[WWI] 1 rb paper critique

[Mark Shannon]

Since they are studying "FAME", there is a heck of a lot of different
things going on with the analysis.  One, there is this catchy nickname that
every kid of my generation knew, even if they could not remember the
pilot's actual name.  It is universal, there is always one name that
becomes the byword, even among the uninterested -- example, how many
physicists can you name off the top of your head, and which is the first
one to come to mind?  Probably for all but the youngest on the list, it
would be Einstein, with the younger set possibly thinking Hawking, first. 
And why is Einstein on top? -- because his name became a generic term for
intelligence.  Same with Manfred von Richtoffen -- the Red Baron sounds
really catchy, better than the Yellow Flier (Lowenhardt) or the Black
Triplane Ace (Jacobs).

I don't know if French kids think of Guynemer (Nungessor) first, or
Richtoffen.  Maybe the statisticians should have looked at such confounding
factors as national symbols.  Just like most of my generation would think
Glenn first under astronauts, despite the accomplishments of  say,
Armstrong, or that Shepard was the first American into space.

Mark Shannon
shingend at ix.netcom.com



> From: jamie <jamesgagnon5 at sympatico.ca>
>
> Yes , it would have been more interesting if they had looked at pilots
with 
> very high scores who did not accrue the same level of 'fame'. For
example, 
> how many web pages were devoted to Lowenhardt or Fonck as compared to 
> Richtofen or Guynemer? Far less successful pilots can actually be more 
> famous as well.