The Science of Stephen King

For instance, in meteorology it’s common practice to create several weather forecasts for predicting a hurricane’s path because slight variables can create different results. A quote from Fichte in the 1800’s The Vocation of Man explains the butterfly effect simply. “You could not remove a single grain of sand from its place without thereby … changing something throughout all parts of the immeasurable whole.”

The Butterfly Effect theory purports that a very small change in initial conditions can create a significantly different outcome in weather or other occurrences.

There are numerous examples of the butterfly effect in action throughout history. The bombing of Nagasaki was originally supposed to take place in the city of Kuroko but was changed at the last minute due to cloudy weather conditions. An entirely different history would have played out if the initial plan had gone through. Adolf Hitler’s future was also shaped by a seemingly small moment in time. He was an aspiring artist and applied to The Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria. He was rejected, twice, and it is said to be the catalyst for a shift in his worldview. The inciting incident that began World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This event almost didn’t happen, but, because of a botched first attempt, and a failure of communication with his driver, he was shot dead that day. The Chernobyl disaster is an example of how a small act saved millions. “After the initial explosion, three plant workers volunteered to turn off the underwater valves to prevent a second explosion. Had they failed to turn off the valve, half of Europe would have been destroyed and rendered uninhabitable for half a million years. Russia, Ukraine, and Kiev also would have become unfit for human habitation.”3

Twenty-eight workers and firefighters succumbed to acute radiation poisoning during the first few months of the cleanup of Chernobyl, and dozens of others were badly sickened.4

What practical considerations would we need to think about if we were to time travel? In 11/22/63, Al gives Jake the advice of picking up a pair of slacks instead of jeans and advises him to learn the lingo of the day. Both of these, era-accurate clothing and decade-specific language, would be imperative in order to not stick out in a crowd. Other considerations would be hairstyles, knowledge of the culture of the day, popular movies and books to reference, and overall manners for the specific year. Jake, traveling from 2011 back to 1958, would run into a host of variables that he would need to get used to. For example, a gallon of gasoline would have cost thirty cents in the late 1950s whereas a gallon in 2011 went for an average of $3.52. Fashion was vastly different in the 1950s and the culture of everyday conversation may have been challenging to adjust to. Through reading the book, we know Jake picks up on enough and doesn’t out himself as a time traveler from the future.

Theorists haven’t definitively agreed on what happened that fateful day in 1963, but that hasn’t stopped everyday people from speculating. Stephen King traveled to Dallas, Texas, when conducting research for the book and came to some of his own conclusions. He believes Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. When I (Kelly) was in high school I did my own research. I read the Warren Commission report, compared the notes of several experts, and pored over every piece of information I could get my hands on. My conclusion? I believed Lee Harvey Oswald may have been involved but didn’t act alone. What science and evidence made me believe this? A few things.

First was the magic bullet theory. This theory posits that a single bullet caused all the wounds to Governor Connally and the nonfatal wounds to the president. The theory says that a three-centimeter-long copper-jacketed lead-core 6.5×52 mm Mannlicher–Carcano rifle bullet fired from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository passed through President Kennedy’s neck and went into Governor Connally’s chest, went through his wrist, and embedded itself in the Governor’s thigh. Assuming this is true, then this one bullet made its way through fifteen layers of clothing, seven layers of skin, and approximately fifteen inches of muscle tissue, struck a necktie knot, removed four inches of rib, and shattered a radius bone. The bullet was found on a gurney in the corridor at Parkland Memorial Hospital after the assassination in almost pristine condition. How could this be possible? A particular forensic technique used to match bullets found at crime scenes to bullets found in a suspect’s possession, called comparative bullet lead analysis, was first used in this investigation.