May 15 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!
May 15 In Physics History - Births – Physicists born on May 15
Pierre Curie (15 May 1859 - 19 Apr 1906)
He was a French physical chemist who studied radioactive substances together with his wife Marie Curie whom he married in 1895. They researched under conditions of the hardship of not having adequate laboratory facilities and under the stress of having to earn their livelihood. They discovered Uranium and Polonium during the investigation of radioactivity by fractionation of pitchblende. They shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903.
Joseph Loschmidt (15 May 1821 - 8 Jul 1895)
He was an Austrian chemist and physicist who first proposed the cyclic structure for benzene and many other aromatic hydrocarbons. He explained the size of air molecules as around 1 NM. He was the one who measured Avogadro’s constant to be 6.03 x 10²³ molecules in 1 mole of a gas. For his discovery of the size of gas molecules, he made a relation between the size of the gas molecules to the distance traveled between collisions. He also considered the packet volume of molecules in a cold liquid
Williamina P. Fleming (15 May 1857 - 21 May 1911)
She was a Scottish-American astronomer who discovered stars called “white dwarfs”. She is known for her studies in the classification of stellar spectra. She worked as a maid of professor Edward Pickering but in 1881 he hired her to do clerical work and some mathematical calculation at the observatory. Then she proved that she has potential in science. She cataloged over 10000 stars within the next 9 years. She was also put in charge of thousands of young women hired to do mathematical computations.
Omar Khayyam (15 May 1048 - 4 Dec 1131)
He was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet who performed work on algebra that was used as a textbook in Persia. He studied the generalities of Euclid and contributed to the theory of parallel lines in geometry. He made a setup office on the observatory and worked on compiling astronomical tables. He also contributed to renovate the Persian calendar and developed the method for the accurate determination of specific gravity. His “quatrains” were popular among the English-speaking readers as The Rubáiyát of Omar Khahhám.
May 15 In Physics History - Deaths – Physicists died on May 15
Robert Morris Page (2 Jun 1903 - 15 May 1992)
He was an American physicist who was an expert in the field of circuit theory and components for early pulse radar systems. While employed at the US naval research laboratory, he invented the technology for pulse radar. This invention became vital to the allies for the detection of enemy planes and other targets during World war II. He continued research applications of radar and many other fields of electronics. He patented 65 projects for the development in these fields. Today it is used in weather forecasting, astronomy, navigation, and other technical fields.
Willis Lamb (12 Jul 1913 - 15 May 2008)
He was an American physicist who discovered the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum. For his discovery, he earned the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1955. His experimental work included the quantum theories of electromagnetic phenomena. He worked as the faculty of Columbia University and also in the radiation laboratory during World war II. He applied new methods to measure the hyperfine structure of the lines that appear in the spectrum and found their positions to be slightly different from what had been predicted. He also devised microwave techniques for examining the hyperfine structure of the spectral lines of helium. Hie worked as a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Oxford and was later appointed as a professor of Physics at the Yale University.
May 15 In Physics History - Events – Physics Events of May 15
Albert Einstein Awarded Benjamin Franklin Medal
Albert Einstein was awarded the Benjamin Franklin medal at the Franklin institute in 1935 for his outstanding contribution to theoretical physics and his Relativity Theory. At the ceremony, Einstein informs the chairman that he has nothing to say to the audience assembled. The chairman conveyed this information to the audience. Then, Einstein wrote a 44-page essay in March 1936 with the title “Physics and reality”.
Kepler Published Harmonic Laws of Planets
Johannes Kepler attempted to explain proportion in the geometry of planetary motion by connecting them to musical scales. He said that each planet producers musical tones while revolving around the sun and the pitch of the tone changes with the angular velocities of planets. Kepler discovered his “harmonics law” published in 1918. Kepler also predicted that at very rare intervals all planets would sing in perfect Concord and proposed that this phenomenon has happened at the time of creation.
Baily's Beads Observed First Time
During an annual solar eclipse, Francis Baily observed “Baily’s Beads” in 1836. His explanation of the striking optical effect resulted in new interest in the study of eclipses. Belly beats are nothing but bright spots that are briefly seen during a solar eclipse immediately before and after totality. This is caused by the light reflected through the irregular surface of the Moon. The last bead is always the brightest and it resembles a diamond ring. After retirement from his successful career as a stockbroker, he turned his interest into astronomy. He tried to repeat the Henry Cavendish experiment to determine and measure the elliptical shape of the earth. He also edited the British Nautical Almanac and several other star catalogs.
