Mr. Wizard, Television's Original Science Guy | Hacker News Reader

Mr. Wizard, Television's Original Science Guy

smithsonianmag.com

84 pointssnake11728 comments

I remember Mr. Wizard quite well and loved his show as a child. Growing up he was one of several science popularizers who made it "ok" to be a smart kid interested in STEM.

I can't say that without Mr. Wizard I wouldn't be where I am today, but each person (Mr. Wizard, Bill Nye, etc.) who took up a similar kind of role helped create an environment that made it more possible for people like me.

I never realized many of the subtle cues that he used on his show -- no labcoat, talk to the kids as adults, and so on. But they definitely made it all feel more welcoming and approachable as well.

Bill Nye actually hates children which means he _really_ , really loves science.

Mr Wizard was amazing. He actually challenged children to think as well as showing a human level of frustration occasionally.

I grew up on this guy's show in the twilight of his career, on Nickelodean in the 80s. Had a few of his books as well - good stuff. I'm glad he's not forgotten and I wish more educators on TV would take his approach. I was in my very early teens by the time Bill Nye's show became popular, but compared to Mr. Wizard's World I found it patronizing and didn't watch it much. (Beakman's Lab or whatever, I found plainly insulting and never gave it a second chance.)

I agree.

Mr. Wizard's experiments and explanations were so engrossing that he didn't need to rely on "fun" or "extreme" to be interesting.

Some science television perspective from a parallel universe where nobody has heard of Mr Wizard or Bill Nye (ok, I confess I saw him in Stargate).

Australia's ABC used to have a show by US Professor Julius Sumner Miller http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/whyisitso/ in the 60s. The ABC's stodginess and budget made it much like watching a grumpy old lecturer which I like but interestingly not much attempt to direct things to kids at all.

In the 70s and 80s commercial television made the Curiosity Show https://www.youtube.com/user/curiosityshow which was a bit more sophisticated.

I have a son who watches Backyard Science https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backyard_Science which is presented by kids. He also likes shows like Operation Ouch and Deadly 60. And lots of animated fantasy crap besides.

It is interesting to look at how presentation has changed over the years but I am fairly sure you could pick a show from the 60s, 70s or 2010s and find someone demonstrating the same phenomenon in almost identical manner despite the window dressing.

I went with my son to ANU's travelling Questacon Science Circus recently and it was packed. My guess is interest in science education hasn't diminished that much, just that people don't notice it so much due to all the competition.

I've had Julius Sumner Miller stuck in my head for the last few weeks, but have utterly failed to remember his name. Thank you so much for saving me from this hell!

I watched his videos in junior high; they're absolutely amazing, not least because of their lack of frills.

I remember Mr. Wizard's World on Nickelodeon with great memories intertwined with getting my first computer (Commodore 64) and learning about programming. Great times.

Alton Brown said his show Good Eats was intentionally a mix of Mr Wizard, Julia Child, and Monty Python. I think he was quite successful at it, because I can see elements of all of those in his show.

...I think he said "Mr Science". But that's my generation.

Hm, can't remember. I'll take that as an excuse to rewatch the 10th Anniversary Special :)

Dang. Every online quote says 'Mr Wizard'. I must have rewritten it in memory.

His experiment where he had the kid put his hand in the water without getting his hand wet blew me away as a youth.

Loved his show, and wish there was something like it on for my kids.

Back in elementary school we would watch Bill Nye videos all the time. Aside from not having to listen to my teacher speak, I didn't really look forward to watching him. The show relied on loud volume and wackiness to be entertaining as oppose of letting the raw science fascinate you. I really wish program's like this were made, I would've definitely paid more attention.

Consider watching it again because there's way more science in there than I feel you're remembering.

I've watched a few episodes recently. It's not as entertaining now, and it's too difficult to parse out the actual science from the weird things thrown in just to keep your attention.

Truly; it was not a science show. It was a show to excite a generation about science.

Amazing! That's the one episode I think of when I think of Mr. Wizard.

Ditto.

There is no question in my mind but that Don Herbert propelled me into engineering. My fascination with the show started in 1951 when I was 7 and came to an end with my entrance into E.E. at the University of Illinois in 1962 strictly because there was no way my fraternity brothers in the TV room would stand for it.

I loved my career and have Don to thank for it. I'll bet there are a whole lot of us who owe our careers to his wonderful influence.

Unfortunately this article doesn't mention his books Mr Wizard's Supermarket Science, which I had as a kid and it was pretty awesome: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Wizards-Supermarket-Science-Herbert...

He also authored a few more books:

Mr Wizards 400 Experiments in Science http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Wizards-400-Experiments-Science/dp/...

and http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Wizards-Experiments-Young-Scientist...

Does anyone remember the episode where they cooked a hotdog using live 110V and 2 forks in each end of it? The kid me thought it was the coolest thing ever. As an adult I now see the potential for being thrown across the room by grabbing the obvious metal handles.

That show had way more going for it than would be allowed today.

Yes I do remember that. Didn't they use a battery charger for it, though? I seem to remember doing this as well after watching this show, but either they used a battery charger or I was bright enough to realize that using a wall outlet directly is fucking insane :-)

e: Okay I looked it up and they did use a wall outlet directly. Damn...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScwbimMBklA

What you didn't see on screen was the safety precautions that were taken for many of the demonstrations. It was hinted at though; in one episode Mr. Wizard sets off a "Catherine wheel" type firework to demonstrate the principle of Hero's engine; he mentions getting special permission from the fire department to do so.

I always saw Bill Nye as a budget Mr. Wizard. Don Herbert had a style and presence which made scientific phenomena really seem like magic -- fascinating, but completely knowable. He engaged with kids and seemed genuinely interested in them, and he had a voice and diction like an old-timey radio announcer, so everything he said was clear and easy to listen to. (This is important: later in life I would take a college course with a professor who mumbled... in a Chinese accent. I did not do well in that course.)

Does anyone know of a source for more of the "Watch Mr. Wizard" episodes (the black and white ones)? A few are on YouTube, a selection was made available on DVD (since out of print and quite expensive) but I have found no others.

According to his Wikipedia page he filmed 547 episodes but only a handful are still accessible.

I ask mainly for my son who keeps asking to "watch a Mr. Wizard video" and who is well into reruns of what is available on YouTube.

I used to have a 6-hour run of episodes on VHS, recorded off of TV broadcasts.

Unfortunately, I lent it to my 4th grade teacher to take some clips out of for science class... and she lost it.

I am still sad about that.

A selection :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkJEt1UsUcs

I haven't thought of Mr. Wizard in years. His show helped me understand base 2 at a reasonably young age.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak0IdUoXZcs

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