TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 11 JULY
On 11 Jul 1826, John Fowler was born. Although he died young - aged 38 - he made a name for himself with a company that lived on after him. His designs for the equipment he manufactured were innovative and met an important need. In the quiz below you’ll be asked what type of machinery he devised. To sneak a peak at that answer, read this web page on John Fowler and you’ll learn about his patents, the prizes he won, and why he received so many orders from Egypt. The page also includes a short obituary which gives the reason he died so young. Curious?
On 11 Jul 1927, Theodore Maiman was born, the American physicist who was the creator of the world's first device that’s in the quiz below. Today's book pick is: The Laser Odyssey, by Theodore Maiman, the inventor himself. If you recognize his name and know what he accomplished, you're aware it was a significant achievement, so you may be interested to read his personal account in his own words of how he did it. Maiman was a maverick scientist, and in this book, Maiman takes his readers through a riveting expose of the Machiavellian scene behind his creation. He interweaves revealing anecdotes and adventures.
It is available from Amazon, typically about New from $50.00. Used from $16.00. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | Most of the knowledge and much of the genius of the research worker lie behind his selection of what is worth observing. It is a crucial choice, often determining the success or failure of months of work, often differentiating the brilliant discoverer from an otherwise admirable but entirely unproductive plodder. — Alan Gregg, American physician and public health officer (born 11 Jul 1890).  |
 | If my impressions are correct, our educational planing mill cuts down all the knots of genius, and reduces the best of the men who go through it to much the same standard. — Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (died 11 Jul 1909). |
 | For my part, I must say that science to me generally ceases to be interesting as it becomes useful. — Sir William Robert Grove, Welsh physicist (born 11 Jul 1811). |
| 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 | |
 | Theodore Maiman, born on 11 July 1927, was an American physicist. He began working with electronic devices in his teens, while earning college money by repairing electrical appliances and radios. He developed the laser, and in 1960 demonstrated the first functioning device. Laser is an acronym whose letters stand for what name in full? |
| | John Fowler was an English engineer, born 11 Jul 1826, who formed a company under his name to sell the products he designed and made. They were used around the world and were able to significantly improve on the results of older methods. What type of equipment did he design and produce? |
| Deaths | |
 | William Shippen, Jr., who died 11 Jul 1808, was the first systematic teacher of anatomy, surgery, and obstetrics in the United States. In 1762 he established the first American maternity hospital in Philadelphia. Why did his teaching cause local animosity, even mobbing? |
| Events | |
 | On 11 Jul 1985, a novel new application for zippers was announced by Dr. H. Harlan Stone this day. What was this new use for a zipper? |
 | On 11 Jul 1975, Chinese archeologists announced the uncovering of a 3-acre burial mound near the ancient capital of Xian. Excavations uncovered thousands of life size clay statues of warriors, dating from 221 to 206 BC. each with different faces, Each clay soldier had a different face. They were buried in a pit facing east to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. The public knows this archaeological find by what name? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for July 10: some flow from the Niagara River diverted at Niagara Falls, supplying Buffalo • antiproton • cat-box filler • Neptune • Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre • Telstar 1 • helium.
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