April 17 in Physics History
Physics history will help you to develop a better understanding of the physics world!
birthdays & deaths
Explore all birthdays & deaths of physicists occurred on this day with their short biography!
physics Events
Know all important discoveries made by physicists & events happened on this day with complete information!
April 17 in Physics History - Births – Physicists born on April 17
Giovanni Riccioli (17 Apr 1598 - 25 Jun 1671)
He was an Italian astronomer who discovered satellite shadows on Jupiter. He was also the first to discover the double star in Ursa Major. The names of some of the lunar features were assigned by him. The more important features were named after famous astronomers and scientists. He published his map in Almagestum Novum in 1651.
Augustus Edward Hough Love (17 Apr 1863 - 5 Jun 1940)
He was the British geophysicist and mathematician whose prediction was confirmed that the occurrence of a seismic wave confined to the surface layer of the Earth that traveled between the crust and the mantle. This earthquake wave was later subsequently named for him. He also studied elasticity and wrote a paper on the Mathematical Theory of Elasticity.
April 17 in Physics History - Deaths – Physicists died on April 17
Benjamin Franklin (17 Jan 1706 - 17 Apr 1790)
He was an American inventor, scientist, author, printer and publisher, and diplomat who is widely known for his experiments on electricity. He invented the lightning rod and type of stove that gives more warmth than open fireplaces. He also helped establish institutions, a fire company, an academy, and a hospital.
Jean Perrin (30 Sep 1870 - 17 Apr 1942)
He was a French physicist who confirmed the atomic nature of matter by studying the Brownian motion of minute particles suspended in liquids. One of the most important physical constants, Avogadro’s number was determined by him by using a gamboge emulsion. For this, he was awarded the Noble Prize for physics in 1926.
Harriet Brooks (2 Jul 1876 - 17 Apr 1933)
She was a Canadian nuclear physicist who contributed a lot to the new science of radioactivity. She was probably the first to observe the recoil of the atomic nucleus during the emission of the nuclear particles at radioactive decay. Along with Rutherford, she demonstrated that the diffusion of the emanations of radium behaved like gas as well as had a high molecular weight. She died due to leukemia.
April 17 in Physics History - Events – Physics Events of April 17
The Spacecraft Surveyor 3 Was Launched
On this day, the spacecraft Surveyor 3 was launched from Cape Kennedy in 1967. It studied the lunar surface and sent about 6300 pictures back to Earth. It was the second US spacecraft that made a soft landing on the moon. It carried a survey television camera, mechanics experiments, and devices that measured temperature and radar reflectivity. The US sent 7 Surveyors to the moon to support the coming crewed Apollo landings
