Carl Sagan was one of the greatest popularizers of science the world has seen. Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1934, he sadly passed away relatively young in 1996 in Seattle, WA. A trained astronomer and astrophysicist, he inspired generations of scientists through his popular books and his brilliant TV series, Cosmos, one of the most beloved science programs ever made.
Sagan authored, co-authored, or edited around 20 books total, along with hundreds of scientific papers.[1] One could not read him without being moved by the poetry and the lyrical quality of his prose. It was inspired and inspiring. I believe that reading his popular books is great training on how to express oneself verbally.
He had a distinctive speech style. His soft, resonant voice had a melodic and resonant intonation. It was punctuated with pauses for emphasis. Most memorable was how he said the word “billions” — which he had to do with some regularity since his subject involved astronomical numbers. Though he never uttered the phrase “billions and billions,” it was associated with him in the popular mind. The title of the final book he wrote, “Billions & Billions,” shows that he did not lose his sense of humor even while suffering terminal cancer. Continue reading “Carl Sagan”
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