Full Name: 1st Baron Kelvin
Profession: Mathematical Physicist and Engineer
Biography: William Thomson was one of the foremost scientists and engineers of his age. Born in Belfast, Thomson studied at Cambridge before becoming a professor at Glasgow University where he remained for 50 years.
As an academic he published more than 600 scientific papers, his most famous where he proposed an absolute scale of temperature, now called the Kelvin scale.
Thomson became famous to the public through his involvement in the laying of the Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable in the 1850s and 1860s and for his inventions, including the Kelvin compass and a sounding machine. In 1866 he was knighted by Queen Victoria and created 1st Baron Kelvin of Largs 1892.
Thomson's involvement with industry made him rich as well as famous. He was buried in Westminster Abbey in 1907.
Born: June 26, 1824
Birthplace: Belfast, Ireland, United Kingdom
Star Sign: Cancer
Died: December 17, 1907 (aged 83)
Cause of Death: A chill
Articles and Photos
Historical Events
- 1834-11-14 William Thomson, later scientist Lord Kelvin, enters Glasgow University at just 10 yrs 4 months
- 1858-08-05 First transatlantic telegraph cable lands at Trinity Bay, Newfoundland spearheaded by Cyrus West Field (will fail after 3 weeks)
- 1858-08-16 Britain's Queen Victoria telegraphs US President James Buchanan for 1st time by transatlantic telegraph cable, he replies "it is a triumph more glorious, because far more useful to mankind, than was ever won by conqueror on the field of battle."
- 1866-07-27 First transatlantic telegraph cable comes ashore at Heart's Content, Newfoundland after being laid out 1,686 miles by Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Eastern steamship
- 1954-10-05 10th General Conference on Weights and Measures opens, will define the Kelvin as the primary unit of temperature (after William Thomson, Lord Kelvin)
Biographies and Sources
- 10th meeting of the CGPM (1954) - Bureau International des Poids et Mesures
- Lord Kelvin (1824-1907) - Science Hall of Fame, National Library of Scotland
Alfred Nobel
Gustave Eiffel
Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot
Blaise Pascal
Georg Ohm
Walter Houser Brattain