Born in rural Michigan in 1874, Briggs enrolled in Johns Hopkins University and studied the physics of water retention by soils. He received his Ph.D. in 1901, one of only 20 physics doctoral degrees awarded in the U.S. that year.
His studies at the USDA soils laboratory included the use of a centrifuge to increase the gravitational pull on water held in the soil pores. Over several years, Briggs supervised regional-scale USDA field experiments producing a wealth of data on water-use efficiency.
His experimental and design skills were widely recognized in the tight-knit Washington scientific community, where Briggs and friends would regularly gather at the home of Alexander Graham Bell for evening discussions. When the U.S. entered World War I, Briggs was detailed by presidential order to work on military technology at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). He remained there for the remainder of his career, rising to Director in 1933.
He pioneered work on high-speed wind tunnels, designed and tested a gyroscopic instrument to aid in directing fire for large guns aboard the newly commissioned battleship USS Arizona.
Among his other inventions was a compass used by Charles Lindbergh in his transatlantic flight and by Admiral Richard Byrd on his flight to the North Pole. In 1939, following FDR's receipt of the famous Einstein letter, the president appointed Briggs to head a top secret committee that evolved into the Manhattan Project, the effort creating the first nuclear bombs.
Briggs retired as Director of the NBS in 1945 at age 71. Described then as frail and tired from the pressures of directing a wartime agency, he seemed to become reinvigorated by his newfound freedom to once again directly investigate soil water.
His later experiments explored the behavior of water when its pressure is less than atmospheric pressure (as is normal in the pores of a soil). He demonstrated the paradoxical fact that water can remain a liquid even when its pressure is far less than zero. He published seven journal articles on this topic between 1950 and 1957.
Another passion in Briggs' life was baseball, and in retirement he turned to the question: Did the curve ball really curve, or was this an optical illusion? Wind tunnel studies showed the deflection of the ball. Then, with the help of 1958 Washington Senators manager Cookie Lavagetto and all-star pitchers Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual, Briggs determined the spin on a curve ball. The press loved the story of the 85-year old "atomic scientist"--stories headlined "Dizzy Dean right: it ain't no optical illusion for batters!" and the like abounded in the newspapers of 1959.
Reflecting on the life of Lyman Briggs, co-author Landa said, "It is refreshing to step back and look at such a decent individual, with such a breadth of talents and a passion for learning. I'm glad he began and ended his journey as a soil scientist."
"I'm inspired by the way Briggs could both generate brilliant insights into physical systems and serve so effectively as a leader in the arena of management and politics. That he published his last scientific paper 60 years after his first is most enviable," adds co-author Nimmo.
Soil Science Society of America Journal (SSSAJ), http://soil.scijournals.org is a peer-reviewed, international journal of soil science published six times a year by the Soil Science Society of America. SSSA Journal contains soil research relating to physics; chemistry; biology and biochemistry; fertility and plant nutrition; genesis, morphology, and classification; water management and conservation; forest and range soils; nutrient management and soil and plant analysis; mineralogy; and wetland soils.
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