3/1 Silly putty, radioactivity, and Yellowstone National Park

Silly Putty introduced (1950)
In 1943, James Wright created “bouncing putty” as a rubber substitute for General Electric, however it had no practical use.  On March 1, 1950, marketing consultant Peter Hodgson introduces this “silly putty” packaged in 1-ounce plastic eggs at the International Toy Fair.

Becqurel discovers radioactivity (1896)
Antoine Henri Becqurel (1952-1908) discovers radioactive rays.  On this day in 1896, Becqurel demonstrated that uranium salts could cause a cloudy image on a photographic plate covered in opaque paper and protected from light.  For his discovery of spontaneous radioactivity, Becqurel shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 with Pierre and Marie Curie.

Venera 3 reaches Venus (1966)
Soviet space craft Venera 3 becomes the first man-made object to reach another planet when it crashes into Venus.

Yellowstone National Park Established (1872)

Yellowstone National Park activities for adults and teachers:
Explore Yellowstone’s Resources & Issues, using the handbook the rangers use to answer many basic park questions

Yellowstone National Park Activities for Kids:

Science In My Life for
Yesterday - Today - Tomorrow