London's Famous Scientists
London's Famous Scientists
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London is home to one of the world's oldest scientific societies, the Royal Society, at which philosophers shared their findings, born out of enlightened curiosity about the workings of the universe. A Londoner even has a claim to have invented the scientific method. More recently, universities, hospitals and institutions have provided bases for research. Here are just a few of the exceptional scientists who had homes in London. There are plenty more.
By the way, the word 'scientist' did not come into popular use until relatively recent times, so I am being a bit naughty applying it to people like Newton.
By the way, the word 'scientist' did not come into popular use until relatively recent times, so I am being a bit naughty applying it to people like Newton.
- Sir Isaac Newton (Gravitation, Dynamics, Calculus)
- Benjamin Franklin (Lightning, +ve & -ve Electrical Charge)
- Michael Faraday (Electromagnetism, Chemistry)
- James Clerk Maxwell (Electromagnetism, Light, Heat)
- Robert Boyle (Gases, Physics, Chemistry)
- William H. & William L. Bragg (Chemical Structures)
- Robert Hooke (Elasticity, Microscopy)
- Charles Lyell (Geology - once the cutting edge of science)
- Lord Kelvin (Thermodynamics, Tides)
- Lord Rayleigh (Argon, Acoustics & Vibration)
- Henry Cavendish (Hydrogen, Gravity, Electricity)
- Charles Darwin (Evolution, Biology)
Where are the women?
The fact that women were almost excluded from science for centuries is not something I can fix. But what I do in my historical tours is to highlight the exceptional women who did enter what was long held as male territory. They included astronomers, chemists, physicists, crystallographers, medical researchers, science communicators, and engineers.
