TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 19 NOVEMBER
On 19 Nov 1983, R.W. van Bemmelen died, a Dutch geologist whose book, Geology of Indonesia (1949) and his studies of the regional geology of Indonesia drew attention to the significance of island areas in the development of the Earth's crust. He was educated as a mining engineer but later on preferred being a geologist, with a bias towards volcanology. He was also known for his dedication to geoscience, his tenacity and resilience, as well as being an inspiring teacher. A short biography of Reinout Willem van Bemmelen also includes his Undation Theory, which he maintained was a better explanation than global tectonic plates.
On 19 Nov 1895, the first U.S. patent for a paper pencil was issued. A pencil-making machine was also patented. Like most other human artifacts, the common pencil, made and sold today by the millions, has a long and complex history. Today's book pick is: The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance, by Henry Petroski who traces the long and complex history of the pencil back to ancient times. Petroski combines a talent for fine writing with a deep knowledge of engineering and technological history, examines the story of the pencil, considering it not only as a thing in itself, but also as an exemplar of all things that are designed and manufactured. Thus, he shows what the pencil can teach us about engineering and technology today.
Petroski ranges widely in time, discussing the writing technologies of antiquity. But his story really begins in the early modern period, when, in 1565, a Swiss naturalist first described the properties of the mineral that became known as graphite. Petroski traces the evolution of the pencil through the Industrial Revolution, when machine manufacture replaced earlier handwork. Along the way, he looks at some of pencil making's great innovators—including Henry David Thoreau, the famed writer, who worked in his father's pencil factory, inventing techniques for grinding graphite and experimenting with blends of lead, clay, and other ingredients to yield pencils of varying hardness and darkness. Petroski closes with a look at how pencils are made today—a still-imperfect technology that may yet evolve with new advances in materials and design.
Henry Petroski is one of the webmaster's favorite authors because he weaves delightful stories around otherwise this seemingly unremarkable object.
It is available from Amazon, typically about New from $7.82. Used from $1.99. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | Darwin's theory was received in Russia with profound sympathy. While in Western Europe it met firmly established old traditions which it had first to overcome, in Russia its appearance coincided with the awakening of our society after the Crimean War and here it immediately received the status of full citizenship and ever since has enjoyed widespread popularity. — Aleksandr Onufriyevich Kovalevsky, Russian embryologist (born 19 Nov 1840).  |
| | Geology differs from physics, chemistry, and biology in that the possibilities for experiment are limited. — Reinout Willem van Bemmelen, Dutch geologist (died 19 Nov 1983). |
 | Since 1849 I have studied incessantly, under all its aspects, a question which was already in my mind [since 1832. I confess that my scheme is still a mere dream, and I do not shut my eyes to the fact that so long as I alone believe it to be possible, it is virtually impossible. ... The scheme in question is the cutting of a canal through the Isthmus of Suez. This has been thought of from the earliest historical times, and for that very reason is looked upon as impracticable. Geographical dictionaries inform us indeed that the project would have been executed long ago but for insurmountable obstacles. [On his inspiration for the Suez Canal.] — Vicomte Ferdinand, de Lesseps, French diplomat (born 19 Nov 1805). |
| 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 | |
 | Stanley Keith Runcorn, born 19 Nov 1922, was British geophysicist who was the first to discover evidence of an interesting phenomenon of the Earth's magnetic field. What was this phenomenon? |
 | Hiram Bingham was an American archaeologist who was the first western scientist to study Machu Picchu, one of the world's greatest archaeological sites. Machu Picchu is in which country, and was home to people of which civilization? |
| | Ferdinand, vicomte de Lesseps was born 19 Nov 1805. He is famous for building a major construction project. What was this construction project? |
| Deaths | |
 | Tetsuya ("Ted") Fujita (1920-1998) was a Japanese-born meteorologist who discovered microbursts and their role in some airplane crashes. With his wife, he developed the Fujita scale of measurement. What does the Fujita scale measure? |
| Events | |
 | On 19 Nov of a certain year, the first export shipment of petroleum from the U.S. to Europe left Philadelphia, Pa. for London, England. A cargo of 1,329 barrels was carried by the Elizabeth Watts, a 224-ton brig. In what decade was did petroleum export from the U.S. begin? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for November 18: Alan Shepard • 20 to 30 minutes • entropy approaches zero as the temperature goes towards absolute zero. • Danish • decade containing the year 1963 • American Railway Association.
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