Thomas Burnet, an English clergyman and geological theorist, died Sep. 27, 1715, at the age of about 80. Burnet was Master of Charterhouse in London, which was both an almshouse and a school. It is not clear how Burnet became interested in geology and the origins...
Cristoforo Landino, an Italian humanist, died Sep. 24, 1498, at the age of about 74. Landino was a lifelong resident of Florence and played a major role in the revival of letters that came to be called the Florentine Renaissance. You would not recognize much of what...
Arnout Vosmaer, a Dutch naturalist, was born Sep. 23, 1720. In 1756, Vosmaer became director of the natural history cabinet of Prince William V of Orange. Since William was only 8 years old at the time, Vosmaer came by his appointment through William’s Governess,...
Edward Bullard, a British geophysicist usually referred to as “Teddy,” was born Sep. 21, 1907. Bullard studied physics at Cambridge University with Ernest Rutherford, but decided to go into geophysics rather than nuclear physics. After the war, he spent...
Titus Salt, philanthropist and wool baron, was born Sep. 20, 1803. Titus was a manufacturer in Bradford, West Yorkshire. In 1851, he bought up land about five miles away on the River Aire to construct a large textile mill. In order to provide a work force for Salt’s...
John Goodricke, an English astronomer, was born Sep. 17, 1764. Goodricke was what was called in the 18th century a deaf-mute, a disability that arose from a bout with scarlet fever in his youth. He would die of pneumonia in his 21st year. But in his short, silent...
