Tuesday PSA: Worldwide Adventures in Science!

Worldwide Adventures in Science! Click for the full page.Time for another look at science, 1950s style, courtesy of this public service ad from 1957.

This PSA refers to the International Geophysical Year, taking place from July 1, 1957 until December 21, 1958, which was an international effort to focus on the Earth Sciences (and also includes the study of various space phenomena). Overall, at least according to Wikipedia, it was a very succesful program.

Click on the image for the full ad

This PSA was found Adventure Comics #237, and can be found in other DC comics from June 1957. The ad was never repeated, undoubtedly because the International Geophysical Year would be long over before it could appear in print again (plus the fact that the ad was wrong about the US having the first satellite in space.) This PSA was written by Jack Schiff with art by Ruben Moreira.

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5 Responses to “ Tuesday PSA: Worldwide Adventures in Science! ”

  1. Good thing they retired the ad. There’s a “c” missing in Antarctica. Generations of schoolchildren were probably saved from spelling errors.

  2. didn’t they know that the soviets launched the first satellite? and if they did, why did they willingly lie to children?

  3. The comics this PSA appeared in were published with a cover date of June 1957, which means they were on sale in late spring/early summer of 1957.

    Sputnik wasn’t launched until October 1957.

    So when this PSA was written and published, Sputnik had not yet been launched.

  4. I would be suspicious of any research conducted by people who overestimate the length of a year by 50%.

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