TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 2 SEPTEMBER
On 2 Sep 1814 Ernst Curtius was born, the German archaeologist and historian who directed the excavation of Olympia (1875-81), the most opulent and sacred religious shrine of ancient Greece and site of the original Olympic Games (from 776 B.C. to 393 A.D.).
When Curtius died in 1896, Robert F. Keep wrote in The Nation his reminiscences about the archaeolgist. Among the biographical notes, perhaps the most interesting is the chain of events whereby Curtius became the Educator of the Crown Prince, and how that relationship with the Royal Family instigated support for the German excavations in 1876-80. The remainder of the article on Ernst Curtius concentrates on the personal side of his life, but still makes an interesting read to think of the human side of an archaeologist rather than a catalog of his discoveries.
On 2 Sep 1877, Frederick Soddy was born, who coined the word “isotopes” to refer to the seperate species of atoms of a given element that shared all the same chemical properties, yet had a different atomic mass. It was an outcome of his investigation of the different transformations of radioactive substances for which he received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1921. Although the word he created is used extensively in science today, his own name remains obscure. To amend that... Today's book pick is: The World Made New: Frederick Soddy, Science, Politics, and Environment, by Linda Merricks who outlines the research of this most original and widely significant, yet largely forgotten British scientist. Soddy was one of the first generation of English atomic scientists, working with Ernest Rutherford on the initial discoveries about atomic disintegration. His concern with the potentially disasterous combination of politics and the abusive use of atomic energy led Soddy to his abandon scientific research. He should also be recognized as a pioneer in the field of energy conservation and environmental ethics. This book provides a fascinating read of one of the first proponents of scientific responsibility.
It is available from Amazon, typically about New from $130.00. Used from $28.00. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | At my urgent request the Curie laboratory, in which radium was discovered a short time ago, was shown to me. The Curies themselves were away travelling. It was a cross between a stable and a potato-cellar, and, if I had not seen the worktable with the chemical apparatus, I would have thought it a practical joke. Wilhelm Ostwald on seeing the Curie's laboratory facilities. — Wilhelm Ostwald, Russian-German physical chemist (born 2 Sep 1853).  |
 | The power of man to do work—one man-power—is, in its purely physical sense, now an insignificant accomplishment, and could only again justify his existence if other sources of power failed. … Curious persons in cloisteral seclusion are experimenting with new sources of energy, which, if ever harnessed, would make coal and oil as useless as oars and sails. If they fail in their quest, or are too late, so that coal and oil, everywhere sought for, are no longer found, and the only hope of men lay in their time-honoured traps to catch the sunlight, who doubts that galley-slaves and helots would reappear in the world once more? — Frederick Soddy, English chemist and physicist (born 2 Sep 1877). |
 | It is infinitely better to transplant a heart than to bury it to be devoured by worms. — Christiaan Barnard, South African surgeon (died 2 Sep 2001). |
| 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 | |
 | Christa McAuliffe, born 2 Sep 1948, was a civilian astronaut on the 10th launch of the Challenger Space Shuttle, which exploded in midair, killing its crew of seven. What was her career? |
| | Frederick Soddy, born 2 Sep 1877, was an English chemist and physicist who received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1921 for investigating radioactive substances. He coined the name now used for different species of atoms of the same element having a different atomic mass. What now ubiquitous name did Soddy provide for different species of atoms of the same element? What is the meaning of the Greek words he combined? To what do they refer? |
| Deaths | |
 | William Henry (1775-1836) was an English physician and chemist, who proposed (1803) what is now called Henry's law, which refers to “The amount of a gas absorbed by a liquid is in proportion...” Can you complete this statement of Henry's Law? |
| Events | |
 | On 2 Sep 1985, it was announced that a U.S. and French expedition had located the wreckage of a sunken ship about 560 miles off Newfoundland, 73 years after the British luxury liner sank. What is the name of this vessel? |
 | The last day of the Julian calendar in Great Britain and the British colonies was 2 Sep 1752. The Gregorian Calendar designed to correct the extra leap year day problem went into effect the next day with tomorrow being numbered after dropping several days to realign the calendar. On the new calendar, what date followed 2 Sep 1752 on the old calendar? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for September 1: pernicious anemia • device that separates atoms or molecular fragments of different mass and measures those masses • pneumatic tube • subatomic particles having extremely short lifetimes and occurring only in high-energy nuclear collisions • passenger pigeon.
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