Chapter 9 There are many who will still bear in mind the singular circumstances which, under the heading of the Rugby Mystery, filled many columns of the daily Press in the spring of the year 1892. Coming as it did at a period of exceptional dullness, it attracted perhaps rather more attention than it deserved, […]
Materials Required:l Push-pull cap from dishwashing liquidl Baseball batl Clayl Ball bearing or small marble Procedure:You learned about a bat’s center of percussion in the last experiment. Here is another method to locate that spot on your bat. Pull out the center piece of the push-pull cap and attach it to the end of your
Chapter 8 A curious experience? said the Doctor. Yes, my friends, I have had one very curious experience. I never expect to have another, for it is against all doctrines of chances that two such events would befall any one man in a single lifetime. You may believe me or not, but the thing happened
Materials Required:l Wooden matchl Large safety pinProcedure: Break the striking head off the wooden match and discard it. Open the safety pin and push its point through the center of the match. Close the pin. Move the match around the metal several times so that it rotates easily. Now rotate the match until it is
Materials Required:l Nylon rope, or nylon clothesline, 6 to 8 feet longl Dacron, polyester, or dacron/polyester rope, 6 to 8 feet longl Waterl 2 big rocksThe help of one of your parents Procedure: Wet both pieces of rope with water from a garden hose or in a sink. Ask one of your parents to tie
Materials Required:l Candlel Aluminium pie tinl Coinl Index cardl MatchesThe help of one of your parents Procedure: Set the candle on the aluminium pie tin and place the tin in the sink. Rest the coin in the center of the index card. Ask one of your parents to light the candle and move the card
Tales of Mystery The Lost Special The confession of Herbert de Lernac, now lying under sentence of death at Marseilles, has thrown a light upon one of the most inexplicable crimes of the century—an incident which is, I believe, absolutely unprecedented in the criminal annals of any country: Although there is a reluctance to discuss
Materials Required:l Heavy-duty rubber band, at least ¼ inch wide Procedure: Hold the rubber band between your two hands and stretch it tightly. Gently place it against your cheek. The rubber band feels warm. Now release the tension in the rubber band, and once again hold it to your face. This time it is cool.
Chapter 6 It is hard luck on a young fellow to have expensive tastes, great expectations, aristocratic connections, but no actual money in his pocket, and no profession by which he may earn any. The fact was that my father, a good, sanguine, easy-going man, had such confidence in the wealth and benevolence of his
Materials Required:l Tapel Stringl Coinl DeskProcedure: Tape a piece of string to one side of a coin. Tie the free end of the string to the handle on an opened desk drawer. Keeping the string straight, pull the coin back until it touches the front of the desk. Then release it, letting it swing away.
Chapter 5 The following narrative was found among the papers of Dr. James Hardcastle, who died of phthisis on February 4th, 1908, at 36, Upper Coventry Flats, South Kensington. Those who knew him best, while refusing to express an opinion upon this particular statement, are unanimous in asserting that he was a man of a
Materials Required:l Small bar of soap, not the kind that floatsl Glass jar with lidl Gluel Paperl Waterl Pencil Procedure: The tiny bars of soap from hotels or airplanes are excellent for this experiment, but if you don’t have any, slice a piece of regular soap into several chunks that will cover the bottom of
Materials Required:l A friendl Broom Procedure:Challenge your friend with this experiment—you’ll always win! Ask your pal to hold both hands straight out and grasp the broom. Place one of your hands in the center of the broom, with your arm bent at the elbow, grasping it with a slight downward tug. Tell your friend that
Chapter 4 The relations between Douglas Stone and the notorious Lady Sannox were very well known both among the fashionable circles of which she was a brilliant member, and the scientific bodies which numbered him among their most illustrious confreres. There was naturally, therefore, a very widespread interest when it was announced one morning that
Materials Required:l Wire clothes hangerl Coin Procedure: In one hand, hold a wire clothes hanger by the hook. With your other hand, pull straight down on the bottom wire at the middle. Bend the wire until the hanger has stretched lengthwise and an angle has formed. Slip this newly-formed bottom angle over your index finger