Table Of ContentPaS,
(le Nbrisis
HISTORY OF SCIENCE TOLD THROUGH
HE LIVES OF ITS GREATEST INVENTORS
AF
tually absorbing ride through the last WB headssd
fears of Western scienice.” —The Washington Post Bosk World
Praise for Tre Sctentists
“In many ways The Scientists also serves as a handy eeference work.
Each scientist's story, succinct and emeraining, can be perused and ap-
preciated individually. Historians may quibble over a particular derail or
analysis, but no matter, Gribbin’s work offees genceal audiences an en-
gaging and informative view of modern science’s prodigious accom-
plishments since che Renaissance.” The Washingron Post
“Beginning with Copernicus and the shift from mysticixm 10 reason,
Gribbin tracks 500 years of Western-science history through the life sto-
ries of the people who charted the course, The text is enlivened by an-
‘ecdotes that define the characters and their achievememns. ... ll elds
of science are included. Gribbin carefully iluscrares how each... ace
complishment, rather than being an isolated advance, has been part of a
burgeoning scientific revolution that continues today.” —Science News
“The Scientists is best eead for its insights into scienciic personalities
and how seience builds on ise. The author, an astrophysicist but bet-
ter known as a science historian, takes pains to record contributions of
relatively unknown scientists whose discoveries led co the insights of sci-
cence’ sta.” —The Columbus Dispatch
“The prolific Gribbin has written the bronar history of the physical sei-
ences. From the Renaissance to today, the cast of major scientific char-
acters imcludes the exalted and the obscure, and their personal stories
make chis compechensive history a page-turner.”
—Library Journal, Best Science-Technology Rooks 2003
“Populated by [colorful] characters and replete with scientific clarity,
Gribbin’s work in the epitome of what a geneeal-interest history of sci-
ence should he.” Booklist (starred, hoxed review!
“A thoroughly eeadable survey of scientific history, spiced by a brilliance
and mentorable cast of charaveers.” Kirkus Reviews
“An expansive (and ax massive! ax a vextbook, this remarkably readable
popular history explores che development of modern science through
the individual stories of philosophers and scientists both eenowned and
overlooked. ... The real joy in the book «an be found in the way Grib-
hin... revels not just in the development of seience but also in the
fouman details of his subjects’ lives —Publishers Weekly
“Science buffs will love this book for che nuggets of hard-to-find infor-
ration. ... But the book also serves tyros a5 an excellent introduction
to science,” The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC)
“A certfic read... , Tells] the story of science as a sequence of wity,in-
formation-packed tales ..- complete with hnmaniring asides, glimpses
of the scientist's personal lite and amusing ancedoces.”
—The Sunday Times {London}, Books of the Year
“txcels at making complex science intelligible to the general reader
If you're looking for a book that captures the personal deania and
achievement of science, then look no furthen” —The Guardian
JOuN Gursnin trained as an astrophysicist at Cambridge
Univeesiey and is cuerently Visiting Felloy: in Astronomy
at the University of Sussex. Llis many books include 2»
Search of Scbrbdinger’s Cat, Schristinger’s Kittens and the
Search for Reality, and Q Is for Quantum,
THE SCIENTISTS
A History of Science
Told Through the Lives of
Its Greatest Inventors
JOHN GRIBBIN
2004 Random House Teade Paperback
Copyright @ 2oo2 by John and Maey Gribbin
Al sights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House Trade
Paperbacks, an iomprine of the Rando House Publishing Group, 2
dlivision of Random House, Inc, New York, and simulrancausly
in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto,
Random House Trade Paperbacks and colophon ace cademaeks of
Randam House, Inc.
This book was originally published in hardcover in the United
Kingdom by Allen Lane, an imprint of Penuin Books, in 2002 anil in
the Tinitedl Seares by Randoms Honse, an imprint of The Random
House Publishing Group, 2 division of Random House, Inc. in 2003.
Gribbin, John R.
The scientists: @ history of sticnce cold through the lives of its
-Beeatest inventors / John Gribbin
Pom.
Includes ibliogeaphical references and index.
ISBN O-Miag 678-7
1, Scientists —Bioyraphy. 2. Science=History, Tile
Q14L.G79 2003
509.2'2—dear 2093046607
By
Random House website address: wwew.atrandom.coot
Printed in the United States of America
246897534
Contents
List of tustrations xi
Acknowledgements x
Intraduction xvii
Book One: OLIT OF THE DARK AGES
1. Renaissance Men 5
Emerging from the dork — The elegance of Copernicus — The Earth moves! — The
orbits of the planets — Leonard Digges and the telescope — Thomas Digges and the
infinite Universe — Brum: a marty for scence? ~ Copernican model banned by
Catholic Chuach ~ Vesalus: surgeon, dissectar and grave-rabber-— Falopia ant
Fobricivs - Wiliam Harvey and the citcolation ofthe blood
2. The Last Mystics. 33
‘The movement of the planets ~ Tycho Brahe ~ Measuring star positions — Tyeka's
supernova — Tycho observes comet — Hit model ofthe Universe — johannes Kepler:
‘Tycho's assistant and inhertor ~ Keplers geometrical model ofthe Universe ~ New
shoughls on the motion of planets: Kepler’ fst and second Jaws — Kepler's third
low Publication of he Rudelphine star tables ~ Kepler's death
3. The First Scientists 68
Wiliam Gilbert and magnetism — Galileo on the pendulum, gravity and
acceleration — His invention of the ‘compass’ — Mis supernova studies —
Lippershey's invention ofthe telescope ~ Calieo's developments thereon ~
Copemican ideas of Galil judged heretical - Galeo publishes Dialogue an the
“Too Chief World Systems ~ Thveatened with torture, he recants— Galileo
publishes Two New Sciences — Mis death
conrents
Book Two: THE FOUNDING FATHERS
4 Science Finds its Feet 107
René Descartes and Cartesian co-ordinates ~ His greatest works — Pemre Gasser:
atoms and molecules Descanes’s rejection of the concept ofa vase —
(Christm Huygens: is work on optics and she wave theary of light — Rober Boyle:
dls stad of gas pressone — Boyle's scientific approach to alchemy — Marcello.
Molpighi and the ciculaton ofthe blood ~ Giovannt Borel and Edward Tyson: the
Increasing perception of animal {and mar) as machine
5. The ‘Newtonian Revolution’ 149
Robert Hooke: the study of microscopy and he pobication of Mictographia —
Hooke’ study ofthe wave theory offght— Hooke's law of ost — John
Flamsterd ond Edmand Holley cataloguing stars by telescope — Newton's ey life
~ The development of calcul ~ The wrangling of toe and Nevwion — Newton's
Principia Mathematica: the iene square lw and the three laws of motion ~
[Newton's later it — Hooke's deosh and the publication of Newton’ Opticks
6. Expanding Horizons x93
Edmond Haley ~Transis of Vers ~ Te eft calcaloe the sie ofan atom —
Haley travels ose to study testial magnet ~ Predicts rebum of comer —
Proves tha stars more independent - Death of Hally- John Ray an Francis
Witughby the firsthand study offlora and fora ~ Cad tinnaeus and the naming
ofspecis ~The Comte de Bufor: Histoire Naturele and thoughts on the age oF
the Earth — Further thoughts an the age ofthe Ears: Jean Fowrir and Fowier
analyis~ Georges Cowie Lectre in Comparative Anatomy, speculations ont
tinction = Jeon- Baptiste Lamarck: thoughts an evaltion
Book Three: THE ENLIGHTENMENT
7. Enlightened Science |; Chemistry catches up 2.42
The Emghteniment ~ Joseph Black andthe discovery of carbon dioxide — Black on
temperature ~ The stcam engine: Thomas Newcemven, James Watt and the
Industal Revolution - Experiments in electricity: Joseph Prastley ~ Pestley's
experiments with gases — The discovery of oxygen — The chemical studies of Henry
Cavendish publication inthe Philosophical Transactions ~ Water isnot ait
elemont ~ The Caveodich experiment: weighing the Earth — Antoine Laurent
Lavoisier study of air, study of the system of respiration — The first table of
elements: Lavoser renames elements; he publishes Elements af Chemistry ~
Lavosie’s execution
8. Enlightened Science il: Progress onall fronts 285
The study of electric: Stephen Gray, Chores Du Foy, Benjamin Franklin and
Charles Coulomb — twig Galvan, Alessandco Vota and the invention ofthe elec
baitery— PlereLovis de Maupertis the principle of last acon - Leonhard Ear:
‘mathematical description ofthe reaction af ight ~ Thomas Wright: speculations
con the Milky Way ~The discoveries of Wiliam and Coroline Herschel John
Michell ~ Plere Simon Laplace, “The French Newian' his Exposition ~ Benjamin
“Thompson (Count Rumford): hs life Thompson's thoughts n convection ~ His
thovghts on heet and motion — James Huston: the .iformitaran sheory of geology
Book Four: THE BIG PICTURE
9. The ‘Darwinian Revolution’ 329
Charles Lye His if Mis travels in Europe and study of geology - He publishes
the Principles of Geology - Lye's thoughts on species ~ Theories of evolution:
Erasmus Darwin and Zeonomia ~ Jean-Baptiste Lamarck she Lamarckian theory
of evolution - Charles Danvin: his life ~ The voyage ofthe Beagle — Darwin
develops his theory of evolution by natural selection ~ Alf Russe! Wallace ~ The
publication of Danvin's Origin of Species
10, Atoms and Molecules. 357
Humphuy Day's work on gases: electrochemical research — Job Dalion's toric
model first talk afatomic weights — Jans Berets and the study of elements —
Avogadro's number ~ Wiliam Prout’ hypothesis an atonal weights ~ Fiedrich
Wohler studies in arganic and inorganic substances ~ Valency — Stanislao
CCannizzove: the distinction between atoms and molecules ~The development of
the period table, by Mendelyev ad others— The science of thermodynamics
James jovie on thermodynamics ~ Wiliam Thorsor (Lord Kelvin) andthe laws of
thermodynamics - James Clerk Manvelland Ludwig Boltemann: kinetic theory and
the mean fice path of molecves— Albert Einstein: Avogadro's number, Brownian
motion and why ake sky sblve
ny. Let There be Light 400
Thewave made of ight revived ~ Thomas Yourg: his doubfestit experiment —
Fraunhofer fines ~ The sady of spectroscopy andthe spectra ofstars + tMihaet
Faraday: hs studies in electromagretiom ~ The invention ofthe electric motor and
