Bill invented the method of using a hot branding iron to permanently put the mark of a ranch on a cow's skin.

VOA: special.2011.06.11

"He was very afraid of fire, very scared of burning, " she said, describing his complaints after mere steam from hot tea once left a mark on his hand.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

But Hamilton, who had just started his final hot lap, comfortably eclipsed that mark to take his eighth career pole.

BBC: Hamilton takes Canadian GP pole

It fell apart then, exploding in sparks, but she remembered how elated she felt to touch the scorch-mark and smell the hot, tarry smell of the destroyed wood.

ECONOMIST: Yelena Bonner