Frank Oppenheimer and the World He Made Up

By K. C. Cole, Forward by Murray Gell-Mann

As a yong man, Frank Oppenheimer followed in his famous brother's footsteps - growing up in a privileged Manhattan household, becoming a physicist, working on the atomic bomb. Tragically, Frank and Robert both had their careers destroyed by the Red Scare. Then their paths diverged. Robert died an almost ruined man, but Frank came into his own, emerging from ten years of exile on a Colorado ranch to create not just a multimillion-dollar institution but also a revolution that was felt all over the world. His Exploratorium was a "museum of human awareness" that combined art and science while it encouraged play, experimentation, and a sense of joy and wonder; its success inspired a transformation in museums around the globe. In many ways it was Frank's answer to the atom bomb.

K. C. Cole - a friend and colleague of Frank's for many years - has drawn from letters, documents, and extensive interviews to write a very personal story of the man whose irrepressible spirit would inspire so many.

Imagine a Rubik's Cube that actually makes you smarter; an Erector Set that never stops erecting; a Hula Hoop you don't look ridiculous playing with; Silly Putty that isn't silly; cram it all in a jar, turn the fun up to 11, and you've got BuckyBalls!

Each set contains 216 powerful rare earth magnets that can be shaped, molded, torn apart and snapped together in UNLIMITED WAYS. Make sculptures, puzzles, patterns, shapes, stick stuff to the fridge, invent a new game-trying to find something more useful is useless.


BuckyBalls are not a toy. They are not suitable for small children and should not be used around electronics.

From the Exploratorium's famed Teacher Institute comes a unique, hands-on activity book that provides instructions for creating junior versions, or "snacks," of many of the museum's amazing exhibits. Designed by science teachers, these snacks can be used as classroom demonstrations, labs, science projects, or just for fun. All of the projects are easy to build with common materials.

This new edition includes updated activities plus several new snacks, illustrations, references, tips from teachers, and correlations to national science standards.

Using The Exploratorium Science Snackbook as your guide, you can construct an anti-gravity mirror, create electrical "fleas," duck into a kaleidoscope, or build a bicycle wheel gyro. Discover how to create exhibits that explore the mysteries of energy and matter, light and color, force and motion, vision and perception, sound and hearing.