# Good night, Mr. Wizard, you taught me well. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797 "2007-06-13T01:03:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/21 "2007-06-13T13:59:49Z")
[QUOTE=DocCathode] I heard about him from my mother. Then, I got to watch him on Nickelodeon. I find myself hoping his memorial service includes one last science demonstration. I think it would be a fitting tribute. [/QUOTE] Well, if he’s being cremated, we could find out how many calories are in a Mr. Wizard. Peace and prayers to he and his family. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/22 "2007-06-13T14:47:22Z")
He taught kids that science belongs to everybody, because it’s based on a way of thinking about the world that anybody can learn. And you can blow stuff up. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/23 "2007-06-13T15:09:53Z")
I’m another of his fans from the 1960’s. Other kids wanted to go on Romper Room or stuff, but I wanted to be one of his lab assistants. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/24 "2007-06-13T15:09:57Z")
The '50’s on a black and white Hoffman. Before PBS. Required watching. I remember in an interview he liked to compare his show to a science class with all the bells and whistles. He was allowed the resources to blow up the hydrogen balloon, build the volcano that would explode and put on just enough “Oh, Wow” to get kids interested in science. R. I. P. Mr. Wizard. ---
**Author:** ![Shecky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shecky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shecky)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/25 "2007-06-13T15:35:42Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Well, if he’s being cremated, we could find out how many calories are in a Mr. Wizard. [/QUOTE] Can we use lycopdium powder to do it? Seems more educational that way. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/26 "2007-06-13T15:36:04Z")
Your acceleration and momentum when throwing a tennis ball straight up into the air as you’re riding a bike will cause the ball to keep up with you. I was born in 1981 and Mr. Wizard taught me that and a bunch of other stuff I’m sure. Rest In Peace, Mr. Wizard. … As an aside, was I the only one who thought he had died years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/27 "2007-06-13T16:20:06Z")
Aw, what a loss. I always wanted to be one of the kids on his show, man. I was a devoted watcher. I still hum the between skits “hmm, hmm… aaah ha!” to myself when thinking, heehee. He called tech support when I worked for a Microsoft outsource partner years ago and my friend took the call. Mr. Wizard was so thrilled when my friend said “…like Mr. Wizard?” when he gave his name. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/28 "2007-06-13T17:17:42Z")
[QUOTE=Justin\_Bailey] As an aside, was I the only one who thought he had died years ago? [/QUOTE] He was on TV Land when they ran a marathon of his episodes from the '50s, last year IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/29 "2007-06-13T17:35:47Z")
“What’s in this cup?” “Nothing, it’s empty!” “No, it’s full of air!” ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/30 "2007-06-13T18:19:45Z")
Does anyone remember the skit that involved a coffee mug, an orange, a small styrofoam block, a broom and a countertop? The mug was placed on the edge of the countertop, with the foam block on top and the orange on top of that. Then, Mr. wizard had his assistant (the cute Canadian girl with short black hair, one of my many Nickelodeon crushes – hey I was like 12, she was in my league then) set the broom bottom against the counter and then pull back on the stick and released it. it struck the foam block, which flew off camera, but the orange, which wasn’t touched by the broom stick, . . . what do you think it did? It fell into the mug, Newton’s first law, "an object at rest . . . " well and gravity I guess. He was awesome ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/31 "2007-06-13T18:24:13Z")
☹ ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/32 "2007-06-13T18:28:45Z")
[QUOTE=Lute Skywatcher] He was on TV Land when they ran a marathon of his episodes from the '50s, last year IIRC. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that was cool. I also watched him in the 80s. Didn’t he have a show in the 70s, or was that someone else? What a loss. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/33 "2007-06-13T18:30:09Z")
[QUOTE=whole bean] Does anyone remember the skit that involved a coffee mug, an orange, a small styrofoam block, a broom and a countertop? [/QUOTE] I remember that. I also remember him demonstrating why bread always falls butter-side down. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/34 "2007-06-13T20:32:03Z")
I read it in the newspaper obit section today and literally gasped when I saw it. I loved Mr. Wizard. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/35 "2007-06-13T21:19:11Z")
Yes Mr Wizard showed that science was _not_ some nerdy activity. I remember one of his shows from the 1960’s in which he spent the entire 30 minutes talking about switches. (Single Pole Single Throw all the way to Double Pole Double Throw), even demonstrating how a hallway light is wired to turn on with one switch and turn off with the other. I think my family _never_ called an electrician again once I saw that. 🙂 As you probably know, he was a guest on David Letterman’s first Late Night show way back in 1982 and returned as a guest a few years later. Dave, (in honor of Mr Wizard’s appearance) dedicated a Top Ten List of (something like) Mr Wizard’s _Personal_ Science Experiments: 10) How to get free HBO I forgot the rest … darn. Yes it is sad that Don Herbert is no longer with us. Still, judging from the _huge_ influence he had on people’s perception of science, his was a life well-spent. Rest In Peace Mr Herbert. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/36 "2007-06-13T21:58:52Z")
[QUOTE=Pithy Moniker] Such sad news. I used to watch his 1980s show on Nickelodeon when I was a kid. When we got our first VCR, I learned to program it just so I could record his shows. I wore out so many tapes from watching his program over and over. Does/will Joost offer any of his shows? [/QUOTE] Dunno, but [you can watch them on DVD!](http://www.mrwizardstudios.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Freezair\_SilverEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Freezair\_SilverEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freezair_SilverEye)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/37 "2007-06-13T22:06:02Z")
The orange thing reminds me of another one… He was showing the strength of an egg’s shell. I think there were about four eggs organized in a rectangle, and I can’t remember what all he piled onto them, but I seem to remember cinder blocks being a part of it. Incidentally, I need those DVD’s. NOW. ---
**Author:** ![Skipper\_Too](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Skipper\_Too](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skipper_Too)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/38 "2007-06-13T22:49:18Z")
A couple of my memories from his show in the 80’s Demonstrations of atomic chain reaction using a clear plexiglass box about four feet cube, a buch of mouse traps side by side end to end carpeting the bottom the cube each with a ping pong ball on the spring side of the trap, throw one extra ball in, and they all start to go off. The dopler effect of a siren driving dow the street and what it that makes sirens sound the way they do. In segment made to teach I think observation, he asked his assistant to peel a banana that was on the table, when the assistant peeled the banana it was presliced in long slices. Of course the assistant was amazed as was the audience (at least me) he went on to show how it was done using a needle and thread and how using some observation you could have determined how it was done looking for the small holes left by the needle and the fact that brown spots were indicators due to oxidation or some such. (at least that is what I remember from that show from over 20 years ago) ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/39 "2007-06-14T02:21:28Z")
I learned about Bernoulli’s principle and Newton’s Law from Mr. Wizard. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797/40 "2007-06-14T02:43:32Z")
I learned that light travels faster than sound from Mr. Wizard. And that cornstarch does really freaky stuff with water. And I seem to remember an episode with him pouring some liquid into a hollow cylinder, sticking a non-hollow cylinder inside that one, smacking it with a hammer…and then removing the “liquid,” which had apparently been compressed into ice. I keep meaning to ask what the hell _that_ one was. The thing that I think I regret most is that they probably won’t be rerunning Mr. Wizard’s World by the time me or my sister have kids. ☹ He won’t be missed—he’s missed already. Double ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-night-mr-wizard-you-taught-me-well/407797.md?page=1)