This really took me back. Mr. Wizard wasn’t just about science tricks for kids. He made science feel like something you could do in your own kitchen. It’s wild to think how that kind of TV helped shape a whole generation of engineers and scientists. I didn’t know GE hesitated to compete with IBM because of the vacuum tube connection. That’s a great example of how messy progress can be behind the scenes. And the fact that Spielberg’s dad was part of GE’s computer project just ties everything together. From Mr. Wizard to moon landings to MICR codes on checks,it’s all connected in a strange way.
Thanks, Since I was born in the early 1950s, I was too young for Mr. Wizard. Instead, my "go to" science and education-oriented program was the General Electric College Bowl which I watched from the mid-1960s until 1970. I also lived near the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California. I recall that amusement park had a significant focus on science and technology.
It seems unnecessarily bleak and absolutist to suggest that sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon are the closest we get to science education programming in the current era.
There are lots of science channels on YouTube that offer brief introduction to a variety of basic and specific science topics, including demonstrations/experiments done with common (and not so common) materials.
Even on network television I feel like I have seen from time to time science magazine shows directed at kids.
Likewise on cable there are whole channels dedicated to science communication and I feel as though some of their programming is directed at a younger audience. Although one might complain that they deviate to far into the category of pure fluff with a science veneer in many of their offerings.
What has really changed since the advent of cable is the average number of viewers of a given science news or science education show have gone down by large numbers. The division of viewership brought about by having more things to watch ended a time when our video consumption was limited by what was offered by the major broadcast networks and created a more monolithic viewing culture. We live in a much more balkanized age in terms of audiences for programming.
The Big Bang theory was as I understand it inordinately popular (had very high viewership) for a sitcom of its era. Although I think by historical standards it would only be a middling success compared to the giants of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. My sense is it achieved this by being very broad and very shallow and focusing on patter and joke delivery. I found it mildly entertaining, but it no doubt played
Mr. Wizard was still airing when I was a lad, but I'm not sure I ever watched an entire episode. I did watch a little Bill Nye and other science fair but not with any great consistency. In the 80s and 90s there were several programs of some popularity that engaged with such material.
This really took me back. Mr. Wizard wasn’t just about science tricks for kids. He made science feel like something you could do in your own kitchen. It’s wild to think how that kind of TV helped shape a whole generation of engineers and scientists. I didn’t know GE hesitated to compete with IBM because of the vacuum tube connection. That’s a great example of how messy progress can be behind the scenes. And the fact that Spielberg’s dad was part of GE’s computer project just ties everything together. From Mr. Wizard to moon landings to MICR codes on checks,it’s all connected in a strange way.
Thanks, Since I was born in the early 1950s, I was too young for Mr. Wizard. Instead, my "go to" science and education-oriented program was the General Electric College Bowl which I watched from the mid-1960s until 1970. I also lived near the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California. I recall that amusement park had a significant focus on science and technology.
It seems unnecessarily bleak and absolutist to suggest that sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon are the closest we get to science education programming in the current era.
There are lots of science channels on YouTube that offer brief introduction to a variety of basic and specific science topics, including demonstrations/experiments done with common (and not so common) materials.
Even on network television I feel like I have seen from time to time science magazine shows directed at kids.
Likewise on cable there are whole channels dedicated to science communication and I feel as though some of their programming is directed at a younger audience. Although one might complain that they deviate to far into the category of pure fluff with a science veneer in many of their offerings.
What has really changed since the advent of cable is the average number of viewers of a given science news or science education show have gone down by large numbers. The division of viewership brought about by having more things to watch ended a time when our video consumption was limited by what was offered by the major broadcast networks and created a more monolithic viewing culture. We live in a much more balkanized age in terms of audiences for programming.
The Big Bang theory was as I understand it inordinately popular (had very high viewership) for a sitcom of its era. Although I think by historical standards it would only be a middling success compared to the giants of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. My sense is it achieved this by being very broad and very shallow and focusing on patter and joke delivery. I found it mildly entertaining, but it no doubt played
Mr. Wizard was still airing when I was a lad, but I'm not sure I ever watched an entire episode. I did watch a little Bill Nye and other science fair but not with any great consistency. In the 80s and 90s there were several programs of some popularity that engaged with such material.