Science Activities
I. Wright Brothers
On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully sustained the first heavier-than- air human flight. Unlike previous attempts at solving the “flying problem” that focused on developing more powerful engines, the brothers focused on creating a reliable method of pilot control (eventually known as three-axis control; patent 821,393). The brothers gained their mechanical skills by working for years with printing presses, motors, machinery, and bicycles. They also built a small homemade wind tunnel while working on the airplane which collected data more accurately than collected before.
1. Chronicling Flight in America Air travel had been a fantasy for humanity since the ancient world. However, by the 20th Century, it was becoming clear that sustained flight could actually become a reality. Examine, in Chronicling America, the public sentiment before (pre-December 1903) the Wright Brothers’ success by searching for an article about air travel (think “flying machine,” etc.).
Where is your article from?
What does the author think about flying?
How is the inventor or idea portrayed?
What was the predominant means of travel in 1903? Had man traveled through the air yet?
Now examine the coverage of the Wright Brothers’ flight (search after Dec 17, 1903).
Where is your article from?
What does the author think about the flight?
How is are the Wright Brothers and flying portrayed?
How is the vocabulary different than how we describe flight today? Put yourself in the newspaper’s place. How might you cover the event differently?
2. Wright Brothers Collections The LOC has two collections pertaining to the Wright Brothers. The first is the Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers (http://www.loc.gov/collections/wilbur-and-orville-wright-papers), containing documents from the 1880s to the 1940s. The second is an exhibit on the “Century of Flight” (http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/wb-overview.html) that highlights many of the Wright Brothers achievements and their place in the larger narrative of humans taking to the sky.
Most inventors and scientists do not act alone, locked in some dark room until the task is complete. In fact, collaboration and sharing resources/information is encouraged in the scientific community. The Wright Brothers also had some help from Octave Chanute, a French American railway engineer and fellow aviation pioneer. Providing them with advice and publicizing their endeavors, Chanute was well known in his time as the father of aviation. Read some of the correspondence between the Wright Brothers and Chanute (http://www.loc.gov/collections/wilbur-and-orville-wright-papers/?q=Octave+Chanute+Papers) What does the relationship between the Wright Brothers and Chanute seem to be? Friendly? Competitive?
List three things that Chanute and the Wrights Brothers discuss in their correspondence and why it might be important.
Today scientists can collaborate by sending emails and digital files almost instantly to each other. Video-conferences are an easy way to communicate as well, especially over long distances. However, in the 1900s, what ways were available for businessmen and scientists to communicate? How are those different than today? Keep in mind; Chanute lived near Chicago at that time and the Wright Brothers were in Ohio.
Communication in 1900s Communication in 2010s
3. Aviation Activities on LOC.gov Explore the classroom activities on the LOC Teachers page related to flight:
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/activities/science/
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/fan tasy-flight/
1. Chronicling the Telephone Invention Just like with the Wright Brothers, Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone occurs within the era covered by Chronicling America: 1876. Before the telephone, the telegraph had been the most immediate method for communicating with each other. However, that method still relied heavily on someone having to encode and decode messages for transmission and dissemination. Bell’s invention used a microphone and earphone to transmit electric signals across the wires.
The first telephone call was made by Bell on March 10, 1876. Using Chronicling America, examine how the public reacted to the invention. List some of their comments and how they might be rewritten today:
Comment Today’s Version
What were some of the suggested uses of the new technology?
Find an article in Chronicling America that describes how the telephone is changing lives. Is there another invention that has replaced the telephone in that example? Example of change Today’s equivalent
How do newspapers cover inventions today? Did this invention get as much attention in the paper as the telephone?
Use the diagram to think about how the style of reporting is similar and different than today:
1900s 2010s 2. The Creative Process
Examine some of the notebooks from the Bell Collection (http://www.loc.gov/collection/alexander-graham-bell-papers/ ). Many scientists today still keep paper workbooks for lab work. How do you keep notes? What are the similarities and differences in your style versus Bell?
Bell Yourself
Scientists today use the “scientific method” when investigating. Looking at Bell’s notebooks, fill out the chart below for how you think he might have approached inventing the telephone. List evidence for each of your choices.
Question
Hypothesis
Prediction
Testing
Analysis
3. Science Books Activity One of the little-known corners of the LOC site is the Science and Technology Reading Room (http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/). However, the Rare Book Reading Room (http://www.loc.gov/rr/rarebook/) also has science texts from previous centuries that do not usually show up in general searches. The Science, Magic, and Mathematics collection (http://www.loc.gov/rr/rarebook/digitalcoll/digitalcoll-magic.html) brings together texts showing our evolving understanding of the world around us.
Why would magic and science books be grouped together in this collection?
Some books talk about magic and witchcraft along with alchemy and “natural magic.” What do you think is the connection between these ideas?
Some of the books, like the Explanation of Magnetic Atlas (http://memory.loc.gov/service/rbc/rbc0001/2006/2006frank31395/2006frank31395.pdf), have a list of subscribers at the beginning. Why do you think this is the case?
The Explanation of Magnetic Atlas also has letters in the back from notable people like Thomas Jefferson. Why might this have been included in the book?
NOTES TO SELF: ttp://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1903-12-18/ed-1/seq- 1/#date1=12%2F17%2F1903&sort=relevance&date2=12%2F18%2F1903&searchType=advanced&langua ge=&sequence=0&index=15&words=Wright&proxdistance=5&state=&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=wrig ht&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=2 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015415/1903-01-07/ed-1/seq- 6/#date1=1903&index=5&rows=20&words=fly+flying+machine&searchType=basic&sequence=0 &state=&date2=1903&proxtext=Flying+Machine&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059523/1903-02-15/ed-1/seq- 21/#date1=1903&index=10&rows=20&words=flying+flying- machine+machine+machines&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1903&proxtext=F lying+Machine&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1