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June 13, 2007
Don Herbert, Mr. Wizard: 1917-2007
From the NY Times,
Don Herbert, who unlocked the wonders of science for youngsters of the 1950s and ’60s as television’s Mr. Wizard, died yesterday at his home in the Bell Canyon section of Los Angeles. He was 89.
The cause was bone cancer, his son-in-law Tom Nikosey told The Associated Press in confirming the death.
Mr. Herbert held no advanced degree in science, he used household items in his TV lab, and his assistants were boys and girls. But he became an influential showman-science teacher on his half-hour “Watch Mr. Wizard” programs, which ran on NBC from 1951 to 1965.
And the LA Times recounts this story. (Hat tip to Betsy's Page for the article.)
Not every Mr. Wizard experiment went according to plan.
In "Saturday Morning TV," a 1981 book by Gary H. Grossman, Herbert recalled pouring two colorless solutions into one glass and then announced that the solution would turn black before he counted to nine.
"I got up to 20 and decided I'd better stop," he recalled. "I explained that apparently other factors like temperature and acidity had interfered with the experiment."
But as he finished his explanation, the liquid changed color.
"It was embarrassing, certainly, but I discovered the answer," he said. "We hadn't used a fresh solution, so the reaction was slower than expected."
I am not old enough to remember the original NBC series, but I have seen some of those episodes shown on The Science Channel. By the time he revived the concept for the Nickelodeon network in the 1980s, I was a little older than his target demographic, but I still was fascinated by it. I remember thinking, "Why isn't there more stuff like this on TV?" Today we have The Science Channel, Bill Nye, and of course, the Mythbusters; but Mr. Wizard started it all and no one has done it quite like he did.
And he did it with class. No big budget effects. No gimmicks. You could try it at home.
A lot of us did. Thanks, Mr. Wizard.
The official Mr. Wizard website.
UPDATE: Wired News interviewed Herbert last month. It doesn't surprise me at all that he liked the Science Channel too.
WN: Are there any current science shows that you find particularly educational or entertaining?
Herbert: The Discovery Science Channel.
WN: Do you think that you were an inspiration for the science programming that has become very popular on the Discovery Channel?
Herbert: Maybe.
Go read the rest of the interview.
Posted by William Polley at June 13, 2007 11:22 AM
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