TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 13 JANUARY
On 13 Jan 1953, Paul Nigli died, the Swiss mineralogist who originated the idea of a systematic deduction of the patterns in the internal structure of crystals by means of X-ray data. He supplied a complete outline of methods that have since been used to determine these patterns. For some more biography, read the Paul Niggli page on this web site.
On 13 Jan 1943, the first use of an ejection seat to save a pilot was made. A German test pilot required its use when his plane failed to separate from the tow aircraft due to the cable release mechanism icing up. The ejection seat, made by Heinkel, was pneumatically powered and accelerated the pilot upwards at about 8-g. He landed safely. Today's book pick is: Eject!: The Complete History of U.S. Aircraft Escape Systems, by Jim Tuttle, an aerospace engineer with 33 years experience. His chronology covers the complete history of aircraft escape systems used in the United States up to modern gyro-stabilized, vectorable rocket capsules capable of deployment at Mach 3 and at the edge of space. The detailed descriptions of the technologies behind each ejection systems development and use are accompanied by photographs, diagrams, and fascinating firsthand accounts from pilots and crewmembers who have used escape systems.
It is available from Amazon, typically about New from $44.24. Used from $7.08. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | Have you tried neuroxing papers? It.'s a very easy and cheap process. You hold the page in front of your eyes and you let it go through there into the brain. It’s much better than xeroxing. — Sydney Brenner, South African-British molecular biologist (born 13 Jan 1927).  |
| no image | Everywhere science is enriched by unscientific methods and unscientific results, ... the separation of science and non-science is not only artificial but also detrimental to the advancement of knowledge. If we want to understand nature, if we want to master our physical surroundings, then we must use all ideas, all methods, and not just a small selection of them. — Paul K. Feyerabend, Austrian-American philosopher of science (born 13 Jan 1924). |
 | The entire annals of Observation probably do not elsewhere exhibit so extraordinary a verification of any theoretical conjecture adventured on by the human spirit! [On the mathematical work by Urbain Le Verrier predicting the planet Neptune.] — John Pringle Nichol, Scottish astronomer and author (born 13 Jan 1804). |
| 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 | |
 | Oskar Minkowski, born 13 Jan 1858, was a German physiologist and pathologist who uncovered the role of a certain body organ in diabetes. In an experiment with Joseph von Mering, they removed this organ from a dog, it consequently developed diabetes. Which body organ did they identify? |
| | On 13 Jan 1927, Sydney Brenner was born, who shared the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning how the genes regulate organ development and programmed cell death (apoptosis). Because of its simple structure, he established Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism for the investigation of animal development including neural development. What type of organism is Caenorhabditis elegans? |
| Deaths | |
 | Henri Braconnot (1781-1855) was a French chemist known for isolating glucose, a simple sugar, directly from certain plant materials by boiling them with acid (1819). Previously, glucose had only been derived from starch. Can you give examples of the forms of plant material that yielded this glucose? |
 | Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti (1864-1930) was an electrical engineer who promoted the installation of large electrical generating stations and alternating current distribution networks. In his 20s, he began planning an ambitious generating station, to use transmission at an unprecedented 10,000 volts—four times greater than previously practical. In which country did he contribute to the development of the electrical industry? |
| Events | |
 | On 13 Jan of a certain year, the first machine for reading printed matter aloud was given its first public demonstration. Using a camera with a computer, pages of printed matter could be scanned, the letters analysed, and reproduced in synthesized English speech at 150 words per minute. In what decade was this machine first demonstrated? |
 | On 13 Jan 1957, the first frisbee was developed when by the Wham-O Company; a representative of the company got the idea for the product when he saw some truck drivers showing Yale students how to throw something similar. From the flight of what object was the frisbee developed? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for January 12: wash-and-wear fabrics • carbon dioxide • In an + bn = cn, the new equation cannot be solved in integers for any value of n greater than 2. • Stourbridge Lion • Thomas Edison • Eiffel Tower.
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