(19) October 5,1974 International Science Fair

1974: First Class Stamp $0.10 cents

The Universal Product Code is introduced, and scanned first on a pack of Wrigley's Gum

Patricia Hearst in kidnapped, then becomes a bank robber with the SLA.

Richard Nixon resigns from Presidential Office

We all laughed at "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein" by Mel Brooks

"Monty Python's Flying Circus" debuts on PBS in Dallas

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre " became a classic

Television included the debut of "Happy Days" and revival of all things nostalgic 50s

Being in a specialized technical high school was an unusual experience, as all students specialized in a certain course of study, but also took normal high school class work as well. I had biology this year, and was required to submit a science fair project for my biology class. I spent days and days thinking about this, and finally hit upon the idea of tying both biology and art together in some way for fun. With my mother's help, I actually made "paintings" with different colors of bacteria. Bacteria grows in all manner of different colors, and when extracted can make quite a color palette. It was fun for me to do, and I had no agenda to actually "win" the science fair since Skyline actually had a career development science department for science "brainiacs" and they were all competing like their lives depended on it. It was my first real lesson in not being attached to an outcome, just doing what I felt enthusiastic and excited about doing. Ah-hem. Well, I won the science fair in my own school, the regional science fair, the national science fair, and was the MIcrobiology finalist in the International Science and Engineering Fair held that year at Notre Dame University. All from that one idea of doing something unique. One well placed stone can make a wide and far reaching ripple in life. From this experience I learned how important the "original idea" really was, and that "thinking out of the box" was a valuable thing. I've never questioned this since.