October 23
Are You Sure ...
• ... that physicist and engineer William D. Coolidge (23 October 1873 – 3 February 1975) made major contributions to X-ray machines; and that Coolidge developed ductile tungsten for incandescent light bulbs?
• ... that physicist Tullio Regge (11 July 1931 – 23 October 2014), along with physicist G. Ponzano, developed a quantum version of Regge calculus in three space-time dimensions now known as the Ponzano-Regge model, and that this was the first of a whole series of state sum models for quantum gravity known as spin foam models?
On This Day in History and Fiction
1873: Physicist and engineer William D. Coolidge born. He will make major contributions to X-ray machines, and develop ductile tungsten for incandescent light bulbs.
1973: Watergate scandal: President Richard M. Nixon agrees to turn over subpoenaed audio tapes of his Oval Office conversations.
2014: Physicist and academic Tullio Regge dies. In 1968 he and G. Ponzano developed a quantum version of Regge calculus in three space-time dimensions now known as the Ponzano-Regge model; this was the first of a whole series of state sum models for quantum gravity known as spin foam models.
2016: Steganographic analysis of The Eel Time-Surfing reveals quantum gravity control software based on spin foam models.