| APRIL 10 - BIRTHS | |
| Marshall Warren Nirenberg | |
(source) |
 Born 10
Apr 1927
American biochemist and corecipient, with Robert William Holley and Har Gobind Khorana, of the 1968 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. He was noted for his role in deciphering the genetic code. He demonstrated that, with the exception of "nonsense codons," each possible triplet (called a codon) of four different kinds of nitrogen-containing bases found in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and, in some viruses, in ribonucleic acid (RNA) ultimately causes the incorporation of a specific amino acid into a cell protein. |
| Robert Burns Woodward | |
(source) |
Born 10
Apr 1917; died 8 Jul 1979.
American chemist best known for his syntheses of complex organic substances, including quinine, the well-known antimalarial (1944), the steroids cholesterol and cortisone (1951), and vitamin B12 (1971). He also synthesized lanosterol, the famous poison strychnine and reserpine. Several other examples from the chemistry of the alkaloids are lysergic acid, ergonovine, ellipticine, colhicine. In the field of antibiotics Woodward established the structure of aureomycin and terramycin. He has also synthesized chlorophyll, the green plant pigment. He established the structure of many compounds, for instance the peculiar fish poison tetrodotoxin, causing numerous fatalities in Japan. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1965. |
| Bernardo Alberto Houssay | |
(source) |
Born 10
Apr 1887; died 21 Sep 1971.
Argentine physiologist and corecipient, with Carl and Gerty Cori, of the 1947 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. He was noted for discovering how pituitary hormones regulate the amount of blood sugar (glucose) in animals. The hypophysis, or the pituitary gland, is an important, but small secreting gland at the base of the brain, where it lies sunk in a bony hollow in the most sheltered spot of the whole body. Its size is that of a bean in man, a pea in the dog, and a radish seed in the large toad Bufo marinus, which is plentiful in the Argentine. Houssay worked with dogs from which the hypophysis, or sometimes only its anterior lobe, was surgically removed. He then found that a daily implantation of anterior lobe of hypophysis from toads on the operated animals protected the latter from unbalanced levels of insulin, otherwise present. |
| Jack Miner | |
(source) |
Born 10
Apr 1865; died 3 Nov 1944.
Canadian naturalist, author, and lecturer who won a reputation as a leading bird conservationist and who conducted extensive research into migratory patterns. In 1904, he founded the Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary for the conservation of migrating Canada geese and wild ducks, originating the waterfowl refuge management system. In 1909, he pioneered the tagging of migratory waterfowl by banding his first wild duck. The band was returned by Dr. W. Bray of Anderson, South Carolina in Jan 1910, thus making the first complete banding record. The same year Miner started a 30 year lecture career speaking on wildlife conservation and the need for the establishment of sanctuaries and wildlife refuges. |
| Paul-Louis-Toussaint Héroult | |
(source) |
Born 10
Apr 1863; died 9 May 1914.
French chemist who invented the electric-arc furnace, widely used in making steel; and, independently of the simultaneous work of Charles M. Hall of the United States, devised the electrolytic process for preparing aluminum. This process made low-priced aluminum available for the first time, securing the widespread use of the metal and its alloys.  |
| Frank Stephen Baldwin | |
1902 (source) |
Born 10
Apr 1838; died 8 Apr 1925.
Inventor best-known for his development of the Monroe calculator. |
| Sir John Leslie | |
| Born 10
Apr 1766; died 3 Nov 1832.
Scottish physicist and mathematician who first created artificial ice. His practical scientific investigations led to his book Experimental Inquiry Into the Nature and Propagation of Heat (1804), dealing with the fundamental laws of heat radiation. Leslie gave the first correct description of capillary action (1802) and invented many instruments, most notably an accurate differential air thermometer, and also a hygrometer, a photometer, the pyroscope, atmometer and aethrioscope. In 1810, he devised a method of obtaining very low temperatures, by evaporating water in a receiver evacuated with an air-pump but containing a drying agent. His mathematical works include texts on geometry, trigonometry and The Philosophy of Arithmetic. |
|
| Samuel Hahnemann | |
c.1812 (EB) |
Born 10
Apr 1755; died 2 Jul 1843.
German physician, founder of the system of therapeutics known as homeopathy. |
| Sir John Pringle | |
| Born 10
Apr 1707; died 18 Jan 1782.
(1st Baronet) British physician, an early exponent of the importance of ordinary putrefactive processes in the production of disease. His application of this principle to the administration of hospitals and army camps has earned him distinction as the founder of modern military medicine. |
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| APRIL 10 - DEATHS | |
| Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat | |
(source) |
 Died
10 Apr 1999
German-American biochemist who made the landmark discovery that genetic information controlling viral reproduction is carried in the nucleic acid core of each virus particle. He has been cited as the first man to take a virus apart, separate its components and put it back together again to reconstitute a live virus. His pioneering work was with the with the tobacco mosaic virus. He was able to prove without a doubt that the genetic material was ribonucleic acid (RNA). He showed that a complete infectious virus could be reconstituted from the protein and RNA. |
| Martin Schwarzschild | |
| Died
10 Apr 1997 (born 31 May 1912)
German-born American astronomer who in 1957 introduced the use of high-altitude hot-air balloons to carry scientific instruments and photographic equipment into the stratosphere for solar research. |
|
| Peter Dennis Mitchell | |
| Died
10 Apr 1992 (born 29 Sep 1920)
British chemist who won the 1978 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for helping to clarify how ADP (adenosine diphosphate) is converted into the energy-carrying compound ATP (adenosine triphosphate) in the mitochondria of living cells. |
|
| Pierre Teilhard de Chardin | |
| Died
10 Apr 1955 (born 1 May 1881)
French philosopher and paleontologist known for his theory that man is evolving, mentally and socially, toward a final spiritual unity. Blending science and Christianity, he declared that the human epic resembles "nothing so much as a way of the Cross." Various of his theories brought reservations and objections from within the... |
|
| Auguste Lumière | |
 |
Died 10 Apr 1954 (born 19 Oct 1862)
Frenchman who, with his brother Louis, invented and pioneered the manufacturing of photographic equipment. They devised an early motion-picture camera and projector called the Cinématographe ("cinema" is derived from this name). Their filmLa Sortie des ouvriers de l'usine Lumière ("Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory"), is considered the first motion picture. On 22 Mar 1895, an invited audience at 44 Rue de Rennes in Paris, France, viewed the film they shot specially for the occasion showing workers leaving the Lumières' own factory in Lyon, which made all kinds of photographic products. The workers streamed out, most to foot, some with their bicycles, then followed by those with cars. [Image right: frames from La Sortie des ouvriers film.] |
| Moritz Benedikt Cantor | |
(source) |
Died
10 Apr 1920 (born 23 Aug 1829)
German historian of mathematics, one of the greatest of the 19th century. He is best remembered for the four volume work Vorlesungen über Geschichte der Mathematik which traces the history of mathematics up to 1799. The first volume (published 1880) traces the general history of mathematics up to 1200. The second volume traces the history up to 1668 (the year Newton and Leibniz were just about to embark on their mathematicalresearches). The third volume continues up to 1758 (Lagrange's work began shortly after this date). Cantor then, at the age of 69, as editor-in-chief, organised a team with nine further contributors to collaborate on the fourth volume (published 1908), continuing to 1799, the year of Gauss's doctoral thesis. |
| Sam Loyd | |
(source) |
Died
10 Apr 1911 (born 31 Jan 1841)
Samuel Loyd was an American puzzlemaker who was best known for composing chess problems and games, including Parcheesi, in addition to other mathematically based games and puzzles. He studied engineering and intended to become a steam and mechanical engineer but he soon made his living from his puzzles and chess problems. Loyd's most famous puzzle was the 14-15 Puzzle which he produced in 1878. The craze swept America where employers put up notices prohibiting playing the puzzle during office hours. Loyd's 15 puzzle is the familiar 4x4 arrangement of 15 square numbered tiles in a tray that must be reordered by sliding one tile at a time into the vacant space. |
| Jean-Baptiste-André Dumas | |
Died
10 Apr 1884 (born 14 July 1800)
French chemist who pioneered in organic chemistry, particularly organic analysis. |
|
| Giovanni Amici | |
(source) |
Died
10 Apr 1863 (born 25 Mar 1786)
Giovanni Battista Amici was an Italian microscopist, astronomer, optical instrument designer, and botanist, who is best known for his invention of the achromatic lens. He also introduced the Amici-Bertrand lens, a lens for the inspection of an objective's rear focal plane. The lens system he designed for a new type of microscope in 1837 improved the magnification, capable of up to 6000 times. In 1840, he also introduced an immersion system for microscopes; the lowermost lens was immersed in a drop of oil to reduce improve clarity. He improved the design of mirrors used in reflecting telescopes. As a biologist, he investigated the sexual function of flowers, in particular he clarified the mechanism of the pollination of orchids.« |
| Joseph-Louis Lagrange | |
| Died
10 Apr 1813 (born 25 Jan 1736)
(Count) Italian-French mathematician who made great contributions to the theory of numbers and to analytic and celestial mechanics. His most important book is Mécanique analytique (1788; "Analytic Mechanics"), the textbook on which all later work in this field is based. |
|
| William Cheselden | |
(source) |
Died
10 Apr 1752 (born 19 Oct 1688)
English surgeon and teacher of anatomy and surgery, who was instrumental in raising surgery to a profession. He began lecturing on anatomy at age 22. Three years after that, he published Anatomy of the Human Body, (1713) written in English instead of the Latin, which remained in print as a text for anatomy students for almost a century. He was the first to perform operations for iridectomy, the removal of part of the iris to treat blindness (1728) and lateral lithotomy (1727). In the latter operation, he was quick and precise surgeon, able to remove bladder stones in about one minute. He described the role of saliva in digestion, as opposed to the general belief that digestion resulted from the mechanical actions of the abdominal muscles on the stomach. |
| APRIL 10 - EVENTS | |
| National DNA database | |
 |
In 1995, the world's first national DNA database began
operations in the U.K. With the new authority to retain DNA samples from
those previously arrested, police had a powerful new tool that became very
successful in matching suspects to crimes. Analysis could be based on mouth
swabs or hair samples being routinely collected. Within ten years, 3 million
profiles were held
in the database. Other countries subsequently established their own national
DNA databases. In 1984, Alec Jeffreys had discovered a technique for identifying
individuals based on Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism. In 1986,
Kary Mullis created the Polymeraze Chain Reaction to replicate DNA for
analysis. |
| Biological warfare treaty | |
|
In 1972, the United States and the Soviet Union joined some 70 nations
in signing an agreement banning biological warfare. |
|
| Salk polio vaccine | |
|
In 1955, polio vaccine tested a success by Dr. Jonas Salk. |
|
| Synthetic quinine | |
 |
In 1944, the first synthetic quinine was produced by Dr. Robert Burns Woodward
(on his birthday) and Dr. William von Eggers Doering at the Converse Memorial
Laboratory, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. Quinine, an anti-malarial
drug, is an organic chemical with the formula C20H24N2O2. |
| Synthetic rubber | |
|
In 1930, the first synthetic rubber for manufacture was produced when Dr.
Arnold M. Collins isolated a chemical called chloroprene and observed its
polymerization. Subsequently, chemists working under Dr. Elmer K. Bolton
at the E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company synthesized chloroprene by treating
vinylacetylene with other substances. Under the trade name of Du Prene,
Du Pont began manufacturing the synthetic rubber on 2 Nov 1931, at its
Deepwater, NJ, plant. Oil hose suitable for oil companies was the first
commercial Du Prene product (May 1932), made by Manhattan Rubber Mfg. The
first experimental tires made from Du Prene were produced by the Dayton
Rubber Manufacturing Co. of Dayton, Ohio (Feb 1934). |
|
| Farming patents | |
In 1894, two patents were issued to black American inventor, G.W. Murray
for a "Combined Furrow Opener and Stalk-Knocker" (No. 517,960) and a "Cultivator
and Marker" (No. 517,961). On 6 Jun of the same year, he was issued another
six patents for agricultural implements.
 The
Inventive Spirit of African Americans: Patented Ingenuity,
by Patricia Carter Sluby. |
|
| Safety pin | |
 |
In 1849, the first U.S. patent for a safety pin was issued to Walter
Hunt of New York City (No. 6,281). When short of cash, within the space
of three hours, he conceived the idea, made a model, immediately sold the
patent rights for $400. However, safety pins existed prior to this patent.
In Great Britain, a safety pin was patented by Charles Rowley on 12 Oct
of the same year. |
| Gingham | |
(source) |
In 1845, gingham manufacturing machinery was patented by inventor Erastus
B. Bigelow. The following year, he opened the first gingham factory,
Lancaster Mills, in Clinton, Mass. Until then, all gingham was hand-made
at home. |
| U.S. patent statute | |
|
In 1790, the first U.S. patent statute
was signed into law by President Washington. Although a number of inventors
were clamoring for patents and copyrights, the first session of the First
Congress in 1789 acted on none of the petitions. On 8 Jan 1790, President
Washington recommended in his State of the Union address that Congress
give attention to the encouragement of new and useful inventions, and within
the month, on 25 Jan 1790, the House appointed a committee to draft a patent
statute. The bill was given a first reading to the House on 4 Mar 1790,
and amendments reconciled with the Senate by 5 Apr 1790. The first patent
issued under this statute was signed by George Washington on 31
Jul 1790 for Samuel Hopkins' process to make potash and pearl ash.« |
|
| Hooke's first publication | |
(source) |
In 1662, Robert Hooke read his first
publication,
a pamphlet on capillary action, to the Society for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematical
Experimental Learning. The Society had been constituted, to promote experimental
philosophy, by at a meeting
of a dozen scientists in Gresham
College on 28 Nov 1660. The Society subsequently petitioned King Charles
II to recognise it and to make a royal grant of incorporation. The Royal
Charter, which was passed by the Great Seal on 15 Jul 1662, created the
Royal
Society of London. On 5 Nov 1662, Hooke was appointed
its Curator of Experiments.«
[Image: from a recently discovered portrait believed (by Lisa Jardine)
to be the only authentic picture of Hooke]
The
Curious Life of Robert Hooke: The Man Who Measured London, by
Lisa Jardin |
| Bananas | |
|
In 1633, bananas appeared on sale in Britain for the first time, exhibited
in the shop window of Thomas Johnson of Snow Hill, London. It was
not until 1884, though, that bananas were regularly imported, from the
Canary Islands into Britain by Elder Dempster and Co.* |
|
