Waldo Semon

During his 37-year career with B.F. Goodrich Co., Semon invented vinyl, made from polyvinyl chloride. "People then thought of PVC as worthless," Semon once said. "They'd throw it in the trash." But, by heating PVC in a solvent, Semon produced vinyl, which was flexible, elastic, waterproof, fire resistant, and did not conduct electricity. It's now the second most-used plastic in the world, with some 44 billion pounds produced each year. Semon was awarded 116 patents by the time he retired in 1963, but strangely he isn't known as much for vinyl as another everyday product: bubble gum. "Bubble gum came about as I was asked to create whatever I could from rubber," he said in 1995. "It looked just like ordinary gum, except that it would blow these great big bubbles. Unfortunately, B.F. Goodrich thought that was a defect and that nobody would buy it." He proved them wrong. Semon, who was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1995, died May 26 in Ohio at age 100. From This is True for 23 May 1999 Suggestions for further reading: Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America (Peterson Field Guide Series) By: Roger Tory Peterson List Price: $26.00 Amazon Price: $16.38 Editorial Review: In celebration of the centennial of Roger Tory Petersons birth comes a historic collaboration among renowned birding experts and artists to preserve and enhance the Peterson legacy. This new book combines the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds and Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds into one volume, filled with accessible, concise information and including almost three hours of video podcasts to make bird watching even easier.Product Description In celebration of the centennial of Roger Tory Peterson's birth comes a historic collaboration among renowned birding experts and artists to preserve and enhance the Peterson legacy. This new book combines the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds and Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds into one volume, filled with accessible, concise information and including almost three hours of video podcasts to make bird watching even easier. ? 40 new paintings ? Digital updates to Peterson's original paintings, reflecting the latest knowledge of bird identification ? All new maps for the most up-to-date range information available ? Text rewritten to cover the U.S. and Canada in one guide ? Larger trim size accommodates range maps on every spread ? Contributors include: Michael DiGiorgio, Jeff Gordon, Paul Lehman, Michael O'Brien, Larry Rosche, and Bill Thompson III ? Includes URL to register for access to video podcasts Excerpts from Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America Click on each image below to see a larger view Colorful songbirds with heavy, seed-crushing bills, cardinals and grosbeaks are popular at feeders. In North America, the Orchard and Baltimore Orioles are fairly widespread in the East; Bullock's is widespread in the West; and the Spot-breasted Oriole is limited to South Florida. Peterson sometimes painted over figures on a plate and sometimes even cut them out. Canyon Wren was missing from the original art. Michael O'Brien painted a new Canyon Wren for inclusion in the new field guide. The Orange Bishop is native to Africa but has been introduced in California. Peterson had not painted this bird for his field guides, so Michael O?Brien painted this one. Thumbnail maps help you determine at a glance if a bird is likely to be in your region. Large maps in back give detailed range information.   China (Eyewitness Travel Guides) By: DK Publishing List Price: $30.00 Amazon Price: $19.80 Editorial Review: The DK travel guide helps you to get the most out of your trip to China, providing expert recommendations as well as detailed practical information. The opening chapter Introducing China maps the country and sets it in its historical and cultural context. Each of the seven regional sections is divided into area chapters that cover from one to three provinces each. Here you will find descriptions of the most important sights with maps, pictures and illustrations. Hotel and restaurant recommendations can be found in Travelers Needs . The Survival Guide contains practical information on everything from transport personal safety.   Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas By: Paul HumannNed DeLoach List Price: $39.95 Amazon Price: $26.37 Editorial Review: 825 classic marine life photographs of 600 common and rare reef fish species. The easy-to-use, quick reference format makes it a snap to identify the myriad of fishes in Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas waters. A must for every serious diver. 6 inch x 9 inch, cloth stitched flexibinding that allows the book to lie flat.   Great Britain (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE) By: Roger WilliamsMichael Leapman List Price: $30.00 Amazon Price: $18.75 Editorial Review: Each of Great Britain's countries that have grown out of kingdoms, principalities, shire, fiefs, boroughs, and parishes has its own special flavor. This derives from Britain's landscape, its recourses and its history, all which have shaped its peoples, too. For more information about Great Britain's history, castles, gardens, restaurants, tours, national parks, stately homes and cathedrals look to Eyewitness Travel Great Britain.You'd be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive, engrossing, and just plain fun-to-read guidebook than the Eyewitness Travel Guide: Great Britain. Spilling over with all sorts of useful information for the traveler, you'll find three-dimensional drawings, floor plans, and detailed neighborhood maps, as well as timelines, charts, and even popular bus routes. Broken into several sections--"Introducing Great Britain," "Region by Region" (including London and environs, Scotland, and Wales), "Traveler's Needs," and "Survival Guide"--the guide paints a complete picture of the country. Readers will especially appreciate the hundreds of color photos of everything from London's double-decker buses to the ancient formations at Stonehenge. You'll also find street-by-street illustrated city walks (Covent Garden, Westminster), as well as scenic hikes in the Scottish highlands and the Lake District, with plenty of listings for inns and fish-and-chip taverns along the way. --Jill Fergus   Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms (Barron's Financial Guides) By: John DownesJordan Elliot Goodman List Price: $14.99 Amazon Price: $10.19 Editorial Review: More than 5,000 terms related to stocks, bonds, mutual funds, banking, tax laws, and transactions in the various financial markets are presented alphabetically with descriptions. Readers will also find a helpful list of financial abbreviations and acronyms, as well as illustrative diagrams and charts. Here?s a valuable short-entry dictionary for business students, as well as for office reference and the home bookshelves of private investors.A small but surprisingly comprehensive dictionary defining over 5,000 terms. The sturdy binding will hold up to a great deal of travel. A very practical and inexpensive gift for any business person or anyone interested in finance and investment.

About the HUs About This is True Subscribe Free to This is True Your e-mail: Find by name/keyword: Prev: Comic artist Saul Steinberg Next: Hovercraft inventor Christopher Cockerell Complete Name List

Copyright 1998-2009 ThisisTrue.Inc, all rights reserved. May not be copied or archived without express, prior, written permission. "This is True" is a registered trademark of ThisisTrue.Inc, Ridgway Colorado. 3572