10 Things You Don’t Know About Washington’s Own Bill Nye
If you ever watched the show “Bill Nye The Science Guy” you noticed he often “filmed on location” in SEATTLE! Now that he’s probably more famous than when he was on TV, we decided it’s time to present “STUFF YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT BILL NYE!”
· He’s not originally from Washington… state. He was born in Washington D.C.! His dad was a codebreaker in WWII and spent time in a Japanese POW camp.
· He received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell. He was in famous online tiff with Sarah Palin after she said, “He’s as much a scientist as I am.” Strictly speaking, engineers with bachelor degrees are not usually considered “scientists” but his numerous honorary degrees speak to the acceptance he’s received from academics.
· He moved to the Pacific Northwest to work for Boeing!
· His first professional TV experience came from starring in training videos about hydraulic pressure resonance suppressors.
· Nye has had a life-long ambition of being an astronaut but NASA has declined his repeated requests.
· Nye worked for a sketch comedy TV show in Seattle called “Almost Live!” and you can watch one of his skits below!
· “The Science Guy” bit began as a segment on “Almost Live!”
· He was an assistant to Christopher Lloyd on a TV show based on “Back to the Future” and that’s what led to him getting his own show.
· Every single episode of “Bill Nye The Science Guy” was filmed in the Puget Sound area.
· In addition to his honorary PhDs, he’s been the head of several science societies, worked on a Mars project and even holds two patents.