| Show J the name Is familiar BY FELIX B I 1 and ELMO EIMO SCOTT WATSON wistaria the beautiful light ligh t W WISTARIA blue or purple flower which makes your front porch so attractive is a perennial memorial to caspar wistar a philadelphia physician who was born in 1761 he went to medical school at the university of pennsylvania was graduated in 1782 and then went to england and scotland where he V served as president of the royal medical society of E edinburgh d in burgh and also as president 4 of a society tor for the further investigation ti of natural history after his return to america he became almost as famous a nat muralist as he was ay a physician and A anatomist and his home was a meeting place for students citizens scientists and travelers who met there to discuss subjects of common interest in fact such assemblies called wistar parties continued long after his death in 1818 when thomas nuttall the eng lish american naturalist discovered a new woody vine in the forests of the western and southern states he wanted to honor the famous philadelphia scientist by naming it after him but he spelled it wisteria and if you spell it that way too you youre I 1 re helping nuttall perpetuate an error instead of helping perpetuate the fame of dr caspar wistar zeppelin technically an airship is a dirigible but it is popularly called a zeppelin and probably always will be and so the name of count ferdinand von zeppelin its inventor will live on this ought to please the count no end as he was just a little conceited As a military observer in this country during the civil war he wrote copiously for his german readers but told as much about how popular he was with the american officers as he did about military activities tivi ties immediately after a ter the civil I 1 war he stayed in america for a IN short time to enjoy his popularity von zeppelin and while in st paul minn he made his first ascent in a balloon he returned to germany and continued to serve in the army until 1891 when he retired with the rank of general and studied aeronautics in 1900 he made the first ship that rose from the ground it stayed in the air for 20 minutes but it was wrecked in landing in 1906 he made two successful flights with another ship of his and traveled 30 miles an hour the next year his ship made 36 miles an hour and progress was steady from then on the count died in 1917 during I 1 ng the world war when his lins were at their peak of military usefulness released by western newspaper union |
