Remembering Mr. Wizard


Don Herbert--known to millions as "Mr. Wizard"--died yesterday.



I've been a science geek for the last half century. I don't remember how or when my science obsession began, though I recall that when I was in second grade (in 1956) I was envious of my older sister, because her third-grade class actually included science in the curriculum, and she had a real science textbook!

By that time, Don Herbert's TV show, Watch Mr. Wizard, had already been around for a few years. I can't be sure, but I'd guess I was watching the program by 1956. My personal copy of his book, shown in the photo above, has a 1953 printing date, but I don't think I was reading much at age 3. In any case, the show was certainly an inspiration for me for many years. He wasn't as zany as successors such as Bill Nye, but his experiments were often dramatic, and many could be readily reproduced at home by young viewers. He did a fine job of demonstrating a wide range of scientific phenomena and principles, explaining them in an understandable way without dumbing things down. A typical program showed him demonstrating and explaining his experiments to a young visitor (a boy or girl maybe ten or twelve years old) on a set that looked to me like a large kitchen. The set, the young participant, and his lucid explanations made everything seem quite accessible.

I give Don Herbert a lot of credit for inspiring and supporting my interest in science, and I'm sure he had the same effect on many of my generation.

Posted: Wed - June 13, 2007 at 09:13 PM       by email

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