Full Name: Andrew Ellicott Douglass
Profession: Archaeologist and Astronomer
Biography: A. E. Douglas was an American astronomer that discovered the correlation between tree rings and the sunset cycle. This discovery was the foundation for the scientific discipline of dendrochronology, which dates wood by analyzing the patterns of its growth rings.
Dendrochronology has since been used to date wooden structures around the world and reconstruct historical events. He set up the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona to further pursue this field of research.
Douglas also oversaw the founding of the Steward Observatory in 1923 at the University of Arizona. The telescope for this observatory was funded by a donation by Mrs. Lavinia Steward, the widow of Henry Steward.
Born: July 5, 1867
Birthplace: Windsor, Vermont, USA
Star Sign: Cancer
Historical Events
- 1919-05-22 A. E. Douglass establishes the relative dates of two archaeological sites using ancient wood samples, marking a major step forward in the dating of archaeological sites
Biographies and Sources
- Andrew E Douglass: Father of Dendrochronology - University of Arizona
- Book-Review - Tree Rings and Telescopes - the Scientific Career of A.E. Douglass - Journal for the History of Astronomy
Howard Carter
Louis Leakey
Thor Heyerdahl
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Carl Sagan
Nicolaus Copernicus