TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 15 NOVEMBER
On 15 Nov 1964, Bernard Frank died, an American forester and conservationist who was a co-founder of the Wilderness Society. During three decades with the U.S. Forest Service, his interests included soil conservation and watershed management. He wrote two books and over a hundred articles concerning water, land, people and forests. One of these was ‘Our Need For Water’ in the USDA Yearbook of Agriculture (1955). Its subtitle was 'The Story of Water as the Story of Man', and he began “You could write the story of man's growth in terms of his epic concerns with water.” (more)
On 15 Nov 1738, William Herschel was born, German-born British astronomer, who founded sidereal astronomy for the systematic observation of the heavens. Today's book pick is: William Herschel (British Men of Science), by Anugs Armitage, who writes for the reader that is not familiar with astronomical terms or techniques, and in general gives very clear descriptions of the phenomena he is discussing. Herschel's life progressed from being born in Germany, to coming to England for work as a musician, then stumbling into astronomy, and dragging his sister Caroline along, who also became a diligent astronomer herself. There are lots of details on how the two worked together and several of Caroline's own projects are described. It's written in a highly readable style and includes photos of museum artifacts that Herschel used in his work that I had not seen before. Fascinating stuff.
It is available from Amazon, typically about Used from $5.00. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | The phenomena of nature, especially those that fall under the inspection of the astronomer, are to be viewed, not only with the usual attention to facts as they occur, but with the eye of reason and experience. — Sir William Herschel, German-English astronomer (born 15 Nov 1738).  |
 | Temporis filia veritas; cui me obstetricari non pudet. Truth is the daughter of time, and I feel no shame in being her midwife. — Johannes Kepler, German astronomer (died 15 Nov 1630). |
 | When experimental results are found to be in conflict with those of an earlier investigator, the matter is often taken too easily and disposed of for an instance by pointing out a possible source of error in the experiments of the predessessor, but without enquiring whether the error, if present, would be quantitatively sufficient to explain the discrepancy. I think that disagreement with former results should never be taken easily, but every effort should be made to find a true explanation. This can be done in many more cases than it actually is; and as a result, it can be done more easily by the man “on the spot” who is already familiar with the essential details. But it may require a great deal of imagination, and very often it will require supplementary experiments. — August Krogh, Danish physiologist and zoologist (born 15 Nov 1874). |
| 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 | |
| | Sir William (Frederick) Herschel, born 15 Nov 1738, was a German-born British astronomer, the founder of sidereal astronomy for the systematic observation of the heavens. His systematic study of the sky let him to the discovery of a new planet. Which planet did he discover? |
| | On 15 Nov 1874, August Krogh was born, a Danish physiologist and zoologist who received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1920. He investigated certain physiological changes associated with muscle activity. What physiological change did Krough identify in his Nobel Prize-winning work? |
| Deaths | |
 | An American anthropologist (1901-1978) was best-known for her studies of the nonliterate peoples of Oceania, especially with regard to various aspects of comparative child psychology, oceanic ethnology, cooperation and competition among primitive peoples, and cross-cultural communications. Her book, Coming of Age in Samoa, was—and remains—a best-seller. Can you name this scientist? |
| | Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) was a German astronomer who discovered three major laws of planetary motion. What simple idea is given in his first law of planetary motion? |
| Events | |
 | On 15 Nov of a certain year, a German scientist, Dr. Carl Gassner, was issued a U.S. patent (No. 373,064), the first in the U.S. for a “dry” cell, which used zinc as its primary ingredient. He encased the cell chemicals in a sealed zinc container. Gassner's battery was much like the carbon-zinc, general-purpose batteries disappearing from the market today. Within one decade later, the National Carbide Company, later Union Carbide and Eveready, produced the first consumer dry cell battery. In what decade was Gassner's U.S. dry-cell patent issued? |
 | On 15 Nov 1904, King Camp Gillette was issued a U.S. patent for his invention of a safety razor with a new feature. He had worked for a number of years developing his idea, but once refined, he captured the market. What was Gillette's razor improvement in his 1904 patent? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for November 14: decade containing the day 1965 • insulin, diabetes • uniformitarianism • microscopic particles in the condensation of atmospheric water vapour in clouds and fogs • fullerenes or buckyballs • horses.
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