The Northern Lights: The True Story of the Man Who Unlocked the Secrets of the Aurora Borealis, by Lucy Jago (HC, 2001, $3)
The Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland started out to find the origins of the aurora borealis. He traveled around the world, not letting a little thing like war keep him from his quest. In between times, he made other discoveries and inventions, "such as the idea of hearing aids for deaf patients; of making caviar from cod roe; and of using the force of cathode rays to propel rockets." He even developed an electromagnetic cannon that would eventually find its way into Star Wars Defence systems. His ideas "are considered to have been prophetic, and they have furthered our understanding not only of the Northern Lights but also of electromagnetism, comets and the sun."
Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/2.
