TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 9 DECEMBER
On 9 Dec 1906, Grace Hopper was born, who as a rear Navy Admiral pioneered the development of computer technology.Today's book pick is: Grace Hopper: Admiral of the Cyber Sea, by Kathleen Broome Williams, who describes one of the most important women in the history of computers. You probably know relatively little of this woman's accomplishments, which is a pity, because they were so significant. A mathematician by training who became a computer scientist, the eccentric and outspoken Hopper helped propel the Navy into the computer age. Yet she was feisty and impatient with bureaucracy which is apparent from a clock that ran backwards and a Jolly Roger flag on her desk. She was the first woman restricted line officer to reach flag rank and, at the age of seventy-nine, the oldest serving officer in the Navy. She also was a superb publicist for the Navy, appearing frequently on radio and television and quoted regularly in newspapers and magazines. This biography not only illuminates Hopper's pioneering accomplishments in a field that came to be dominated by men, but provides a fascinating overview of computing from its beginnings in World War II to the late 1980s.
It is available from Amazon, typically about New from $89.49. Used from $5.99. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | Neue Phaenomena zu erklären, dieses macht meine Sorgen aus, und wie froh ist der Forscher, wenn er das so fleissig Gesuche findet, eine Ergötzung wobei das Herz lacht. To explain new phenomena, that is my task; and how happy is the scientist when he finds what he so diligently sought, a pleasure that gladdens the heart. — Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Swedish chemist (born 9 Dec 1742).  |
 | The field of scientific abstraction encompasses independent kingdoms of ideas and of experiments and within these, rulers whose fame outlasts the centuries. But they are not the only kings in science. He also is a king who guides the spirit of his contemporaries by knowledge and creative work, by teaching and research in the field of applied science, and who conquers for science provinces which have only been raided by craftsmen. — Fritz Haber, German physical chemist (born 9 Dec 1868). |
 | Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, “We’ve always done it this way.” I try to fight that. That’s why I have a clock on my wall that runs counter-clockwise. — Grace Hopper, American mathematician and rear admiral (born 9 Dec 1906). |
| 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 | |
| | Grace Murray Hopper, born 9 Dec 1906, was an American mathematician and a pioneer in computer technology, helping to devise Univac I, and military applications for a new computer language. It is said that after finding a dead moth in the wire circuitry of an early computer, she coined the term “bug” to refer to unexplained computer failures. Which computer programming language did she help develop for military applications? |
 | Clarence Birdseye, born 9 Dec 1886, was the inventor of the deep freezing food method and co-founder of General Foods Corp. His invention was inspired while on Arctic trips as a field naturalist for the United States government. With which food did he begin his commercial processing? |
| Deaths | |
 | An English-born paleoanthropologist (1913-1996) made several of the most important fossil finds, and has been called “the woman who found our ancestors.” Her work in East Africa shed new light on human evolution. She made the spectacular find of three trails of fossilised hominid footprints 3.6 million years old, showing man's ancestors were walking upright at a much earlier period than previously believed. Who was this anthropologist? |
 | An English amateur astronomer (1923-2012) was a broadcaster and prolific writer. For a half-century, he was the enthusiastic and knowledgeable presenter of the BBC TV programme The Sky at Night, which he began in 1957. The programme holds the record as the world's longest-running television series by its original presenter. Who was this amateur astronomer? |
| Events | |
 | On 9 Dec 1968, the first demonstration was given of his new invention by Doug Engelbart at a computer conference at Stanford University, California. He displayed its use with a graphical user interface, display editing of integrated text and graphics and hyper-documents. What was the invention being demonstrated? |
 | On 9 Dec of a certain year, the first U.S. patent for ball-bearing roller skates was issued. This design allowed until then unseen speed. In what decade was this patent issued? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for December 8: muskets • photosynthesis • George Boole, Boolean algebra • Roentgenium • President Dwight Eisenhower.
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