Donald Jeffry Herbert (born July 10, 1917 in Waconia, Minnesota), better known as Mr. Wizard, was the host of two popular television shows about science aimed at children. July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Waconia is a city located in Carver County, Minnesota. ... An American family watching television in the 1950s. ... For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ...

Herbert was a General Science and English major at LaCrosse State Teachers College in Wisconsin who was interested in drama, until his career as an actor was interrupted by World War II when he joined the army as a private. He was a B-24 bomber pilot who flew 56 missions with the Fifteenth Air Force and participated in the invasion of Italy. When Herbert was discharged in 1945 he was captain and had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. One of the periods of glaciation was also termed the Wisconsin glaciation. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Royal Canadian Air Force B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft, and was used by most of the Allied air forces in World War II. Designed as a heavy bomber, it served with distinction not only in that... World War II was well underway when the Fifteenth Air Force was established in the Mediterranean theater as a strategic air force. ... The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ... The Distinguished Flying Cross. ... The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States which was established by Executive Order 9158, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, on May 11, 1942. ... Bronze and Silver oak leaf clusters An Oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on military awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. ...

After the war, Herbert worked a radio station in Chicago where he acted in children's programs such as "It's Your Life" (1949) that was a documentary health series. It was during this time that Herbert formulated the idea of Mr. Wizard, a general science experiments show that utilized the new medium of television. Herbert's idea was accepted by the Chicago NBC station and the series "Watch Mr. Wizard" premiered on March 3, 1951. The weekly 30 minute show featured Herbert as Mr. Wizard and a young assistant while Herbert performed interesting science experiments. The experiments, many of which seemed impossible at first glance, were usually simple enough to be re-created by viewers. Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

The show was very successful; by 1954 it was broadcast by 91 stations. Mr. Wizard Science Clubs were started throughout North America, numbering 50,000 by the time the show was cancelled in 1965. The show moved to New York on September 5, 1955. The show was cited by the National Science Foundation and American Chemical Society for increasing interest in science, and Herbert won a Peabody Award. State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent United States government agency responsible for supporting basic science research mainly by providing research funding. ... The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. ... The George Foster Peabody Awards, more commonly known as simply the Peabody Awards, are annual awards given for excellence in radio and television broadcasting and cable television within the United States. ...

After his show was cancelled, Herbert produced films for junior and senior high schools, wrote several books on science, and developed the Mr. Wizard Science Center located outside Boston. The show "Watch Mr. Wizard" was briefly revived by NBC from September 11, 1971 through September 2, 1972. Alternative meanings: Boston (disambiguation) The 18th-century Old State House in Boston is surrounded by tall buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years). ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years). ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ...

In 1984 Herbert developed "Mr. Wizard's World", a faster-paced version of his show that was shown three times a week on the cable channel Nickelodeon. The show ran until 1990, and reruns were shown until 2000, making it the longest running show on Nickelodeon. Episodes of the original run were re-aired in 2005 on the digital cable channel "The Science Channel". Nickelodeon (Nick for short) is an American cable TV network for children. ... Rerun van Pelt is the name of Linus and Lucys younger brother in the comic strip Peanuts. ...

External links

• Mr. Wizard Studios (http://mrwizardstudios.com/) - Official Mr. Wizard webpage.
• Watch Mr. Wizard (http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/watchmrwiz/watchmrwiz.htm)
• Mr. Wizard's World (http://www.johnnorrisbrown.com/classic-nick/mrwizard/index.htm)