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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Category Archives: … the Hell?
Duel in the clouds — the world’s first air combat in 1870?
While I was researching my post on Tissandier’s ill-fated 1875 high-altitude balloon ride, I happened to come across a very curious image, pictured below. Apparently the 1870 Franco-Prussian War not only resulted in the first airmail: it also spawned the … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
7 Comments
More on Franklin and the electrical kite (1752)
The history of science is filled with exaggerated and even untrue stories of scientists and experiments; there are a lot of people about (such as the Renaissance Mathematicus) who endeavor to debunk some of the more egregious myths out there, … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
5 Comments
“Are beech-trees ever struck by lightning?” (1889)
Short answer: yes! It’s easy to forget how relatively little we knew about the natural world even only a hundred years ago. I came across a rather amusing and macabre example in the July 19, 1889 issue of Science magazine … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
7 Comments
Invaders from Mars! Reports from the 1938 invasion
Note: One of a couple of Halloween-themed posts for the season! While researching a post for my new Tumblr “Science Chamber of Horrors“*, I ended up reading the October 31st, 1938 edition of The Evening Independent newspaper of St. Petersburg, … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Entertainment, History of science
3 Comments
How many uses for a nuclear weapon can YOU think of?
Ah, nuclear weapons! Having grown up while the Cold War was still going strong, I can almost think about nuclear bombs with a sentimental eye — though the threat of nuclear terrorism is still a possibility, we’re much further away … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Physics
30 Comments
Wackerbarth whacks Piazzi’s pyramid power! (1867)
One aspect of science that I try and emphasize time and again is that it is a community effort. Individuals can make discoveries, but individuals are subject to mistakes (such as the recent arsenic life brouhaha), deliberate fraud (as in … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
9 Comments
John Derbyshire: wrong even 176 years ago
Update: Added a couple sentences to clarify that I’m not attacking psychology or psychometrics, but rather the simple-minded attempts distort these fields to justify racism. Also revised my statements about Derbyshire’s particular claims, to be more explicit about the flaws … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Politics
24 Comments
Pauli, “armchair physicists”, and “not even wrong”
Ah, controversy! Physics is of course not immune from it, and sometimes the participants in an argument can let anger get the better of them. An example of this began last week, when the following video clip appeared, featuring Professor … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Physics
59 Comments
“Moon? What Moon? Never seen it.” (c. 1804)
I risk dipping too often into the well of the life of François Arago, but this evening during my lecture I had to share an anecdote from his autobiography, and thought it was worth sharing here as well! At the … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
1 Comment
1813: Faraday learns about the politics of science
Those of us in science like to envision our profession as a noble (“Nobel”?) calling, above the petty squabbles that taint other endeavors. The reality, of course, is that science is susceptible to politics just like any other field. One … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
20 Comments
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