Newton's Apple
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| Newton's Apple | |
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| Format | Children's television series |
| Created by | James Steinbach |
| Starring | Ira Flatow, David Heil, Peggy Knapp, SuChin Pak, Dave Huddleston, Brian Hackney, Eileen Galindo |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | PBS |
| Original run | 1983 – 1998 |
Newton's Apple was an educational television program distributed to PBS stations in the United States that ran for fifteen seasons from 1983 to 1998. Targeted at younger viewers, it was highly regarded. The title came from the story of Isaac Newton's "discovery" of gravity, which supposedly happened when an apple fell from a tree onto his head. The show was produced by Twin Cities Public Television (tpt), which now produces the PBS children's science series DragonflyTV. The show's theme song was Ruckzuck by Kraftwerk, which was used by compulsory license for non-commercial television as mandated by Congress. Later episodes of the show featured an original song.
National Public Radio science correspondent Ira Flatow was the show's first host, later succeeded by David Heil, then assistant director of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). Peggy Knapp was a longtime field reporter and served as co-host in the 14th season. The last season was hosted by the team of David Heil, Dave Huddleston, Eileen Galindo, Brian Hackney and SuChin Pak, now a frequent host and pop culture reporter for MTV. An occasional short feature appeared called "Science of the Rich and Famous" in which celebrities appeared to explain a science principle; e.g., rock star Ted Nugent explained guitar feedback, Olympic Gold Medalist skater Scott Hamilton demonstrated the angular momentum of a skater's spin, and Betty White showed how cats purr. DuPont was a sponsor of the show up until 1990, then 3M funded production until 1997. "Newton's Apple" won numerous national awards including the A.A.A.S. Science Journalism Award, the Parent's Choice Award, and, in 1989, the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Series. James W. Head III was biology consultant for the series.
A segment in the early years was entitled "Newton's Lemons" which used 1950s era newsreels of a then-futuristic device that had long since been forgotten.
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