So, after last episode established that the house being built in the prologue is where Marie and Pierre Curie are staying (with our hero, the brick, still outside), I wanted to have an episode that featured the brick. Of course, he's just a brick...
HISTORICAL NOTE #1: It's pretty stunning to think about, but as little as 100 years ago, scientists didn't have a clear understanding of HOW THE SUN WORKED. One idea was that it was a giant lump of coal in the sky, but as geologists began demonstrating the earth's age, it was realized that no mere chemical combustion would suffice. Lord Kelvin thought the sun generated energy from being constantly bombarded by meteors. :O Some even suggested that whole planets were regularly consumed by the sun.
Once the Curies discovered radiation, it was even considered that radium could be the source. Of course, spectroscopic data disputed this notion readily.Here's an interesting article from JPL: http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/science/mod3_SunlightSolarHeat/UnderstandingOfSun/
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