William Gurstelle
A writer and tinkerer who demystifies complex physics by teaching people to build catapults, flamethrowers, and other backyard marvels.
Born 1956 (age 70)·Birthday: March 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
William Gurstelle is the friendly, slightly mischievous professor of practical mayhem you always wished you had. With a background in engineering, he found his calling not in corporate labs but in the garage and the workshop, translating principles of ballistics and pyrotechnics into hands-on projects for enthusiasts. His writing, a staple in magazines like Make and Popular Science, is less about dry theory and more about the thrilling, controlled application of force and fire. He approaches technology with a historian's curiosity and a punk rocker's DIY spirit, arguing that the best way to understand the physics of a trebuchet is to build one that can launch a pumpkin. Gurstelle has built a career on the idea that science is participatory, empowering a generation of makers to get their hands dirty and their minds engaged.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
William was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When William Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
William's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Authored the popular 'Backyard Ballistics' series of books, which provide blueprints for building devices like potato cannons and pneumatic rockets.
- Served as the Pyrotechnics and Ballistics Editor for Popular Mechanics, bringing a technical yet accessible voice to the subject.
- Became a featured columnist for Make magazine, a central publication in the global maker movement.
- His work is part of the academic program on the History of Technology, Science, and Medicine at the University of Minnesota.
Did You Know?
He holds a patent for a device that launches T-shirts into crowds at sporting events.
He has been a frequent speaker and workshop leader at Maker Faires around the world.
One of his books, 'Absinthe & Flamethrowers,' explores the science behind 'projects with a hint of danger.'
“If you want to understand physics, build a catapult that can launch a pumpkin.”
