Re:From Boy Geniuses to Mad Scientists: Americans and Scienc...
by joe_the_user on Saturday June 30, 2018 @12:13AM
(#17429436)
Children making amazing discoveries was a constant theme of early science fiction.
Moreover, if Richard Feynman's biographical essays even slightly typical, mid 20th century kids actually did do a fair amount of experimentation.
Remember machinery in the mid 20th was simpler but less reliable, so a kid with the latest gadget, whether radio, hot rod or model rocket, had considerable incentive to tinker. In fact, I suspect tinkering/hacking is main story for boys of that era and science was more of an offshoot.
Moreover, if Richard Feynman's biographical essays even slightly typical, mid 20th century kids actually did do a fair amount of experimentation.
Remember machinery in the mid 20th was simpler but less reliable, so a kid with the latest gadget, whether radio, hot rod or model rocket, had considerable incentive to tinker. In fact, I suspect tinkering/hacking is main story for boys of that era and science was more of an offshoot.