science newsletter: Newsletter for Wednesday 4 April

Τετάρτη 4 Απριλίου 2012

Newsletter for Wednesday 4 April

Newsletter - April 4 - Today in Science History

TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER - 4 APRIL

Feature for Today

Book of the Day

Quotations for Today
	"For in disease the most voluntary or most special movements, faculties, etc., suffer first and most, that is in an order the exact opposite of evolution. Therefore I call this the principle of Dissolution." - John Hughlings Jackson, English neurologist, who has been called the 'Father of English Neurology. (born 4 Apr 1835)
	"England and all civilised nations stand in deadly peril of not having enough to eat. As mouths multiply, food resources dwindle. Land is a limited quantity, and the land that will grow wheat is absolutely dependent on difficult and capricious natural phenomena... I hope to point a way out of the colossal dilemma. It is the chemist who must come to the rescue of the threatened communities. It is through the laboratory that starvation may ultimately be turned into plenty... The fixation of atmospheric nitrogen is one of the great discoveries, awaiting the genius of chemists." - Sir William Crookes, English physicist and chemist (died 4 Apr 1919)
	"...by shortening the labours doubled the life of the astronomer." (On the benefit of Napier's logarithms.) - Pierre-Simon Laplace, commenting about John Napier, Scottish mathematician (died 4 Apr 1617)

QUIZ
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
	Zénobe-Théophile Gramme, born 4 Apr 1826, was a French engineer who invented (1870) the first device of a certain kind that was practical for mass production and distribution. When powered by a steam engine, it was immediately successful and began a new era. *What was Gramme's invention?*
	Sir William Siemens, born 4 Apr 1823, was a German-born English engineer, inventor, and pioneer in undersea cable and telegraph industries. In another industry, he developed the "regenerative system" which used waste gases to preheat fuel gases. *In which industry was his regenerative system applied?*
Deaths
	A Scottish mathematician (1550-1617) originated the concept of logarithms as a mathematical device to aid in calculations. *Can you name this mathematician?*
Events
	On 4 Apr 1983, the space shuttle Challenger roared into orbit on its maiden voyage. Challenger flew nine successful Space Shuttle missions, but was lost shortly after its tenth launch on 28 Jan 1986 when a booster failure resulted in the breakup of the vehicle *From what source was the Challenger's name taken?*
	On 4 Apr 1932, Professor C. Glen King of the University of Pittsburgh isolated a certain compound, a medical and scientific breakthrough that took five years of effort. He isolated the crystalline substance from untold thousands of lemons. King and his colleagues identified, and later synthesized this compound. *What compound did he isolate?*

Answers

When you have your answers ready to all the questions above, you'll find all the information to check them, and more, on the April 4 web page of Today in Science History. Or, try this link first for just the brief answers.

Fast answers for the previous newsletter for April 3: chimpanzees; Antarctica; vibration of thin plates covered in sand; the decade including the year 1973; the decade including the year 1934.

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