1) Who was this person (claim to fame)? 

2) What surprised, didn't surprise, or interested you about this person? Why?

3) Did this person have possibilities as a Power of One subject for research?

*Your entries will be graded according to the posting rubric on the homepage of the wiki. This is a Power of One grade.

Jack Wegman

Honors 10 History

Mrs. Smith

15 October 2009

     Babe Didrikson's was an outstanding female athlete during the 1930's and 1940's.  She earned gold medals in track and field; she also was a founding member of Ladies’ Professional Golf Association.  What surprised me about Babe Didrikson was, even though she won Olympic gold medals in track and field, she decided to switch sports and try women’s golf.  What also surprised me about Babe Didrikson was, despite being kicked out of women’s golf, she returned and helped found the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association.  I don’t think Babe Didrikson effected the world enough to be considered a power of one candidate. <http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=177>

     Christopher Voigt is a thirty year old synthetic biologist at the University of California, San Francisco.  Voigt is trying to reprogram the DNA of simple organisms, like E. coli bacteria.  They are reprograming the DNA of these organisms to do specifically instructed jobs for example, fight disease, make bio fuels, and solve industrial problems.  I was surprised that we had the technology to reprogram the functions of organisms.  I think that Christopher Voigt is a bad choice for a power of one, because he hasn’t completely reprogramed the DNA of organisms, he also doesn’t have enough information to fill out all four areas of the power of one.  <http://www.forbes.com/2007/05/23/christopher-voigt-biology-tech-cx_07rev_mh_0524voigt.html?boxes=custom>

    Ignacio Cirac is a forty-one year old physicist for Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics.  Cirac is attempting to use quantum teleportation to instantly transport information over a distance of half a meter.  What surprised me, was that objects could be instantly transfered over a specific distance without anything connecting the two points or losing any of the information being transported.  I don’t think that Ignacio Cirac would be a good choice for the power of one project, although his technology may change the way we communicate and share ideas, he doesn’t effect all the necessary areas to be considered a complete power of one.  <http://www.forbes.com/2007/05/23/ignacio-cirac-teleportation-tech-cx_07rev_mw_0524cirac.html?boxes=custom>

Alexander Graham Bell Biography 

Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland.  His family had an enthusiasm for the written and spoken word.  Alexanders grandfather was an orator and actor, Alexander’s grandfather is thought to be the first person to instill the desire to learn and gain knowledge into Alexander’s mind.  Alexander’s first invention came at the age of fourteen, when he invented a device designed to remove the husks from wheat by combing a nail brush and paddle into a rotary brushing wheel.  Alexander and his brother’s also created an apparatus that manipulated the mouth and vocal chords of their dog, so when the dog growled it was heard as spoken words.  At the age of 16 Alexander began teaching music and elocution at a boys boarding school.  Alexander Graham Bell’s claim to fame was March 10, 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson completed the first ever telephone call.  In 1878 the first telephone was installed in the white house, president Rutherford B. Hayes called Alexander, completing the first ever telephone call from the White House.  At the age of seventy-five Alexander’s last patented invention was a design for the fastest hydrofoil ever.  Alexander Graham Bell died on August 2, 1922.  The day of his burial, all telephone service in the US stopped in his honor.

Why I choose Alexander Graham Bell

What drew me towards Alexander Graham Bell, was that he invented a machine that almost everyone in the world uses and relies upon everyday.  I choose Alexander Graham Bell for my power of one because I believe that he had a huge affect in the world today.  Without him they way we communicate could be extremely different then it is today.

His World and the World Around Him

During Alexander Graham Bell’s life the industrial revolution was ending, and the electrical revolution was beginning.  Alexander Graham Bell was always working or living around other people that would continually push him to higher levels.  One such man was Thomas Watson.  Thomas Watson was assigned to work with Alexander Graham Bell, Bell’s employers assigned Watson to help Bell improve his instruments efficiency.  The time period that Bell lived was a relatively peaceful for the United States, the U.S. took part in World War 1 towards the end of Bell’s life.  While Bell lived in the U.S., the economy was extremely stable and no recessions or depressions occurred.

Alexander Graham Bell’s Greatness

I think that Alexander Graham Bell is a great person for the power of one for many reasons.  Bell invented many devices that helped people communicate and interact with each other.  Bell had an impact on technology, economics, culture, and government.  Bell’s most recognized invention is the telephone.  This one invention affected all four of the power of one topics.  The telephone affected technology because it was a new technological invention and changed the way people communicated and shared ideas.  The telephone affected the immediate economics of Bell’s time and is still affecting our economy today.  The telephone affected how governments would communicate with other governments and it also increased the speed that governments could share thoughts and important news.  The telephone also affected cultures of the past and of present times.  For example the telephone affects how people share ideas and news, and pass on thoughts to one another.  Without Alexander Graham Bell the way we communicate everyday with other people could people extremely different from what it is now.

Works Cited

Public Broadcasting Service. More About Bell. PBS, 3 November 2009. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/peopleevents/mabell.html>.

Public Broadcasting Service. More About Bell. PBS, 3 November 2009. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. <http://www.pbs.org/transistor/album1/addlbios/bellag.html>.

Gorman, E Micheal. Alexander Graham Bell’s Path to the Telephone. 24 June 2005.  Web. 3 Nov. 2009. <http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/albell/homepage.html>.