“The Goddamn Particle” was the title Leon Lederman had chosen for his book about the development of quantum mechanics. Lederman, the “Mel Brooks of Physics,” had invented the moniker as a joke. The goddamn particle in question was a bit of mass later to be recognized as the Higgs boson, the final puzzle piece in the array of 17 elementary particles that make up the Standard … [Read more...]
Nobel Notable of Laureate Park: Harold Pinter, Prickly Playwright
If you’ve ever viewed a play by Harold Pinter and found his characters to be creepy and weird, consider this: Pinter himself looked upon them as strangers. So, you say to yourself, if Pinter had such a dim appreciation of his own characters, then how am I supposed to understand them? Let alone identify with them? Let’s be blunt. Pinter’s characters are not nice people. By … [Read more...]
Nobel Notable of Laureate Park: Bertha von Suttner, the Dogged Pacifist
One way to win a Nobel Peace Prize is to make Alfred Nobel fall in love with you. Then convince him to fund provisions for such a prize in his will. Just kidding … but not entirely. There is no real evidence that Alfred Nobel harbored truly romantic feelings for the lovely Austrian countess Bertha Kinsky, whom he first met when she spent a week in Paris in 1876 employed as … [Read more...]
Nobel Notable of Laureate Park: Peter Doherty, A Veterinarian From the Land of Oz
This is the 24th in a series of articles that celebrate the lives of the Nobel Prize laureates whose names grace the 130+ streets of Laureate Park. These laureates are extraordinary individuals who through their lifetime achievements have made our daily lives immeasurably richer, often in ways not readily apparent. The author wishes to thank Dr. Otto Phanstiel, professor of … [Read more...]