He left his body to the school of dentistry, University of Southern California. Survived by his wife, he died on 14 April 1987 at his home at Torrance, Los Angeles, California. His publications were numerous: they included scores of articles in the American Journal of Physics Demonstrations in Physics (1969) a series of books based on his television and radio shows, among them Why It Is So (1971) and The Kitchen Professor (1972) Enchanting Questions for Enquiring Minds (1982) and his autobiography, The Days of My Life (1989). He also appeared on television advertisements for non-stick saucepans, Ampol petroleum and Cadbury’s chocolate. He set traps to keep people on their toes he would ask members of the audience to verify that a glass was empty and then berate them for not noticing that it was full of air.Īustralian newspapers published a daily question posed by Miller, a ‘Millergram’, and also an answer to the previous day’s question. Each session had a strong element of drama and was punctuated loudly with phrases such as ‘Watch it now! Watch it!’ or ‘He who is not stirred by the beauty of it is already dead!’. Bubbling with infectious enthusiasm not normally associated with the serious scientist, he brought each presentation to life with details of the history of the subject and the origins and meanings of the words used to describe it. He preferred to encourage his audience to seek the answers. Delighting in showing ‘how Nature worked its wondrous ways’, he rarely offered any detailed explanations. He also presented a television program entitled ‘Why Is It So?’ for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. In addition to recording science shows in the USA, he appeared on popular television programs, including ‘The Groucho Marx Show’, Walt Disney’s ‘Mickey Mouse Club’ and Johnny Carson’s ‘The Tonight Show’.įrom 1962 to 1986 Miller made twenty-seven visits to Australia, primarily to give demonstrations and lectures at the annual science school for high-school students in the physics department at the University of Sydney, organised by Professor Harry Messel. He was a visiting lecturer (1965-85) at the US Air Force Academy. He earned his living as a butler for two years.Įmployed by Dillard University, New Orleans (1937-38, 1941-52) and El Camino College, California (1953-74), Miller worked in their physics departments. On 21 April 1934 at Brookline, Massachusetts, he married Alice Marion Brown, a maid they had no children. Julius was educated at local schools and at Boston University (BS, 1932 MA, 1933) and the University of Idaho (MS, 1940). He was named Julius Simon but later took the name Sumner. His father had come to the USA from Latvia and his mother from Lithuania. Julius Sumner Miller (1909-1987), physicist, science educator and television performer, was born on at Billerica, Massachusetts, United States of America, youngest of nine children of Samuel Miller, farmer, and his wife Sarah, née Newmark. National Library of Australia, nla.pic-vn3086852 Julius Sumner Miller, by John Milligan, 1968
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