Science History

Rita Levi-Montalcini — April 22 is Rita Levi-Montalcini’s birthday. Levi-Montalcini was an Italian neurologist who made several discoveries of how cells divide and form new cells with different functionality. Levi-Montalcini began her career in science wanting to be a doctor. She graduated with an M.D. from the University of Turin in 1936 and took a […]

Today in Science History – April 22 – Rita Levi-Montalcini

This entry was posted on April 21, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on May 10, 2021)

Percy Williams Bridgman — April 21 is Percy W. Bridgman’s birthday. Bridgman was an American physicist known for his work in high-pressure physics. Bridgman began his career studying the effects of high pressure on matter as a professor at Harvard. During a repair of his equipment, he came up with an idea to improve the seal […]

Today in Science History – April 21 – Percy W. ...

This entry was posted on April 20, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on November 5, 2023)

Franz Karl Achard — April 20 marks the passing of Franz Karl Achard. Archard was a French natural philosopher who discovered how to get sugar from beets on an industrial scale. Napoleon’s defeat in Egypt caused the British navy to embargo cargo from reaching French ports. Any cargo ship which challenged this found their ship […]

Today in Science History – April 20 – Franz Karl ...

This entry was posted on April 19, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on May 10, 2021)

Glenn Seaborg — April 19 is Glenn T. Seaborg’s birthday. Seaborg was an American chemist who discovered ten of the transuranium elements and over 100 different isotopes. Seaborg also proposed the actinide group arrangement for the periodic table. These elements were plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium and element 106. Element […]

Today in Science History – April 19 – Glenn T. ...

This entry was posted on April 17, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on May 11, 2021)

Albert Einstein — April 18 marks the passing of one of the most influential scientists of the 20th Century, Albert Einstein. Einstein started his career as a technical assistant at a Swiss Patent office in 1901. While working there, he obtained his Doctorate and published four papers on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, […]

Today in Science History – April 18 – Albert Einstein

This entry was posted on April 16, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on September 3, 2023)

Giovanni Battista Riccioli — April 17 is Giovanni Battista Riccioli’s birthday. Riccioli was an Italian astronomer and Jesuit priest who is best known for naming the features of the Moon. In 1651, he published Almagestum Novum which became a standard text for any serious astronomer well into the 19th Century. It was a collection […]

Today in Science History – April 17 – Giovanni Battista ...

This entry was posted on April 16, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on May 10, 2021)

Leonardo da Vinci — April 15 is the birthday of the original “Renaissance Man”, Leonardo da Vinci. He was an artist, musician, scientist, engineer, inventor, anatomist, and writer. As an artist, he is best known for his paintings. He painted the most famous portrait in history, the Mona Lisa. He painted one of the […]

Today in Science History – April 15 – Leonardo da ...

This entry was posted on April 14, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on October 16, 2021)

Christiaan Huygens — April 14 is Christiaan Huygens’ birthday. Huygens was a Dutch physicist, astronomer, and leading figure of the scientific revolution. Huygens is famous for the invention of the pendulum clock. Pendulums swing in a simple circular path where the time it takes to complete a single oscillation is proportional to the amplitude of […]

Today in Science History – April 14 – Christiaan Huygens

This entry was posted on April 13, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on May 10, 2021)

Annie Jump Cannon — April 13 marks the passing of Annie Jump Cannon. Cannon was an American astronomer who developed the star classification system in use today. Astronomy students learn the system using the mnemonic “Oh! Be A Fine Girl — Kiss Me!” The system ranks stars by their temperature, color and spectrum lines […]

Today in Science History – April 13 – Annie Jump ...

This entry was posted on April 12, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on May 10, 2021)