March 23 in Physics History: Birthdays, Deaths & Discoveries

Explore March 23 in physics history with all birthdays, deaths & discoveries by physicists and all major physics events happened on this day!

March 23 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!

March 23 in Physics History - Births – Physicists born on March 23

Wernher von Braun (23 Mar 1912 - 16 Jun 1977)

He was a German-American rocket engineer who during WW II, led the development of the deadly V-2 ballistic missile for the Nazis. He was one of the most important developers of rockets and their evolution. After 1960, he became the director of Marshall Space Flight Center and chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle.

Pierre-Simon Laplace (23 Mar 1749 - 5 Mar 1827)

He was a French physicist, mathematician, and astronomer who developed an explanation of the surface tension of any liquid in terms of its inter-molecular attraction. He also investigated capillary action and the speed of sound. He is known for his mathematical analysis of the stability of the solar system. In mathematics, he contributed to probability and calculus.

Norman Robert Pogson (23 Mar 1829 - 23 Jun 1891)

He was an English astronomer who devised the magnitude scale of the brightness of the stars which is still in use. He discovered 8 asteroids and had calculated orbits for two comets. He moved to India in 1881 and worked there for the rest of his life.

Richard Anthony Proctor (23 Mar 1837 - 12 Sep 1888)

He was an English astronomer who was the first to realize that the cause of lunar craters are meteors. He also studied the motion of stars, and their relation to the Nebulae, and prepared a map of the surface of Mars. He was famous as a writer and lecturer.

John Randall (23 Mar 1905 - 16 Jun 1984)

He was an English physicist who contributed to winning WW II by improving the cavity magnetron. It is a device that is used in radars. It is now very commonly used in home appliances. He developed the earlier low power output into much higher power with small size. Also, this equipment was portable with a small antenna.

March 23 in Physics History - Deaths – Physicists died on March 23

Max Mason (26 Oct 1877 - 23 Mar 1961)

He was an American mathematical physicist and science administrator who invented numerous devices for submarine detection during War I. His final device had a range of 3 miles. He also contributed to differential equations, acoustical compensators, and electromagnetic theory.

Thomas Corwin Mendenhall (26 Oct 1877 - 23 Mar 1961)

He was an American meteorologist and physicist who devised a quarter second’s pendulum for gravity measurements. He was the first to give the idea of the use of a ring pendulum for measuring absolute gravity. He developed an easy way to study terrestrial magnetism and instituted improvements in the measurements of baselines with wire tapes. He also served as the Director of both the Geodetic Survey and the U.S. Coast.

March 23 in Physics History - Events – Physics Events on March 23

The First Photograph Of The Moon

The first successful photo of the moon was taken by an Englishman John William Draper in 1840.

Gemini III

On this day, America’s first two-person space flight – Gemini III, also known as “Molly Brown”, took off from Cape Kennedy in 1965.

The Russian Space Station - Mir - Destroyed

The Russian space station, Mir, burnt up in Earth’s atmosphere in 2001 after it ended its 15 years in orbit. It was launched in 1986 for five years. But it exceeded its originally planned lifespan. In 2001, the Russian government decided to shut it down because of its poor condition. The debris that did not burn up during re-entry fell into the Pacific Ocean at the planned target.

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