Comments on: Mr. Wizard, 1917 – 2007

By: Matt Stocum

Matt Stocum — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:53:02 +0000

My parents used to have to put on Mr. Wizard’s World to get me out of bed in the morning when I was a kid. I think I owe a lot of who I am now to him. The man electrocuted a hot dog. It doesn’t get much cooler than that. You’ll be missed Don.

By: buffalodavid

buffalodavid — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:24:52 +0000

Thomas said:” No less, thereâ€™s still a distressing lack of quality sci-ed programming on childrenâ€™s television.”

I would further that by saying there is a distressing lack of quality science on regular tv.

Don Herbert was one of the most important adults of my life. He taught critical thinking on a medium that does its best to sweep it away.

Anyone who has known me at all knows the great respect I hold for this man.

Lets honor his memory by turning a kid on to science. Better yet, at least one a week.

Goodnight Don.

By: euterpe

euterpe — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:36:49 +0000

Oh my god! Square One! I absolutely loved that show. It’s been years since I’d thought of it.

Memories…

By: Rob Vary

Rob Vary — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 03:34:24 +0000

I also grew up watching “Mr. Wizard’s World” on Nickelodeon in the ’80s, and now do outreach for a science center, performing experiments and demonstrations (including many from Mr. Wizard’s own repertoire) for crowds of kids in schools and libraries. I think I can safely agree with Phil that my job would likely not exist with Don Herbert.

I performed our chemistry show today, and privately dedicated it to him.

By: Troy

Troy — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:15:12 +0000

I was always shocked he had a show, he seemed so grumpy and with very little chemistry with children (and no long white beard!). I liked him for that reason though!

By: DenverAstro

DenverAstro — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 23:48:20 +0000

I remember Mr. Wizard very well from his first Sat. Morning shows. He will be greatly missed and I thought he was very cool. However, I was already a space nut by then. What really tied the knot in my geek string was watching Neil Armstrong take one small step for a man…

And I watched it broadcast live…from the MOON. period.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:06:20 +0000

It’s good to know that Bill Nye is still around. Like I said, I’m pretty sure I read the article in the Onion. It might have have been this one.

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28326

No less, there’s still a distressing lack of quality sci-ed programming on children’s television.

By: Phil Pique

Phil Pique — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 19:05:01 +0000

I, too, am old enough to remember Mr. Wizard from its original airings “way back when.” The 50′s and early 60′s were characterized by a faith in science and engineering, perhaps one that was too innocent, but still one that drove our citizens and our government in some very positive directions. I believe David Vanderschel’s comments above (6/12, 9:04 pm) are right on the money: TV shows of all kinds today speed through the “boring” parts – i.e. work – and focus on theatrics.

Thank you, Mr. Wizard, for the impact you had on all of us. Thank you for teaching patience and persistence, as well as science.

Philbert

ps to Thomas – I double-checked and indeed, Bill Nye is still with us.

By: Charlie in Dayton

Charlie in Dayton — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 18:59:33 +0000

It probably was The Onion, seeing as Bill Nye is alive and kicking, and is the Vice President of The Planetary Society.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:31:14 +0000

I somehow remember that Bill Nye died a few years back also, though, I might have read that in The Onion. Presuming that both Mr. Wizard and The Science Guy are gone, who’s left to provide quality public broadcast science programming for kids?

Telletubies aren’t going to cut it and there are only so many back episodes of 321 contact and Square One TV.

By: Charlie in Dayton

Charlie in Dayton — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:25:55 +0000

Mr Wizard was just flat cool. Science for the young masses…not a more noble cause there ever was.

One of my favorite memories is of him on David Letterman a number of years back, when he set fire to a bowl of cereal.

True story. Full details on the board.

In the meantime…

Fare thee well, Mr Herbert. You done real good by us…

By: DJ

DJ — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:54:03 +0000

I too remeber watching Mr. Wizard on Saturdays. While it was my Dad that gave me my interest in Science, it was shows like Mr. Wizard and publications like Science Digest and Popular Science that helped it grow and develop. In those days it was all about the science (not politics), and scientists (professional and amateur) could disagree without being demonized.

By: Gary Ansorge

Gary Ansorge — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:40:54 +0000

HAve you ever noticed how science types tend to live to ripe old ages? In the 1950s, perhaps after watching Mr. Wizard, I started adding up all the ages I could find for famous scientists throughout history and calculating their lifespans. They seemed to consistently outlive their contemporaries by about 10 years or so. The disparity was even greater in the 1700s.

It wasn’t Mister Wizard who turned me on to science, though he did reinforce my interest. The first exposure I can recall was Space Patrol, aired in Los Angeles about 1954 or thereabouts. It piqued my interest in all things space oriented. My Bro(later the rocket scientist) required me to learn the proper relationships of all the known planets in our solar system and critiqued my rocket ship designs. I was about 11 then. That was also the first year I read science fiction, a book about a post world war III society in Labrador, with mutants and telepaths.
By the time I was 13, I had read every science oriented book in the Hawthorne public library.

Thus may a scientist be born,,,

Thanks Mr Herbert. I’ll miss your intelligence and passion,

Gary 7

By: Berlzebub

Berlzebub — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:33:17 +0000

Oops.. “I remember him…” Damn sentimentality is throwing my spelling off.

By: Berlzebub

Berlzebub — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:31:18 +0000

I wrote a commerative post to Mr. Herbert on my blog. He worked with a low budget, and it even seemed that the show was taped in his or someone elses home. I think this made the lessons stick with me more than the theatrics of other science shows.

I remember her from “Mr. Wizard’s World”. Until the comments about electrocuting a hot dog, using solar energy to cook it, etc. I couldn’t remember those episodes. I could still tell you how to do it, but only if I needed to or someone mentioned it.

I wonder if he didn’t want the theatrics and diversion that a higher budget would bring? This way, the majority of our memory of it was the experiments themselves.

By: John Kemeny

John Kemeny — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:23:11 +0000

Sad bad news indeed. July 10th he would have been 90 – we celebrated his 89th on our blog.

By: johnkemeny.com » Blog Archive » Don Herbert = Mr. Wizard

johnkemeny.com » Blog Archive » Don Herbert = Mr. Wizard — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:05:37 +0000

[...] me be the ~20,000th blog (here, here, here, here) to moan the death of the great Don Herbert (NY Times obituary)Â just shy of his 90th birthday.Â [...]

By: Sticks

Sticks — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:09:31 +0000

I do not believe he made it across the pond to here in the UK

It is a sad loss for the field of science and education. Our nearest equivelant must be Johnny Ball

By: Robert Accettura

Robert Accettura — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:03:03 +0000

Wow, that brought back a few memories. I used to watch Mr. Wizard’s World quite a bit.

By: Jokermage

Jokermage — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:54:04 +0000

“I may just have to get those DVDs for my kids- theyâ€™re at about the right ages for a lot of those experiments I remember.”

I may have to get the DVDs for myself.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:44:50 +0000

I, too, recall watching Mr. Wizard’s World on Nickelodeon as a youngster. I didn’t realize he was that old- seems to me that he was maybe in his 40s at the time (I guess I just couldn’t judge ages at that point ). I only remember a few snippets from the show- like how to make a hole big enough to walk through in a piece of paper, how a heating element uses much more power than a light bulb, him explaining the mechanical advantage of a pulley system, and what happens when you cut the string holding something you’re spinning over your head.

I may just have to get those DVDs for my kids- they’re at about the right ages for a lot of those experiments I remember.

By: Kevin F.

Kevin F. — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:33:49 +0000

Another “I used to watch Mr. Wizard on Nickelodeon” here.

When my Dad saw what I was watching, he was excited because he had watched Mr. Wizard in the 1950′s.

Sad loss.

By: Ricky Shambles

Ricky Shambles — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:30:23 +0000

I will forever remember that shopping cart with the enormous test tube in it (“Supermarket Science”). I was also one of the 80′s Nickelodeon kids and until today I never realized how much influence that man had on my life.

Someone had asked for videos, so I put up my own post over at Cause for Concern with embedded YouTube videos of the intro, the promo for his DVD, and a 1988 PSA, along with a link to his official site http://www.mrwizardstudios.com.

He will be sorely missed.

By: Jewel

Jewel — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:26:53 +0000

I remember watching “Mr. Wizard’s World” on Nickelodeon with my nephew when he was little. It was a great show.

By: DennyMo

DennyMo — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:26:01 +0000

Good Bye Mr. Wizard, thanks for your passion. Bill Nye has been a close approximation, but Beakman’s World is just too, umm, “boinky”: goofy sound effects, silly overacted characters, not enough science.