Birthdays
Paul Muller - 1899 (Died 12 October 1965)
Paul Muller was a Swiss chemist that received a Noble Prize for Physiology or Medicine in the year 1948. The Prize was awarded for his discovery of the toxic effect of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) on insects. And I mean it was affective with insects. It was not just affective against the common horsefly. But, the louse, the Colorado beetle and the mosquito. The basic Swiss patent for DDT in 1940 and two products were made based on DDT, Geserol and Neocide, two years later. Then the second world war came and the formulation were brought to the awareness of the British along with the Americans. Production was put into place on both sides of the Atlantic ocean and the drug was proved to be very valuable. It helped to battle typhus and malaria - even eradicating it for some islands.
DDT, with added chemicals, became the most widely used insecticide for 20 years - Along with being a major factor for the increased world food production.
Johan August Arfwedson - 1792 (Died 28th October 1841)
Johan Arfwedson was a Swedish chemist who discovered the element Lithium in 1818. I found this scientist's birthday to ironic because this year is the international year of the periodic table and I've personally made a challenge to write about every one of the 118 elements (Read my blog posts on that here, part 1 and 2). Looks like I'll have to write about Lithium for today (Hopefully, I have!). Lithium is the third element of the periodic table and sits in group 1. But, Johan discovered it with petalite which is an ore for the metal. At the time of discovery, the scientist could fully isolate the metal due to the electrolysis process needing a stronger battery then they had available to them. Today petalite is known as Lithium Aluminium silicate.
However, Johan Arfwedson decided to leave the career of chemistry to spend time running his family's manufactories and mines.
Deaths
William Redington Hewlett - 2001 (Born: 20 May 1913)
William Hewlett was an electrical engineering who also was the co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Company. Yes, everyone must know the company stated. It is the one which has provided us with laptops, computers as well as analytic and measuring equipment. The company was formed in 1939 with William and his friend, David Packard. The first production that was produced was an audio oscillator. An audio oscillator, for those who don't know, is an electronic circuit which produces a changing signal. They can convert direct current to an alternative current and are widely used across electronic devices.
The audio oscillator was designed by William Hewitt whilst in graduate school and Walt Disney bought eight of them.
Some of the lesser known products are;
Charles Huggins was surgeon as well as an urologist (Branch of doctors focusing on the urinary-tract system) whose investigations highlighted a relationship between hormones and particular types of cancers. Within the year 1939, Huggins made a conclusion which led to development of new cancer therapy. He worked out that the prostate was under the control of androgens (Male hormone). So then believed that prostate cancer might be treated by stopping the production of androgens. In the year 1941, Charles Huggins began to process of injecting 6 female hormones in order to counteract the male hormones. It was because of this research that Charles Huggins received the Noble Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1966.
Events
Edison's three Patents
On this date, on three different years, Thomas Edison had several US patents issued to himself. He must like the 11th of January... Or post them for the same day. The first one Phonograph and was issued to him in the year 1897. The second patent was for waterproofing Paint for Portland Cement Building which was made in 1909. This was along with accompanied patents Waterproofing Paint for Portland Cement Structures and Waterproofing Fibres and Fabric. The last one, Method and Means for Improving the Rendition of Musical Composition, was issued in 1919.
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Paul Muller
(Photo Credit: Britannia)
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Paul Muller - 1899 (Died 12 October 1965)
Paul Muller was a Swiss chemist that received a Noble Prize for Physiology or Medicine in the year 1948. The Prize was awarded for his discovery of the toxic effect of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) on insects. And I mean it was affective with insects. It was not just affective against the common horsefly. But, the louse, the Colorado beetle and the mosquito. The basic Swiss patent for DDT in 1940 and two products were made based on DDT, Geserol and Neocide, two years later. Then the second world war came and the formulation were brought to the awareness of the British along with the Americans. Production was put into place on both sides of the Atlantic ocean and the drug was proved to be very valuable. It helped to battle typhus and malaria - even eradicating it for some islands.
DDT, with added chemicals, became the most widely used insecticide for 20 years - Along with being a major factor for the increased world food production.
Johan August Arfwedson - 1792 (Died 28th October 1841)
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Lithium
(Photo Credit: Photograph Periodic Table)
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However, Johan Arfwedson decided to leave the career of chemistry to spend time running his family's manufactories and mines.
Deaths
William Redington Hewlett - 2001 (Born: 20 May 1913)
William Hewlett was an electrical engineering who also was the co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Company. Yes, everyone must know the company stated. It is the one which has provided us with laptops, computers as well as analytic and measuring equipment. The company was formed in 1939 with William and his friend, David Packard. The first production that was produced was an audio oscillator. An audio oscillator, for those who don't know, is an electronic circuit which produces a changing signal. They can convert direct current to an alternative current and are widely used across electronic devices.
The audio oscillator was designed by William Hewitt whilst in graduate school and Walt Disney bought eight of them.
Some of the lesser known products are;
- Bowling Lane Foul Indicator
- Automatic Urinal Flusher
- Weight loss shock machine
Charles Huggins was surgeon as well as an urologist (Branch of doctors focusing on the urinary-tract system) whose investigations highlighted a relationship between hormones and particular types of cancers. Within the year 1939, Huggins made a conclusion which led to development of new cancer therapy. He worked out that the prostate was under the control of androgens (Male hormone). So then believed that prostate cancer might be treated by stopping the production of androgens. In the year 1941, Charles Huggins began to process of injecting 6 female hormones in order to counteract the male hormones. It was because of this research that Charles Huggins received the Noble Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1966.
Events
Edison's three Patents
On this date, on three different years, Thomas Edison had several US patents issued to himself. He must like the 11th of January... Or post them for the same day. The first one Phonograph and was issued to him in the year 1897. The second patent was for waterproofing Paint for Portland Cement Building which was made in 1909. This was along with accompanied patents Waterproofing Paint for Portland Cement Structures and Waterproofing Fibres and Fabric. The last one, Method and Means for Improving the Rendition of Musical Composition, was issued in 1919.
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