Science

The opening of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden sounds like a goofy family comedy, but it quickly became one of the most popular attractions in Ohio.

Opening day, September 18, 1875, was overcast and chilly, a shaky start for the second zoological garden in the United States. Exhibits were unfinished, and animals remained crated. The polar bear had not arrived, and the collection on display included a feeble tiger, a blind hyena, an elephant rescued from a bankrupt circus, a talking crow, eight small monkeys, and 400 birds. Despite the rough start, the venture by bird-lover Andrew Erkenbrecher and friends blossomed into a top-tier zoo inspiring a passion for nature-a champion of endangered species with its own college-preparatory high school and an unrivaled commitment to education, research, and innovative breeding programs. It has survived Damocles' sword of economic cuts as stubborn Cincinnatians came to its rescue time after time, charmed by the animals and events found here: chimps Mr. and Mrs. Rooney, Susie the Gorilla who took tea and smoked Chesterfields, Rodney the boxing kangaroo, Martha the last passenger pigeon on earth, outdoor operas, and dancing under the stars.

Scientists who lived, worked, or were educated in the Hoosier State have made fundamental contributions to astronomy, biology, chemistry, and physics. Astronomer Vesto Slipher discovered that almost all the galaxies were moving away from our own Milky Way Galaxy. Biologist Alfred Kinsey was a pioneer in the field of human sexuality. Chemist Harold Urey discovered deuterium and worked on the Manhattan Project. And physicist Edward Purcell discovered nuclear magnetic resonance, the basis for MRI, one of the most significant medical advances in a century. Scientists with Indiana connections have also been awarded a dozen Nobel prizes.

Hoosier science teacher Duane S. Nickell offers a glimpse into the lives of seventeen scientific heroes from Indiana.