the bird on fire

The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

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How Do We Know We Exist?

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For this week, Blogger Sara wrote about and questioned our existence. She examines “How we know we are who we say we are.” She reminds us all to question everything and to always be skeptical. — Editor-in-Chief Roman Rickwood

By Sara Habibipour, Philosophy Editor

This may seem like a pretty obvious question. “Of course I exist,” you may think; “I breathe. I eat. I sleep. I laugh. I love.” Your senses are what help you perceive the world. After all, you’re using your sight to read this article right now. Your senses don’t deceive you…except for when they do. You’re walking downtown, and you think you see a friend, but, in fact, you don’t know the person. Or, you shoot a basketball, thinking that you have the perfect angle to make that 3-pointer, and you shoot the ball so far from the net that it’s embarrassing. 

In this moment, you know you’re reading. You know the electronic device you’re holding is real. You know the place where you’re reading is real. When you’re awake and active, you know you’re existing. But, when you aren’t, say, when you’re dreaming, you don’t know whether or not you’re existing. How can you prove you’re not dreaming? 

Can you even prove that you exist? Where would you begin? If reality doesn’t exist, then you can’t possibly exist. And, can you prove reality? Maybe all of reality, time, color, numbers, and shapes are false. Renée Descartes would go as far to ask you if you can even disprove the idea that an evil genius has tricked you into believing reality is real. This makes me ask… “Could this ‘evil genius’ be God?” 

But, you can’t be nothing if you think you’re something. Hmmm… maybe. Thinking you’re something has to count, right? Ever heard, “I think therefore I am?” Descartes would say that simply believing you exist counts. 

So, let’s say we do exist. That begs the question, “Are we minds with bodies, or bodies with minds?”

There’s a thing called the “Rubber Hand Illusion.” There was an experiment done where a dummy hand was placed in front of participants, and their real hand was hidden behind a screen. Both are simultaneously stroked with a paintbrush. Yet, when asked what hand they felt the paintbrush stroking, the participants pointed in the direction of the dummy hand. What this experiment proved was that our minds have a lot more control over our bodies than we think. 

So what does it even mean to be a body with a mind and vice versa? A body with a mind would be a physical body that only experiences thoughts and emotions as a result of biochemical interactions in the brain. A mind without a body would have some non-physical presence, a soul maybe, that could live outside of your physical body, directing your actions. 

Well, that in itself brings up the question of whether the body and the mind are separate entities. Looking back to what Descartes said, even if all of our physical sensations were just a Matrix-like hallucinatory dream, our mind and thoughts would still be there. This, for Descartes, was enough to prove our existence; the conscious mind is something separate from the material body, and the mind is what forms our identity. Initially thinking about this, that would make sense. If I was simply a physical body with no thoughts, feelings, or emotion, would I even be Sara? I don’t think so. I have a personality which makes me distinctly me. But, then that makes me ask why that even is. How am I able to have a personality? 

Well, science can help with answering that. Decades of neuroscience research suggests that our bodies and our physical senses are deeply integrated within the activity in our brains. All of the biochemical processes and reactions that occur in our brains form our consciousness. 

With all that said, I think I’m with science on this one. The Rubber Hand Illusion experiment just shows us how easily our senses can deceive us. But, just because we can’t always rely on our senses, I don’t think that means our mind is a separate entity from our body. If our mind was in total control over our body, then couldn’t that just mean that we could imagine our existence away? Perhaps our bodies and minds aren’t separate. Perhaps they together form our existence. 

Third Editor-in-Chief: Roman Rickwood

The Life You Can Save, a Philosophical Thought Experiment

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The next post under our new sections format comes from the blog’s resident philosopher, Sara Habibipour. Philosophy is full of complex questions designed to make you think. Sara explores here a thought-provoking moral quandary.–First Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Shay

By Philosopher Editor Sara Habibipour

Imagine one day you’re walking across a park on your way to work. As you walk past a pond, you see something splashing in the water, even though it’s quite shallow. When you look closer, you find that the thing flailing in the water is a small child who isn’t tall enough to stand up in the pond. You look around for a parent, but there’s no one to be found; it’s just you and the child. 

Of course, your first thought is to go save the child. After all, the pond is shallow, and it would pose no risk for you to just walk in and help them. But, you’re in your fancy work clothes that cost hundreds of dollars. And, if you stop to help the drowning child you’ll be late for work (and wet all day). Maybe you should just forget about helping the kid… 

Of course not! Almost everyone would agree that it would be immoral for you to just walk past a drowning child and not help, especially if your only reason is to preserve your fancy clothes. 

So, let’s apply this same logic to a starving child in Africa. You know that children are dying everyday from malnutrition, disease, and other preventable causes. So, if you’re not helping to save some of these children, by withholding your money from organizations trying to make a difference, then are you really all that different from the person who walks past the child drowning in the pond? 

Peter Singer, the creator of this thought experiment, would say, No, you’re not different. 

With everything that you buy that you don’t really need, you are making the choice between donating the sum you spend and buying whatever item you personally don’t need. That Starbucks coffee you had this morning? Based on the premise of this thought experiment, that could be seen as a selfish deed. Well, why not spend and donate? Sure, you can. Unfortunately, none of us have infinite bank accounts, so it might be easier said than done. 

But, when will we know when we’ve done enough? When will we get to stop living in guilt? 

In Singer’s book, The Life You Can Save, he suggests exact percentages based on income he thinks people should donate in order to have a balance between personal spending and helping someone in need. And, according to him, this can help you live a good life. 

But, allow me to insert my own opinion on what it means to live a good life.

Of course, we should all do our best to help those in need, whether it’s a human in front of us or a human across the world. As a person who hopes to become a physician and travel to underdeveloped countries to give medical services, I would agree with Singer that it’s important, even our moral duty, to help those in need. 

But, living a good life shouldn’t be confined to donating a certain percentage of your income. To know if you’ve lived a good life, ask yourself, “Did I try to make the world a better place? How did I do that? Did I try and reduce somebody’s suffering?” You don’t have to do something crazy to say you’ve lived a good life. Maybe you rescued a dog or you gave food to a homeless person–that would be considered reducing somebody’s suffering. 

But, it also shouldn’t just be a “one and done” sort of deal. If you gave someone a dollar once, I would consider that a good moment, not necessarily a good life. But, if you try to implement these good moments (and whatever that may mean to you) regularly throughout your life, then you can say you’ve lived a good one.

Have your morning Starbucks. Treat yourself once in a while; you shouldn’t have to feel guilty about that. Just do something to regularly help others, and that’s when you’ll know that you’ve lived a good life. 

First Editor-in-Chief: Elizabeth Shay

Really Dumb Laws in California that Don’t Need to Exist

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For our last Editor’s Theme Pick, Evan assigned the staff, “Laws That Should be Decriminalized OR Legal Actions That Should Be Made Criminal.” After all, the world that we live in is defined by the laws that we follow. Sara found some crazy California laws that should not exist and are downright confusing.

By Sara Habibipour

Have you ever heard of really absurd laws that are just so random they make you say, “Why?” I know I do all the time. I’m sure there’s oodles more, but here’s some of the weirdest, dumbest laws in the state of California that I’ve come across.

  • In Carmel, California, it’s illegal to stand on the sidewalk and eat ice cream. 
  • Also, in Carmel, women are required to have a permit to wear heels more than two inches in height. This law was authored to defend the city from lawsuits over accidents happening on the irregular pavement, although local police don’t cite any violations.
  • In Los Angeles, it is illegal to wash your neighbor’s car without their permission. 
CSF, better not be washing your neighbor’s car (without permission, in LA).–Photo Credit: Mr. Griffin
  • In San Francisco and Long Beach, it is illegal to store anything other than automobiles in a garage. This law is very frequently broken!
  • Between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., it is illegal to walk a camel down Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.
  • In San Francisco, any person classified as “ugly” may not legally walk down any street.
  • A frog that dies during a frog-jumping contest cannot be eaten and must be “destroyed” as soon as possible. 
  • It is illegal for women to drive a vehicle in a robe.
  • In Walnut, it is illegal to put a rock in your driveway.
  • In Arcadia, peacocks have the right of way in an intersection. Not pedestrians . . . peacocks. 
  • In Eureka, it is illegal for men with mustaches to kiss a woman.
  • In Long Beach, it’s illegal to curse on a mini-golf course.
  • In Blythe, it is illegal to wear cowboy boots unless you own two or more cows. 
  • It is illegal for any Californian to ride their bicycle through a swimming pool. 
  • In Oakland, it is illegal to rob a bird’s nest from a cemetery.
  • If you’re going to rob a bank in California, don’t think about even using a water gun. It’s prohibited. 
  • In Chico, bowling on the sidewalk is illegal. 
  • In Dana Point, it’s illegal to poop with your bathroom window open. 
  • In Fresno, you legally can’t annoy a lizard in the park.
  • In Indian Wells, foretelling the future for donations is illegal.
  • In San Diego, it’s illegal to shoot jackrabbits from the back of a streetcar.

Luckily, if you break these laws it’s not necessarily an arrestable offense. But, why bother having such minor laws? What purpose do they serve in society? Do they really help maintain civil order? If you can answer that, let us know in the comments. 

Decriminalize/Criminalize Editor: Evan Spry

Monsters Based on Societal Fears

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Editor Erik asked the Blog Staff to take inspiration and build their own monsters. Blogger Sara chose to envision what fears our society might have in future, and what sorts of monsters would reflect those fears.

By Sara Habibipour

From vampires to zombies, the monsters that filmmakers have depicted in movies say a lot about universal fears in our society. For example, in the 1980s, there was a surge in vampire films that coincided with the AIDS pandemic. And, fears of nuclear war can be heavily seen throughout Godzilla. 

But, as life goes on, and as we progress as a society, new fears naturally arise. What monsters will we see within the next decade as a result of these new fears? 

Climate Change

Perhaps we will begin to see more monsters in movies related to climate change. I envision this monster not as a physical being, rather more of a dark cloud-like presence that has the ability to wreak havoc through emitting smog, raining acid rain, or simply not rain at all to create droughts. I envision this monster also having the ability to shapeshift into a fire-creature that melts ice caps and sparks wildfires, all things that climate change has led to.  

Disease

After experiencing the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m sure there will be a future monster related to it; we’ve all been affected by the pandemic, and we all perceive it negatively. And, whether we realize it or not, as a society, we have some trauma attached to the COVID situation (which, although unfortunate, movie makers will most likely capitalize on in the future). Although I initially envisioned this “monster of disease” to look more like a plague doctor, I think a monster wearing a mask similar to the ones we all currently wear will be more triggering to us if we were to see it in a movie a decade from now. 

Autonomous AI

A few years ago, Facebook had to shut down an AI system after robots created a language that humans couldn’t understand. Even before then, fears of AI’s capabilities soared. But, since that event, where we realized that robots could communicate without human oversight, those fears heightened. We have already seen AI takeovers happen in several movies, but with this becoming more of a reality, I hypothesize that we’ll see more drastic interpretations of AI in stories. In previous movies, AI is typically represented as your typical metal robot. Although, I think that will be a pretty accurate representation for future movies as well. Because these AI are becoming more of a reality, I think it would be scarier if they were depicted with more human-like features so that you couldn’t distinguish between the real humans and the robots. 


These are just a few future-related fears that could spark the creation of new monsters in the media. But, who knows what other societal fear-based monsters there could be? Something could happen tomorrow that could forever change our perception of scary creatures….

Build-Your-Own-Monster Editor: Erik Bearman

I Love Feta Cheese

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Sara Habibipour has a thing for feta. She is convinced that, if Guinness is on board, she can use feta cheese on more things than anyone else.–World Records Editor Jake Sonderman 

By Sara Habibipour

If you couldn’t tell by the title, I love feta cheese. Besides being so delectable, feta cheese has many health benefits: it’s a great source of calcium; it’s great for gut health; it’s low calorie and low fat; and it’s a great source of Vitamin B. Also, it has such a fun name (especially when you say it fast). 

Feta cheese is mostly used in Mediterranean cuisine, but I’d argue that feta cheese can be put on anything, and it can be eaten with any meal. In fact, I think I could beat the world record of “most use of feta cheese.” Guiness Book of World Records, if you ever decide to make that a thing, I’m your gal. 

I eat feta at least once a day with dinner. Sometimes, I eat it as a snack. I recommend buying the “Athenos” brand from the store; it’s not too tangy like some other feta cheese.

Here’s some of the things I eat feta cheese with: 

  • Tortilla and Pecans

If I’m kind of hungry, but it’s too late to eat something heavy, I put feta cheese and pecans in a little tortilla and eat that. It’s very light and tastes great!

  • Salad

Ranch dressing and feta cheese go very well together on top of lettuce. I highly recommend it!

  • Fruit

I have very fond memories of eating feta cheese with watermelon on warm, summer afternoons with my dad. I love the sweet and salty combination.

  • Pizza

I recently went to Bill’s Pizza in Palm Springs, and they had pizza with feta cheese as a topping! I was very excited, so, of course, I got a slice of that. It was very good. 10 out of 10. 

  • Omelets

I went to a hotel a couple summers ago, and, in the hotel restaurant, they were serving omelets with spinach, mushrooms, and feta cheese. I thoroughly enjoyed that meal! I don’t eat eggs that often, but I really should eat it with feta cheese more!

  • Pasta

There was a pretty recent TikTok trend where people were making “Feta Pasta.” According to the videos I’ve seen, you just put pasta in a pan with feta cheese and tomatoes then put it in the oven. I haven’t personally tried it, but trust me when I say it’s on my To-Do list! 

As you can see, there are so many ways to eat feta cheese. I encourage you to eat more of it! Maybe then, you and I can compete for the world record of the person to eat the most feta cheese. 

World Records Editor: Jake Sonderman

What if Women Ruled the World?

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Editor Hannah has decided she is sick of the world, for the moment. Her feelings of restlessness and curiosity sparked the theme of “Alternate Realities,”  which she defines as “Any reality that is not our own—currently.” Writer Sara offers a journey through a Women-Run World. Will you take the ride?

By Sara Habibipour

Since March is Women’s History Month and we’re talking about alternate realities, what would life be like if we women ruled the world? Some would say that money and power corrupt anyone (and I’m sure it would), but would anything change for the better? 

Studies show that women lead differently than men. They’re more likely to be collaborative, inclusive, and team-oriented (BBC). 

The benefits of these female characteristics have been evident in global economic growth. In 2013, women were responsible for $20 trillion in spending, which grew to $28 trillion in 2014 (BBC). Women are also expected to spend money differently. With more money, women are more likely to start businesses that hire other women, and thus, the entire community prospers.

Also, it is predicted that there would be less children in the world if women ran the world. We’ve seen this trend occur within recent years. A 2002 Harvard Business Review article cited 42% of women in corporate America are childless (hbr.org). As women become CEOs and world leaders, there’s really just not time to rear kids. Also, women don’t have to depend on marriage for financial security; they can go out and be breadwinners themselves. Getting married and having children no longer have to be a primary concern.

Wondering what other people thought about female leaders, I decided to interview some women and men that I know. 

So many countries around the world have benefitted from strong, successful models of women’s leadership. I think *when* women rule the world, there will be more of a reliance on honesty and sincerity and far less bluster. Women are action-oriented. We cross items off our to-do lists. When women rule the world, I think the greatest effects will be in the eyes of the young girls who get to grow up surrounded by images of leaders who look like them.

Ms. Coffey

 If women ruled the world I think we’d have another Cold War. We’re masters of the silent treatment.

Jesse Denyer

I think some of the equality issues would be solved. I think ultimately, though, nothing would change for the worse.

Elizabeth Shay

No one would get in trouble for showing their knees or shoulders when it’s 100 degrees out.

Anonymous Instagram Follower

We sure as hell wouldn’t have the problems patriarchies have faced that’s for sure.

Hambik Madanyan

Let’s just say we wouldn’t be living like modern cavemen.

Isabella Goetschel

No doubt better than what it is. But what would be really cool is if we could rule ourselves so no one ruled the world.

Leo Milmet

If women ruled the world, men would be in a whole lot of trouble.

Andrew Hall

Alternate Realities Editor: Hannah Hall

Sources: 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-21661744

https://hbr.org/2002/04/executive-women-and-the-myth-of-having-it-all

Congratulations, Andrew!

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 Our Palm Valley nominee Andrew Hall was selected as a South Region finalist for the CSF 2021 Seymour Memorial Award!

Ten nominees from the South Region were selected as finalists. As a finalist, Andrew participated in the South Region Seymour Memorial Award Zoom Interview. Here, he’s pictured with his medal. In addition, he was awarded $2,000.

The winners will be announced at the CSF Virtual Awards Presentation on April 17. Each region’s recipient will receive an additional award of $3,000. Good luck, Andrew!

By Sara Habibipour

A Tour of New York’s Architecture through the Lens of Sara’s Camera

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I asked bloggers to write about an experience they had where they were overcome with curiosity and amazement at a great architectural achievement–whether it was because they thought it was so amazing and beautiful or they were amazed as to how it was even built. Sara chose to write about her trip to New York and how awestruck she was at the large and beautiful high rises. Let’s begin our trek through memorable architectural achievements in New York City.–Ed. Roman Rickwood 

By Sara Habibipour

Back in eighth grade, we took a choir trip to New York City where we had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall and explore the Big Apple.

Being a yearbook-er (now Co-Editor in Chief with Baller Haller and E-Money), I always have my camera on me. I actually don’t remember taking these photos, but as I look through my camera three years later, I find that I had captured some unique New York architecture perfect for this week’s theme!


Westfield World Trade Center

When we first walked by this building, I was very confused. Was it a dinosaur statue? A Pokemon character? What was it? 

We walked inside, and then I realized, “Oh, it’s a mall!” 

From the outside, it looks quite small, but it’s HUGE on the inside. In fact, little eighth-grade Sara almost got lost in there. There are about 120 stores spread out across six floors! 

The gaps in between each “spike” allow for natural light to come in and illuminate the mall. It’s all white too, making the inside look very clean and spacious.

The Rockefeller Center 


The Rockefeller Center is made of 14 limestone buildings in midtown Manhattan, designed by a team of architects headed by Henry Hofmeister, H.W. Corbett, and Raymond Hood in the 1930s-40s (Britannica). 

I took this photo from the very top of the building (also known as the Top of the Rock)! You can even see the Statue of Liberty in the background! 

Next to the Rockefeller Building is the famous Ice Skating Rink! In this photo, you can kind of see the 18-foot tall, eight-ton golden statue of Prometheus, the Greek Titan god of fire, surrounded by the flags of all the countries of the world. 

Freedom Tower

Standing at 1,776 feet, Freedom Tower, also the rebuilt World Trade Center, is the tallest building in the United States (and in the Western Hemisphere as a whole), and the sixth tallest in the world (no wonder why I couldn’t get all of it pictured)! It was deliberately built to be 1,776 feet tall in honor of the year the Declaration of Independence was signed (Travel Awaits). 

Although you can’t see it from this image, its beams are covered in graffiti and signatures of celebrities, including Barack Obama! The building is one of the most eco-friendly in the world, as well. This is because it uses ultra-clear glass to maximize the use of natural light. 

The American Museum of Natural History

Right next to Central Park is the iconic American Museum of Natural History. 

The first building of the current museum’s complex was a Gothic-revival construction built in 1874 after a design by architects Calvert Vaux and J. Wrey Mould (InExhibit). 

The museum is constantly expanding, and currently has an area of over 2,000,000 square feet (InExhibit). 

And although it’s not technically architecture, can we take a moment to appreciate all the time and effort put in to recover and put together a full dinosaur skeleton? Pretty amazing!

The domes, pillars, and art on the walls are very Dark Academia (see this Bird on Fire post to learn more about Dark Academia). 

***

This is all I could find on my SD card, but I hope to return to New York one day and capture some more architecture (maybe more outside of Manhattan)! 

Architecture Editor: Roman Rickwood

Sources: 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rockefeller-Center

https://www.travelawaits.com/2478420/visiting-freedom-tower-new-york-city/

https://www.inexhibit.com/mymuseum/american-museum-natural-history-new-york/#:~:text=The%20American%20Museum%20of%20Natural,and%20most%20popular%20science%20museums.&text=The%20first%20building%20of%20the,Wrey%20Mould.

Mythological Creatures of Ancient Persia

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In further exploration of “Mythology,” blogger Sara Habibipour dives into the mythology of ancient Persia–centuries old, but too often not known well enough in Rancho Mirage, California.

By Sara Habibipour 

We’re all acquainted with Greek mythology. But, do you know Persian mythology?

The stories which form the basis of Persian mythology come from the early Persian religious belief Zoroastrianism, which actually is thought to be the basis of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The stories were passed down orally over the centuries until they were written down as part of the religious tradition of Zoroastrianism. 

The central theme of Zoroastrianism is a universal struggle between the forces of good and evil, so most of the mythological creatures fall within one of two categories. Although there are many, here are a few of the ancient Persian mythological creatures. 

Gavaevodata

Gavaevodata is the “Uniquely Created Bull,” who is thought to be one of the earliest creations of Ahura Mazda, the “good” deity of Zoroastrianism. Gavaevodata was so beautiful, it attracted the attention of Angra Mainyu, the “bad” deity, who killed it. The bull’s body was then transported to the moon and purified into seeds; these seeds became what all animals would feed on and fertilized the earth’s vegetation. Once animals were created, Ahura Mazda then created human beings and fire, but Gavaevodata was the first unique entity on earth, which established the high value the Persians placed on animals.

Peri

Peris are similar to fairies; they enjoy playing pranks on people, but they can also be helpful. They were thought to be spirits imprisoned in the fairy-form to make up for past sins. A Peri might bring a message from the gods or, alternatively, trick someone into believing some untruth. They were later thought by Muslim Arabs to serve the same purpose as angels.

Azhi Dahaka

Azhi Dahaka was the great three-headed dragon created out of the lies of the “bad” deity, Angra Mainyu, to scare away any positivity in the world. Dragon-serpents (azhi) are often symbols of evil and chaos in Persian mythology. This creature is said to have a thousand senses so it can defend itself and hunt for prey at the same time. 

Suroosh and Daena

Suroosh and Daena are angels that assist the newly dead in their crossing from life to death. After the soul has left the body, it was thought to linger on earth for three days while the gods came to a decision regarding one’s life and final fate. The soul then approached the Bridge where Daena would appear and, for the good soul, would be a beautiful young woman, while, to the condemned, would appear as an ugly hag. Suroosh would guard the soul against demonic attack as it crossed the bridge to meet the angel Rashnu, judge of the dead, who would decide whether the soul went to the paradise of the House of Song or the hell of the House of Lies. 

I hope you were all able to learn something new from this article. I’m half Persian, and I didn’t even know some of this! Learning about ancient beliefs from different cultures is important in ensuring that 1) we stay open-minded and that 2) we learn something new everyday. Keep a lookout for more mythology posts from different cultures on our page within the next few days!

Sources: 

Twelve Ancient Persian Mythological Creatures

https://www.ancient.eu/article/1488/ancient-persian-gods-heroes-and-creatures—the-co/

Mythology Editor: Elizabeth Shay

The Most Influential Black Scientists in History

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February is Black History Month, and the Palm Valley Blog would like to highlight some of the most influential Black leaders of our time. We start with blogger Sara’s list of the most influential Black scientists in history.

By Sara Habibipour 

We all know of Einstein, Newton, and Hawking. But, during this Black History Month, let’s take a moment to appreciate some Black scientists who also left their mark on history. 

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist who made his scientific breakthrough with peanuts. Yes. Peanuts. 

Born a slave a year before slavery was outlawed, Carver left home young to pursue his education.

In 1894, Carver was the first African American to earn a Bachelor of Science degree. While studying at Iowa State University, he quickly impressed many of his professors with his research into fungi and soybeans. Eventually, they convinced him to stay for his masters studies. 

It was then that his idea of crop rotation created a scientific breakthrough. He learned that years of growing cotton had depleted the nutrients from the soil, resulting in fewer crops. But, by growing nitrogen-fixing plants like peanuts and soybeans, the soil could be restored. This scientific discovery soon greatly benefited farmers and the economy. 

Katherine Johnson

Not only was Katherine Johnson one of the first black students to integrate into West Virginia’s graduate schools, but she was a key player at NASA. 

In 1962, Johnson was called upon to help secure the orbital mission of John Glenn. The complexity of the orbital flight had required the construction of a worldwide communications network; these computers were responsible for keeping Glenn’s mission safe and successful. As a part of the preflight checklist, Glenn asked for Johnson, known then as one of the most talented mathematicians at NASA, to run the same numbers through the same equations that had been programmed into the computer, but by hand on her desktop mechanical calculating machine. “If she says they’re good, then I’m ready to go,” he said (NASA). 

Because of Johnson’s work, Glenn’s flight was a success. This moment was significant in changing the trajectory of the U.S. and Soviet Union’s efforts in space. 

To learn more about her, watch the movie Hidden Figures featuring Taraji B. Henson, Janelle Monae, and Octavia Spencer. 

Alice Ball

Alice Ball was an African-American chemist who developed the most effective treatment for leprosy in the 20th century. Chaulmoogra oil had been previously used for treating leprosy, but the treatment wasn’t widespread because it was too sticky and hard to manage in hospitals. Some hospitals used injections of the oil, but all it did was form bubbles under the patients’ skin, making their skin look and feel like bubble wrap with blisters. If the patients tried to swallow it, it tasted so bad that many threw up or choked while swallowing it. 

At just the young age of 23, Ball developed a technique that would allow the chaulmoogra oil to become injectable and absorbable by the body. This technique, now known as the “Ball Method,” was the only treatment for leprosy that didn’t leave blisters on the skin or a bad taste in the mouth.

Unfortunately, due to her early death, Alice was unable to publish her revolutionary findings. Arthur L. Dean, a fellow chemist, continued her work, published the findings, and began producing large quantities of the injectable chaulmoogra extract. 

Otis Boykin

Otis Boykin was a 20th-century African American inventor whose work improved electrical resistors, which made the development of electronic devices possible. 

Boykin pursued graduate studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology from 1946 to 1947, but, unfortunately, he had to drop out when his family could no longer afford to pay tuition. Although unfortunate, this event led Boykin to begin working on electrical inventions.

Boykin earned his first patent in 1959 for a wire precision resistor and a patent for an electrical resistor in 1961 that was both inexpensive and easy to produce. This resistor had the ability to “withstand extreme accelerations and shocks and great temperature changes without danger of breakage of the fine resistance wire or other detrimental effects” (MIT). 

Without Boykin, we wouldn’t have televisions, computers, radios, or pacemakers. We really owe him! 

In fact, we owe all these scientists. They’ve changed and impacted our lives.

Sources: 

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/george-washington-carver

https://scientificwomen.net/women/ball-alice-121

https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography/

https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/otis-boykin

Black History Month Editor: Evan Spry