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Burrhus Frederic Skinner is born
Skinner was born to a laywer and stay-at-home mother in Susquehanna, PA. He lived in Susquehanna for most of his childhood. -
Graduation from Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a religiously affiliated college in New York. Even though Skinner was an atheist, he was made to attend daily worship at the chapel. -
Invention of the Skinner Box
The Skinner Box, otherwise known as the operant conditioning chamber, was used to demonstrate the effects of operant conditioning on small animals such as rats and pigeons. As it was a process, the exact date of the invention is unknown, but it was finished in 1930. -
PhD from Harvard
BF Skinner recieved his PhD from Harvard and continued to research at Harvard off and on for years. -
The Behavior of Organisms is Published
The Behavior of Organisms is the first book ever written by BF Skinner. It goes into detail on his studies of operant behavior and operant conditioning. As it is a novel the specific publishing date is not easily accesible. -
Involvement in World War 2
During WWII BF Skinner trained pigeons for the use of the allies. They would be trained to do their job without drawing suspicious. Eventually the project was shut down because it didn't work as well as they hoped it would. -
Invention of the Air Crib
In 1944 Yvonne Skinner became pregnant with their second daughter. Skinner had the idea to invent a crib that would eliminate dangers of conventional cribs and keep the baby safe and comfortable. The air crib kept the child warm without having to wrap them up extremely tight which brought dangers of overheating. It didn't catch on because people thought that it wa inhumane even though every child that was raised with an air crib claimed that they had no troubles or side effects. -
Publishing of Walden Two
Walden Two is one of Skinner's most famous books. It is a fictional book about a utopian society reached through the use of operant conditioning. It is very obviously influenced by his research as a psychologist. The exact publication date is not easily accesible, so January 1st is not the real date. -
Publishing of Verbal Behavior
Verbal Behavior was another of Skinner's most famous works. This specific novel demonstrates just how detailed his studies and observation of behavior had become. -
Skinner's Death
Skinner eventually died of Leukemia, which he had been diagnosed with in 1989. He died in his home in Cambridge, MA.
