TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 23 MAY
On 23 May 1908, the first U.S. airship disaster struck the airship invented by John A. Morrell. The 450 ft. long dirigible collapsed 300 ft. above the earth, hurling its 16 occupants to the ground, where most were injured, though none died.
There was no radio reporter to lament “Oh, the humanity!” but instead, reading the article Huge Dirigible Balloon Collapses from Popular Mechanics (1908) will give you some insight into the spectacle viewed by a crowd of over 1,000 people.
On 23 May, John Bardeen was born, the American physicist who was co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in both 1956 and 1972. Today's book pick is: True Genius: The Life and Science of John Bardeen: The Only Winner of Two Nobel Prizes in Physics, by Vicki Daitch, Lillian Hoddeson.
What is genius? Define it. Now think of scientists who embody the concept of genius. Does the name John Bardeen spring to mind? Indeed, have you ever heard of him? A handful of names that do come to mind are mostly because they are larger-than-life characters, who - like Einstein - received much media attention.
The authors show how John Bardeen simply fits a different profile of genius. Through an exploration of his science as well as his life, a fresh and thoroughly engaging portrait of genius and the nature of creativity emerges. This perspective will have readers looking anew at what it truly means to be a genius.
It is available from Amazon, typically about New from $1.99. Used from $5.00. (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | The limitations of archaeology are galling. It collects phenomena, but hardly ever can isolate them so as to interpret scientifically; it can frame any number of hypotheses, but rarely, if ever, scientifically prove. — David George Hogarth, English archaeologist (born 23 May 1862).  |
 | To invent an airplane is nothing. To build one is something. But to fly is everything. — Otto Lilienthal, German aeronautical engineer and inventor (born 23 May 1848). |
 | Anatomists have ever been engaged in contention. And indeed, if a man has not such a degree of enthusiasm, and love of the art, as will make him impatient of unreasonable opposition and of encroachments upon his discoveries and his reputation, he will hardly become considerable in Anatomy or in any branch of natural knowledge. — William Hunter, Scottish anatomist, obstetrician and writer (born 23 May 1718). |
| 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 | |
 | John Bardeen, born 23 May 1908, was an American physicist who was co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in both 1956 and 1972. With Leon N. Cooper and John R. Schrieffer he was awarded the 1972 prize for development of the theory of semiconductors, usually called the BCS-theory. He shared the 1956 prize with William B. Shockley and Walter H. Brattain for their joint invention. What invention was the work of Bardeen, Shockley and Brattain, recognized by the 1956 Nobel Prize for Physics? |
 | On 23 May 1707, Carolus Linnaeus was born. As a Swedish explorer and botanist, he was the first to frame principles for a certain uniform system. What was the most famous system created by Linnaeus? |
| Deaths | |
 | Georges Claude (1870-1960) was a French engineer, chemist, and inventor. He invented a light which was the forerunner of the fluorescent light. He first publicly displayed his lamp on 11 Dec 1910 in Paris. He introduced his light to the U.S. at a Packard car dealership in Los Angeles, where it was purchased by Earle C. Anthony for $24,000. What is the form of lighting he invented? |
 | William Webster Hansen (1909-1949) was an American physicist who contributed to the development of radar, and is regarded as the founder of microwave technology. He developed the particular kind of vacuum tube essential to generate microwaves. What is the name of this special vacuum tube? |
| Events | |
Thm.jpg) | On 23 May 1785, a letter from Benjamin Franklin documented his invention of his new glasses. He was writing from France to a friend describing the solution to a problem concerning glasses of the era. The invention had limited acceptance at a time when even ordinary spectacles in the colonies already cost as much as $100 per pair. What was Franklin’s invention he described in this letter? |
 | On 23 May of a certain year, a first transplant of a human limb took place. A 12-year-old boy’s severed right arm was reattached by Drs. Donald A. Malt and J. McKhann at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In what decade did this limb transplant take place? |
 | On 23 May 1994, an explanation for a “deadly flesh-eating bug” outbreak in England was offered by British doctors. The disease was attributed to a cluster of unusually intense infections by a common bacterium. The people in Gloucestershire had been injured by a toxin that dissolved flesh and fat which came from the excessive bacteria’s attack. Normally, the bacteria is associated with a very simple infection, in no way life-threatening under normal circumstances. What is the normal result of a simple infection by this bacteria? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for May 22: Thomas Gold • 9 pounds (4 kg) • cytology • television; cathode ray tube • Top Of The Needle restaurant in the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington • rattlesnake • the decade including the year 1892.
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