Nick T. Spark
Encyclopedia
Nick T. Spark is an American documentary filmmaker and writer. Films he has written, directed or produced include Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarines (2001) and the Emmy award winning The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
(2009). In addition to being a contributing editor to Wings and Airpower magazines, his articles have appeared in the Annals of Improbable Research
, Naval History, the Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society, and Proceedings
. People he has interviewed include President Gerald Ford
, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
, Secretary of State Colin Powell
, and numerous test pilots including Charles "Chuck" Yeager. In 2007 Spark was interviewed on National Public Radio, concerning an article he wrote about the Panay Incident
.
Spark is probably most well-known for the four-part article Why Everything You Know About Murphy's Law Is Wronghttp://www.improb.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i5/murphy/murphy0.html, detailing the history of Murphy's law
. This article, which Spark later adapted into a short book, explains the genesis of the popular adage which apparently originated at Edwards Air Force Base
during the United States Air Force
's Project MX981 to research high G-Force
issues in 1947–1949 under the direction of "The Bravest Man in the Air Force", physicist and medical doctor John Stapp
.
as a Flinn scholar, from which he received a degree in creative writing with a minor in media arts. While at the University of Arizona, he made Just Puttering Around, a 1992 documentary about octogenarian folk artist William Holzmanhttp://www.tucsonweekly.com/tw/05-29-97/review1.htm, for which the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
awarded him a 1992 student Emmy Award
. He then attended the University of Southern California
's School of Cinema-Television where he received a Masters of Fine Arts degree (MFA) in film production. Subsequently, he received a second student Emmy Award and the Cine Golden Eagle (a forty-eight-year biannual film-and-video competition recognizing excellence in film and video
http://www.cine.org/), both for the documentary Upholding the Promise, a film about federal judges.
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club is an Emmy award-winning documentary that chronicles the life of aviation pioneer Florence Lowe 'Pancho' Barnes.-Production:...
(2009). In addition to being a contributing editor to Wings and Airpower magazines, his articles have appeared in the Annals of Improbable Research
Annals of Improbable Research
The Annals of Improbable Research is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to scientific humor, in the form of a satirical take on the standard academic journal...
, Naval History, the Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society, and Proceedings
Proceedings (magazine)
Proceedings is a monthly magazine published by the United States Naval Institute since 1874. The 96-page publication features articles about Naval and Military matters written by active and retired military personnel plus renowned authors and scholars of their subject.-External links:* * ** by...
. People he has interviewed include President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, Secretary of State Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
, and numerous test pilots including Charles "Chuck" Yeager. In 2007 Spark was interviewed on National Public Radio, concerning an article he wrote about the Panay Incident
Panay incident
The USS Panay Incident was a Japanese attack on the American gunboat while she was anchored in the Yangtze River outside Nanking , China on December 12, 1937. Japan and the United States were not at war at the time. The Japanese claimed that they did not see the American flags painted on the deck...
.
Spark is probably most well-known for the four-part article Why Everything You Know About Murphy's Law Is Wronghttp://www.improb.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i5/murphy/murphy0.html, detailing the history of Murphy's law
Murphy's law
Murphy's law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong". - History :The perceived perversity of the universe has long been a subject of comment, and precursors to the modern version of Murphy's law are not hard to find. Recent significant...
. This article, which Spark later adapted into a short book, explains the genesis of the popular adage which apparently originated at Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
during the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
's Project MX981 to research high G-Force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
issues in 1947–1949 under the direction of "The Bravest Man in the Air Force", physicist and medical doctor John Stapp
John Stapp
John Paul Stapp, M.D., Ph.D., Colonel, USAF was a career U.S. Air Force officer, USAF flight surgeon and pioneer in studying the effects of acceleration and deceleration forces on humans...
.
Career
Spark attended the University of ArizonaUniversity of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
as a Flinn scholar, from which he received a degree in creative writing with a minor in media arts. While at the University of Arizona, he made Just Puttering Around, a 1992 documentary about octogenarian folk artist William Holzmanhttp://www.tucsonweekly.com/tw/05-29-97/review1.htm, for which the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences or NATAS was created in 1955 to advance the arts and sciences of television. Headquartered in New York, NATAS's membership is national and the organization has local chapters around the country....
awarded him a 1992 student Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. He then attended the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
's School of Cinema-Television where he received a Masters of Fine Arts degree (MFA) in film production. Subsequently, he received a second student Emmy Award and the Cine Golden Eagle (a forty-eight-year biannual film-and-video competition recognizing excellence in film and video
http://www.cine.org/), both for the documentary Upholding the Promise, a film about federal judges.
See also
- Four Part article detailing initial researches into the origination of Murphy's LawMurphy's lawMurphy's law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong". - History :The perceived perversity of the universe has long been a subject of comment, and precursors to the modern version of Murphy's law are not hard to find. Recent significant...
. - A History of Murphy's Law, published by Periscope Film http://www.historyofmurphyslaw.com—Spark's book on John StappJohn StappJohn Paul Stapp, M.D., Ph.D., Colonel, USAF was a career U.S. Air Force officer, USAF flight surgeon and pioneer in studying the effects of acceleration and deceleration forces on humans...
and Murphy's Law. - The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club — documentary film website.