{"title":"Past Forword: The AD-X2 Affair","authors":"Allison Marsh","doi":"10.1109/MSPEC.2024.10622065","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"In 1947, a bulldozer operator named Jess M. Ritchie and a prominent physical chemist named Merle Randall began to market AD-X2, an additive they claimed extended the life of lead-acid batteries. Consumers raved about the results, and yet the National Bureau of Standards could not substantiate the claims when it tested the product. The dispute devolved into a politically fraught, multiyear affair involving Senate hearings, a post office ban, the resignation of the NBS director, and his reinstatement after more than 400 scientists threatened to resign in protest. The drama that played out in the press pitted an up-from-your-bootstraps David against an overreaching governmental Goliath. In the end, though, science won.","PeriodicalId":13249,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Spectrum","volume":"61 8","pages":"48-48"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=10622065","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"IEEE Spectrum","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10622065/","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In 1947, a bulldozer operator named Jess M. Ritchie and a prominent physical chemist named Merle Randall began to market AD-X2, an additive they claimed extended the life of lead-acid batteries. Consumers raved about the results, and yet the National Bureau of Standards could not substantiate the claims when it tested the product. The dispute devolved into a politically fraught, multiyear affair involving Senate hearings, a post office ban, the resignation of the NBS director, and his reinstatement after more than 400 scientists threatened to resign in protest. The drama that played out in the press pitted an up-from-your-bootstraps David against an overreaching governmental Goliath. In the end, though, science won.
期刊介绍：
IEEE Spectrum Magazine, the flagship publication of the IEEE, explores the development, applications and implications of new technologies. It anticipates trends in engineering, science, and technology, and provides a forum for understanding, discussion and leadership in these areas.
IEEE Spectrum is the world''s leading engineering and scientific magazine. Read by over 300,000 engineers worldwide, Spectrum provides international coverage of all technical issues and advances in computers, communications, and electronics. Written in clear, concise language for the non-specialist, Spectrum''s high editorial standards and worldwide resources ensure technical accuracy and state-of-the-art relevance.
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