting Eisenhower Signs Road Bill.
On 29 Jun 1868, George Ellery Hale was born, a foremost American astronomer, who laid much of the foundation of modern astrophysics and observational cosmology. He was a groundbreaking solar astronomer, inventing new instruments and methods of studying the sun's activity. His invention of the spectroheliograph and subsequent discovery of the magnetic field lines of sunspots nearly earned him a Nobel prize. He's best known for the planning and building of the great Hale Telescope of the Palomar Mountain Observatory. Today's book pick is: Explorer of the Universe: A Biography of George Ellery Hale (History of Modern Physics and Astronomy Vol. 14), by Helen Wright, who provides a rare look at Hale's scientific achievements: his invention of the spectroheliograph, his discovery of the magnetic nature of sunspots, and his legendary leadership in founding the Yerkes, Mount Wilson, and Palomar Mountain Observatories.
It is available from Amazon, typically about New from $128.75. Used from $62.95. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | The aim of medicine is to prevent disease and prolong life, the ideal of medicine is to eliminate the need of a physician. — William James Mayo, American surgeon (born 29 Jun 1861).  |
 | Any one who is practically acquainted with scientific work is aware that those who refuse to go beyond fact, rarely get as far as fact. — Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist (died 29 Jun 1895). |
 | Like buried treasures, the outposts of the universe have beckoned to the adventurous from immemorial times. Princes and potentates, political or industrial, equally with men of science, have felt the lure of the uncharted seas of space, and through their provision of instrumental means the sphere of exploration has made new discoveries and brought back permanent additions to our knowledge of the heavens. — George Ellery Hale, American astronomer (born 29 Jun 1868). |
| 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 | |
| | George Ellery Hale, born 29 Jun 1868, was an American astronomer known for his development of important astronomical instruments, including the Hale telescope (completed 1948), a reflecting telescope at the California Institute of Technology’s Palomar Mountain Observatory near Pasadena. He is known also for his researches in solar physics, particularly his discovery of magnetic fields in sunspots. To the nearest 10 inches, what is the size of the Hale telescope reflector? |
| | William James Mayo, an American surgeon born on 29 Jun 1861, was one of two brothers and their father who pioneered the concept of a group medical practice. They were renowned for adopting new techniques. The practice developed into the Mayo Clinic, which opened its own building in 1914. In which U.S. state was the Mayo Clinic established? |
| Deaths | |
 | On 29 Jun of a certain year, three Soviet cosmonauts died while during the re-entry of their Soyuz spacecraft. The accident was due to a premature cabin decompression. In what decade did this happen? |
 | Thomas Addison (1793-1860) was an English physician who was the first person to correctly connect the symptoms of what is now called Addison’s disease to a functional deficiency of certain glands. Which glands did he identify? |
| Events | |
 | In 1954, the Atomic Energy Commission, by a vote of 4 to 1 decided against reinstating a certain very prominent scientist’s access to classified information. The Atomic Energy Act of 1946 required consideration of “the character, associations, and loyalty” of those engaged in the work of the Commission. Disqualification was based on perceived associations with Communists judged to exceed tolerable limits of prudence and self-restraint and not merely intermittent or accidental. Can you name the scientist? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for June 28: chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants • from 1912 to 1946 (after he had died) • 20 x 30 foot = 600 sq. ft. (6.1 x 9.1 m = 55.7 sq m) • Maria Mitchell • baboon • the decade including the year 1935 • Mackinac Bridge.
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