Old Myths

[stickmaker]

If people are going to use the "Science says bumblebees can't fly." homily I wish they would at least learn where it came from (early aerodynamicist asked at a dinner party, scribbles a few equations on a napkin, shrugs and says "not offhand") and why it has been outdated for decades (aerodynamicists do research into how insects fly and learn answer; in other words, these days the math shows clearly how they fly).

Comments

[kengr]

Story *I* heard was that it was a class in aeronautics (possibly for pilots?) during or a bit before WWII.

And the joker was that, of course, if you treat it as a fixed wing aircraft a bumblebee *can't* fly.

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

There was a long article tracing the myth back to its origin, a few years ago in either _Skeptical Enquirer_ or _Smithsonian_. The host was a professor of language (IIRC) at a prestigious German university in the Twenties. Ever after, he would tell a distorted version of the story to his classes, and triumphantly end with "Science says bumblebees can't fly!" However, it was a large party and several people gave their own accounts, including the rather annoyed aerodynamicist. It's just that the host's version is what reached the press and became popular.