Newsletter for Saturday 7 November.

Click to open this Newsletter in your browser

TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY

NEWSLETTER • 7 NOVEMBER

Feature for Today

Book of the Day

On 7 Nov 1867, Marie Curie was born, the Polish-born French scientist who received two Nobel Prizes. Today's book pick is: Marie Curie: And the Science of Radioactivity (Oxford Portraits in Science), by Naomi Pasachoff, who writes a chronicle of Marie Curie's life that focusses attention on the scientific aspects of her discoveries. Marie Curie discovered radium and went on to lead the scientific community in studying the theory behind and the uses of radioactivity. She left a vast legacy to future scientists through her research, her teaching, and her contributions to the welfare of humankind. She was a physicist, a wife and mother, and a groundbreaking professional woman. This biography is an inspirational and exciting story of scientific discovery and personal commitment. Where more background information is needed, the author provides clear explanations that inform without overwhelming non-scientists.

It is available from Amazon, typically about New from $13.09. Used from $1.55. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)

Quotations for Today

	It was like a new world opened to me, the world of science, which I was at last permitted to know in all liberty. — Marie Curie, Polish-French chemist and physicist (born 7 Nov 1867).
	Scientific truth is universal, because it is only discovered by the human brain and not made by it, as art is. — Konrad Lorenz, Austrian zoologist (born 7 Nov 1903).
	You must not blame us scientists for the use which war technicians have put our discoveries. — Lise Meitner, Austrian-Swedish physicist (born 7 Nov 1878).

Quiz

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
	Lise Meitner, born 7 Nov 1878, was a physicist who shared the Enrico Fermi Award (1966) with the chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann for their joint research beginning in 1934 that led to the discovery of uranium fission. She refused to work on the atom bomb. What was her nationality?
	Marie Curie was a Polish-born French chemist and physicist, born 7 Nov 1867, made celebrated experiments on uranium minerals which led to discovery of two new elements in 1898. First she separated polonium, and then a second new element a few months later. What was the second new element she discovered?
Deaths
	Cornelis Drebbel (1572-1633) was a Dutch inventor who built the first navigable though rudimentary submarine. Drebbel constructed his vessels while working for the British Navy. They never used it, but tested his submarine at depths of from 12 -15 feet beneath the surface during repeated trials in the Thames River. How was the movement of the submarine powered?
	Donald Griffin (1915-2003) was an American biophysicist, whose research included work (1938) on the method used by bats for flight guidance to avoid obstacles. What method do bats use to navigate around obstacles in flight?
Events
	On 7 Nov of a certain year, Goddard demonstrated a tube-launched solid propellant rocket, using a music stand as his launching platform. In what decade was this rocket demonstrated?
	On 7 Nov 1631, Pierre Gassendi made the first observation of the transit of a planet. Kepler had predicted a transit of a planet would occur in 1631. Gassendi observed the dot of the planet passing across the face of the Sun using a Galilean telescope to projecting the sun's image on a screen of paper. He was surprised that it seemed far too small than expected from ancient conceptions of the relative sizes of heavenly objects. Which planet's transit did he observe?

Answers

When you have your answers ready to all the questions above, you'll find all the information to check them, and more, on the November 7 web page of Today in Science History. Or, try this link first for just the brief answers.

Fast answers for the previous newsletter for November 6: lithography • the decade including the patent year 1846 (Sax was born in 1814) • iodine in table salt • French • black-footed ferret • Charles Darwin.

Feedback

If you enjoy this newsletter, the website, or wish to offer encouragement or ideas, please send feedback by using your mail reader Reply button.

Your click on a Facebook, StumbleUpon, or other social button on the site webpages is also a welcome sign of appreciation. Thank you for using them.

Copyright

To find citations for quotations go to the corresponding webpage by clicking on the “quotes” balloon icon. Sources for the thumbnails appear on today’s webpage with the corresponding item.

© This newsletter is copyright 2020 by todayinsci.com. Please respect the Webmaster's wishes and do not put copies online of the Newsletter — or any Today in Science History webpage. (If you already have done so, please remove them. Thank you.) Offline use in education is encouraged such as a printout on a bulletin board, or projected for classroom viewing. Online, descriptive links to our pages are welcomed, as these will provide a reader with the most recent revisions, additions and/or corrections of a webpage. For any other copyright questions, please contact the Webmaster by using your mail reader Reply button.

--
If you do not want to receive any more newsletters, Unsubscribe

To update your preferences and to unsubscribe visit this link