Popis: |
Athelstan Frederick Spilhaus, who died on March 30 at the age of 86, lived a full and varied life. His obituary in the New York Times gave prominence to his world famous collection of some 3000 antique children's toys. The Economist referred to him as the “inventor of aliens,” noting that it was the remains of one of his instrumented balloons found scattered in the sands of Roswell, New Mexico, in June 1947 that triggered the cult of believers in visitors from outer space. Robert Abel noted in a funeral eulogy that as a meteorological observer in China's Yenan Province during World War II, Spilhaus came to know and respect Mao Zedong many years before Chairman Mao came to power. |