Tuesday, July 31, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Through her tenacity and ingenuity Stephanie Kwolek created one of the most useful and life saving materials ever invented, Kevlar.

Monday, July 30, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

He applied mass production techniques to the auto industry and put the average American on wheels. Henry Ford was born on this day in 1863.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

On 29th of July in 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, Public Law 85-568, which established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Happy Birthday NASA!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Today is the birthday of record setting explorer Jacques Piccard.

Friday, July 27, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

The de Havilland Comet, the world's first commercial jet aircraft, made its maiden flight on this day in 1949

Thursday, July 26, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Syncom 2, the first successful geosychronus satellite, was launched on this day in 1963.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Twenty-three years ago today, Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to walk in space.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart was born today in 1897.

Monday, July 23, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

On this day in 1956 the Bell X-2 aircraft set a new world speed record of Mach 2.87.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Trained as an engineer and an artist, Alexander Calder did what few artists ever do. He created an entirely new art form, the mobile. Today is the 109th anniversary of his birth.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Nobel prize winning chemist Rudolph A. Marcus is 84 today.

Friday, July 20, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

On July 20, 1969, humanity took its first tentative steps into the greater universe on Apollo 11.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Pioneer of group practice and founder of the clinic that bears his name, Charles Mayo was born 142 years ago today.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Today is the 86th birthday of the first American to orbit the Earth and the oldest man to go into space, John Glenn.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

As you buckle up before your next drive, remember Nils Bohlin, the Volvo engineer who invented the three point lap and shoulder seatbelt. Millions of people are alive today because of his design, which he made freely available to other auto makers to help save as many lives as possible. He was born on this day in 1920.

Monday, July 16, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Break out the bow ties and prepare the popcorn! Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of agronomist and popcorn magnate Orville Redenbacher.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Today is the 64th birthday of the first scientist to discover pulsars, Jocelyn Bell Burnell.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Forty-two years ago today, Mariner 4 became the first spacecraft in history to take close up photos of Mars. Sadly, it found no canals!

Friday, July 13, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Today is the 63rd birthday of Erno Rubik.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

He was a high school dropout, judged "not especially gifted" when measured against the academic standards of the day. He was poor, but even as a young man, he took it upon himself to support his widowed mother and two sisters, one of whom was severely handicapped. He brought photography to the masses and built an enduring legacy. He was George Eastman, born 153 years ago today.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Cesare Mansueto Giulio Lattes co-discoverer of the pi meson or pion, was born 83 years ago today.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Edward H. Lowe, the inventor of Kitty Litter. In 1947, Lowe suggested the use of the clay instead of ashes for his neighbor's cat's box to avoid sooty paw prints. It worked well and Lowe thought other cat owners would use this new cat-box filler. He filled ten brown bags with clay, wrote the name "Kitty Litter" on them and began selling it through the local pet store. By 1990, his marketing effort had grown into a clay mining and consumer product business.

Monday, July 9, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

His genius was electrifying and his contributions to the modern comforts we all enjoy were immense. Nikola Tesla was born 151 years ago today.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

The builder of the first guidable airships, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, was born on this day in 1838.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Joseph-Marie Jacquard, who revolutionized the textile industry with this programmable looms, was born 255 years ago today.

Friday, July 6, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Nobel laureate Hugo Theorell was born 104 years ago today.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

On July 5, 1888, Nobel laureate Herbert Gasser was born.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

On Independence Day in 1997, the Mars Pathfinder landed on the Red planet.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Pierre Berthier, the man who discovered bauxite(aluminum ore) was born on this day in 1782.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

SciTech Spotlight

Today is the 133rd birthday of the Philadelphia Zoo.
The first zoo established in the U.S.