BuckminsterFuller, 1895-1983: BuildingDesigner, Engineer, Inventor, Thinker, Poet

Hewasoneofthemostunusualthinkersofthetwentiethcentury.

VOICEONE:

I'mPhoebeZimmermann.

VOICETWO:

AndI'mSteveEmberwiththeVOASpecialEnglishprogramPeopleinAmerica. Todaywetellaboutanunusualmanwhohadmanyabilities.

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VOICEONE:

R. BuckminsterFuller

Buildingdesigner. Engineer. Inventor. Thinker. Poet. Notfivepeople. Justone: RichardBuckminsterFuller. "Bucky" Fuller, ashewasknown, wasoneofthemostunusualthinkersofthetwentiethcentury. Hisaiminlifewastomakethehumanraceasuccessintheuniverse.

BuckyFullerspentmostofhislifesearchingfornewideas. Healsosearchedforunusualconnectionsbetweenexistingideas. Hedescribedhimselfinthesewords: "Acomplete, future-thinkingdesign-scienceexplorer."

Fullerbelieveddeeplyintechnology. Throughtechnology, hesaid, peoplecandoanythingtheyneedtodo.

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R. BuckminsterFullerdiedinnineteeneighty-threeattheageofeighty-seven. Duringhislonglife, hediscussedhisideaabouttechnologyandhumansurvival. Hecalledhisidea"dymaxion." Itcamefromthreewords. Dynamic, meaningaforce. Maximum, meaningthemost. Andion, whichisanatomorgroupofatomswithanelectricalcharge.

Fullerexplainedtheworddymaxionasamethodofdoingmorewithless. Everythinghedidwasguidedbythisidea. Hedesignedadymaxioncar, adymaxionhouse, andadymaxionmapoftheworld. Butheprobablyisknownbestforanotherinvention-- thegeodesicdome. Ageodesicdomeisaroundbuildingmadeofmanystraight-sidedpieces.

TalkingaboutR. BuckminsterFullermeansusingstrangewords. ThisisbecauseFullerhimselfinventedwordstodescribehisideasanddesigns. Hisdesignswerewayaheadofhistime. Theystillare.

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VOICEONE:

R. BuckminsterFullerwasborninMilton, Massachusetts, ineighteenninety-five. Buckycouldnotseeclearly, becausehiseyesdidnotpointstraightahead. So, hisworldwasfilledwithmassesofcolorwithoutclearshapes.

Whenhewasfouryearsold, hegoteyeglassestocorrecttheproblem. Suddenly, hecouldseetheshapesofpeople'sfaces. Hecouldseestarsintheskyandleavesonthetrees. Heneverlosthisjoyatthebeautyhediscoveredintheworld.

Asachild, BuckyFullerquestionedeverything. Hewasaveryindependentthinkeratanearlyage. Hisrefusaltoacceptotherpeople'sideasandrulescontinuedashegrewolder. Oneresultwasthathenevercompletedhisuniversitystudies. HewasexpelledtwotimesfromHarvardUniversityinCambridge, Massachusetts. Hethoughthistimewasbetterspenthavingfunthanstudying.

YetBuckyFullerwasveryseriousaboutlearning. HeprovedthiswhenhejoinedtheAmericannavyduringWorldWarOne.

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Inthenavy, helearnedallaboutnavigation, mathematics, mechanics, communicationsandelectronicsengineering. Helovedthisworldofmoderntechnology. Soonafterhejoinedthenavy, hedesignednewrescueequipment. Ithelpedsavethelivesofsomepilotsduringtraining. Fuller'sgoodnavyrecordwonhimashort-termappointmenttotheUnitedStatesNavalAcademyinAnnapolis, Maryland. Itwastherehefirstdevelopedtwoideasthatwereimportantfortherestofhislife.

Whilestudyingwarships, Fullerrealizedthattheyweighedmuchlessthanbuildings, yetwereabletodomuchmore. Hedecidedbetterdesignscouldalsohelphumansdomore, usingfewermaterials.

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Innineteenseventeen, BuckyFullermarriedAnneHewlett. Theirdaughter, Alexandra, wasbornaboutayearlater. Buckywasaveryemotionalman, aswellasanintellectualone. Helovedhislittledaughter. Shewasthewonderofhisworld. ThenAlexandrabecameverysick. Themedicinetocureherhadnotbeeninventedyet. Shediedattheageoffour.

BuckyFullerblamedhimself, althoughhehaddoneeverythinghecouldtosaveher. Hissorrowovercamehim. Hebegantodrinktoomuchalcohol. Yethecontinuedtoworkhard.

Fullerwasheadofacompanythatmadealight-weightbuildingmaterial. Hewasnotasuccessfulbusinessman, however. Andthecompanybegantofail. Hewasdismissedbytheowners. Itwasnineteentwenty-seven. Hiswifehadjustgivenbirthtoanotherbabygirl. TheywerelivinginChicago, Illinois. Hehadnojobandnomoney. Hefelthewasacompletefailure.

VOICETWO:

BuckyFullerwalkedthroughthestreetsofChicagoalonglakeMichigan. Hestoodsilentlyontheshore. Heconsideredkillinghimself. Then, asheexplainedlater, herealizedhedidnothavetherighttokillhimself. Hesaidhehadfeltsomethinginsidehimthatday. HecalledittheGreaterIntelligenceorGod. Ittoldhimhebelongedtotheuniverse. SoBuckyFullerdecidedtolive. Andhewouldlivethewayhethoughtbest. HepromisedtospendhisremainingyearsinsearchofdesignsthatcouldmakehumanexistenceonEartheasier. Thisbeganhisgreatcreativeperiod.

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VOICEONE:

Adymaxionhouse

Fuller'sfirstdesignwasthedymaxionhouse. Itwasnotbuiltattheplaceitwouldstand. Itwasbuiltinafactory, thenmoved. Itdidnotcostmuchtobuild. AnditdidnotlooklikeatraditionalhouseinAmerica. Itsroofhungfromahugestickinthecenter. Itswallsweremadeofglass. Itcontainedeverythingneededforpeopletolive. Powercamefromthesun. Waterwascleanedandre-used.

Fullerthendesignedandbuiltthedymaxioncar. Itlookedalittlelikethebodyofanairplane. Ithadthreewheelsinsteadoffour. Itcouldgoasfastasonehundredeightykilometersanhour. Itcarrieduptotwelvepassengers.

SeveralcompanieswereinterestedinbuildingandsellingFuller'shouseandcar. Buthisdesignsweresodifferent, soextreme, thatbankswerenotwillingtolendmoneyfortheprojects. Sothedymaxionhouse-- whichcouldhaveprovidedlow-costhousingforeveryone-- wasneverbuilt. Andthedymaxioncar-- whichcouldhaveprovidedsafe, pollution-freetransportationusinglittlegasoline-- wasneverproduced.

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BuckyFullerdidnotgiveuphisideaofdoingmorewithless. Hehadanideaforanotherbuildingdesign. Itwouldprovidethemoststrengthwiththeleastamountofmaterial. Hebeganlookingfortheperfectshape.

Fullerfounditinnature. Itappearedintheshapesoforganiccompoundsandmetals. Themainpartofhisdesignisafour-sidedpyramid. Tocreateabuilding, manypyramidsareconnectedtoeachother. Theconnectingpiecehaseightsides.

Together, thesetwoshapescreateaverystrong, light-weightroundedstructure. Thestructurecanbecoveredwithanykindofmaterial. Anditcanstandwithoutanysupportsinside. Fullernamedthisstructurethegeodesicdome. Itcoversmorespacewithlessmaterialthananyotherbuildingeverdesigned.

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AgeodesicdomeinMontreal, Canada

Afteranumberofexperimentalgeodesicdomeswerebuilt, industrybegantounderstandthevalueofthedesign. Today, thereareaboutonehundredthousanddifferentlargeandsmallgeodesicdomesinusearoundtheworld. However, nooneyethasactedononeofFuller'sideasforthegeodesicdome.

Therearenolimitstothesizeofageodesicdome. SoFullerproposedusingthemovercitiesoroverareasthathadsevereweather. Ageodesicdomethatsizewouldmakeitpossibletohavecompletecontrolovertheenvironmentinsideit.

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VOICETWO:

MostofBuckyFuller'sinventionsdidnotearnhimmuchmoney. Alotofwhathedidearnhespenttravellingaroundtheworld. Hetoldanyonewhowouldlistenabouthisideasforhumanlifeonthisplanet. Hecalledtheplanet"SpaceshipEarth." Humans, hesaid, areastronautsonSpaceshipEarth. Theyaretravellingonehundredthousandkilometersanhouraroundthesun. HesaidtheEarthislikealargemechanicaldevicethatwillsurviveonlyifpeoplelivingonitknowhowtooperateitcorrectly.

PeoplemustliveonEarthjustasastronautsliveinaspaceship. Theymustusetheirsupplieswisely, andre-usethem. BuckminsterFullersaidhumansareable, throughplanningandwiseuseofnaturalsupplies, tofeedandhousethemselvesforever.

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VOICEONE:

ThisVOASpecialEnglishprogram, PeopleinAmerica, waswrittenbyMarilynRiceChristiano. ItwasproducedbyLawanDavis. OurstudioengineerwasSulaimanTarawaley. I'mPhoebeZimmerman.

VOICETWO:

AndI'mSteveEmber. JoinusagainnextweekforanotherPeopleinAmericaprogramontheVoiceofAmerica.