Month: March 2014

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Nikola Tesla and Niagara Falls

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Niagara Falls. For decades it has been a favored place honeymooners, sightseers, and anyone interested in the immense beauty of nature. It was even the inspiration for a Three Stooges skit. And it’s where Nikola Tesla became famous.

Tesla at Niagara Falls

In his autobiography, Tesla reminisces about the first time he heard of Niagara Falls. It was in the Normal School during his youth. Here “there were a few mechanical models which interested me and turned my attention to water turbines.” After hearing a description of the great Niagara Falls, Tesla “pictured in my imagination a big wheel run by the Falls.” He proclaimed to his uncle that one day he would “go to America and carry out this scheme.”

Niagara Falls

Tesla now had that opportunity. After their successful collaboration at the Chicago World’s Fair, George Westinghouse set his sights on using the Tesla system to harness Niagara Falls for electricity generation. Up to this point the only use of the falls had been to build small canals to provide hydropower for mills and a tannery. But many saw the opportunity of channeling the awesome power of the falls to generate electricity. A former Edison board member, Edward Dean Adams, was picked to lead the newly formed Cataract Construction Company and determine the best way to obtain and then distribute electricity from the falls. Despite Thomas Edison’s assertions that he could transmit electricity as far as Buffalo, direct current systems were limited to running the machinery of local mills and lighting up some of the local village streets. The limitations of direct current were far too restrictive for any significant distribution.

Tesla’s alternating current system was just the answer the Cataract Construction Company was looking for, although they did not know that in the beginning. Adams first headed off to Europe where others were working to exploit alternating current for lighting and power generation. Eventually the Cataract Construction Company offered a contest of sorts, with cash prizes totaling $20,000 for the best plan for harnessing the falls. With more than a few parties claiming the rights to various parts of the alternating current system, there was backstabbing and counter claims and more than a little industrial theft of ideas. But in the end it was Tesla’s patents that won the day. The Westinghouse Company was chosen to provide the powerhouse and alternating current system, while the General Electric Company was awarded construction of the transmission lines.

Courtesy of NMAH Smithsonian Institution

Westinghouse, relying on a dozen Tesla patents, completed the powerhouse in 1895. Its enormous polyphase generator could produce an unprecedented 15,000 horsepower. Within the next year General Electric completed the transmission and distribution system and sufficient electricity to power industries “through the Falls and Buffalo areas.” Westinghouse went on to add another seven generating units, raising the power output to 50,000 horsepower. Tesla’s patented alternating current system was to change the lives of all Americans as the Niagara project showed investors that alternating current could transmit power over long distances.

Nikola Tesla went on to win the “war of the currents” against Thomas Edison, in large part because of his success with Westinghouse in Chicago and Niagara Falls. He dreamed of harnessing the power of nature to provide inexpensive, sustainable, electricity to everyone. How much power? Check out these two very brief videos, first from above, then down in the mist.

Tesla was on his way. He even got two statues, not just one, for his accomplishments at Niagara. And then disaster struck. More on that later.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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In Patagonia, Don’t Miss The Cave of the Hands…or the Camels!

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Yes, I said camels. More on that in a minute. As I’ve been documenting, Ru and I joined my friend Pablo and his two daughters Juli and Mica touring, trekking, and tripping down the eastern side of the Andes mountains of Patagonia, southern Argentina. One of our stops was the Cueva de las Manos…the Cave of the Hands.

Cueva de las Manos

A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Cueva de las Manos is in such a remote location that it’s often missed by most casual tourists. Since driving all the way around to the main access road would take us over 150 kilometers out of our way, we decided to hike to it. After spending a night in a comfy log cabin, the five of us drove 17-km along a winding gravel road, along which we saw guanacos (WAN-a-coes), which look like short-haired llamas but, like the llamas, vicunas, and alpacas are actually closely related to camels.

Guanaco

We also saw choiques (CHOY-kas), which are ostrich-like birds that people up north may have heard called rheas. I’ll have more on these and other Patagonian wildlife (including condors) in a future post.

Choique (Rhea)

Eventually we arrived at the end of the road, but not the end of the trail, for where we were parked was on the opposite side of the valley from where we needed to be. So we hiked down this valley; that’s the cave peaking out from the other side.

Cueva de las Manos

And a little closer…

Cueva de las Manos

Once on the other side we could see the valley we crossed. To give you perspective, the greenery in the center are full-size trees nestled along the Pinturas River. I admit we dallied in the wonderful shade they provided from the mid-day sun as we crossed a footbridge over the river.

Pinturas River valley

By the way, our car is at the top of that ridge on the right. But let’s not think about the return trip just yet. Let’s go see the cave.

Cueva de las Manos

Okay, the cave itself is not so impressive. It’s about 10 meters high, 15 meters wide, and about 24 meters deep. It’s what is outside the cave that stirs the imagination. To get an idea of the layout, take a look at the photo below, which shows the valley and the cave system on the right wall.

Cueva de las Manos

The main cave is the hole to the right about mid-way where the slope meets the cliff. However, following along what looks like a cut as you move left in the photo traces over 4000 years of history. And what you see is…hands.

Cueva de las Manos

The hands are everywhere. At least three waves of indigenous peoples lived in this area, from about 9,000 years ago to as far as 13,000 years ago. The peoples were semi-nomadic, chasing their main food sources, the aforementioned guanocos and choiques, back and forth across the otherwise barren scrubland. To mark their ownership of the cave and environs they painted their hands onto the rock walls.

Cueva de las Manos

Painted is a bit of a misnomer. They actually stenciled negative images by holding their hands against the rock and blowing through a hollow reed a mixture of natural mineral pigments. The different colors were made by blending different base components – iron oxides (for red and purple), kaolin (for white), natrojarosite (for yellow), and manganese oxide (for black). Some unknown binder was added to get it to stick to the rock. Given that the hands are still visible after many thousands of years, one has to wonder whether the inhabitants had permanently painted mouths.

Cueva de las Manos

While most of the artwork depicts the artists’ hand (notice that most are the left hand, suggesting that they, like us, were predominantly right handed), as the photo above shows, they also painted guanacos. Needless to say they didn’t hold a guanaco up to the wall and do stencils, so these animals are directly painted as positive images (though I admit, a bit stylistically). For the occasional choique footprint, again they could hold up the three-toed appendage (presumably without the 90-lb bird still attached) and blow pigments to create a stencil.

Cueva de las Manos

As I noted above, there were at least three waves of peoples who inhabited the caves over time. Initially you see only the masses of left hand stencils, but as you walk along the rock cut you see a gradual shift in the style and patterns of the artwork. More and more hunting scenes are visible, and near the far end you start to see stick-figure people, geometric shapes, and zigzag patterns.

Cueva de las Manos was a wonderful experience. The guide gave the tour in Spanish, but luckily Pablo and Juli took turns translating the highlights so we didn’t miss much (something to keep in mind if you travel down there without speaking the language). While the site is very remote, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. Now, only one more trek left today. All we have to do is hike back down into the valley, then back up the other side. See those white specks at the top of the ridge (just right of center)? That’s our car. I’m glad I brought a hiking stick.

Cueva de las Manos

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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The Latest in Lincoln Scholarship at the Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium

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Abraham LincolnPut two hundred Abraham Lincoln scholars and followers in a room and what do you get? On March 22, 2014 you get the 17th Abraham Lincoln Institute Annual Symposium highlighting the latest in Lincoln scholarship. The day-long symposium featured five speakers discussing their latest books, and the audience included some of the biggest names in the field.

ALI President Allen Guelzo served as emcee for the program, while the equally eminent Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame introduced the first speaker, Rich Lowry. This was the second time this week I had seen Lowry as he was the featured speaker on Tuesday night at our monthly Lincoln Group of DC dinner. He gave a spirited and informative look at “The Lincolnian Ethic and the American Dream.”

Lincoln Symposium 3-22-14

After a short break, former ALI President Fred J. Martin spoke about the long, and often in doubt, march to Lincoln’s reelection in 1864. Martin noted that Lincoln, while uncertain of his reelection chances during a long and unpopular war, had a clear understanding of the nation’s geography, issues, and political dynamics. He knew how important it was to hold the elections even as the nation fought to keep itself together.

But that was just the beginning. After lunch we were treated to more excellent presentations by a series of great speakers: John David Smith enlightened us on emancipation and the U.S. Colored Troops; John Fabian Witt explained the significance of Lincoln’s Code of war; and Joshua Zeitz led us into the world of “Lincoln’s Boys,” the title of his new book about Lincoln’s presidential secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay. Following the presentations was an opportunity for the audience to pose additional questions for the panelists. Overall, this was an amazing event and the organizers should be congratulated on their efforts in putting together the program. More information can be found on the ALI website, including an archive of videos from past symposiums.

Lincoln Symposium 3-22-14

On a personal note, the symposium was a special occasion for me for several reasons. First, it was the first annual ALI symposium I have been able to attend. Normally it is held at Archives II, which is up in College Park, Maryland, but this year it was held in Archives I, the main Archives building right here in downtown Washington DC. Second, because it gave me the chance to introduce myself to Michael Burlingame, one of the most respect researchers in current Lincoln scholarship. Third, because in the nearly full 290-seat auditorium were some of the most erudite Lincoln experts in the country, including Jonathan W. White, Joan E. Cashin, Douglas L. Wilson, Michelle Krowl, and many others. Being in the presence of such Lincoln knowledge was both intimidating and exhilarating.

Also nicely represented at the symposium were members of the Lincoln Group of DC. Our own Rodney Ross provided a nice introduction to John Fabian Witt, current LGDC President Karen Needles asked some stimulating questions, and my lunch with Richard Margolies and John Elliff led to some fascinating discussions. In my brief conversation with Michael Burlingame I mentioned that the LGDC was beginning to expand our outreach and education activities and would be happy for any insights he may be able to provide. I’m looking forward to interacting with him and other Lincoln experts as I take on this important role for the group.

As an added bonus I had a rolling conversation throughout the day with George Kirschbaum, a retired history professor with an avid interest in both Abraham Lincoln and my other favorite historical personage – Nikola Tesla. [He even bought one of my books] While getting his address to send the Tesla book I realized that Elizabeth Brownstein was sitting right behind me. Elizabeth and I had been discussing her book, Lincoln’s Other White House, at the LGDC meeting earlier in the week. Luckily for me I had my copy with me (I had started reading it on the train into DC that morning), so she graciously agreed to sign and write the most amazing inscription in it.

All in all, a very good day. A very good day indeed.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Up Close and Personal with the Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

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You’ve probably seen photographs of the Perito Moreno Glacier. One of the most photogenic glaciers in the world, the Perito Moreno is a site to behold. And behold we did. It was one of the final scenic stops on our trip to Patagonia in southern Argentina, and it was worth the wait. I took hundreds of photographs, so picking the few that I use below was difficult. There will be more in the future, but let’s at least get in some of the highlights. Driving along the Peninsula Magallanes, we rounded a turn and, as a group, in unison, all exclaimed, “Wow!,” as we saw this:

Perito Moreno first look

Unlike many of the glaciers we had already encountered on the trip, this one is both massive and dramatically intrudes onto the lakes. If you look closely at the photo above, near the shore in the middle right, you’ll see a boat. That boat is roughly the length of the boats that take you into the mist at Niagara Falls. Luckily there was no mist (as it would have been ice cubes), for we were about to go on that boat right up close to the south face of the glacier. The north face, which I’ll get to later in this piece, is just off the right side of the above photo. Staying on this side for now, this is what the south face looks like up close.

Perito Moreno south face

To give you some perspective, those mountains in the background are between 2100 and 3000 meters high (6900 to 9800 feet). The face of the glacier runs about 50-55 meters above the waterline (165-180 feet), but remember that most of an iceberg is below water? Well, the total depth of the ice is actually more like 150 meters (nearly 500 feet). To get a really intimate look we decided to nudge up closer:

Perito Moreno glacier

Imagine that much ice hovering over your head. Here’s another close up shot:

Perito Moreno glacier

You can see how uneven and ragged the surface is of the glacier. Even more amazing, you can hear it. There is constant groaning and popping and cracking from all over the glacier. Every so often a chunk falls off into the water. And by chunk I mean anything ranging from small (the size of your chair) to medium (your car) to large (your house).

Okay, enough of the south face. Let’s get back onshore and drive around the point to the front and north faces of the Perito Moreno glacier. Look back at the first photo in this post; we’re going off to the right, around that little point of land in the middle. This is the first view you’ll have when you arrive:

Perito Moreno glacier

See that little gray rock outcropping in the middle back of the ice field (not the mountain in the background, the little jagged rocks with ice surrounding it). That point is 14 kilometers (almost 9 miles) from the front face of the glacier (which is in the foreground, partially hidden by trees). Here’s an overhead shot (complements of Wiki Commons) to give you an idea of how massive it is as the glacier fans out toward the shore.

Perito Moreno glacier - from Wiki Commons

The front face in my photo is the tiny edge that touches the land on the right side of the Wiki photo. The lower face is the south face that I showed you above from the boat. But let’s go around to the north face (top right in the Wiki photo).

Perito Moreno glacier - front and north faces

In the photo above you can see where the front face (left) meets the north face (right). By this time (mid-February) the front of the glacier had separated from the land (see the exciting video below). The icebergs in the water are from pieces of the glacier that have calved (broken off), a process that occurs sporadically but constantly as the glacier creeps towards us from the distant mountains. And just to remind you of the size, that shoreline in the right background? It’s about 2.5 kilometers away (1.5 miles).

Okay, one more photo – a close up of the north face:

Perito Moreno glacier

Since the name of this site is Science Traveler it’s virtually imperative that I mention the state of the glaciers in Argentina. The Perito Moreno glacier is one of 48 glaciers in the South Patagonia ice field (with many more in other ice field further north). Of those 48 glaciers, Perito Moreno is one of only three that is actually growing. Scientists aren’t entirely sure why this one is growing while 94% of the glaciers are shrinking, but any ice growth in an otherwise warming planet is good news [or not, since it’s likely the growth is due to changing weather patterns as a result of man-made climate change].

Another cool science bit for this glacier is the periodic rupturing it undergoes. Because of the unique flow pattern and geography of the region, the Perito Moreno glacier tends to push up against the shores of the Peninsula Magallanes (right in the Wiki photo). Usually the glacier melts back a bit during the summer (which was when I was there). But roughly every 4 to 5 years it creates an imbalance that results in a spectacular display. As the glacier blocks off the flow between the two arms of the lake, it raises the water level of the Brazo Rico as much as 30 meters (100 feet). The pressure caused by the weight of the water starts to strain the section of the glacier that has dammed it in. Eventually the ice is worn away enough to create an ice bridge. Slowly the combined stresses of forward moving glacier, downward water pressure, and seasonal melting cause big chunks (the house size) to fall out of the bridge. Until the whole thing collapses in a huge splash.

The last rupture in January of 2013, but the most magnificent rupture occurred in 2004 where, over the course of nine months, the ice dam formed, eroded, and eventually shattered. The video below documents the process.

I’ve provided only a handful of the many fantastic photos I took at the Perito Moreno glacier. I hope you got at least a small sense of the wonder of the location. It’s an experience I won’t soon forget. For more photos and stories of our trip to Argentina click here and scroll down.

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Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America is available at booksellers nationwide.

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David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America and Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America.

His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Is Nikola Tesla’s Vision of Wireless Electricity Finally Happening?

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Nikola TeslaMore than a hundred years ago, Nikola Tesla invented wireless communication and power generation. He was a man far ahead of his time. Now it looks like the modern world maybe be catching up to his vision. Wireless electricity may be here.

A Boston-based company by the name of WiTricity has come up with a way of transmitting electricity without wires. As the company’s Chief Technology Officer reports to CNN, “we’re not actually putting electricity in the air. What we’re doing is putting a magnetic field in the air.” They do this by building a “source resonator,” which essentially is a coil of wire that generates a magnetic field when power is attached. Bringing a second coil in close proximity will generate an electrical charge.

Sound familiar? According to Arron Hirst:

The technology appears to based upon the original findings of Nikola Tesla. In a patent filed at the U.S Patent and Trademark Office on February 19, 1900, entitled “Apparatus for Transmission of Electrical Energy,” Tesla describes a similar system for delivering electricity from one static point, to another.

Tesla-PSJul1956

Tesla, after advancing wireless communication technology in Colorado Springs, began work on Long Island at Wardenclyffe. His ultimate goal was not only to provide international wireless communication (radio) but develop his system of wireless electrical power transmission. The technology itself seems simple by today’s standards, but it was groundbreaking when Tesla first envisioned the idea. WiTricity has already used the technology “to power laptops, cell-phones, and TVs by attaching resonator coils to batteries.” They are also working on a way to recharge electric cars. On their website they note the potential of wireless power:

Cell phones, game controllers, laptop computers, mobile robots, even electric vehicles capable of re-charging themselves without ever being plugged in. Flat screen TV’s and digital picture frames that hang on the wall—without requiring a wire and plug for power. Industrial systems and medical devices made more reliable by eliminating trouble prone wiring and replaceable batteries.

So perhaps after all these years Nikola Tesla’s technology will finally be coming to fruition. Hopefully WiTricity’s advances will recognize Tesla’s amazing contributions to the field. For more on how wireless power works (including your electric toothbrush), check out this very readable article. And for a fun read, check out author Thomas Waite’s use of Tesla’s wireless idea in his novel, Terminal Velocity.

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David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Book Review – Abraham Lincoln The Orator: Penetrating the Lincoln Legend by Lois J. Einhorn

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Abraham LincolnThis 1992 book is somewhat uneven and could have used some better editing, but it does provide some excellent insights into Abraham Lincoln’s rhetorical style. The author, Lois J. Einhorn, was an Associate Professor of Rhetoric at the State University of New York.

Part of a series on Great American Orators, the book provides a rhetorical analysis of Abraham Lincoln’s speaking. It is useful to note that while several of his speeches are considered great literary works by present day scholars, Lincoln’s actual presentation was generally considered to be unassuming. He spoke slowly and deliberately. His voice was high-pitched, but clear and powerful enough that even listeners who were far away could hear him. He was not particularly animated, remaining largely motionless throughout his speeches. And it usually took a few minutes into his speech before he got into a rhythm.

This last point is one of the reasons that, Einhorn says, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was not particularly successful as a speech to the listeners at the event. After listening for two hours to the Edward Everett’s animated speech, most of the crowd was still getting resettled during the less than three minutes of Lincoln’s offering. It simply was over before they were ready to listen, and before Lincoln warmed up. Only over time would the literary genius of the Address come to be appreciated. The chapter dealing with the rhetorical qualities of this speech is one of the best in the book.

Other chapters look at Lincoln’s use of humor, his evolving rhetorical stances on emancipation, and the contrasting responses to his first inaugural address – the North heard conciliation, the South aggression and ridicule. As noted, the writing is a bit uneven but the overall result is some very interesting and thoughtful analysis of Lincoln’s style from the perspective of oratory rather than literary.

The analysis takes up the first half of the book only. The second half provides the full texts of nine of Lincoln’s speeches, ranging from the Lyceum Address to his Second Inaugural Address. This is definitely of interest to those who like to read between the lines of what they hear and read.

David J. Kent is an avid Lincolnophile and the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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Mount Fitz Roy and the Glaciers, El Chalten, Argentina

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The sign on the gravel road said “El Chaltén – 372 km.” Twenty minutes later, another sign many kilometers further along the same gravel road, again said “El Chaltén – 372 km.” This was already a long drive on a barely there road, even without the questionable signage. But it was worth it.

Three days into our Patagonian adventure we were headed for El Chaltén, the official Argentinian Trekking Capital. If you’re in El Chaltén it’s because you are there to hike into the mountains or you are there to support those who hike into the mountains. Nestled in the shadow of Cerro Fitz Roy within the confines of Los Glaciares National Park, this small village is all about trekking. And amazing scenery.

Arriving late after the long drive we checked into our cabaña, a wonderful log cabin complete with enough beds and hot showers for the five of us, a serviceable kitchen, and the most amazing wake-up view I’ve had in a long time.

View of Fitz Roy from the cabana

A quick breakfast of toast and dulce de leche (caramelized milk, a staple delicacy in Argentina) and we were on our way to Fitz Roy, which along with Cerro Torre dominates the skyline. Following yet another gravel road meandering along the banks of the Rio de las Vueltas, we stopped several times for the gorgeous views in the crisp mountain air. We were blessed with a beautifully sunny day, a day that would be both memorable and long.

Rio de las Vueltas

After an 18 km drive we parked near Hosteria El Pilar, a starting location that turned out to be fortuitous for our trip back. Hiking along the Rio Blanco we could see the three-peaked Fitz Roy beckoning us closer.

Cerro Fitz Roy

And closer we came. First we got near enough to see the Piedras Blancas glacier close up. This particular glacier flows from the cirque formed by Fitz Roy and continues to a lower level than glaciers we would see later. In the photo you can see Fitz Roy peeking over the hillock to the left, northeast of where Piedras Blancas reaches its small lake.

Piedra Blancas glacier

Like many glaciers worldwide, the Piedras Blancas glacier is retreating from its historical lengths. One feature that can be seen in the video below – a gorgeous glacial waterfall.

But our main goal was still ahead of us. Our trail totaled about 6 kilometers (each way). Most of the trail was easy hiking, but the last 1.4 kilometers were about as close to vertical as my legs could handle. At least a third of our four-hour trek to Fitz Roy was on this last section going up. What we found when we arrived was simply marvelous.

Me at Lago de los Tres

Sitting at the base of Fitz Roy’s main outcropping, which reaches an elevation of over 3400 meters (11,200 feet), is Lagos de los Tres. We were there in late summer (mid-February), so the glacier had retreated back from the edge of this greenish lake.  Following along the lake to the left is another glacier, a waterfall, and another lake. The vista was so engaging that it was 5 pm before we started to think about the four hour hike back to where we parked. That hike ended up taking much longer due to a serious fall resulting in a story I later wrote called “The Break.”

Notwithstanding the added excitement, we had an amazing trek up to Cerro Fitz Roy and the various glaciers. An experience I won’t soon forget. Now, on to the next adventure.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, scheduled for release in summer 2017. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Book Review – The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln by Larry Tagg

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The Unpopular Mr. LincolnThis book, The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln: The Story of America’s Most Reviled President, is a rather extraordinary look at Abraham Lincoln. And a remarkably pleasant surprise given the uncustomary view of Lincoln, as well as the providence of the author. Larry Tagg is not whom you might expect to be writing a biography of Abraham Lincoln.  Some will recognize the name from the music world and Tagg’s band Bourgeois Tagg, or from his many years touring with Todd Rundgren, Hall & Oates, and opening for Robert Palmer, Belinda Carlisle and others. Now a high school English and drama teacher in California, Tagg surprises the reader with his deep understanding of Lincoln and his times. And he tackles an often overlooked and difficult facet of how Lincoln was viewed by contemporaries.

Tagg says that he “found the spectacular animosity against Lincoln irresistible as a subject,” and he shows no inhibition in showing it to us. He is brutally critical and yet fair and respectful, even equitable, in his treatment of Lincoln’s friends and foes. In short, and perhaps contrary to the mythology that has grown up around Lincoln in the century and a half since his assassination, Lincoln was not always looked on kindly by his peers. In fact, many of his peers did not view Lincoln as a peer, but rather a backwoods buffoon incapable of leading the country in its most precarious moment.

As Lincoln emerged onto the national scene, his rivals couldn’t believe that this “ugly, gangly, baboon” could possibly be considered presidential material. That was to be left to the more accomplished (both real and in their own minds) statesmen such as Seward and Chase. While the Republican party had coalesced around the disgruntled members of the former Whigs, the “war Democrats,” the abolitionists, the Radical Republicans, that cobbling together of discordant interests virtually ensured that Lincoln would be attacked from all sides. And attack they did, oft-times viciously. To the Radicals he was an appeaser that acted too slow, to the peace Democrats he was a war-monger, to the southern Democrats and the newly seceded confederacy he was a tyrant. And to the newspapers, which were openly partisan in those days, he was all of the above. Even his own cabinet members plotted against him.

And Tagg lays out all of this for us, warts and all. He documents the letters of General McClellan, who was brashly self-confident, and while he seemed to be good at preparing for battle, never seemed to get around to actually battling (and when he did he failed miserably). McClellan considered Lincoln to be a rather incompetent and classless dolt and made no bones about saying so (at least in letters to his wife). Secretary of the Treasury Chase plotted to push Lincoln aside. Influential newspaperman Horace Greeley tried to get him to drop out of the 1864 election. And those were the ones on Lincoln’s side. The confederacy and the Democrats were even more brutal.

The book is broken down into 32 chapters grouped into four themes: Lincoln’s entrance into the national political scene, his first 18 months in office, the changes in attitude leading up to and following the Emancipation Proclamation, and then the reelection in 1864. Wound into these themes are the key events of the war, which correlate to some extent with the ebb and flow of Lincoln’s popularity (or more accurately, military victories gave some respite from the seemingly constant barrage on his presidential ability). Finally, Tagg leaves us with an Epilogue whose title perhaps explains how we have reached the view of Lincoln that most people have today – The Sudden Saint.

I highly recommend this book as a respectful and scholarly treatment of contemporary adversity heaped upon Abraham Lincoln. Unlike other books that I have reviewed in which Lincoln’s negatives are viewed in the light of current ideologies and biases, Tagg presents a glimpse into the realities of the times while acknowledging the foibles and humanity of all involved.

David J. Kent is an avid Lincolnophile and the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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Science Traveling in Argentina – The Route

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I’ve recently returned from a science traveling expedition to Argentina. The trip was an incredible experience and I’ll be writing about it more here and elsewhere over the weeks. You can already read about drinking mate and other highlights beginning here (scroll for more).

The trip was a long time coming. I first met my friend Pablo in Connecticut in 1980, where we joined a dozen other students for a semester at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research. We’ve been friends ever since despite the distance, and he’s been inviting me to visit him in his native Argentina for many (many) years. This year I finally did it.

After two flights and more than 14 hours in the air, Ru and I arrived in Buenos Aires, the first time south of the equator for either of us. We would go a lot further south before we were finished, but first there was two rainy days in the capital. Buenos Aires is more European than South American, and seemed to want to copy other cities more than innovate. Then the real trip began. We flew to Bariloche. [Hover over each stop in the map below, and click on the arrow button to follow the travel route.]

Bariloche, to be exact, is San Carlos de Bariloche, in Rio Negro Province, the northernmost part of Patagonia. Pablo has been a Professor at the National University there for the last 25 years, where he is Director of the fisheries resources group. We arrived in the late morning of an extremely windy day in late-summer, a refreshing change from the long, cold, snowy winter of February back home. One night to relax, then off to begin a road trip that would end up being over 3500 kilometers.

I’ll talk more about them in future posts, but Bariloche and environs boasts two amazing geological features – mountains and lakes. The views were extraordinary. And yet, they were only a preamble to what we were about to experience.

Bariloche - Nahuel Huapi Lake

Bariloche – Nahuel Huapi Lake

With short stops in the scenic towns of El Bolson (“the best ice cream in the world”) and Esquel, we drove some of the most inhospitable “roads” in Argentina. Called a highway, much of Ruta 40 is actually a long gravel road. Long as in we drove a couple of hundred kilometers on piles of rocks in which tracks were our only guide. Pablo’s previous explanation that he, like most Patagonians, had installed metal plates on the underside of his SUV, suddenly became all too rational. Besides the constant clanging of rocks, the road would often detour into oblivion. It reminded me how whiny we Americans can be over a few potholes. Perspective is everything.

In any case, we finally arrived at Los Antiguos after midnight, then couldn’t find our lodgings. Eventually the owner came to get us and we settled in for a short, but comfortable, rest before our next day’s adventure. After much awe at the surrounding mountains and lakes we headed over to the amazing colors of the rocky desert, where we stayed the night at the Estancia Cueva de las Manos (The Cave of the Hands Ranch).

Near Cueva de las Manos

Near Cueva de las Manos

We visited the actual caves the next morning. After a long 17-km drive on gravel roads, gawking at choiques (ostrich-like birds) and guanacos (llama-like camelids) along the way, we hiked down, then up, a deep valley to reach the amazing caves full of painted hands.

Cueva de las Manos

Cueva de las Manos

Another long drive split between paved and gravel roads brought us to El Chalten, the “Trekking National Capital” of Argentina. Dominating the skyline is Mount Fitz Roy, named after the captain of Darwin’s HMS Beagle. The five of us hiked over 5 kilometers, the last 1.4 km of which were essentially vertical, to reach the picturesque lake below the peak. Four of us hiked all the way back. Pablo hiked back all but the last couple of kilometers, after which he was carried out on a stretcher. But that’s a story for another post.

El Chalten

Mt. Fitz Roy is top right.

The next day we drove from El Chalten to El Calafate (well, Pablo’s daughter drove, I rode in the ambulance with Pablo), then spent a much needed relaxed night in a dormis, complete with an Argentine-style lamb cooked over an open fire. Then, the glacier.

Perito Moreno glacier

Perito Moreno glacier

The Perito Moreno glacier may be the most famous glacier in the world. It’s massive. And better yet, it is situated such that it splits two lakes and pushes up against an accessible island where visitors can get up close. As the glacier retreats slightly during the summer melt, it provides a front-row seat for thousands of people to see huge chunks of ice calving off the face. A truly unforgettable experience.

All of this so far occurred in just one week of traveling. The final week was less busy – a long two-plus day drive across lower Patagonia, up the coast, and back to Bariloche for several days of local flavor. Twice I came close to going into Chile (within a few kilometers at one point), but that pleasure will have to wait until my next visit.

And there will be a next visit. Pablo and I have begun discussing possibilities that would result in more frequent visits on my part. Besides seeing Chile I also still need to get to Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, the Mendoza wine region (I love malbec), and Ushuaia (the southernmost city in the world).

Come back for more detailed stories and photos from the trip. You won’t want to miss them.

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page.  And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.