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Visiting Tesla’s Homeland – Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia

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Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla was born 160 years ago at midnight of July 9th/10th. His father was a Serbian cleric; his mother the daughter and sister of Serbian clerics. In a portent of his future, Tesla came to this Earth during a lightning storm – “a child of the light” – in the little town of Smiljan, then part of the Austrian empire in what is now Croatia. This year’s birthday celebration will be held in Serbia, along with Montenegro and Croatia.

After a day in Amsterdam, Serbian Airlines will swoop us into Nikola Tesla Airport in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade. First stop is the Tesla Museum, which will be launching a virtual reality exhibition the day of my arrival. I’m looking forward to a personal tour by the new Director, Dr. Branimir Jovanovic. An updated permanent exhibit will open the next day. Also part of the Tesla celebration are an art exhibit, a conference, and an evening gala, at which an award is waiting for me in recognition of the fantastic distribution of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. I plan to donate a copy to Dr. Jovanovi at the Museum on my arrival.

Of course, I’ll also be visiting with HRH Prince Alexander and HRH Princess Katherine of Serbia during an evening reception at the Royal Palace. When not dining with royalty I’ll be doing a walking tour of Belgrade and a day tour into the interior of Serbia, complete with castles, monasteries, and wineries.

Then it’s time to hop on Montenegro Airlines to Sveti Stefan for some of the best beaches on the Adriatic Sea on the coast of Montenegro. Over a few days we’ll see the historical capital of Cetinje, the National Park of Loveen, and the Fortress of Kotor.

From there it’s up the coast to Dubrovnik in Croatia where the plan is to spend a day on a yacht enjoying the coastline. Another day will be on foot, exploring the famed walls surrounding the city. From here we fly Croatia Airlines (have to get all three airlines into the itinerary) to Frankfurt, where we’ll explore the old city for a day before heading back home (on a fourth airline).

Watch this space for plenty of great photos of Nikola Tesla’s heritage homelands.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget you can enter to win free copies of both Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World on Goodreads.

Nikola Tesla

Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 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 July 2016.

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Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach – Through the Glidepath

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Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle BeachRipley’s has become synonymous with oddities-based attractions, and you’ll find a bunch of them in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (including Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Haunted Adventure, Moving Theater, and Marvelous Mirror Maze). But Ripley’s has also gotten into the aquarium business. Enter the glidepath at Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach.

The glidepath is Ripley’s name for their 340-foot long acrylic underwater tunnel, where you walk safely among the swimming sharks, sea turtles, sting rays, and sawfish. This aquarium is one of the rare ones with sawfish.

Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Sawfish would seem to fit in well with the Ripley’s oddities theme. They look a lot like sharks that have partially swallowed a chain saw, but they are technically a family of rays (like the sting rays that are numerous around them). To confuse things further, sawfish are commonly called carpenter sharks, though that name seems to suit them well. Unfortunately, sawfish are rather rare; they are considered Endangered or Critically Endangered species. Mostly they use the “saw” (technically, a rostrum) to poke around in the bottom sand for food, but they can also slash their way through schooling fish and pick up the pieces.

Sawfish, Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

The aquarium is relatively small but does have a nice selection of the typical tropical fish common to aquariums – tangs of various colors; angelfish; triggerfish, clown fish; cichlids; damsel fish; a really cool 3-foot Arawana; barracudas; groupers; sandbar, blacktip, leopard, bonnethead, and nurse sharks; and a variety of rays. In the Amazon section they have iguanas, poison dart frogs, and piranha. Of course there are also the octopuses, horseshoe crabs, and jellyfish that are ubiquitous to aquariums. They also had a very large catfish.

Catfish, Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

The aquarium sits at one end of a salt water pond surrounded by a variety of restaurants and other attractions. Unlike the large catfish in the aquarium, apparently the pond’s resident catfish have turned into beggars, eagerly gulping for anything edible tossed in by the touristing hordes.

More catfish, outside Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Overall the aquarium and area are a nice day’s visit. Easy to reach just south of the North/South Carolina border, and with plentiful parking, the aquarium is worth a visit if you’re in the area. My visit was part of a longer road trip that took us down through the center of Virginia and North Carolina, then back up through North Carolina’s Outer Banks and Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Along the way was the North Carolina Aquarium, a quaint little place on historic Roanoke Island. More on that in a future post.

See my Aquariums visited list!

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 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 July 2016.

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Special Event – Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 Election

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Abraham LincolnAs the current day political conventions get ready to officially name Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as the Democratic and Republican nominees, it brings us back to when a relatively unknown Abraham Lincoln unexpectedly gained the nomination – and won the election – of 1860.

Going into the Republican convention of 1860 the most likely nominee was New York Senator William H. Seward, with Ohio Governor Salmon P. Chase a close second and likely strong showings by Senator Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania and former Congressman Edward Bates of Missouri. Oh, and then there was Abraham Lincoln, who hadn’t held political office since his one term as a U.S. Congressman ended a dozen years before.

The surprising results of the nomination convention and election will be the subject of a special event sponsored by the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia (LGDC).

On Saturday, August 13, 2016, the group will discuss Lincoln’s 1860 Election including his road to the Republican presidential nomination and his victory in the November election. Parallels to this year’s party nominations and the impending campaign will be explored by experienced LGDC Open Discussion leaders John O’Brien, chair of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church History Committee, and LGDC president John T. Elliff.

More information is available on the Lincoln Group website.

NY Avenue Church window

The event is being held at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC (“Lincoln’s Church), which features a beautiful stained glass window highlighting Abraham Lincoln. There is also a Lincoln Parlor containing artifacts and a John Quincy Adams room. Tours of these historic areas follow the program.

I am happy to say that I was recently elected Vice President of Programs for LGDC. We already have an excellent line-up of speakers for our fall program 2016 and are working on filling slots for 2017. Anyone with ideas for speakers can contact me any time.

Please put Saturday, August 13th on your calendar and join us for this entertaining and informative event. Check out the LGDC website for more about our group.

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 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 July 2016.

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Catching Up with Life on the Blogs

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I’ll shortly be heading out on another science traveling expedition. More on that in a bit. Be sure to check out recent travel-related posts here on Science Traveler (see below). In addition, here’s my monthly roundup of the other blogs.

Connected father and son fishingHot White Snow is where you’ll find my more “creative” writing, includiing responses to writing prompts, some memoir-ish works, and articles “On Writing.” Lately I’ve been writing responses to the Daily Post, a daily writing prompt feature on WordPress. Featured recently (click on the title to read the post):

  • It’s Just a Phase: “He’ll grow out of it,” she insisted, as blood oozed from her husband’s stab wound. And if that isn’t Monty Pythonesque enough…
  • The Circus of Life: A bit of social commentary blending The Lion King with The Lyin’ King.
  • Connected: A heartfelt reminiscence of connecting with my father while fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee many years ago.
  • A Struggle to Write: A painful day of non-writing.

Arctic_Antarctic sea iceThe Dake Page focuses on communicating science to the general populace, often with an emphasis on climate change. That said, this month’s features begin with chemicals law. Recent articles:

Beijing Aquarium jellyfishOf course, here on Science Traveler we focus on traveling to exotic lands and stories about Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, and other books I’m working on. Here are some of the recent travel posts:

Edison: The Inventor of the Modern WorldBut wait, there’s more. I also received my first advance copy of Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World, which will be in stores next month. And Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has hit yet another success milestone (more on that soon)!

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 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 July 2016.

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Remembering the Alamo

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Recently I was in San Antonio and visited the world-famous Alamo. I was surprised that the real-life Alamo and the battle was a little different than the Disney version I remembered as a kid. There was also some science.

My view of what the Alamo looks like was correct – it looks like this:

Alamo

But apparently it didn’t look like that during the famous 1836 battle in which between 182-257 Texians were killed in a siege and attack by General (and Mexican President) Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. The iconic bell-shaped top was only added much later. I was also surprised to learn that the Alamo complex was actually a much larger compound inside sturdy walls and a series of outer buildings. It was only after the Mexican army overwhelmed those walls that the few remaining Texians, including Davy Crockett, James Bowie (of Bowie knife fame), and William Travis, finally retreated to the mission chapel that stands as the symbol of the Alamo today.

In the grounds behind the chapel I came across a surgeon with his tools of the trade.

Alamo doctorThe good doctor regaled us with stories of the medical practices of the day. You can see the hacksaw on the table used for amputations. There are also leeches for bloodletting, stiff brandy for medicinal painkilling, and a variety of other instruments that range from precursors of today’s instruments to objects that seemed more appropriate for the Marquis de Sade.

Great-Tailed Grackle

Interrupting the demonstration was a beautiful Great-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) with its iridescent feathers, rudder-like tails, and haunting yellow eyes. These birds are much bigger than the Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) I normally see, or even the much closer Boat-Tailed Grackles (Quiscalus major) that are less common and hang out near marshes. While the male Great-Tails were getting all the attention, the less iridescent and smaller females were busy grabbing plant material to repair the nests and grubs to feed the young.

Doctor at Alamo

By now the doctor was finishing up his presentation. Little did I know he wouldn’t be the last doctor I would see that day. But that’s a story for another time.

That’s all folks! At least for now.

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 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 July 2016.

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Beijing Aquarium – Home of the Rare Chinese Sturgeon

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After visiting Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Mao’s Mausoleum in Beijing, head on over to the Beijing Aquarium. Located within the Beijing Zoo, the aquarium is the largest inland aquarium in the world. One of its specialties is the Rare Chinese Sturgeon Hall.

Beijing Aquarium

The building itself is shaped like a huge conch shell. It relies on over 18,000 tons of artificial seawater to highlight seven main sections: Rainforests, Coral Reefs, Sharks, Whales, a Touch Pool, a Marine Theater, and the aforementioned Sturgeon Hall. Over 1000 marine and freshwater species are bred on site.

Beijing Aquarium sturgeon

Of the 41 aquariums around the world I’ve visited, this one is unique in that it has a large area devoted to sturgeon. These ancient fish in the family Acipenseridae are an oddity of nature. Their skeletons are almost entirely cartilaginous, like sharks, despite being classified as bony fishes since their ancestors actually had bony skeletons. Sturgeons also are at least partially covered with bony plates called scutes instead of scales. Like catfish, they have four barbels, sensory organs near their wide, toothless mouths, that they drag along the bottom substrate as an aid in navigation and food gathering. They are an odd fish indeed.

Most aquariums toss one or a few sturgeon into the big tanks with sharks and other common fish. In Beijing there are dozens of representatives of the 27 known species of the world. The highlight is the Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis), a critically endangered species considered, like the giant panda, a national treasure in China. Sadly, like many species of sturgeon, the Chinese sturgeon is nearly extinct in the wild due to overfishing and habitat loss.

The aquarium doesn’t stop there. There are also large tanks with beautiful white beluga whales…

Beijing Aquarium beluga

…many species of moray eels…

Beijing Aquarium moray eels

…and quite a few sea turtles.

Beijing Aquarium sea turtles

Given my previous work with jellyfish I’m always drawn to that section of aquariums and the Beijing Aquarium has one of the best displays I’ve seen. Quite a few tanks exhibit different species, with a variety of light effects to highlight their beauty.

Beijing Aquarium jellyfish

Overall I was greatly surprised – and impressed – by the size and quality of the aquarium. During my visit it seemed clear that the zoo and aquarium cater more to local Chinese rather than tourists, most of whom never get beyond the major tourist attractions mentioned in the first sentence above. This focus is emphasized by the signage, most of which is only in Chinese.

Beijing Aquarium sturgeon

So if you’re in Beijing, take a side trip to the Beijing Aquarium. It’s about 3 miles or so northwest of Tian’anmen Square in the Beijing Zoo, reachable by taxi, bus, or even easier, via subway line 4. You won’t be disappointed. More information here.

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 July 2016.

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Hot White Snow and The Dake Page – Catching Up

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Life has been busy, so in case you missed it, let’s do some catching up on Hot White Snow and The Dake Page.

fake smileHot White Snow is where you’ll find my more “creative” writing, includiing responses to writing prompts, some memoir-ish works, and articles “On Writing.” Featured recently:

Two headsThe Dake Page focuses on communicating science to the general populace, with a sometimes emphasis on climate change. Recent articles:

I’ll save the update on Science Traveler posts for another day.

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 July 2016.

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Abraham Lincoln Close Up

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Like all Presidents, Abraham Lincoln seemed to age decades during his four years in office. On my recent trip to Springfield, Illinois I got to see this close up. As you might expect, there are several statues of Lincoln around town, all of which have been photographed millions of times by the steady stream of tourists into this relatively small city.

I did the same, of course. But I also have a penchant for close ups. It was here that the aging process was brought home to me. Let’s start at the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices, standing on the corner across the street from the Old State Capitol. Here we find a relatively younger Lincoln the lawyer and statesman with his family, his wife Mary straightening his tie as he prepares to give his 1854 anti-slavery speech. This is a close up:

Young Lincoln

A couple of blocks north you’ll find Union Square Park and, yes, more Lincoln statues. I liked the one of him standing strong against an unseen wind as he gives his first inaugural address. In this close up the flag atop the tower of Union Station highlights a now bearded Lincoln.

Older Lincoln

Now imagine how much older he looked after four years of war.

The statue sits across the street from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. I spent two days inside the library doing research with the Papers of Abraham Lincoln project, skipping across the street only to see a special exhibit “Unfinished Work” temporarily showing in the museum. I’ll be coming back out to Springfield in September for a full-scale tour of Lincoln-related sites including New Salem, the Lincoln house, and tomb. Even though I’ve just returned, I can’t wait to go back.

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 July 2016.

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In Honor of Earth Day – Earth: The Operators’ Manual by Richard B. Alley

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Earth Operators ManualFor Earth Day – Earth: The Operators’ Manual by Richard B. Alley (A Book Review)

Richard Alley is a climate scientist. While many may not have heard of him before, some will have seen him give a demonstration of the Earth’s tilt (and its relationship to climate change) in a House hearing in 2014. Using his head, with his bald spot representing the North Pole, Alley schooled Republican Rep. Rohrabacher on historical climate science. Alley uses the same humor and adroitness of analogy in Earth: The Operators’ Manual to give us an engaging look at our planet, the changes that are occurring, and options for moving forward.

The book is a companion to a PBS documentary. The book is divided in to three parts totaling 24 chapters. The first part gives us a glimpse at how we have used energy over the millennia, how we have impacted the planet, and how we have moved from “peak trees” to “peak whale oil” to eventually (or even already), “peak fossil fuels.” The second part gives us a dozen chapters that make it clear that human activity is changing our climate. The third part focuses on options for non-fossil fuel energy sources.

Throughout, Alley’s whimsical side shows through, as does the ease at which he can communicate the science with apt analogies that all of us can understand. Who knew that climate was a bit like watching a kindergarten soccer game? With climate, many factors appear to be kicking around randomly but then, eventually, there seems to be an order to the chaos. As Alley takes us through the science it becomes undeniably clear that we are warming our planet.

While the first two sections may be the most entertaining, the final section is probably the most important part of the book. Alley examines “the road to ten billion smiling people,” that is, the options we have to providing energy for our ever-growing global population. Starting with toilets (I kid you not), he discusses the smart grid, solar and wind solutions, and pretty much everything else from hydroelectric to nuclear to geo-engineering. Some seem more promising than others, and Alley largely believes that some combination of renewable energy sources are the likely future.

Overall, I found the book interesting and definitely informative. It’s a worthy read for anyone interested in the topic.

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 July 2016.

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[Earth]

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Jefferson, Lincoln, CPRC, and the Science Among Us

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It’s been a busy five days of science traveling – Lincoln, Jefferson, CPRC, More Lincoln.

Thursday night started off with the Bull Run Civil War Round Table, with John Quarstein speaking about the Battle of Mobile Bay. Featuring two great Admirals – Franklin Buchanan for the South and David Farragut for the North – and a bunch of ironclad ships. Buchanan had captained the CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack) during its impromptu attack on the Union fleet during its shakedown cruise. Chased away by the USS Monitor, a pillbox type ironclad, the Virginia was later scuttled and Buchanan made his way to Mobile Bay where Farragut defeated him after making a bold (some would say fanatical) run through the Confederate torpedo field, which spawned the famous (slightly incomplete) order to “Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead!”

at Monticello

Saturday put me at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s plantation home in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jefferson was as close as they come to a science geek of the time, designing the house and many of the mechanical devices on the property. Twice a day for forty years he would record the temperature and wind direction, keeping meticulous notes about his activities related to archeology, paleontology, and other sciences. His famous anteroom clock is powered by cables hung with small cannonballs as counterweights. He had to “rewind” the clock every seven days and, noticing this allowed him to use the clock also as a calendar, had labels attached to the wall designating the days of the week. Unfortunately, it was a seven day clock and he had only five day walls, so a hole was cut in the floor for the weights and days Saturday and Sunday continue into the basement.

CPRC - Sharon Hartzell

After a morning on the University of Virginia campus (built by Jefferson as a school for science), Sunday afternoon began the annual meeting of the Chesapeake and Potomac Regional Chapter (CPRC) of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, an international organization that I’ve been a member of for a long time and recently won a big award. I have sponsored CPRC for the last four years and find their meetings incredibly informative. Sunday afternoon was a short course by climate policy expert Dr. Paul Wagner of Virginia Tech. Monday was a full day of platform presentations and posters documenting recent research by CPRC members.

Dr. Cornelius at LGDC

Tuesday was back in Washington, DC at the monthly meeting of the Lincoln Group of DC. This month we had Dr. James Cornelius, curator of the Lincoln Collection at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Cornelius fascinated us with newly found letters and other artifacts related to Lincoln, including some surprising forgeries along with genuine finds. He even mentioned a recent find in which Lincoln had written the name of the person he borrowed a book from so he could return it. This is important because the book was called “Types of Mankind,” which was used by many to promote a “scientific” basis for the differences between the races and a rationalization for racism and slavery. The methods used and arguments put forth are not particularly scientific, but it was a highly influential book at the time. Meanwhile, Darwin (who was born on the same day as Lincoln) published his “Origin of Species” in 1859, just as Lincoln was preparing his run for the presidency.

I’ll see Dr. Cornelius again within a week because I’m flying out to Springfield to spend a few days working with the Papers of Abraham Lincoln Project as research my new book.

So it’s been a busy week for Presidents and Science. And there will be much, much more so stay tuned.

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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