December 03, 2003
Thomas Midgley
Some have gone as far as saying that Midgley has had more impact on the atmosphere than any other individual in the course of history. He is responsible for the creation of leaded gasoline and Freon (the first CFC). He also worked closely with Charles Kettering, the man who created the first cruise missile. Indirectly, Midgley helped to form McDonalds.
And it would seem that nature is not without a sense of humour, either [Look at the last paragraph].
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Boy am I embarassed... Sorry 'bout the double-post
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When Thomas Midgley was 51 he was struck down by polio and lost the use of both his legs. With his typical inventiveness he devised a system of ropes, pulleys and hoists to get himself in and out of bed every day. And finally, in what might seem an almost inevitable twist, he got tangled up in the ropes his own invention and died. That sounds pretty fucking horrible. Also, the man who had the biggest impact on the atmosphere - my vote, if I'm allowed to, goes to Henry Ford (for popularising the car) or Mr Benz (for inventing the damn thing).
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"Humour" is perhaps pushing it. "Irony" might've been better.
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And yet, do we know that all those "rapers of the environment" knew the effects of their discoveries? Maybe we should get more exercised about the companies who have dumped drastic chemicals into streams or into the ground near cities after their effects were known.
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I prefer to think of this from the amusement angle. He represents the human condition. *TV Announcer Voice* Yes, you, too, are Thomas Midgley.
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On the other hand, I could just trot on until I get to my first comment and first post.
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No, the rules expressly state that you must comment in EVERY post. Otherwise MoFi is ruined. FOREVER!
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Why not play the game to only comment in the posts up until the day of the year it is now? That way there aren't so many new ones on the sidebar, but people are reminded of the old posts. Kind of like "on this day" item in the news.