Physics Terms
This is the tendency of objects to keep doing what they’re doing unless something forces them to change.
What is inertia?
In 1994, this former football star’s slow-speed police chase was broadcast live on television, becoming one of the most-watched broadcasts in U.S. history.
Who is O.J. Simpson?
In this experiment, dogs learned to associate a bell with food, leading to a famous concept in behavioral psychology.
What is Pavlov's Dog Experiment?
In medieval English, objects of this color were sometimes described as "yellow-red" because the modern color name had not yet been adopted.
What is orange?
Inducted in the Early Influence category, this television host helped introduce American audiences to early rock and roll acts like Elvis Presley and The Beatles through his long-running variety show.
Who is Ed Sullivan?
This term describes a trait that is present but not shown unless two copies are inherited.
What is a recessive trait?
In 1989, East German citizens were surprised when officials announced this barrier dividing Berlin was opening, leading to crowds gathering at checkpoints.
What is the fall of the Berlin Wall?
Sterilized broth remained clear in this scientist's famous flasks until their necks were broken, allowing contamination to enter.
Who is Louis Pasteur?
The chainsaw was originally invented in 1783 to assist with this.
What is childbirth?
After fronting a major prog-rock group, this artist was inducted as a solo act largely on the strength of atmospheric 1980s hits like “In the Air Tonight.”
Who is Phil Collins?
This is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being used up.
What is a catalyst?
In 1974, this political event was televised live when a U.S. president announced his resignation, the first time this had ever occurred.
What is the Richard Nixon resignation?
In this thought experiment, a cat in a box became an illustration of the strange implications of quantum mechanics, implying that the cat is simultaneously dead and alive.
What is Schrödinger's Cat?
Despite the title suggesting otherwise, this was the surname of the castaway family shipwrecked on a deserted island in the original novel the Swiss Family Robinson.
They do not have a last name.
This British group’s 1984 album Diamond Life helped define a smooth, jazz-influenced style often associated with “Sophisti-pop.” What a bunch of smooth operators.
Who is Sade?
This is the process where water moves through a membrane from low to high concentration.
What is osmosis?
In 2011, this event interrupted regular programming as U.S. officials confirmed the result of a nighttime raid in Pakistan involving a long-sought militant leader.
What is the death of Osama Bin Laden?
By dropping objects from the Leaning Tower of Pisa—at least according to legend—this scientist challenged ideas about falling objects.
Who is Galileo?
Bengali mathematician and surveyor Radhanath Sikdar was forced to add this to his calculations of the height of Mt. Everest, lest anyone believe they were just an estimate.
What is two feet?
Known for bleached-blond hair, leather jackets, and MTV-heavy rotation in the 1980s, this solo artist had hits like “Rebel Yell.”
Who is Billy Idol?
This is a substance with a pH lower than 7.
What is acid?
In 1989, live coverage showed Chinese tanks facing protesters in this famous Beijing square.
What is Tiananmen Square?
Volunteers in this 1971 study at a university were randomly assigned roles as prisoners and guards.
What is the Stanford Prison Experiment?
After years of study, paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould determined that this particular aquatic animal biologically does not exist.
What is a fish?
This Britpop band’s 1995 album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? produced “Wonderwall,” and its two frontmen became almost as famous for their feud as their music.
What is Oasis?