Happy Birthday to the father of quantum physics! Born Karl Ernst Ludwig Marx Planck, or Max, as he was known from age 10, was born on this day in 1858 in Kiel, Germany. He studied at the University of Munich before working as a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Kiel and the […]
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Today’s been a hectic day, so I’m behind in getting up this Maker Birthday tribute to probably the maker of all makers. To me, Leonardo is the ultimate example of what you might call the Bucky Fuller Challenge. In 1927, Buckminster Fuller at 32, was suicidal. Instead of leaping from the Chicago bridge on which […]
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Happy Birthday Dr. Bunsen! On this day in 1811 was born a pioneer in chemistry, and a maker of tools! Robert Bunsen was a German chemist; he made many significant discoveries, including the use of iron oxide hydrate as a precipitating agent, still used as the primary antidote for arsenic poisoning. He is probably best […]
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One of my favorite projects in the magazine over the past five years was the Tabletop Biosphere in Volume 10, written by Martin John Brown. I think the interns enjoyed building the project as well — they had to go out and scoop scum out of a pond, plus they got to visit the cute […]
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Happy Birthday Al! On this day, in the year 1879, a person was born whose name would become synonymous with our popular concept of genius. When we take a closer look at Albert Einstein’s contributions to science, it’s plain to see why. Within a single year, working at a Swiss patent office, Einstein wrote a […]
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Today is the birthday of Joseph Priestley, the 18th century scientist, teacher, and political wonk who had a tremendous impact on the worlds of science and politics. He is credited with the discovery of oxygen (isolating it in its gaseous state). Priestley has been the subject of two “recent” books, The Lunar Men (actually five […]
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On the 15th of February 1564 in Pisa Italy, Galileo Galilei was born. A skilled mathematician, philosopher, and physicist, Galileo is widely known for his contributions to astronomy. By grinding his own lenses and experimenting with new designs, Galileo greatly improved and popularized the telescope – making possible his own detailed study of the planets. […]
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