TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 11 DECEMBER
Ludwig Mond (1839-1909)was a German-British chemist and industrialist who perfected a method of soda manufacture by improving the Solvay alkali process. Mond devised a process for the extraction of nickel when with his assistants, he accidentally discovered metal carbonyl compounds while investigating why nickel valves were corroded by carbon monoxide. Further research led to the synthesis of more metal carbonyls, which Lord Kelvin described as “metals with wings” and to the Mond nickel carbonyl process for refining nickel. The term “fuel cell” was coined in 1889 by Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer, who attempted to build the first practical device using air and industrial coal gas, to generate electricity by reacting hydrogen with oxygen.
The Obituary for The Late Dr Ludwig Mond from Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering (1910) reveals a man who is presently unknown to many, yet was a significant contributor to science in his era. Ludwig Mond was one of the most successful industrial chemists of his time—a man who owed his success to a rare combination of business ability, capacity for research and energy.
On 11 Dec 1882, Max Born was born, a discoverer of quantum theory. Today's book pick is: The End of the Certain World: The Life and Science of Max Born, by Nancy Thorndike Greenspan. Born's full story includes exile from Hitler's Germany and teaching nine Nobel physicists. Though Born is a Nobel prize-winner, he is not a household name physicist, yet he was pivotal in the early days of quantum mechanics and beyond. He maintained a forty year friendship with Einstein, who wrote in a letter to him that “Theoretical physics will flourish wherever you happen to be; there is no other Born to be found in Germany today. A social history and a history of science as well as an intimate biography, The End of the Certain World reveals the story of a great physicist and humanitarian and his struggle with the forces of religion, politics, and war during the upheavals of the twentieth century.
It is available from Amazon, typically about New from $19.88. Used from $4.49. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | It is odd to think that there is a word for something which, strictly speaking, does not exist, namely, “rest.” We distinguish between living and dead matter; between moving bodies and bodies at rest. This is a primitive point of view. What seems dead, a stone or the proverbial “door-nail,” say, is actually forever in motion. We have merely become accustomed to judge by outward appearances; by the deceptive impressions we get through our senses. — Max Born, German-British physicist (born 11 Dec 1882).  |
 | A mere inference or theory must give way to a truth revealed; but a scientific truth must be maintained, however contradictory it may appear to the most cherished doctrines of religion. — Sir David Brewster, Scottish physicist (born 11 Dec 1781). |
 | If my efforts have led to greater success than usual, this is due, I believe, to the fact that during my wanderings in the field of medicine, I have strayed onto paths where the gold was still lying by the wayside. It takes a little luck to be able to distinguish gold from dross, but that is all. — Robert Koch, German physician and bacteriologist (born 11 Dec 1843). |
| 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 | |
 | A Canadian-born manufacturer, born 11 Dec 1874, was the inventor of the pasteurizing process for cheese. In 1916, he patented a processed cheese formula, based on milk solids, that would not spoil. He took his formula to the U.S. Army, and sold them 6 million pounds of the processed cheese product. Soldiers developed a taste for the creation. The processed cheese was a popular replacement during the depression for expensive real cheese. Can you name this inventor? |
| | Sir David Brewster, born 11 Dec 1781, was a Scottish physicist noted for his experimental work in optics and polarized light, and especially for Brewster's Law, which relates the refractive index of a material to its polarizing angle. He patented the kaleidoscope in 1817. Later, he used lenses to improve 3D images viewed with a stereoscope. Brewster also recommended a notable use of the lightweight, flat Fresnel lens. What application did he recommend for the Fresnel lens? |
| Deaths | |
 | Vincent du Vigneaud (1901-1978) was an American biochemist who isolated and synthesized two hormones: vasopressin and oxytocin. Which gland produces these hormones? |
| Events | |
 | On 11 Dec 1972, Apollo XVII astronauts landed on the moon for a three-day exploration, which would be the final Apollo mission to the moon. Can you name either of these astronauts? |
 | On 11 Dec 1967 the Concorde, a joint venture between two countries and the world’s first supersonic airliner, was unveiled. Which two countries were partners in the production of the Concorde? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for December 10: a reactor with its core surrounded by a “blanket” of uranium-238 so that neutrons from the core convert this into plutonium-239, which can also be used as a fission fuel • Melvil Dewey • William Gilbert • Swedish • when the joined different conductive materials are kept at different temperatures, the basis of the thermocouple • decade containing the year 1984 • to determine if a pilot could eject from an airplane at supersonic speed and live.
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