Letter to the Editor

Abstract

Television, at some extent, has positively influenced the professional path of many of us. Just a few days ago, a graduate student of Mechanical Engineering told me his professional choice was due to a “wonder” he witnessed in November 1985, when he was 15 years old: Don William Cock (José Guillermo Cock), resembling a scientist could split an apple into two exact halves on the TV show “Siga la pista” hosted by Fernando González Pacheco. This feat took place after many experts tried unsuccessfully in many different ways, not only in Colombia, but also in Chile, Venezuela and the United States of America. But unfortunately, this was the very same day the M-19 Palace of Justice siege occurred, a fact that not only overshadowed this important achievement in the field of optics and precision instrumentation, but left an indelible footprint in the history of our country.