Quick Explanation of the Scientific Method

I was trying to explain the Scientific Method to a friend, who had heard the term but didn't understand what it meant. Here is my incredibly brief explanation.

First, it was developed in the early 17th Century by the philosopher Francis Bacon. He in turn built on some early work in this regard from the Arab scientist Alhazen, who had come up with similar concepts about 600 years before.

Bacon's scientific method essentially has the following steps for a scientist.

1. Make observations.
2. Form a theory to explain what you have observed.
3. Conduct an experiment to see whether your theory works.
4. If it works as expected (essentially proving your theory), share it with other scientists to establish a peer review of your work.

 All too often, we forget about the importance of step 4. It's really critical to open up your observations, experiments, and theory to others. This allows them to "poke holes" in your work and highlight mistakes you might have made.

Anniversary of the Allies Re-Taking Palermo

Today is the anniversary of the re-taking of Palermo, Italy by allied forces on July 22, 1943 - 74 years ago.

The Allied invasion of Sicily took place nearly two weeks before, on July 10. Palermo, the principal city on the island, was in the North. American forces had cut off nearly 50,000 Italian troops and drove many of the German forces to a remote corner of the island.

Within about a month, the entire island of Sicily was under Allied control, and Sicily became an important staging point for the upcoming takeover of Italy from Axis forces.