Passing of Another Icon



Don Herbert was known as Mr. Wizard . Yep, I was one of the kids that watched the 1950's TV show, "Watch Mr. Wizard." Don Herbert died yesterday at age 89.

Mr. Wizard demonstrated science experiments that could be easily duplicated using materials found in the home. I can remember the excitement of seeing reactions between baking soda and vinegar, iodine and starch, and even pepper and soap! (OK- float black pepper on the surface of water and then touch a bar of soap into the floating black spice! Watch the fun of surface tension!) Remember making stars out of broken toothpicks - the toothpicks moved mysteriously on their own when a drop of water was placed on the broken sections?

Oh well, you guys may be too young to appreciate these wonderful sights performed before your eyes. The students these days are often too absorbed by technology and it may be difficult for them to appreciate the simple wonders that Mr. Wizard revealed to us.

The "Watch Mr. Wizard" TV show ran from 1951 until 1964.