I know you know who Bill Nye is, but did you know that he was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up here?
To this day, I can literally hear the "Bill Nye the science guy" jingle in my head from all of those middle school science classes. Bill Nye was just a staple in school, but I realized I didn’t know that much about him. So, I decided to do some research.
Bill Nye was born in Washington, D.C., in 1955, to parents that were both heavily involved in World War II. His father was a codebreaker, and then a prisoner of war, while his mother participated in an elite group called the Goucher Girls, whom the Navy enlisted to help crack codes from the Japanese and German militaries. Needless to say, the hard sciences were in his blood.
He attended elementary, middle, and high school in D.C., and left the city when he went off to Cornell University, to pursue his degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Nye is the perfect example of making your career anything you want it to be -- and that you are able to blend two passions into one. After working for a while at Boeing, Nye quit his job to pursue his comedy career. In 1993, he created the television program, Bill Nye the Science Guy, which was met with critical acclaim.
And even now, he’s a household name -- for making science fun and cool.
You can learn more about Bill Nye and what he’s up to now, on his website here.
Did you know Bill Nye was from D.C.? Which other famous people are from D.C.? Tell us in the comments!