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May
Important dates in History
May
31: Richard
Lovell Edgeworth
(Born May 31, 1744: Died June 13, 1817)
Anglo-Irish inventor of mechanical innovations including an attempt
at telegraphic communication (possibly the first), the creation
of various sailing carriages, a velocipede (cycle), a "perambulator"
(landmeasuring machine), a turnip cutter, improved agricultural
machinery, and made discoveries in the field of electricity. In
the late 1790s, he proposed the tellograph for "conveying secret
and swift intelligence" using 30 tall towers spaced between
Dublin and Galway (130 miles). Relayed from tower to tower using
large triangular pointers, encoded messages could reach Dublin in
just eight minutes. Unfortunately, poor visibility due to the weather
doomed the idea. Edgeworth was also an educationalist.
May
30: Voltaire
(Born November 21, 1694: Died May 30, 1778)
(François Marie Arouet) Voltaire was a French author who
popularized Isaac Newton's work in France by arranging a translation
of Principia Mathematica to which he added his own commentary (1737).
The work of the translation was done by the marquise de Châtelet
who was one of his mistresses, but Voltaire's commentary bridged
the gap between non-scientists and Newton's ideas at a time in France
when the pre-Newtonian views of Descartes were still prevalent.
Although a philosopher, Voltaire advocated rational analysis. He
died on the eve of the French Revolution.
May
29: Nobel's
will
In 1898, the heirs of Alfred Nobel sign a "reconciliation agreement"
so that lawyers and accountants can execute his will. The will's
major bequest was to create the Nobel Prizes, but first, there were
disputes to be settled.
May
28: Paul-Émile
Lecoq de Boisbaudran
(Born April 18, 1838: Died May 28, 1912)
French chemist who developed improved spectroscopic methods which
had recently been developed by Kirchhoff. In 1859, he set out to
scan minerals for unknown spectral lines. Fifteen years of persistence
paid off when he discovered the elements gallium (1875), samarium
(1880), and dysprosium (1886). He ranks with Bunsen, Kirchoff and
Crookes as one of the founders of the science of spectroscopy. Guided
by the general arrangement of spectral lines for elements in the
same family, he believed the element he called gallium (in honor
of France) was the eka-aluminium predicted by Mendeléeff
between aluminium and indium. Since it is liquid between about 30
- 1700 deg C, a gallium in quartz thermometer can measure high temperatures.
May
27: Ernst
Ruska
(Born December 25, 1906: Died May 27, 1988)
Ernst August Friedrich Ruska was a German electrical engineer who
invented the electron microscope. For "his fundamental work
in electron optics and for the design of the first electron microscope"
he was awarded a share of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1986 (with
Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Binnig). In 1928, found that a magnetic
coil could act as a lens to focus an electron beam. Adding a second
lens he produced the first primitive (x17 power) electron microscope.
By 1933, his refinements increased the magnification to x7000, exceeding
what was possible with visible light. The first commercial model
was marketed in 1939. Since then, electron microscopes rapidly found
applications in biology, medicine and many other areas of science.
May
26: Steel
manufacture
In 1857, Robert Mushet, an English metallurgist, received a U.S.
patent for a method of manufacturing steel which improved the Bessemer
process for making steel that would be more malleable. (No. 17,389).
His process added manganese in the form of spiegeleisen, an alloy
of iron and manganese derived from a Prussian iron ore consisting
essentially of a double carbonate or iron and manganese. The softness
or hardness of the steel could be regulated by diminishing or increasing
the proportion of the triple compound of iron, carbon and manganese.
He chose to use the alloy of the Prussian ore because it was more
free of sulphur, phosphorus and silicon. Mushet also discovered
tungsten steel, an alloy with about 8% tungsten.
May
25: Pieter
Zeeman
(Born May 25, 1865: Died October 9, 1943)
Dutch physicist who was an authority on magneto-optics. In 1896,
he discoveredthe "Zeeman effect," the "phenomena
produced in spectroscopy by the splitting up of spectral lines in
a magnetic field." He shared (with Hendrik A. Lorentz) the
Nobel Prize for Physics in 1902 for his discovery of the Zeeman
effect.
May
24: Daniel
Gabriel Fahrenheit
(Born May24, 1686: Died September 16, 1736)
German physicist and maker of scientific instruments. He is best
known for inventing the alcohol thermometer (1709) and mercury thermometer
(1714) and for developing the Fahrenheit temperature scale. He devoted
himself to the study of physics and the manufacture of precision
meteorological instruments. He discovered, among other things, that
water can remain liquid below its freezing point and that the boiling
point of liquids varies with atmospheric pressure.
May
23: John
Bardeen
(Born May 23, 1908: Died January 30, 1991)
American physicist who was cowinner of the Nobel Prize for Physics
in both 1956 and 1972. He shared the 1956 prize with William B.
Shockley and Walter H. Brattain for their joint invention of the
transistor. With Leon N. Cooper and John R. Schrieffer he was awarded
the 1972 prize for development of the theory of superconductors,
usually called the BCS-theory.
May
22: William
Sturgeon
(Born May 22, 1783: Died December 4, 1850)
English electrical engineer who devised the first electromagnet
capable of supporting more than its own weight (1825). The 7-ounce
(200-gram) magnet was able to support 9 pounds (4 kilograms) of
iron using the current from a single cell. Sturgeon built an electric
motor (1832) and invented the commutator, now part of most modern
electric motors. In 1836, he invented the first suspended coil galvanometer,
a device for measuring current. His interests also extended to improving
the voltaic battery, and developing theory of thermoelectricity,
and even atmospheric charge conditions. From 500 kite flights made
in calm weather, he found the atmosphere is consistently charged
positively with respect to the Earth, and increasingly so at increased
height.
May
21: Hans
Berger
(Born May 21, 1873: June 1, 1941)
Psychiatrist who recorded the first human electroencephalogram (EEG).
In 1929, he devised a system of electrodes which he attached to
his son's skull, and connected to an oscillograph. This gave a recording
of brain waves - the rhythmic changes in electric potentials. The
most prominent of these rhythms he labelled "alpha waves"
and "beta waves."
May
20: William
Hewlett
(Born May 20, 1913: Died January 12, 2001)
William Redington Hewlett was an American electrical engineer who
co-founded the Hewlett-Packard Company, a leading manufacturer computers,
computer printers, and analytic and measuring equipment. In 1939,
he formed a partnership known as Hewlett-Packard Company with David
Packard, a friend and Stanford classmate. (The order of their names
was determined by a coin toss.) HP's first product was an audio
oscillator based on a design developed by Hewlett when he was in
graduate school. Eight were sold to Walt Disney for Fantasia. Lesser-known
early products were: bowling alley foul-line indicator, automatic
urinal flusher, weight-loss shock machine. The company's first "plant"
was a small garage in Palo Alto, with $538 initial capital.
May
19: Sir
Joseph Larmor
 (Born
July 11, 1857: Died May 19, 1942)
Irish physicist, the first to calculate the rate at which energy
is radiated by an accelerated electron, and the first to explain
the splitting of spectrum lines by a magnetic field. His theories
were based on the belief that matter consists entirely of electric
particles moving in the ether. His elaborate mathematical electrical
theory of the late 1890s included the "electron" as a
rotational strain (a sort of twist) in the ether. But Larmor's theory
did not describe the electron as a part of the atom. Many physicists
envisioned both material particles and electromagnetic forces as
structures and strains in that hypothetical fluid.
May
18: Oliver
Heaviside
(Born May 18, 1850: Died February 3, 1925)
English physicist who predicted the existence of the ionosphere.
In 1870, he became a telegrapher, but increasing deafness forced
him to retire in 1874. He then devoted himself to investigations
of electricity. In 1902, Heaviside and Kennelly predicted that there
should be an ionised layer in the upper atmosphere that would reflect
radio waves. They pointed out that it would be useful for long distance
communication, allowing radio signals to travel to distant parts
of the earth by bouncing off the underside of this layer. The existence
of the layer, now known as the Heaviside layer or the ionosphere,
was demonstrated in the 1920s, when radio pulses were transmitted
vertically upward and the returning pulses from the reflecting layer
were received.
May
17: High
voltage
In 1979, a voltage of 321.5 million volts, the
highest ever generated, was produced by the National Electrostatics
Corporation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
May
16: J.
Georg Bednorz
(Born May 16, 1950)
German physicist who, with Karl Alex Müller, was awarded the
1987 Nobel Prize for Physics for their joint discovery of superconductivity
in a new class of materials at temperatures higher than had previously
been thought attainable. They startled the world by reporting superconductivity
in a layered, ceramic material at a then record-high temperature
of 33 kelvin (that is 33 degrees above absolute zero, or roughly
-460 degrees Fahrenheit). Their discovery set off an avalanche of
research worldwide into related materials that yielded dozens of
new superconductors, eventually reaching a transition temperature
of 135 kelvin. Today, he develops complex oxide compounds with novel
crystal structures for possible uses in microelectronics.
May
15: William
Hume-Rothery
(Born May 15, 1899: Died: September 27, 1968)
British metallurgist, internationally known for his work on the
formation of alloys and intermetallic compounds. During WW II, he
supervised many government contracts for work on complex aluminium
and magnesium alloys. He established that the microstructure of
an alloy depends on the different sizes of the component atoms,
the valency electron concentration, and electrochemical differences.
Hume-Rothery rules are an empirical guide to when two metals are
sufficiently similar to be completely miscible (form a single phase
at all relative concentrations). They are: (1). Atomic radii no
more than about 15% different. (2). Pure metals have the same crystal
structure. (3). Atoms have similar electronegativities. (4). Atoms
have the same valence.
May
14: John
Chipman
(Born April 25, 1897: Died May 14, 1983)
American physical chemist and metallurgist who was instrumental
in applying the principles of physical chemistry to constituents
in liquid metals and to the chemical reactions between slag and
liquid iron that are important in the production of pig iron and
steel.
May
13: Joseph
Henry
 (Born
December 17, 1797: Died May 13, 1878)
One of the first great American scientists after Benjamin Franklin.
Although Henry at an early age appeared to be headed for a career
in the theater, a chance encounter with a book of lectures on scientific
topics turned his interest to science. He aided Samuel F.B. Morse
in the development of the telegraph and discovered several important
principles of electricity, including self-induction, a phenomenon
of primary importance in electronic circuitry. He was the first
Secretary (director) of the Smithsonian Institution (1846-1878),
where he established the foundation of a national weather service.
For more than thirty years, Henry insisted that basic research was
of fundamental importance.
May
12: Roy
J. Plunkett
(Born June 26, 1910: Died May 12, 1994)
American chemist and inventor of Teflon (the DuPont trademark name
for Polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE). His discovery, while working
for DuPont, was accidental. On 6 Apr 1938, Plunkett found that a
tank of gaseous tetrafluoroethylene (CF2CF2) had polymerized to
a white powder. During WW II this new polymer was applied as a corrosion-resistant
coating to protect metal equipment used in the production of radioactive
material. DuPont released its trademarked Teflon coated nonstick
cookware in 1960.
May
11: Computer
memory
In 1951, Jay Forrester patented computer core memory.
May
10: Valence
theory
In 1852, the theory of valence was announced by English chemist
Sir Edward Frankland (1825-1899). The theory states that any atom
can combine with a certain, limited number of other atoms, which
is remains fundamental to the understanding of chemical structure.
May
9: Hindenburg
In 1936, the Hindenburg zeppelin arrived at Lakehurst,
N.J. making the beginning of regular commercial service across the
Atlantic from Germany. The flight took 61-hr 38-min, carrying 51
passengers and 56 crew.
May
8: Metric
system
In 1790, following a motion by Charles Maurice Talleyrand (1754-1838),
the French National Assembly decided on the creation of a decimal
system of measurement units that would be stable and simple. The
first unit chosen was based on a pendulum beating a second. On 30
Mar 1791, after a proposal by the Académie des sciences (Borda,
Lagrange, Laplace, Monge and Condorcet), the Assembly chose that
a metre would be a 1/10 000 000 of the distance between the north
pole and the equator. On 7 Apr 1795, the Convention decreed that
the new "Republican Measures" were to be henceforth legal
measures in France. The metric system was created, adopting greek
prefixes for multiples and latin prefixes for decimal fractions.
May
7: Intergrated
circuit
In 1952, the concept of the integrated circuit chip was first published,
by Geoffrey W.A. Dummer, in Washington DC.
May
6: Hindenburg
In 1937, at 7:25 pm, The Hindenburg burned while landing at the
naval air station at Lakehurst, N.J. On board were 6l crew and 36
passengers. The landing approach seemed normal, when suddenly a
tongue of flame appeared near the stern. Fire spread rapidly through
the 7 million cubic feet of hydrogen that filled the balloon. Within
a few seconds the zeppelin exploded in a huge ball of fire. The
ship fell tail first with flames shooting out the nose. It crashed
into the ground 32 seconds after the flame was first spotted; 36
people died. Captain Ernst Lehmann survived the crash but died the
next day. He muttered "I can't understand it," The cause
remains the subject of debate even today.
May
5: Peter
Cooper Hewitt
(Born May 5, 1861: Died August 25, 1921)
American electrical engineer who invented the mercury-vapour lamp,
a major step in electrical lighting. He studied the production of
light using electrical discharges (while Edison was still developing
incandescent filaments). The mercury-filled tubes he began developing
in the late 1890s, gave off an unattractive blue-green light. Thus,
despite its brilliance, it was unsuitable as a lamp in homes. However,
photo studios widely adopted his lamps because the black and white
film of the time just needed very bright light, despite its colour.
There were also many industrial uses for the lamp. His manufacturing
company (est. 1902) was bought by General Electric in 1919 which
produced a new design in 1933.
May
4: American
Academy of Arts and Sciences
In 1780, the first U.S. national arts and science
society was incorporated. It was chartered in Boston, Mass. "to
cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest,
dignity, honor and happiness of a free, independent and virtuous
people." The first society president was James Bowdoin (1780-90).
The original incorporators were later joined by Benjamin Franklin,
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Bulfinch, Alexander
Hamilton, John Quincy Adams, and others.
May
3: Sir
George Paget Thomson
Born 3 May 1892; died 10 Sep 1975. (Born May 3, 1892: Died September
10, 1975)
English physicist who was the joint recipient (with Clinton J. Davisson
of the U.S.) of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1937 for demonstrating
that electrons undergo diffraction, a behaviour peculiar to waves
that is widely exploited in determining the atomic structure of
solids and liquids. He was the son of Sir J.J. Thomson who discovered
the electron as a particle.
May
2: Electrolysis
of water
In 1800, English chemist William Nicholson took wires from the poles
of a battery he had built and dipped them in water. He found bubbles
of gas were released due to the effect of current flow through water
and thus became the first to observe electrolysis. At the (positive)
anode, oxygen was released and hydrogen appeared at the cathode.
Electricity had separated the molecules of water.
May
1: BASIC
 In
1964, first BASIC program was run on a computer at about 4:00 a.m.
Invented at Dartmouth University by professors John G. Kemeny and
Thomas E. Kurtz, the first implementation was a BASIC compiler.
Basic is an acronym for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction
Code, designed to be an easy programming language to learn quickly
how to write simple programs. Originally for mainframes, BASIC was
adopted for use on personal computers when they became available.
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