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I Ariny Amos was captured by the spirit of the Galileo Galilei , Albert Einstein, Apollo , EVAS program
when I was 3 years old. I had been following the space program through out Neptune and Gemini
flights, building model kits and watching the launches from my school admitted , 1984, 9 th /JUNE/
1987 Novel of Lunar probe , Astronomical objects exploration, Asteroids, Planets probe at Odoon
Primary school and Nursery , 1990’S SwariaPrimay school in Soroti , Uganda . we had above ground
pool in the backyard, and I would put abrick in the back of the my swim trunks to hold me down on
the bottom , suckin air through a garden hose, and lay there with my arms and lega adrift , pretending
I was walking in space. I was off course eagerly anticipating the Apollo missions to the moon, because
that would give me more models to build but it wasn’t until additionally February 2006, notable
The eighty’s so called 1980’s were a time of cultural earth quakes ;the horror of the Bill Gates, Carlos
Slim,SadamHesein, Angella Merkel, Bill Clinton, Osama Bin Laden , Barack Obama and king
assassination, The arrival of five mop- topped singers from Washington D.C -USA, The din of protests ,
and – most of all – the violent of the the war in Uganda And something else extraordinary happened
ont the night of February 2006 the space flight major launches 2006 EVA .2006.saw , International
Space station, United states of America, Germany,Brazil,Sweden and Iran get a national into space .
Walk on the moon. In what seemed like a master of technology, I witnessed it live computer monitor
live on internet.i was at Makerkere University Kampala, in my first years studies Bachelor of science in
Agricultural land use and management. Across the world that Billions of people who had worked to
make it happen celebrated their triumph, TV commentators and editorial writers proclaimed that
twenty five years from now our century would be remembered for those footsteps. When human
beings left their planet to explore the universe.
Ariny Amos.
May 2019
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Alston was acquired by St. Louis via a trade with the San Diego Padres of
the Pacific Coast League, where he played in 180 games in 1953, on
January 26, 1954, after team president Gussie Busch told manager Eddie
Stanky to find a black player. Not only did Busch think excluding blacks
from baseball was morally wrong, his company 2%Anheuser–Busch, which
had bought the team a year earlier to keep them from moving to Milwaukee,
sold more beer to African-Americans than any other brewery, leading him
to fear the effect of a boycott.
During her career, Elise has appeared in films such as John Q. (2002), The
Manchurian Candidate (2004), Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), The
Great Debaters (2007), For Colored Girls (2010), Dope (2015), Almost
Christmas (2016) and Death Wish (2018). She received a nomination
for Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in
the 2004 drama film, Woman Thou Art Loosed, and played the leading roles
in a number of made for television movies. Elise also starred in
the CBS crime drama series, Close to Home (2005–07), and in 2013 began
starring in the 1VH1 comedy-drama series, Hit the Floor. She is four-
This book examines Newton's argument for universal gravity and his application of it to
resolve the problem of deciding between geocentric and heliocentric world systems by
measuring masses of the Moon, Neptune .Sir Isaac Newton's inferences from
phenomena realize an ideal of empirical success that is richer than prediction. To
achieve this rich sort of empirical success a theory needs, not only to accurately predict
the phenomena it purports to explain, but also, to have those phenomena accurately
measure the parameters which explain them. Newton's method aims to turn theoretical
questions into ones which can be empirically answered by measurement from
phenomena. Newton employs theory mediated measurements to turn data into far more
informative evidence than can be achieved by confirmation from prediction alone.
Propositions inferred from phenomena are provisionally accepted as guides to further
research.
This methodology, guided by its rich ideal of empirical success, supports a conception
of scientific progress that does not require construing it as progress toward Laplace's
ideal limit of a final theory of everything and is not threatened by the classic argument
against convergent realism. Newton's method endorses the radical theoretical
transformation from his theory to Einstein's theory of relativity. It is strikingly realized in
the development and application of testing frameworks for relativistic theories of gravity.
In addition, it is very much at work in cosmology today. These propositions described
patterns of motion, generalised from observations of the Neptune planet,Earth and moon. It has
been noted by many commentators, however, that these do not seem to fit any standard definition of
'phenomenon'. 1 Some have argued that Newton's labelling was mistaken, while others have argued
that Newton was using the label 'phenomenon' to avoid using the term 'hypothesis', which would
mark his work as speculative, rather than experimental (for the early modern distinction between
experimental and speculative philosophy. I argue that Newton's choice of label was appropriate,
albeit unconventional. Firstly, drawing on Bogen and Woodward's (1988) distinction between data,
phenomena and theories, I Ariny Amos argue that Newton's phenomena performed a specific
function: they isolated explanatory targets.
In experimental philosophy [science], we develop our theories from the phenomena we observe, and
afterwards we develop general theories for all similar phenomena by inductive reasoning. This was how
the laws of motion and gravitation of Neptune Planet were Original was Observed ,discovered in Kabale
City Uganda 2014 ,Uganda East Africa. The book comprises , introduction, literature review, scope of
the study, Astronomy of Neptune planet, Experiment Procedure, International Astronomical Union
Permit, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) results discussion,theory for Neptune
Formation, Observations , Discovery, Lunar theor y based on sir Isaac Newton, conclusions,
recommendation and references
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Foreword.................
Preface...............
Acknowledgement............
Abstract................
TABLE OF CONTENTS,
INTRODUCTION.............
Neptune................
Characteristics of Neptune..........
Importance of Neptune............
Laws of religious observance...........
Laws concerning officials.......
Civil laws.......
Criminal laws........
Neptunians.........
Neptune’e moon in fiction......
Triton........
Neptune in Astrology.........
Motion of Neptune planet......
copernicanic Heliocentrism
Copernican theory.....
LITERATURE REVIEW......
SCOPE OF THE STUDY........
Uniting Physics and Astronomy......
Quantum Mechanics.......
Celestial Mechanics.......
Astronomy.......
Planetary Science.......
Planetary Astronomy......
Planetary Geology.......
Gemorphology......
Cosmochemistry,Geochemistry,Petrology......
Geophysics......
Atmospheric science..................
Comparative Planetary scicence......
Computational Astrophysics.......
Geodesy.......
Astronomy of Neptune........
Ariny Amos (Astronomer)experiment on
Neptune Plant........
Procedure.........
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
PERMIT.........
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE
ADMINISTRATION........
Aparatus.......
NASA space craft..........
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
space craft emits Lorentz force
,Electronmagnetic radiations......
Emitted Lorentz force and National Aeronautics
and Space Administration space craft......
LORENTZ FORCE........
LORENTZ TRANSFORMATIONS........
Aparatus Gregorian calendar.....
Lunar Calendar.......
RAW MATERIALS........
Drinking Water.......
RESULTS,
LORENTZ TRANSFORMATION.......
SUPERSYMMETRIC THEORY OF
STOCHASTIC DYNAMICS.....,
THE BIG BANG.........
FORMATION OF NEPTUNE.....
THE CORE ACCRETION MODEL.......
ACCRETION (ASTROPHYSICS) OF
NEPTUNE....
THE DISK INSTABILITY MODEL....
PEBBLE ACCRETION.......
NICE MODEL.....
GEODYNAMO THEORY.....
GIANT IMPACT HYPOTHESIS..........
RESULTS DISCUSSION BASED ON SIR ISAAC
NEWTON LUNAR THEORY.......
CONCLUSION..........
RECOMMENDATIONS..................
VOYAGER 2......
GLOBAL POSITONING SYSTEM.......
GLONAS.......
REFERENCES.......
BIBLIOGRAPHY........
FURTER READING...........
INTRODUCTION
NEPTUNE.
Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun in the Solar System. In the Solar
System, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the
densest giant planet. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth, slightly more massive than its near-
twin Uranus. Neptune is denser and physically smaller than Uranus because its greater mass
causes more gravitational compression of its atmosphere. Neptune orbits the Sun once every
164.8 years at an average distance of 30.1 AU(4.5 billion km). It is named after the Roman god of
the sea and has the astronomical symbol ♆, a stylised version of the god Neptune's trident.
Neptune is not visible to the unaided eye and is the only planet in the Solar System found by
mathematical prediction rather than by empirical observation. Unexpected changes in the orbit of
Uranus led Alexis Bouvardto deduce that its orbit was subject to gravitational perturbation by an
unknown planet. Neptune was subsequently observed with a telescope on 23 September
1846[1] by Johann Galle within a degree of the position predicted by Urbain Le Verrier. Its largest
moon, Triton, was discovered shortly thereafter, though none of the planet's remaining known
13 moonswere located telescopically until the 20th century. The planet's distance from Earth gives it
a very small apparent size, making it challenging to study with Earth-based telescopes. Neptune was
visited by Voyager 2, when it flew by the planet on 25 August 1989. [14] The advent of the Hubble
Space Telescope and large ground-based telescopes with adaptive optics has recently allowed for
additional detailed observations from afar.
Like Jupiter and Saturn, Neptune's atmosphere is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, along
with traces of hydrocarbons and possibly nitrogen, though it contains a higher proportion of "ices"
such as water, ammonia, and methane. However, similar to Uranus, its interior is primarily
composed of ices and rock;[15] Uranus and Neptune are normally considered "ice giants" to
emphasise this distinction.[16] Traces of methane in the outermost regions in part account for the
planet's blue appearance.[17]
In contrast to the hazy, relatively featureless atmosphere of Uranus, Neptune's atmosphere has
active and visible weather patterns. For example, at the time of the Voyager 2 flyby in 1989, the
planet's southern hemisphere had a Great Dark Spot comparable to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter.
These weather patterns are driven by the strongest sustained winds of any planet in the Solar
System, with recorded wind speeds as high as 2,100 km/h (580 m/s; 1,300 mph).[18] Because of its
great distance from the Sun, Neptune's outer atmosphere is one of the coldest places in the Solar
System, with temperatures at its cloud tops approaching 55 K (−218 °C; −361 °F). Temperatures at
the planet's centre are approximately 5,400 K (5,100 °C; 9,300 °F).[19][20] Neptune has a faint and
fragmented ring system(labelled "arcs"), which was discovered in 1984, then later confirmed
by Voyager 2.
Neptune
limb the fast moving bright feature called Scooter and the little dark
Discovery[1]
Johann Galle
Discovered by
Urbain Le Verrier
Designations
Adjectives Neptunian
Orbital characteristics[6][a]
Epoch J2000
Aphelion 30.33 AU (4.54 billion km)
Eccentricity 0.009456
60,182 days
89,666 Neptunian solar
days[3]
Inclination 1.767975° to ecliptic
6.43° to Sun's equator
Known satellites 14
Physical characteristics
Equatorialradius 24,764±15 km[7][b]
3.883 Earths
Polar radius 24,341±30 km[7][b]
3.829 Earths
Flattening 0.0171±0.0013
14.98 Earths
Volume 6.254×1013 km3[4][b]
57.74 Earths
Mass 1.02413×1026 kg[4]
17.147 Earths
5.15×10−5 Suns
Mean density 1.638 g/cm3[4][c]
1.14 g
299.3°
North pole declination 42.950°[7]
0.442 (geom.)[11]
Atmosphere[4]
Composition by volume
Gases:
80%±3.2% hydrogen (H
2)
19%±3.2% helium (He)
1.5%±0.5% methane (CH
4)
~0.019% hydrogen
deuteride (HD)
~0.00015% ethane (C
2H
6)
Ices:
ammonia (NH
3)
water (H
2O)
ammonium
hydrosulfide (NH
4SH)
4 · 5.75H2O)
Characteristics of Neptune.
Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun and the outermost known planet in our solar system,
given Pluto's disputed status. The planet is mostly ocean, which is appropriate because it was
named after Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.Neptune is the eighth planet from the
sun. It was the first planet to get its existence predicted by mathematical
calculationsbefore it was actually seen through a telescope on Sept. 23, 1846.
Irregularities in the orbit of Uranusled French astronomer Alexis Bouvard to suggest
that the gravitational pull from another celestial body might be responsible.
German astronomer Johann Galle then relied on subsequent calculations to
help spot Neptune via telescope . Previously, astronomer Galileo Galilei sketched the
planet, but he mistook it for a star due to its slow motion. In accordance with all the
other planets seen in the sky, this new world was given a name from Greek and
Roman mythology — Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.
Only one mission has flown by Neptune Voyager 2 in 1989 meaning that
astronomers have done most studies using ground-based telescopes. Today, there
are still many mysteries about the cool, blue planet, such as why its winds are so
speedy and why its magnetic field is offset.
While Neptune is of interest because it is in our own solar system, astronomers are
also interested in learning more about the planet to assist with exoplanet studies.
Specifically, some astronomers are interested in learning about the habitability of
worlds that are somewhat bigger than Earth.
Those that are closer to Earth's size are called "super-Earths", while those that are
closer to Neptune's size are "mini-Neptunes." However, there is some debate about
those terms given that today's telescope technology does not make it possible to
view how much atmosphere is on those planet types, making it difficult to make a
distinction.
Like Earth, Neptune has a rocky core, but it has a much thicker atmosphere that
prohibits the existence of life as we know it. Astronomers are still trying to figure
out at what point a planet is so large that it may pick up a lot of gas in the area,
making it difficult or impossible for life to exist.
chrismeller/flickr.com
History
Neptune was discovered in 1846 by Johann Gottfried Galle. His discovery was based on oddities
in the orbit of Uranus, the most distant known planet at that time.
Physical characteristics
Neptune's cloud cover has an especially vivid blue tint that is partly due to an as-yet-
unidentified compound and the result of the absorption of red light by methane in
the planets mostly hydrogen-helium atmosphere. Photos of Neptune reveal a blue
planet, and it is often dubbed an ice giant, since it possesses a thick, slushy fluid
mix of water, ammonia and methane ices under its atmosphere and is roughly 17
times Earth's mass and nearly 58 times its volume, according to a NASA fact sheet.
Neptune's rocky core alone is thought to be roughly equal to Earth's mass, NASA
says.
Despite its great distance from the sun which means it gets little sunlight to help warm
and drive its atmosphere, Neptune's winds can reach up to 1,500 mph (2,400 km/h),
the fastest detected yet in the solar system. These winds were linked with a large dark
storm that Voyager 2 tracked in Neptune's southern hemisphere in 1989. This oval-
shaped, counterclockwise-spinning "Great Dark Spot" was large enough to contain
the entire Earth, and moved westward at nearly 750 mph (1,200 km/h). This storm
seemed to have vanished when the Hubble Space Telescope later searched for it.
Hubble has also revealed the appearance and then fading of other Great Dark
Spots over the past decade. A new one was observed in 2016.
Neptune's magnetic poles are tipped over by roughly 47 degrees compared with
the poles along which it spins. As such, the planet's magnetic field, which is about
27 times more powerful than Earth's, undergoes wild swings during each rotation.
By studying the cloud formations on the gas giant, scientists were able to calculate
that a day on Neptune lasts just under 16 hours.
Orbital characteristics
Neptune's elliptical, oval-shaped orbit keeps the planet an average distance from
the sun of almost 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers), or roughly 30 times as far
away as Earth, making it invisible to the naked eye. Neptune goes around the sun
once roughly every 165 Earth years, and completed its first orbit since being
discovered.
Every 248 years, Pluto moves inside Neptune's orbit for 20 years or so, during
which time it is closer to the sun than Neptune. Nevertheless, Neptune remains the
farthest planet from the sun, since Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
Composition;Similar to Uranus, Neptune's core is liquid rock, and its surface is an ocean of
water, hydrogen, helium, methane and ammonia.
Internal structure: Mantle of water, ammonia and methane ices; Core of iron and
magnesium-silicate
Atmosphere
Neptune's atmosphere consists of hydrogen, helium, methane and ammonia. It appears blue in
color because of the methane, and it has many large clouds over its surface.
Aphelion (farthest distance from the sun): 2,819,080,000 miles (4,536,870,000 km). By
comparison: 30.326 times that of Earth
(Source: NASA)
Neptune's moons
Neptune has 14 known moons , named after lesser sea gods and nymphs from Greek
mythology. The largest by far is Triton, whose discovery on Oct. 10, 1846, was in a
sense enabled by beer — amateur astronomer William Lassell used the fortune he
made as a brewer to finance his telescopes.
Triton is the only spherical moon of Neptune — the planet's other 13 moons are
irregularly shaped. It is also unique in being the only large moon in the solar system
to circle its planet in a direction opposite to its planet's rotation — this "retrograde
orbit " suggests that Triton may once have been a dwarf planet that Neptune
captured rather than forming in place, according to NASA. Neptune's gravity is
dragging Triton closer to the planet, meaning that millions of years from now,
Triton will come close enough for gravitational forces to rip it apart.
Triton is extremely cold, with temperatures on its surface reaching about minus 391
degrees F (minus 235 degrees C), making it one of the coldest places in the solar
system. Nevertheless, Voyager 2 detected geysers spewing icy matter upward more
than 5 miles (8 km), showing its interior appears warm. Scientists are investigating
the possibility of a subsurface ocean on the icy moon. In 2010, seasons were discovered on
Triton.
In 2013, scientists working with SETI caught sight of Neptune's "lost" moon of Naiad
using data from the Hubble Space Telescope. The 62-mile-wide (100 km) moon had
remained unseen since Voyager 2 discovered it in 1989.
Also in 2013, scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope found the 14th moon,
dubbed S/2004 N 1. It is Neptune's smallest moon and is just 11 miles (18 km) wide. It
got its temporary name because it is the first satellite (S) of Neptune (N) to be found
from images taken in 2004, according to NASA.
The rings of Neptune
Neptune's unusual rings are not uniform, but possess bright thick clumps of dust
called arcs. The rings are thought to be relatively young and short-lived . Earth-based
observations announced in 2005 found that Neptune's rings are apparently far
more unstable than previously thought, with some dwindling away rapidly,
according to an article in the journal Icarus .
Research & exploration
NASA's Voyager 2 satellite was the first and as yet only spacecraft to visit Neptune on
Aug. 25, 1989. The satellite discovered Neptune's rings and six of the planet's
moons — Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Naiad, Proteus and Thalassa. An international
team of astronomers relying on ground telescopes announced the discovery of five
new moons orbiting Neptune in 2003.
Formation of Neptune
Neptune is generally thought to have formed with the initial buildup of a solid core
followed by the capture of surrounding hydrogen and helium gas in the nebula
surrounding the early sun. In this model, proto-Neptune formed over the course of
1 to 10 million years.
Importance of neptune.
Neptune in Fiction.
Neptune in the Bible.
Deuteronomic code
Deuteronomic Code
Deuteronomy 12–26, the Deuteronomic Code, is the oldest part of the book and the core around
which the rest developed.[10] It is a series of mitzvot (commands) to the Israelites regarding how they
ought to conduct themselves in Canaan, the land promised by Yahweh, God of Israel. The following
list organizes most of the laws into thematic groups:
Laws of religious observance
All sacrifices are to be brought and vows are to be made at a central sanctuary (12:1–28).
The worship of Canaanite gods is forbidden. The order is given to destroy their places of
worship (12:29–31) and to commit genocide against Canaanites and others with "detestable"
religious beliefs (20:16-18).
Native mourning practices such as deliberate disfigurement are forbidden (14:1–2).
The procedure for tithing produce or donating its equivalent is given (14:22–29).
A catalogue of which animals are permitted and which forbidden for consumption is given
(14:3–20).
The consumption of animals which are found dead and have not been slaughtered is
prohibited (14:21).
Sacrificed animals must be without blemish (15:21, 17:1).
First-born male livestock must be sacrificed (15:19–23).
The Pilgrimage Festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot are instituted (16:1–17).
The worship at Asherah groves and setting up of ritual pillars are forbidden (16:21–22).
Prohibition of mixing kinds (22:9-11).
Tzitzit are obligatory (22:12).
Laws concerning officials
The planet Neptune has been used as a reference and setting in various films and
works of fiction:
In H. G. Wells's short story "The Star", Neptune is destroyed in a collision with another
supermassive object which reduces its orbital velocity to zero; the wreckage falls into the
Sun, narrowly missing Earth.
In the Captain Future series, Neptune is portrayed as a sea planet, not out of any
scientific theory but evidently because Neptune is the Roman sea god.
In Olaf Stapledon's 1930 epic novel Last and First Men, Neptune is the final home of the
highly evolved human race. The planet is depicted as having a dense atmosphere but with a
solid surface.
In Hugh Walters' 1968 novel Nearly Neptune, the first manned expedition to Neptune
ends in apparent disaster as a fire destroys vital equipment on board the spacecraft as it
nears the planet.
The majority of the 1997 science fiction horror film Event Horizon takes place in orbit
around Neptune with the eponymous space ship Event Horizon reappearing in a decaying
orbit around Neptune after a seven year disappearance.
In Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Neptune is the setting for the multiplayer map, Frontier,
which takes place on a space station orbiting the planet.
The humorous short story, "The Elephants on Neptune" by Mike Resnick, was published
in Asimov's Science Fiction, and was nominated for both a Hugo and a Nebula
award (2001).
The pilot of the TV movie Virtuality centers around a starship preparing to make a flyby
of Neptune before leaving the Solar System.
The Star Trek: Enterprise pilot episode “Broken Bow” briefly mentions Neptune,
with Jonathan Archer saying that at Warp 4.5 speed, it is possible to fly to “Neptune and
back [to Earth] in six minutes.”
In the point and click game Anastronaut: The Moon Hopper, the player visits the planet
Neptune in a future setting.
In the anime series Sailor Moon, one of the supporting characters is named Sailor
Neptune; she is also known as Michiru Kaioh (Michelle in English dub). She fights along
with the other Outer Senshi for the Moon Kingdom and protect the Solar System from
outside enemies. She carries a talisman known as Deep Aqua Mirror and her powers are
based in deep water.
In the cartoon series Futurama, the character Robot Santa Claus has his heavily fortified
home base on the north pole of Neptune.
In The Fairly OddParents episode "Wishology! Part 3: The Final Ending," Poof went to
Neptune to make a magic wand.
The Doctor Who episode "Sleep No More" is set on a space stationorbiting Neptune.
In the Hyperdimension Neptunia video game series, Neptune is the goddess of the
nation known as Planeptune.
The French comics Les Fantômes de Neptune (2015), by Valp is a steampunk
adventure. The stories begin on Europa, a moon of Jupiter, and continue on Neptune.
Neptunians
The planet is also used as the home of various alien species and characters:
Triton
Neptune crossing, across the surface of Triton, storm of chaos that’s about to blow
through life. The alien quarx that soon inhabits mind is humanity’s first contact with an
alien life The quarx, part of an ancient galactic civilization that manipulates chaos theory to
predict catastrophic events, seeks to prevent a cometary collision that could destroy the
Earth.
In the point and click game Anastronaut: The Moon Hopper, the player visits Triton and
gets frozen material that popped off a geyser.
Samuel R. Delany's 1976 novel Triton has humanity colonizing several parts of the solar
system, including Neptune's largest moon.
Part of the Piers Anthony novel Macroscope is set on Triton, with the protagonists
terraforming an area to set up as a settlement for themselves.
One storyline in Christopher McKitterick's novel Transcendence takes place on Triton,
where an alien artifact has been discovered.
In Jeffrey A. Carver's novel Neptune Crossing, there is a crew from Earth digging for
ancient alien artifacts on Triton. Most of the story takes place on this moon.
The background story of the computer game Supreme Commandermakes note of a test
of a quantum tunnelling system being used to transport humans to Triton.
Triton was used as a temporary base of operations for the so-called 'Earthguard' by
the Spathi in the computer game Star Control II.
In Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers one of the original ill-fated crew
members revealed he had bought a house on Triton but would have to wear a spacesuit in
his house as an oxygen atmosphere "had not been installed yet".
In the Futurama episode "The Tip of the Zoidberg", Farnsworth and Zoidberg are
dropped on Triton to hunt yetis.
Mercurio D. Rivera's 2010 short story "In the Harsh Glow of its Incandescent Beauty"
has the main character following his estranged wife to Triton where the main part of the
story occurs.
"Neptune's moon" (only Triton had been discovered at the time of writing) had a
Boskonian base on it in E. E. "Doc" Smith's Lensmanseries, which was destroyed by the
Galactic Patrol only a couple of pages after its existence was first mentioned.
Neptune in Astrology
Planets in astrology
Planets in astrology have a meaning different from the modern astronomicalunderstanding of what
a planet is. Before the age of telescopes, the night skywas thought to consist of two very similar
components: fixed stars, which remained motionless in relation to each other, and "wandering stars"
(Ancient Greek: ἀστέρες πλανῆται asteres planetai), which moved relative to the fixed stars over the
course of the year.
To the Greeks and the other earliest astronomers, this group consisted of the five planets visible to
the naked eye and excluded Earth. Although strictly, the term planet applied only to those
five objects, the term was latterly broadened, particularly in the Middle Ages, to include the Sun and
the Moon (sometimes referred to as "Lights"[1]), making a total of seven planets. Astrologers retain
this definition today.
To ancient astrologers, the planets represented the will of the gods and their direct influence upon
human affairs. To modern astrologers, the planets represent basic drives or urges in the
unconscious,[2] or energy flow regulators representing dimensions of experience. [3] They express
themselves with different qualities in the twelve signs of the zodiac and in the twelve houses. The
planets are also related to each other in the form of aspects.
Modern astrologers differ on the source of the planets' influence. Hone writes that the planets exert it
directly through gravitation or another, unknown influence.[4] Others hold that the planets have no
direct influence in themselves, but are mirrors of basic organizing principles in the universe. In other
words, the basic patterns of the universe repeat themselves everywhere, in fractal-like fashion, and
"as above, so below".[5] Therefore, the patterns that the planets make in the sky reflect the ebb and
flow of basic human impulses. The planets are also associated, especially in the Chinese tradition,
with the basic forces of nature.
New millennium astrological chart
Background
History of astrology
Astrology and science
Astrology and astronomy
Traditions, types, and systems
Traditions
Babylonian
Hellenistic
Islamic
Western
Hindu
Chinese
Branches
Natal
Electional
Horary
Astrology portal
Listed below are the specific meanings and domains associated with the astrological planets since
ancient times, with the main focus on the Western astrological tradition. The planets in Hindu
astrology are known as the Navagraha or "nine realms". In Chinese astrology, the planets are
associated with the life forces of yin and yang and the five elements, which play an important role in
the Chinese form of geomancy known as Feng Shui. Astrologers differ on the signs associated with
each planet's exaltation.
Planetary symbolism
Main article: Astrological symbol
This table shows the astrological planets (as distinct from the astronomical) and the Greek and
Roman deities associated with them. In most cases, the English name for planets derives from the
name of a Roman god or goddess. Also of interest is the conflation of the Roman god with a similar
Greek god. In some cases, it is the same deity with two different names.
Roma Meaning
Sym Connect
Planet n Greek God Hindu God (Europe Meaning (Vedic)
bol ion
deity an)
A planet god
known for his
God of
preserving and
messeng
protecting nature
ers,
Mercu ʽἙρμῆς to mankind and
Mercury बुध (Budha) ancient travel,
ry (Hermes) manhood.
and/or
Associated with
commerc
communication,
e.
wit, and
cleverness.[6]
The mentor
Goddess of Asuras.
of Associated with
romance fertility, beauty,
Venus
and lust; and enthusiasm.
Ἀφροδίτη Venus Always helped
(Astronom Venus शुक्र (Shukra) ancient
(Aphrodite) means demons in the
ical
"love" war against gods;
object)
and/or Shukra means
"sexual "clear, pure,
desire."[7] brightness, or
clearness."
Son of Earth.
This planet is
associated with
God of unluckiness of
Mars Mars Ἀρης (Ares) मंगल (Mangala) ancient
War brides.
Also associated
with strength and
aggression.
Leader Mentor/Guru /tea
of the cher of gods.
Olympia Always helped
n Gods; gods in war
Jupiter against demons.
गरु
ु , means Guru means
Jupite
Jupiter
r
Ζεύς (Zeus) बहृ स्पती (Guru, Brih ancient "Jovial "teacher" or
King" "priest."
aspati)
and/or Brihaspati means
"Father "lord of prayer or
of devotion."[10] Asso
Thunder. ciated with luck
" and expansion.
Highest
Plane Average speed Lowest speed
speed
t (geocentric) (geocentric)
[13] (geocentric) [14]
[13]
History
The geocentric Ptolemaic system of the universe depicted by Andreas Cellarius, 1660–61
Treatises on the Ptolemaic planets and their influence on people born "under their reign" appear
in block book form, so-called "planet books" or Planetenbücher. This genre is atteted in numerous
manuscripts beginning in the mid 15th century in the Alemannic German areal; [15] it remains popular
throughout the German Renaissance, exerting great iconographical influence far into the 17th
century.
These books usually list a male and a female Titan with each planet, Cronus and Rhea with
Saturn, Eurymedon and Themis with Jupiter, probably Crius and Dione with
Mars, Hyperion and Theia with Sun, Atlas and Phoebe with Moon, Coeus and Metiswith Mercury,
and Oceanus and Tethys with Venus.[16]
The qualities inherited from the planets by their children are as follows:
Classical planets
The seven classical planets are those easily seen with the naked eye, and were thus known to
ancient astrologers. They are the Moon, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Sometimes, the Sun and Moon were referred to as "the lights" or the
"luminaries". Vesta and Uranus can also just be seen with the naked eye, though no ancient culture
appears to have taken note of them. The astrological descriptions attached to the seven classical
planets have been preserved since ancient times. Astrologers call the seven classical planets "the
seven personal and social planets", because they are said to represent the basic human drives of
every individual. The personal planets are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars. The social or
transpersonal planets are Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter and Saturn are often called the first of the
"transpersonal" or "transcendent" planets as they represent a transition from the inner personal
planets to the outer modern, impersonal planets. The outer modern planets Uranus, Neptune and
Pluto are often called the collective or transcendental planets. [18] The following is a list of the planets
and their associated characteristics.[19]
Sun
"Sun sign" redirects here. For the such restricted astrology, see Sun sign astrology.
Helios on a relief from Ilion, early 4th-century BC
The Sun ( ) is the ruling planet of Leo and is exalted in Aries. In classical Greek mythology, the
Sun was represented by the Titans Hyperion and Helios (Roman Sol, and later by Apollo, the god of
light). The Sun is the star at the center of our solar system, around which the Earth and other planets
revolve and provides us with heat and light. The arc that the Sun travels in every year, rising and
setting in a slightly different place each day, is therefore in reality a reflection of the Earth's own orbit
around the Sun. This arc is larger the farther north or south from the equator latitude, giving a more
extreme difference between day and night and between seasons during the year. The Sun travels
through the twelve signs of the zodiac on its annual journey, spending about a month in each. The
Sun's position on a person's birthday therefore determines what is usually called his or her "sun"
sign. However, the sun sign allotment varies between Western (sign change around 22-23 of every
month) and Hindu astrology (sign change around 14-15 of every month) due the different systems of
planetary calculations, following the tropical and sidereal definitions respectively.
Astrologically speaking, the Sun is usually thought to represent the conscious ego, the self and its
expression, personal power, pride and authority, leadership qualities and the principles of creativity,
spontaneity, health and vitality, the sum of which is named the "life force". One of the first recorded
references to Sun worship is from the Mesopotamian Religion and described in the Epic of
Gilgamesh. The 1st-century poet Marcus Manilius in his epic, 8000-verse poem, Astronomica,
described the Sun, or Sol, as benign and favorable. In medicine, the Sun is associated with the
heart, circulatory system,[20] and the thymus. Additionally, humans depend on the sun to produce and
obtain vitamin D; an important supplement aiding the body's immune system and bone health.
In Ayurveda, it rules over life-force (praan-shakti), governs bile temperament (pitta), stomach,
bones and eyes. In modern astrology, the Sun is the primary native ruler of the fifth house, but
traditionally it had its joy in the ninth house.
The Sun is associated with Sunday. Dante Alighieri associated the Sun with the liberal art of music.
In Chinese astrology, the Sun represents Yang, the active, assertive masculine life principle.
Moon
Luna or Diana, wearing a crescent-moon crown and driving her ox-drawn chariot (biga), on the Parabiago
plate (2nd–5th centuries AD)
Full Moon
The planet Mercury
In medicine, Mercury is associated with the nervous system, the brain, the respiratory system, the
thyroid and the sense organs. It is traditionally held to be essentially cold and dry, according to its
placement in the zodiac and in any aspects to other planets.
In modern astrology, Mercury is regarded as the ruler of the third house; traditionally, it had the joy in
the first house. Mercury is the messenger of the gods in mythology. It is the planet of day-to-day
expression and relationships. Mercury's action is to take things apart and put them back together
again. It is an opportunistic planet, decidedly unemotional and curious.
Mercury rules over Wednesday. In Romance languages, the word for Wednesday is often similar to
Mercury (miercuri in Romanian, mercredi in French, miercoles in Spanish and mercoledì in Italian).
Dante Alighieri associated Mercury with the liberal art of dialectic.[citation needed]
In Chinese astrology Mercury represents Water, the fourth element, therefore symbolizing
communication, intelligence, and elegance.
Venus
Venus, wearing the sign of Libra on her midsection, and Taurus at her feet, at Cardiff Castle, Wales
Venus ( ) is the ruling planet of Libra (and the planet Venus was a former ruler to Taurus) and
exalted in Pisces. In classical Roman mythology, Venus is the goddess of love and beauty, famous
for the passions she could stir among the gods. Her cults may represent the religiously legitimate
charm and seduction of the divine by mortals, in contrast to the formal, contractual relations between
most members of Rome's official pantheon and the state, and the unofficial, illicit manipulation of
divine forces through magic. The ambivalence of her function is suggested in the etymological
relationship of the root *venes- with Latin venenum (poison, venom), in the sense of "a charm, magic
philtre".
Venus orbits the Sun in 225 days, spending about 18.75 days in each sign of the zodiac. Venus is
the second-brightest object in the night sky, the Moon being the brightest. It is usually beheld as a
twin planet to Earth.
Astrologically speaking, Venus is associated with the principles of harmony, resilience, beauty,
refinement, solidarity, affections, equality, and the urge to sympathize and unite with others. It is
involved with the desire for pleasure, comfort and ease. It governs romantic relations, marriage and
business partnerships, sex (the origin of the words 'venery' and 'venereal'), the arts, fashion and
social life. The 1st-century poet Marcus Manilius described Venus as generous and fecund and the
lesser benefic.
The planet Venus
The planet Venus in medicine is associated with the lumbar region, the veins, parathyroids, throat
and kidneys. Venus was thought to be moderately warm and moist and was associated with
the phlegmatichumor. In modern astrology, Venus is the ruler of the seventh house; traditionally, it
had the joy in the fifth house.
Venus is the planet of Friday. In languages deriving from Latin, such as Romanian, Spanish, French,
and Italian, the word for Friday often resembles the word Venus
(vineri, viernes, vendredi and venerdìrespectively). Dante Alighieri associated Venus with the liberal
art of rhetoric.[23] In Chinese astrology, Venus is associated with the element metal, which is
unyielding, strong and persistent. In Indian astrology, Venus is known as Shukra and represents
wealth, pleasure and reproduction. In Norse Paganism, the planet is associated to Freyja, the
goddess of love, beauty and fertility.[24]
Mars
Early 18th-century illustration of Mars (al-mirrikh)for the Bestiary of Zakariya al-Qazwini (Walters Art Museum)
Mars ( ) is the ruling planet of Aries and is exalted in Capricorn. Mars is the Roman god of war
and bloodshed, whose symbol is a spear and shield. Both the soil of Mars and the hemoglobin of
human blood are rich in iron and because of this they share its distinct deep red color. [25] He was
second in importance only to Jupiter and Saturn, due to Mars being the most prominent of the
military gods worshipped by the Roman legions.
Mars orbits the Sun in 687 days, spending about 57.25 days in each sign of the zodiac. It is also the
first planet that orbits outside of Earth's orbit, making it the first planet that does not set along with
the Sun. Mars has two permanent polar ice caps. During a pole's winter, it lies in continuous
darkness, chilling the surface and causing the deposition of 25–30% of the atmosphere into slabs of
CO2 ice (dry ice).
Astrologically speaking, Mars is associated with confidence and self-assertion, aggression, sexuality,
energy, strength, ambition and impulsiveness. Mars governs sports, competitions and physical
activities in general. The 1st-century poet Manilius, described the planet as ardent and as the
lesser malefic. In medicine, Mars presides over the genitals, the muscular system, the gonads and
adrenal glands. It was traditionally held to be hot and excessively dry and ruled the choleric humor. It
was associated with fever, accidents, trauma, pain and surgery.
The planet Mars
In modern astrology, Mars is the primary native ruler of the first house. Traditionally however, Mars
ruled both the third and tenth houses, and had its joy in the sixth house. While Venus tends to the
overall relationship atmosphere, Mars is the passionate impulse and action, the masculine aspect,
discipline, willpower and stamina.
Mars is associated with Tuesday and in Romance languages the word for Tuesday often resembles
Mars (in Romanian, marţi, in Spanish, martes, in French, mardi and in Italian "martedì"). The English
"Tuesday" is a modernised form of "Tyr's Day", Tyr being the Germanic analogue to Mars. Dante
Alighieri associated Mars with the liberal art of arithmetic. In Chinese astrology, Mars is ruled by the
element fire, which is passionate, energetic and adventurous. In Indian astrology, Mars is
called Mangala and represents energy, confidence and ego.
Jupiter
Jupiter enthroned, with the symbols of Pisces and Sagittarius at his feet (woodcut by Johannes
Regiomontanus, 1512)
The planet Jupiter
The 1st-century poet Manilius described Jupiter as temperate and benign, and the greater benefic. It
was regarded as warm and moist in nature, and therefore favorable to life. In medicine, Jupiter is
associated with the liver, pituitary gland, and the disposition of fats; it governed the sanguine humor.
In modern astrology, Jupiter is the primary native ruler of the ninth house, but traditionally, Jupiter
was assigned to both the second and ninth houses: the house of values and the house of beliefs,
respectively, and had its joy in the eleventh house of good luck.
Jupiter is associated with Thursday, and in Romance languages, the name for Thursday often
comes from Jupiter (e.g., joi in Romanian, jeudi in French, jueves in Spanish, and giovedì in Italian).
Dante Alighieri associated Jupiter with the liberal art of geometry. In Chinese astrology, Jupiter is
ruled by the element wood, which is patient, hard-working, and reliable. In Indian astrology, Jupiter is
known as Guru or Brihaspati and is known as the 'great teacher'.
Saturn
Saturn, with Capricorn and Aquarius at his feet and the New Year in his arms, from The Seven Planets with the
Signs of the Zodiac (1539) by Hans Sebald Beham
The planet Saturn
Modern planets
Since the invention of the telescope, Western astrology has incorporated Uranus, Neptune, Ceres,
Pluto, and other bodies into its methodology. The Indian and Chinese astrologies have tended to
retain the ancient seven-planet system. Meanings have had to be assigned to them by modern
astrologers, usually according to the major events that occurred in the world at the time of their
discovery. As these astrologers are usually Western, the social and historical events they describe
have an inevitable Western emphasis. Astrologers consider the "extra-Saturnian" planets to be
"impersonal" or generational planets, meaning their effects are felt more across whole generations of
society. Their effects in individuals depend upon how strongly they feature in that individual's birth-
chart. The following are their characteristics as accepted by most astrologers. [32]
Uranus
Syncretic figure of Aion-Uranusstanding within a zodiac wheel, with a reclining Earth goddess and four children
representing the Seasons(Roman-era mosaic from Sentinum, AD 200-250)
Uranus ( ) is the ruling planet of Aquarius and is exalted in Scorpio. In classical Greek mythology,
Uranus is the personification of the sky. The planet Uranus is very unusual among the planets in that
it rotates on its side, so that it presents each of its poles to the Sun in turn during its orbit; causing
both hemispheres to alternate between being bathed in light and lying in total darkness over the
course of the orbit.
Uranus takes 84 years to orbit the Sun, spending about 7 years in each sign of the zodiac. Uranus
was discovered to be a planet only in 1781 by Sir William Herschel.
Astrological interpretations associate Uranus with the principles of ingenuity, new or unconventional
ideas, individuality, discoveries, electricity, inventions, democracy, and revolutions. Uranus, among
all planets, most governs genius.
The planet Uranus
Uranus governs societies, clubs, and any group based on humanitarian or progressive ideals.
Uranus, the planet of sudden and unexpected changes, rules freedom and originality. In society, it
rules radical ideas and people, as well as revolutionary events that upset established structures.
Uranus is also associated with Wednesday, alongside Mercury (since Uranus is in the higher octave
of Mercury).
In art and literature, the discovery of Uranus coincided with the Romantic movement, which
emphasized individuality and freedom of creative expression. Additionally, it is often linked to an
individual's animal spirit. When it comes to medicine, Uranus is believed to be particularly associated
with the sympathetic nervous system, mental disorders, breakdowns and hysteria, spasms, and
cramps. Uranus is considered by modern astrologers to be the primary native ruler of the eleventh
house.[33]
Neptune
The planet Neptune
Astrologically speaking, Neptune is associated with idealism, dreams, dissolution, artistry, and
empathy, but with illusion and vagueness too. [36]
Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto, ceiling mural(ca. 1597) created by Caravaggio for a room adjacent to
the alchemical distillery of Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte: hovering around a translucent globe that
represents the world are Jupiter with his eagle, Neptune holding a bident, and Pluto with a horse
and Cerberus[37]
Like with Venus, the planet Neptune is also associated with Friday because Neptune is the higher
octave of Venus. In art, the impressionist movement began a trend away from literal representation,
to one based on the subtle, changing moods of light and color. In medicine, Neptune is seen to be
particularly associated with the thalamus, the spinal canal, and uncertain illnesses or neuroses.
Neptune is considered by modern astrologers to be the primary ruler of the twelfth house.
Pluto
Pluto ( ) is the ruling planet of Scorpio and is exalted in Virgo. In classical Roman mythology,
Pluto is the god of the underworld who is extremely wealthy. The alchemicalsymbol was given to
Pluto on its discovery, three centuries after alchemical practices had all but disappeared. The
alchemical symbol can therefore be read as spirit over mind, transcending matter.
Pluto takes 248 years to make a full circuit of the zodiac, but its progress is highly variable: it spends
between 15 and 26 years in each sign.
Pluto as captured by the New Horizons craft on July 14, 2015, in near true color.
Astrologically speaking, Pluto is called "the great renewer", and is considered to represent the part of
a person that destroys in order to renew, through bringing buried, but intense needs and drives to
the surface, and expressing them, even at the expense of the existing order. A commonly used
keyword for Pluto is "transformation". [38] It is associated with power and personal mastery, and the
need to cooperate and share with another, if each is not to be destroyed. [39] Pluto governs major
business and enormous wealth, mining, surgery and detective work, and any enterprise that involves
digging under the surface to bring the truth to light. Pluto is also associated with Tuesday, alongside
Mars since Pluto is the higher octave of that planet in astrology.
Its entry in Cancer in 1913, the sign in which it was later discovered, coincided with World War I. It is
also associated with nuclear armament due to such weapons using plutonium, which was named
after the dwarf planet. Nuclear research had its genesis in the 1930s and 40s and later gave rise to
the polarized nuclear standoff of the Cold War, with the mass consumer societies of the United
States and other democracies facing the totalitarian state of the USSR. The discovery of Pluto also
occurred just after the birth of modern psychoanalysis, when Freud and Jung began to explore the
depths of the unconscious.
In real life events and culture, Pluto has been a major astrological aspect. When it comes to art,
movements like Cubism and Surrealism began to de-construct the "normal" view of the world. In
medicine, Pluto is seen to be associated with regenerative forces in the body involving cell formation
and the reproductive system.[38] The majority of traditional astrologers do not use Pluto as a ruling
planet, but do use the planet for interpretation and predictive work, obliquely making reference to
projections of influences from higher to lower dimensional spaces.[38] Pluto is considered by modern
astrologers to be the primary native ruler of the eighth house.
Ceres
Ceres with torch in search of Proserpina (medallion by Martial Reymond, early 17th century)
Ceres ( ) is the smallest identified dwarf planet in the Solar System, but is significantly the largest
object in the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 1 January 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi, and is named
after Ceres, the Roman goddess of growing plants, the harvest, and of motherly love. It was the first
asteroid discovered, taking up about one-third of the entire mass of its asteroid belt. [40] The
classification of Ceres has changed more than once and has been the subject of some
disagreement.[41] Johann Elert Bode believed Ceres to be the "missing planet" he had proposed to
exist between Mars and Jupiter, at a distance of 419 million km (2.8 AU) from the Sun. Ceres was
assigned a planetary symbol, and remained listed as a planet in astronomy books and tables for
about half a century. The 2006 debate surrounding Pluto and what constitutes a planet led to Ceres
being considered for reclassification as a planet, but in the end Ceres and Pluto were classified as
the first members of the new dwarf planet category.
Ceres passes through the zodiac every 4 years and 7 months, passing through a little more than
2½ signs every year.
In mythology, Ceres is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Demeter, and is the goddess of
agriculture. The goddess (and metaphorically the planet) is also associated with the reproductive
issues of an adult woman, as well as pregnancy and other major transitions in a woman's life,
including the nine months of gestation time, family bonds and relationships. In old opinion, Ceres is
the ruling planet of Virgo[citation needed] but as more knowledge about the planet's character has been
revealed, majority of modern astrologers opinion, denote Ceres being the ruler for Taurus, however,
Ceres is exalted in Virgo.[42] In an updated revision, Taurus is also ruled by Chiron with that very
same dwarf planet having an astrological maverick character being a co-ruler to Virgo, and exalted
in Sagittarius.[43] Although a mother, Ceres is also the archetype of a virgin goddess. Ceres
epitomizes independent women who are often unmarried (since, according to myth, Ceres is an
unmarried goddess who chose to become a mother without a husband or partner.) While the moon
represents our ideal of "motherhood", Ceres would represent how our real and nature motherhood
should be.[44]
Hypothetical planets
Some astrologers have hypothesized about the existence of unseen or undiscovered planets. In
1918, astrologer Sepharialproposed the existence of Earth's "Dark Moon" Lilith, and since then,
some astrologers have been using it in their charts; though the same name is also (and now, more
commonly) used in astrology to refer to the axis of the actual Moon's orbit. The 20th-century German
school of astrology known as Uranian astrology also claimed that many undiscovered planets
existed beyond the orbit of Neptune, giving them names such as Cupido, Hades, Zeus, Kronos,
Apollon, Admetos, Vulcanus, and Poseidon, and charting their supposed orbits. These orbits have
not coincided, however, with more recent discoveries by astronomers of objects beyond Neptune.
Other astrologers have focused on the theory that in time, all twelve signs of the zodiac will each
have their own ruler, so that another two planets have yet to be discovered; namely the "true" rulers
of Taurus and Virgo. The names of the planets mentioned in this regard by some are Vulcan (ruler of
Virgo) and Apollo, the Roman god of the Sun (ruler of Taurus). [49]Another version of this theory states
that the modern planets discovered so far correspond to the elements known to the ancients—air
(Uranus, god of the heavens), water (Neptune, god of the sea), and fire (Pluto, god of the
underworld)—which leaves the elements earth and ether (the fifth element of the fiery upper air). In
other words, it is claimed that the two planets to be discovered will be named after an earth god or
goddess (such as the Horae), and after Aether, the Roman and Greek god of the upper air and
stars.[citation needed]
The Thema Mundi
Hous Planetar
Sign Domicile Detriment Exaltation Fall
e y Joy
1st
Aries Mars Venus Sun Saturn Pluto
House
2nd Chiron, Cere
Taurus Pluto Moon Uranus Jupiter
House s
3rd
Gemini Mercury Jupiter Ceres Chiron Uranus
House
4th
Cancer Moon Saturn Jupiter Mars Venus
House
5th
Leo Sun Uranus Neptune Mercury Mars
House
7th
Libra Venus Mars Saturn Sun Neptune
House
8th Chiron, Cere
Scorpio Pluto Uranus Moon Saturn
House s
Sagittariu 9th
Jupiter Mercury Chiron Ceres Sun
s House
10th
Capricorn Saturn Moon Mars Jupiter Pluto
House
11th
Aquarius Uranus Sun Mercury Neptune Mercury
House
Note: The planets in the table rule the signs on the same row, and the houses do correspond with
the signs on the same row (i.e. Mars rules Aries; Aries and first house share some
correspondences). However, it is only modern astrology that links the planets to the houses in this
order.[50] The bulk of the tradition assigns planetary rulerships according to the
ancient Chaldeanastronomical order of the planets[citation needed] (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus,
Mercury, Moon; the former order of the planets in distance from Earth geocentrically):
Table 2: Traditional houses and planetary relationships.
10th
Mars N/A
House
11th
Sun Jupiter
House
12th
Venus Saturn
House
A hypothetical geocentric model of the Solar System (upper panel) in comparison to the heliocentric model
(lower panel).
Copernicus was aware that the ancient Greek Aristarchus had already proposed
a heliocentric theory, and cited him as a proponent of it in a reference that was deleted before
publication, but there is no evidence that Copernicus had knowledge of, or access to, the specific
details of Aristarchus' theory.[1] Although he had circulated an outline of his own heliocentric theory to
colleagues sometime before 1514, he did not decide to publish it until he was urged to do so late in
his life by his pupil Rheticus. Copernicus's challenge was to present a practical alternative to the
Ptolemaic model by more elegantly and accurately determining the length of a solar year while
preserving the metaphysical implications of a mathematically ordered cosmos. Thus, his heliocentric
model retained several of the Ptolemaic elements causing the inaccuracies, such as the
planets' circular orbits, epicycles, and uniform speeds,[2] while at the same time introducing such
innovative ideas as:
Earth is one of several planets revolving around a stationary Sun in a determined order
Earth has three motions: daily rotation, annual revolution, and annual tilting of its axis
Retrograde motion of the planets is explained by Earth's motion
Distance from Earth to the Sun is small compared to the distance from the Sun to the
stars.
Heliocentric model from Nicolaus Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the
Heavenly Spheres)
Copernican theory
Nicolaus Copernicus
Copernicus' major work, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium - On the Revolutions of the Heavenly
Spheres (first edition 1543 in Nuremberg, second edition 1566 in Basel[28]), was published during the
year of his death, though he had arrived at his theory several decades earlier. The book marks the
beginning of the shift away from a geocentric (and anthropocentric) universe with the Earth at its
center. Copernicus held that the Earth is another planet revolving around the fixed Sun once a year,
and turning on its axis once a day. But while Copernicus put the Sun at the center of the celestial
spheres, he did not put it at the exact center of the universe, but near it. Copernicus' system used
only uniform circular motions, correcting what was seen by many as the chief inelegance in
Ptolemy's system.
Nicolai Copernicito Torinensis De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, Libri VI(On the Revolutions of the
Heavenly Spheres, in six books) (title page of 2nd edition, Basel, 1566)
1. Heavenly motions are uniform, eternal, and circular or compounded of several circles
(epicycles).
2. The center of the universe is near the Sun.
3. Around the Sun, in order, are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and
the fixed stars.
4. The Earth has three motions: daily rotation, annual revolution, and annual tilting of its axis.
5. Retrograde motion of the planets is explained by the Earth's motion.
6. The distance from the Earth to the Sun is small compared to the distance to the stars.
LITERATURE REVIEW.
Early studies
Neptune was referred to simply as "the planet exterior to Uranus" or as "Le Verrier's planet". The
first suggestion for a name came from Galle, who proposed the name Janus. In England, Challis
put forward the name Oceanus.[33]
Claiming the right to name his discovery, Urbain Le Verrier quickly proposed the name Neptune
for this new planet, though falsely stating that this had been officially approved by the French
Bureau des Longitudes.[34] In October, he sought to name the planet Le Verrier, after himself, and
he had loyal support in this from the observatory director, François Arago. This suggestion met
with stiff resistance outside France.[35] French almanacs quickly reintroduced the name Herschel
for Uranus, after that planet's discoverer Sir William Herschel, and Leverrier for the new planet.
[36]
Struve came out in favour of the name Neptune on 29 December 1846, to the Saint Petersburg
Academy of Sciences.[37] Soon, Neptune became the internationally accepted name. In Roman
mythology, Neptune was the god of the sea, identified with the Greek Poseidon. The demand for
a mythological name seemed to be in keeping with the nomenclature of the other planets, all of
which, except for Earth, were named for deities in Greek and Roman mythology.[38]
Most languages today use some variant of the name "Neptune" for the planet; indeed in Chinese,
Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean, the planet's name was translated as "sea king star" (海王星).
[39][40]
In Mongolian, Neptune is called Dalain Van (Далайн ван), reflecting its namesake god's
role as the ruler of the sea. In modern Greek the planet is called Poseidon (Ποσειδώνας,
Poseidonas), the Greek counterpart of Neptune.[41] In Hebrew, "Rahab" ()רהב, from a Biblical sea
monster mentioned in the Book of Psalms, was selected in a vote managed by the Academy of
the Hebrew Language in 2009 as the official name for the planet, even though the existing Latin
term "Neptun" ( )נפטוןis commonly used.[42][43] In Māori, the planet is called Tangaroa, named
after the Māori god of the sea.[44] In Nahuatl, the planet is called Tlāloccītlalli, named after the
rain god Tlāloc.[44] In Thai, Neptune is referred both by its Westernised name Dao Nepjun (ดาว
เนปจูน), and is also named Dao Ketu (ดาวเกตุ, "Star of Ketu"), after the descending lunar node Ketu
(केत)ु who plays a role in Hindu astrology.
From its discovery in 1846 until the discovery of Pluto in 1930, Neptune was the farthest known
planet. When Pluto was discovered, it was considered a planet, and Neptune thus became the
second-farthest known planet, except for a 20-year period between 1979 and 1999 when Pluto's
elliptical orbit brought it closer than Neptune to the Sun.[45] The discovery of the Kuiper belt in
1992 led many astronomers to debate whether Pluto should be considered a planet or as part of
the Kuiper belt.[46][47] In 2006, the International Astronomical Union defined the word "planet" for
the first time, reclassifying Pluto as a "dwarf planet" and making Neptune once again the
outermost known planet in the Solar System.[48]
JESUS
Jesus[e] (c. 4 BC – c. AD 30 / 33), also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ,[f] was a
first-century Jewishpreacher and religious leader.[12] He is the central figure of Christianity and is
widely described as the most influential person in history. [13] Most Christians believe he is
the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Messiah (Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament.[14]
[15]
Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically,[g] although the quest for
the historical Jesushas produced little agreement on the historical reliability of the Gospels and on
how closely the Jesus portrayed in the Bible reflects the historical Jesus.[22][h][i] Jesus was
a Galilean Jew[12] who was baptized by John the Baptist and subsequently began his own ministry,
preaching his message orally[25] and often being referred to as "rabbi".[26] Jesus debated with fellow
Jews on how to best follow God, engaged in healings, taught in parables and gathered followers.[27]
[28]
He was arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities,[29] turned over to the Roman government,
and was subsequently crucified on the order of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect.[27] After his death,
his followers believed he rose from the dead, and the community they formed eventually became
the early Church.[30]
The birth of Jesus is celebrated annually on December 25th (or various dates in January by some
eastern churches) as a holiday known as Christmas. His crucifixion is honored on Good Friday, and
his resurrection is celebrated on Easter. The widely used calendar era "AD", from the Latin anno
Domini ("in the year of the Lord"), and the equivalent alternative "CE", are based on the approximate
birth date of Jesus
Jesus
.[31][j]
Christian doctrines include the beliefs that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of a
virgin named Mary, performed miracles, founded the Church, died by crucifixion as a sacrifice to
achieve atonement for sin, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven, from where he will
return.[33] Most Christians believe Jesus enables people to be reconciled to God. The Nicene
Creed asserts that Jesus will judge the living and the dead[34] either before or after their bodily
resurrection,[35][36][37] an event tied to the Second Coming of Jesus in Christian eschatology.[38] The
great majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, the second of
three persons of the Trinity. A minority of Christian denominations reject Trinitarianism, wholly or
partly, as non-scriptural.
Jesus also figures in non-Christian religions and new religious movements. In Islam, Jesus
(commonly transliterated as Isa) is considered one of God's important prophets and the Messiah.[39][40]
[41]
Muslims believe Jesus was a bringer of scripture and was born of a virgin, but was not the Son of
God. The Quran states that Jesus himself never claimed divinity.[42] Most Muslims do not believe that
he was crucified, but believe that he was physically raised into Heaven by God. In
contrast, Judaism rejects the belief that Jesus was the awaited Messiah, arguing that he did not
fulfill Messianic prophecies, and was neither divine nor resurrected.[43]
A typical Jew in Jesus' time had only one name, sometimes followed by the phrase "son of <father's
name>", or the individual's hometown.[44] Thus, in the New Testament, Jesus is commonly referred to
as "Jesus of Nazareth"[k] (e.g., Mark 10:47).[45]Jesus' neighbors in Nazareth refer to him as "the
carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon" (Mark 6:3),[46] "the
carpenter's son" (Matthew 13:55),[47] or "Joseph's son" (Luke 4:22).[48] In John, the disciple Philiprefers
to him as "Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth" (John 1:45).[49]
Jesus, pronounced "Jeshua" in Hebrew, is equivalent to the Hebrew name Joshua,[50][51] the biblical
name of Moses' assistant[52] and of a Jewish high priest.[53] The name Jesus is derived from the
Latin Iesus, a transliteration of the GreekἸησοῦς (Iesous).[54] The Greek form is a rendering of
the Hebrew ( ישועYeshua), a variant of the earlier name ( יהושעYehoshua), or in English, "Joshua".[55]
[56][57]
The name Yeshua appears to have been in use in Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus. [58]The
1st-century works of historian Flavius Josephus, who wrote in Koine Greek, the same language as
that of the New Testament,[59] refer to at least twenty different people with the name Jesus (i.e.
Ἰησοῦς).[60] The etymology of Jesus' name in the context of the New Testament is generally given as
"Yahweh is salvation".[61]
Since early Christianity, Christians have commonly referred to Jesus as "Jesus Christ". [62] The
word Christ was a title or office ("the Christ"), not a given name.[63][64] It derives from the
Greek Χριστός (Christos),[54][65] a translation of the Hebrew mashiakh ( )משיחmeaning "anointed", and
is usually transliterated into English as "Messiah".[66][67] In biblical Judaism, sacred oil was used to
anoint certain exceptionally holy people and objects as part of their religious investiture
(see Leviticus 8:10–12 and Exodus 30:29).
Christians of the time designated Jesus as "the Christ" because they believed him to be the
Messiah, whose arrival is prophesied in the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. In postbiblical
usage, Christ became viewed as a name—one part of "Jesus Christ". The term "Christian" (meaning
a follower of Christ) has been in use since the 1st century.[68]
Life of Jesus
according to the Gospels
See also: New Testament places associated with Jesus and Names and titles of Jesus in the New
Testament
Canonical gospels
The four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are the foremost sources for the life
and message of Jesus.[44] However, other parts of the New Testament also include references to key
episodes in his life, such as the Last Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:23.[69][70][71] Acts of the Apostles (Acts
10:37–38 and Acts 19) refers to the early ministry of Jesus and its anticipation by John the Baptist. [72]
[73]
Acts 1:1–11 says more about the Ascension of Jesus (also mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:16) than the
canonical gospels do.[74] In the undisputed Pauline letters, which were written earlier than the
gospels, the words or instructions of Jesus are cited several times (1 Corinthians 7:10–11, 9:14,
11:23–25, 2 Corinthians 12:9).[l]
Some early Christian groups had separate descriptions of the life and teachings of Jesus that are not
included in the New Testament. These include the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Peter, and Gospel
of Judas, the Apocryphon of James, and many other apocryphal writings. Most scholars conclude
that these are written much later and are less reliable accounts than the canonical gospels. [76][77][78]
The canonical gospels are four accounts, each written by a different author. The authors of the
gospels are all anonymous, attributed by tradition to the four evangelists, each with close ties to
Jesus:[79] Mark by John Mark, an associate of Peter;[80] Matthew by one of Jesus' disciples; [79] Luke by
a companion of Paul mentioned in a few epistles;[79] and John by another of Jesus' disciples,[79] the
"beloved disciple".[81]
One important aspect of the study of the gospels is the literary genre under which they fall. Genre "is
a key convention guiding both the composition and the interpretation of writings". [82] Whether the
gospel authors set out to write novels, myths, histories, or biographies has a tremendous impact on
how they ought to be interpreted. Some recent studies suggest that the genre of the gospels ought
to be situated within the realm of ancient biography.[83][84][85] Although not without critics,[86] the position
that the gospels are a type of ancient biography is the consensus among scholars today. [87][88]
Not everything contained in the New Testament gospels is considered to be historically reliable.
[89]
Views range from their being inerrant descriptions of the life of Jesus[90] to their providing little
historical information about his life beyond the basics.[91][92] According to a broad scholarly consensus,
the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), and not John, are the most reliable sources of
information about Jesus.[93][94][44]
According to the Marcan priority, the first to be written was the Gospel of Mark (written AD 60–75),
followed by the Gospel of Matthew (AD 65–85), the Gospel of Luke (AD 65–95), and the Gospel of
John (AD 75–100).[95] Furthermore, most scholars agree that the authors of Matthew and Luke used
Mark as a source when writing their gospels. Matthew and Luke also share some content not found
in Mark. To explain this, many scholars believe that in addition to Mark, another source (commonly
called the "Q source") was used by the two authors.[96]
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels, from the Greek σύν (syn "together")
and ὄψις (opsis "view").[97][98][99] They are similar in content, narrative arrangement, language and
paragraph structure.[97][98] Scholars generally agree that it is impossible to find any direct literary
relationship between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John. [100] While the flow of some events
(such as Jesus' baptism, transfiguration, crucifixion and interactions with the apostles) are shared
among the Synoptic Gospels, incidents such as the transfiguration do not appear in John, which also
differs on other matters, such as the Cleansing of the Temple.[101]
Begins with Jesus' baptism or birth to a virgin.[79] Begins with creation, with no birth story.[79]
Teaches primarily about the Kingdom of God, little about Teaches primarily and extensively about
himself.[79] himself.[79]
Jesus ushers in a new covenant with a last supper.[79] Jesus washes the disciples' feet.[79]
The Synoptics emphasize different aspects of Jesus. In Mark, Jesus is the Son of God whose mighty
works demonstrate the presence of God's Kingdom.[80] He is a tireless wonder worker, the servant of
both God and man.[104] This short gospel records few of Jesus' words or teachings. [80] The Gospel of
Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's will as revealed in the Old Testament, and
he is the Lord of the Church.[105] He is the "Son of David", a "king", and the Messiah.[104][14][15] Luke
presents Jesus as the divine-human savior who shows compassion to the needy. [106] He is the friend
of sinners and outcasts, come to seek and save the lost. [104] This gospel includes Jesus' most
beloved parables, such as the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. [106]
The prologue to the Gospel of John identifies Jesus as an incarnation of the divine Word (Logos).
[107]
As the Word, Jesus was eternally present with God, active in all creation, and the source of
humanity's moral and spiritual nature. [107] Jesus is not only greater than any past human prophet but
greater than any prophet could be. He not only speaks God's Word; he is God's Word. [108] In the
Gospel of John, Jesus reveals his divine role publicly. Here he is the Bread of Life, the Light of the
World, the True Vine and more.[104]
In general, the authors of the New Testament showed little interest in an absolute chronology of
Jesus or in synchronizing the episodes of his life with the secular history of the age. [109] As stated
in John 21:25, the gospels do not claim to provide an exhaustive list of the events in the life of Jesus.
[110]
The accounts were primarily written as theological documents in the context of early Christianity,
with timelines as a secondary consideration.[111] In this respect, it is noteworthy that the Gospels
devote about one third of their text to the last week of the life of Jesus in Jerusalem, referred to
as the Passion.[112] Although the gospels do not provide enough details to satisfy the demands of
modern historians regarding exact dates, it is possible to draw from them a general picture of the life
story of Jesus.[89][109][111]
Jesus was Jewish,[12] born by Mary, wife of Joseph (Matthew 1; Luke 2). The Gospels of Matthew
and Luke offer two accounts of the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew traces Jesus' ancestry
to Abraham through David (1:1–16).[113] Luke traces Jesus' ancestry through Adam to God (3:23–38).
[114]
The lists are identical between Abraham and David, but differ radically from that point. Matthew
has twenty-seven generations from David to Joseph, whereas Luke has forty-two, with almost no
overlap between the names on the two lists.[m][115] Various theories have been put forward seeking to
explain why the two genealogies are so different. [n]
Adoration of the Shepherds (1622) by Gerard van Honthorst
Matthew and Luke each describe Jesus' birth, especially that Jesus was born by a virgin named
Mary in Bethlehem in fulfillment of prophecy. Luke's account emphasizes events before the birth of
Jesus and centers on Mary, while Matthew's mostly covers those after the birth and centers on
Joseph.[116][117][118] Both accounts state that Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, his betrothed, in
Bethlehem, and both support the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus, according to which Jesus was
miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb when she was still a virgin.[119][120][121] At the
same time, there is evidence, at least in the Lukan Acts of the Apostles, that Jesus was thought to
have had, like many figures in antiquity, a dual paternity, since there it is stated he descended from
the seed or loins of David.[122]
In Matthew, Joseph is troubled because Mary, his betrothed, is pregnant (Matthew 1:19–20), but in
the first of Joseph's three dreams an angel assures him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife,
because her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. [123]In Matthew 2:1–12, wise men or Magi from the
East bring gifts to the young Jesus as the King of the Jews. Herod the Greathears of Jesus' birth
and, wanting him killed, orders the murders of male infants in Bethlehem. But an angel warns
Joseph in his second dream, and the family flees to Egypt—later to return and settle in Nazareth.[123]
[124][125]
In Luke 1:31–38, Mary learns from the angel Gabriel that she will conceive and bear a child called
Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit.[117][119] When Mary is due to give birth, she and Joseph
travel from Nazareth to Joseph's ancestral home in Bethlehem to register in the census ordered
by Caesar Augustus. While there Mary gives birth to Jesus, and as they have found no room in the
inn, she places the newborn in a manger (Luke 2:1–7). An angel announces the birth to some
shepherds, who go to Bethlehem to see Jesus, and subsequently spread the news abroad (Luke
2:8–20). After the presentation of Jesus at the Temple, Joseph, Mary and Jesus return to Nazareth.
[117][119]
See also: Return of the family of Jesus to Nazareth, Unknown years of Jesus, and Brothers of Jesus
William Holman Hunt, The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple (1860)
Jesus' childhood home is identified in the gospels of Luke and Matthew as the town of Nazareth
in Galilee, where he lived with his family. Although Joseph appears in descriptions of Jesus'
childhood, no mention is made of him thereafter. [126] His other family members—his mother, Mary, his
brothers James, Joses (or Joseph), Judas and Simon and his unnamed sisters—are mentioned in
the gospels and other sources.[127]
The Gospel of Mark reports that Jesus comes into conflict with his neighbors and family. [128] Jesus'
mother and brothers come to get him (Mark 3:31–35) because people are saying that he is
crazy (Mark 3:21). Jesus responds that his followers are his true family. In John, Mary follows Jesus
to his crucifixion, and he expresses concern over her well-being (John 19:25–27).
Jesus is called a τέκτων (tektōn) in Mark 6:3, traditionally understood as carpenter but could cover
makers of objects in various materials, including builders. [129][130] The gospels indicate that Jesus could
read, paraphrase, and debate scripture, but this does not necessarily mean that he received formal
scribal training.[131]
When Jesus is presented as a baby in the temple per Jewish Law, a man named Simeon says to
Mary and Joseph that Jesus "shall stand as a sign of contradiction, while a sword will pierce your
own soul. Then the secret thoughts of many will come to light" (Luke 2:28–35). Several years later,
when Jesus goes missing on a visit to Jerusalem, his parents find him in the temple sitting among
the teachers, listening to them and asking questions, and the people are amazed at his
understanding and answers; Mary scolds Jesus for going missing, to which Jesus replies that he
must "be in his father's house" (Luke 2:41–52).
The Synoptic accounts of Jesus' baptism are all preceded by information about John the Baptist.[132]
[133][134]
They show John preaching penance and repentance for the remission of sins and encouraging
the giving of alms to the poor (Luke 3:11) as he baptizes people in the area of the Jordan
River around Perea and foretells (Luke 3:16) the arrival of someone "more powerful" than he.[135]
[136]
Later, Jesus identifies John as "the Elijah who was to come" (Matthew 11:14, Mark 9:13–14), the
prophet who was expected to arrive before the "great and terrible day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:5).
Likewise, Luke says that John had the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17).
In Mark, John baptizes Jesus, and as he comes out of the water he sees the Holy Spirit descending
to him like a dove and he hears a voice from heaven declaring him to be God's Son (Mark 1:9–11).
This is one of two events described in the gospels where a voice from Heaven calls Jesus "Son", the
other being the Transfiguration.[137][138] The spirit then drives him into the wilderness where he is
tempted by Satan (Mark 1:12–13). Jesus then begins his ministry after John's arrest (Mark 1:14).
Jesus' baptism in Matthew is similar. Here, before Jesus' baptism, John protests, saying, "I need to
be baptized by you" (Matthew 3:14). Jesus instructs him to carry on with the baptism "to fulfill all
righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). Matthew also details the three temptations that Satan offers Jesus in
the wilderness (Matthew 4:3–11). In Luke, the Holy Spirit descends as a dove after everyone has
been baptized and Jesus is praying (Luke 3:21–22). John implicitly recognizes Jesus from prison
after sending his followers to ask about him (Luke 7:18–23). Jesus' baptism and temptation serve as
preparation for his public ministry.[139]
The Gospel of John leaves out Jesus' baptism and temptation. [140] Here, John the Baptist testifies that
he saw the Spirit descend on Jesus (John 1:32).[136][141] John publicly proclaims Jesus as the
sacrificial Lamb of God, and some of John's followers become disciples of Jesus.[94] In this Gospel,
John denies that he is Elijah (John 1:21). Before John is imprisoned, Jesus leads his followers to
baptize disciples as well (John 3:22–24), and they baptize more people than John (John 4:1).
Public ministry
Ministry of Jesus
A 19th-century painting depicting the Sermon on the Mount, by Carl Bloch
The Synoptics depict two distinct geographical settings in Jesus' ministry. The first takes place north
of Judea, in Galilee, where Jesus conducts a successful ministry; and the second shows Jesus
rejected and killed when he travels to Jerusalem.[26] Often referred to as "rabbi",[26] Jesus preaches his
message orally.[25] Notably, Jesus forbids those who recognize him as the Messiah to speak of it,
including people he heals and demons he exorcises (see Messianic Secret).[142]
John depicts Jesus' ministry as largely taking place in and around Jerusalem, rather than in Galilee;
and Jesus' divine identity is openly proclaimed and immediately recognized. [108]
Scholars divide the ministry of Jesus into several stages. The Galilean ministry begins when Jesus
returns to Galilee from the Judaean Desert after rebuffing the temptation of Satan. Jesus preaches
around Galilee, and in Matthew 4:18–20, his first disciples, who will eventually form the core of the
early Church, encounter him and begin to travel with him. [134][143] This period includes the Sermon on
the Mount, one of Jesus' major discourses,[143][144] as well as the calming of the storm, the feeding of
the 5,000, walking on water and a number of other miracles and parables.[145] It ends with
the Confession of Peter and the Transfiguration.[146][147]
As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in the Perean ministry, he returns to the area where he was
baptized, about a third of the way down from the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan River (John 10:40–
42).[148][149] The final ministry in Jerusalem begins with Jesus' triumphal entry into the city on Palm
Sunday.[150] In the Synoptic Gospels, during that week Jesus drives the money changers from
the Second Temple and Judas bargains to betray him. This period culminates in the Last
Supper and the Farewell Discourse.[132][150][151]
Disciples and followers
The Exhortation to the Apostles, by James Tissot, portrays Jesus talking to his 12 disciples
Near the beginning of his ministry, Jesus appoints twelve apostles. In Matthew and Mark, despite
Jesus only briefly requesting that they join him, Jesus' first four apostles, who were fishermen, are
described as immediately consenting, and abandoning their nets and boats to do so (Matthew 4:18–
22, Mark 1:16–20). In John, Jesus' first two apostles were disciples of John the Baptist. The Baptist
sees Jesus and calls him the Lamb of God; the two hear this and follow Jesus.[152][153] In addition to the
Twelve Apostles, the opening of the passage of the Sermon on the Plain identifies a much larger
group of people as disciples (Luke 6:17). Also, in Luke 10:1–16 Jesus sends seventy or seventy-two
of his followers in pairs to prepare towns for his prospective visit. They are instructed to accept
hospitality, heal the sick and spread the word that the Kingdom of God is coming.[154]
In Mark, the disciples are notably obtuse. They fail to understand Jesus' miracles (Mark 4:35–
41, Mark 6:52), his parables (Mark 4:13), or what "rising from the dead" would mean (Mark 9:9–10).
When Jesus is later arrested, they desert him. [142]
Teachings and miracles
Main articles: Sermon on the Mount, Parables of Jesus, and Miracles of Jesus
In the Synoptics, Jesus teaches extensively, often in parables,[155] about the Kingdom of God (or, in
Matthew, the Kingdom of Heaven). The Kingdom is described as both imminent (Mark 1:15) and
already present in the ministry of Jesus (Luke 17:21). Jesus promises inclusion in the Kingdom for
those who accept his message (Mark 10:13–27). Jesus talks of the "Son of Man,"
an apocalyptic figure who would come to gather the chosen.[44]
Jesus calls people to repent their sins and to devote themselves completely to God. [44] Jesus tells his
followers to adhere to Jewish law, although he is perceived by some to have broken the law himself,
for example regarding the Sabbath.[44] When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus
replies: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind ... And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37–39). Other
ethical teachings of Jesus include loving your enemies, refraining from hatred and lust, turning the
other cheek, and forgiving people who have sinned against you (Matthew 5–7).[156]
John's Gospel presents the teachings of Jesus not merely as his own preaching, but as
divine revelation. John the Baptist, for example, states in John 3:34: "He whom God has sent speaks
the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure." In John 7:16 Jesus says, "My teaching is
not mine but his who sent me." He asserts the same thing in John 14:10: "Do you not believe that I
am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but
the Father who dwells in me does his works."[157][158]
Jesus cleansing a leper, medieval mosaic from the Monreale Cathedral, late 12th to mid-13th centuries
Approximately thirty parables form about one third of Jesus' recorded teachings. [157][159] The parables
appear within longer sermons and at other places in the narrative. [160] They often contain symbolism,
and usually relate the physical world to the spiritual.[161][162]Common themes in these tales include the
kindness and generosity of God and the perils of transgression. [163] Some of his parables, such as
the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32), are relatively simple, while others, such as the Growing
Seed (Mark 4:26–29), are sophisticated, profound and abstruse.[164] When asked by his disciples
about why he speaks in parables to the people, Jesus replies that the chosen disciples have been
given to "know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven", unlike the rest of their people, "For the one
who has will be given more and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be
deprived even more.", going on to say that the majority of their generation have grown "dull hearts"
and thus are unable to understand (Matthew 13:10–17).
In the gospel accounts, Jesus devotes a large portion of his ministry performing miracles, especially
healings.[165] The miracles can be classified into two main categories: healing miracles and nature
miracles.[166] The healing miracles include cures for physical ailments, exorcisms,[102]
[167]
and resurrections of the dead.[168] The nature miracles show Jesus' power over nature, and
include turning water into wine, walking on water, and calming a storm, among others. Jesus states
that his miracles are from a divine source. When Jesus' opponents suddenly accuse him of
performing exorcisms by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, Jesus counters that he
performs them by the "Spirit of God" (Matthew 12:28) or "finger of God", arguing that all logic
suggests that Satan would not let his demons assist the Children of God because it would divide
Satan's house and bring his kingdom to desolation; furthermore, he asks his opponents that if he
exorcises by Beel'zebub, "by whom do your sons cast them out?"(Luke 11:20).[169][170] In Matthew
12:31–32, he goes on to say that while all manner of sin, "even insults against God" or "insults
against the son of man", shall be forgiven, whoever insults goodness (or "The Holy Spirit") shall
never be forgiven; he/she carries the guilt of his/her sin forever.
In John, Jesus' miracles are described as "signs", performed to prove his mission and divinity. [171]
[172]
However, in the Synoptics, when asked by some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees to give
miraculous signs to prove his authority, Jesus refuses, [171] saying that no sign shall come to corrupt
and evil people except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Also, in the Synoptic Gospels, the crowds
regularly respond to Jesus' miracles with awe and press on him to heal their sick. In John's Gospel,
Jesus is presented as unpressured by the crowds, who often respond to his miracles with trust and
faith.[173] One characteristic shared among all miracles of Jesus in the gospel accounts is that he
performed them freely and never requested or accepted any form of payment. [174] The gospel
episodes that include descriptions of the miracles of Jesus also often include teachings, and the
miracles themselves involve an element of teaching. [175][176] Many of the miracles teach the importance
of faith. In the cleansing of ten lepers and the raising of Jairus' daughter, for instance, the
beneficiaries are told that their healing was due to their faith. [177][178]
Proclamation as Christ and Transfiguration
Main articles: Confession of Peter and Transfiguration of Jesus
At about the middle of each of the three Synoptic Gospels are two significant events: the Confession
of Peter and the Transfiguration of Jesus.[147][179][137][138] These two events are not mentioned in the
Gospel of John.[180]
In his Confession, Peter tells Jesus, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." [181][182][183] Jesus
affirms that Peter's confession is divinely revealed truth. [184][185] After the confession, Jesus tells his
disciples about his upcoming death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22)
In the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:2–8, and Luke 9:28–36),[137][138][147] Jesus takes Peter
and two other apostles up an unnamed mountain, where "he was transfigured before them, and his
face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white." [186] A bright cloud appears around
them, and a voice from the cloud says, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased;
listen to him" (Matthew 17:1–9).[137]
Passion Week
Passion Week
The description of the last week of the life of Jesus (often called Passion Week) occupies about one
third of the narrative in the canonical gospels,[112] starting with Jesus' triumphal entry into
Jerusalem and ending with his Crucifixion. [132][150]
Activities in Jerusalem
In the Synoptics, the last week in Jerusalem is the conclusion of the journey through Perea
and Judea that Jesus began in Galilee.[150] Jesus rides a young donkey into Jerusalem, reflecting the
tale of the Messiah's Donkey, an oracle from the Book of Zechariah in which the Jews' humble king
enters Jerusalem this way (Zechariah 9:9).[80] People along the way lay cloaks and small branches of
trees (known as palm fronds) in front of him and sing part of Psalms 118:25–26.[187][188][189]
Jesus next expels the money changers from the Second Temple, accusing them of turning it into a
den of thieves through their commercial activities. Jesus then prophesies about the coming
destruction, including false prophets, wars, earthquakes, celestial disorders, persecution of the
faithful, the appearance of an "abomination of desolation," and unendurable tribulations (Mark 13:1–
23). The mysterious "Son of Man," he says, will dispatch angels to gather the faithful from all parts of
the earth (Mark 13:24–27). Jesus warns that these wonders will occur in the lifetimes of the hearers
(Mark 13:28–32).[142] In John, the Cleansing of the Temple occurs at the beginning of Jesus' ministry
instead of at the end (John 2:13–16).[108]
Jesus comes into conflict with the Jewish elders, such as when they question his authority and when
he criticizes them and calls them hypocrites.[187][189] Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, secretly
strikes a bargain with the Jewish elders, agreeing to betray Jesus to them for 30 silver coins.[190][191]
The Gospel of John recounts of two other feasts in which Jesus taught in Jerusalem before the
Passion Week (John 7:1–10:42).[128] In Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, Jesus raises Lazarus from
the dead. This potent sign[108] increases the tension with authorities, [150] who conspire to kill him (John
11).[128] Mary of Bethanyanoints Jesus' feet, foreshadowing his entombment.[192] Jesus then makes his
Messianic entry into Jerusalem.[128] The cheering crowds greeting Jesus as he enters Jerusalem add
to the animosity between him and the establishment. [150] In John, Jesus has already cleansed the
Second Temple during an earlier Passover visit to Jerusalem. John next recounts Jesus' Last
Supper with his disciples.[128]
Last Supper
Last Supper
See also: Jesus predicts his betrayal, Denial of Peter, and Last Supper in Christian art
The Last Supper, depicted by Juan de Juanes, c. 1562
The Last Supper is the final meal that Jesus shares with his 12 apostles in Jerusalem before his
crucifixion. The Last Supper is mentioned in all four canonical gospels; Paul's First Epistle to the
Corinthians (11:23–26) also refers to it.[70][71][193] During the meal, Jesus predicts that one of his
apostles will betray him.[194] Despite each Apostle's assertion that he would not betray him, Jesus
reiterates that the betrayer would be one of those present. Matthew 26:23–25 and John 13:26–
27 specifically identify Judas as the traitor.[70][71][194]
In the Synoptics, Jesus takes bread, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body,
which is given for you". He then has them all drink from a cup, saying, "This cup that is poured out
for you is the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:19–20).[70][195] The
Christian sacrament or ordinance of the Eucharist is based on these events.[196]Although the Gospel
of John does not include a description of the bread-and-wine ritual during the Last Supper, most
scholars agree that John 6:22–59 (the Bread of Life Discourse) has a eucharistic character and
resonates with the institution narratives in the Synoptic Gospels and in the Pauline writings on the
Last Supper.[197]
In all four gospels, Jesus predicts that Peter will deny knowledge of him three times before
the rooster crows the next morning.[198][199] In Luke and John, the prediction is made during the Supper
(Luke 22:34, John 22:34). In Matthew and Mark, the prediction is made after the Supper; Jesus also
predicts that all his disciples will desert him (Matthew 26:31–34, Mark 14:27–30).[200] The Gospel of
John provides the only account of Jesus washing his disciples' feet after the meal.[124] John also
includes a long sermon by Jesus, preparing his disciples (now without Judas) for his
departure. Chapters 14–17 of the Gospel of John are known as the Farewell Discourse and are a
significant source of Christological content.[201][202]
Agony in the Garden, betrayal, and arrest
Agony in the Garden, Kiss of Judas, Arrest of Jesus, and Malchus
After his arrest, Jesus is taken to the Sanhedrin, a Jewish judicial body.[205] The gospel accounts differ
on the details of the trials.[206] In Matthew 26:57, Mark 14:53 and Luke 22:54, Jesus is taken to the
house of the high priest, Caiaphas, where he is mocked and beaten that night. Early the next
morning, the chief priests and scribes lead Jesus away into their council. [207][208][209] John 18:12–
14 states that Jesus is first taken to Annas, Caiaphas' father-in-law, and then to the high priest. [207][208]
[209]
Ecce homo Antonio Ciseri's 1871 depiction of Pontius Pilate presenting Jesus to the public
During the trials Jesus speaks very little, mounts no defense, and gives very infrequent and indirect
answers to the priests' questions, prompting an officer to slap him. In Matthew 26:62 Jesus'
unresponsiveness leads Caiaphas to ask him, "Have you no answer?" [207][208][209] In Mark 14:61 the high
priest then asks Jesus, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus replies, "I am",
and then predicts the coming of the Son of Man.[44] This provokes Caiaphas to tear his own robe in
anger and to accuse Jesus of blasphemy. In Matthew and Luke, Jesus' answer is more ambiguous:
[44][210]
in Matthew 26:64 he responds, "You have said so", and in Luke 22:70 he says, "You say that I
am".[211][212]
The Jewish elders take Jesus to Pilate's Court and ask the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to judge
and condemn Jesus for various allegations, accusing him of blasphemy, perverting the nation,
forbidding the payment of tribute, inciting sedition against Rome, sorcery, claiming to be the King of
the Jews, the Son of God, and a savior to the world.[209] The use of the word "king" is central to the
discussion between Jesus and Pilate. In John 18:36 Jesus states, "My kingdom is not from this
world", but he does not unequivocally deny being the King of the Jews. [213][214] In Luke 23:7–15 Pilate
realizes that Jesus is a Galilean, and thus comes under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas,
the Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea.[215][216] Pilate sends Jesus to Herod to be tried, [217] but Jesus says
almost nothing in response to Herod's questions. Herod and his soldiers mock Jesus, put an
expensive robe on him to make him look like a king, and return him to Pilate, [215] who then calls
together the Jewish elders and announces that he has "not found this man guilty". [217]
Observing a Passover custom of the time, Pilate allows one prisoner chosen by the crowd to be
released. He gives the people a choice between Jesus and a murderer called Barabbas (
אבא-בר or Bar-abbâ, "son of the father", from the common given name Abba: 'father').[218] Persuaded
by the elders (Matthew 27:20), the mob chooses to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus.[219] Pilate
writes a sign in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that reads "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews"
(abbreviated as INRI in depictions) to be affixed to Jesus' cross (John 19:19–20),[220] then scourges
Jesus and sends him to be crucified. The soldiers place a Crown of Thorns on Jesus' head and
ridicule him as the King of the Jews. They beat and taunt him before taking him to Calvary,[221] also
called Golgotha, for crucifixion.[207][209][222]
Crucifixion and entombment
Jesus' crucifixion is described in all four canonical gospels. After the trials, Jesus is led
to Calvary carrying his cross; the route traditionally thought to have been taken is known as the Via
Dolorosa. The three Synoptic Gospels indicate that Simon of Cyreneassists him, having been
compelled by the Romans to do so.[223][224] In Luke 23:27–28 Jesus tells the women in the multitude of
people following him not to weep for him but for themselves and their children. [223] At Calvary, Jesus
is offered a sponge soaked in a concoction usually offered as a painkiller. According to Matthew and
Mark, he refuses it.[223][224]
The soldiers then crucify Jesus and cast lots for his clothes. Above Jesus' head on the cross is
Pilate's inscription, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Soldiers and passersby mock him
about it. Two convicted thieves are crucified along with Jesus. In Matthew and Mark, both thieves
mock Jesus. In Luke, one of them rebukes Jesus, while the other defends him.[223][225][226] Jesus tells the
latter: "today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). In John, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and
the beloved disciple were at the crucifixion. Jesus tells the beloved disciple to take care of his
mother (John 19:26–27).
The Roman soldiers break the two thieves' legs (a procedure designed to hasten death in a
crucifixion), but they do not break those of Jesus, as he is already dead (John 19:33). In John
19:34, one soldier pierces Jesus' side with a lance, and blood and water flow out.[225] In the Synoptics,
when Jesus dies, the heavy curtain at the Temple is torn. In Matthew 27:51–54, an earthquake
breaks open tombs. In Matthew and Mark, terrified by the events, a Roman centurion states that
Jesus was the Son of God.[223][227]
On the same day, Joseph of Arimathea, with Pilate's permission and with Nicodemus' help, removes
Jesus' body from the cross, wraps him in a clean cloth, and buries him in his new rock-hewn tomb.
[223]
In Matthew 27:62–66, on the following day the chief Jewish priests ask Pilate for the tomb to be
secured, and with Pilate's permission the priests place seals on the large stone covering the
entrance.[223][228]
Mary Magdalene (alone in the Gospel of John, but accompanied by other women in the Synoptics)
goes to Jesus' tomb on Sunday morning and is surprised to find it empty. Despite Jesus' teaching,
the disciples had not understood that Jesus would rise again. [229]
In Matthew, there are guards at the tomb. An angel descends from heaven, and opens the
tomb. The guards faint from fear. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" after
they visited the tomb. Jesus then appears to the eleven remaining disciples in Galilee
and commissions them to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. [124]
In Mark, Salome and Mary, mother of James are with Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:1). In the
tomb, a young man in a white robe (an angel) tells them that Jesus will meet his disciples in
Galilee, as he had told them (referring to Mark 14:28). [80]
In Luke, Mary and various other women meet two angels at the tomb, but the eleven
disciples do not believe their story (Luke 25:1–12). Jesus appears to two of his followers in
Emmaus. He also makes an appearance to Peter. Jesus then appears that same day to his
disciples in Jerusalem (Luke 24:13–43). Although he appears and vanishes mysteriously, he
also eats and lets them touch him to prove that he is not a spirit. He repeats his command to
bring his teaching to all nations (Luke 24:51).[230]
In John, Mary is alone at first, but Peter and the beloved disciple come and see the tomb as
well. Jesus then appears to Mary at the tomb. He later appears to the disciples, breathes on
them, and gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. In a second visit to disciples, he
proves to a doubting disciple ("Doubting Thomas") that he is flesh and blood.[108] The disciples
return to Galilee, where Jesus makes another appearance. He performs a miracle known as
the catch of 153 fish at the Sea of Galilee, after which Jesus encourages Peter to serve his
followers.[74][231]
Jesus' ascension into Heaven is described in Luke 24:50–53, Acts 1:1–11 and mentioned in 1
Timothy 3:16. In the Acts of the Apostles, forty days after the Resurrection, as the disciples look on,
"he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight". 1 Peter 3:22 states that Jesus has "gone
into heaven and is at the right hand of God".[74]
The Acts of the Apostles describes several appearances of Jesus after his Ascension. In Acts
7:55, Stephen gazes into heaven and sees "Jesus standing at the right hand of God" just before his
death.[232] On the road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul is converted to Christianity after seeing a
blinding light and hearing a voice saying, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:5). In Acts
9:10–18, Jesus instructs Ananias of Damascus in a vision to heal Paul.[233] The Book of
Revelation includes a revelation from Jesus concerning the last days.[234]
Early Christianity
Early Christianity
After Jesus's life, his followers, as described in the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, were
all Jews either by birth or conversion, for which the biblical term "proselyte" is used,[235] and referred
to by historians as Jewish Christians. The early Gospel message was spread orally, probably
in Aramaic,[236] but almost immediately also in Greek.[237] The New Testament's Acts of the
Apostles and Epistle to the Galatians record that the first Christian community was centered in
Jerusalem and its leaders included Peter, James, the brother of Jesus, and John the Apostle.[238]
After the conversion of Paul the Apostle, he claimed the title of "Apostle to the Gentiles". Paul's
influence on Christian thinking is said to be more significant than that of any other New Testament
author.[239] By the end of the 1st century, Christianity began to be recognized internally and externally
as a separate religion from Judaismwhich itself was refined and developed further in the centuries
after the destruction of the Second Temple.[240]
Numerous quotations in the New Testament and other Christian writings of the first centuries,
indicate that early Christians generally used and revered the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh) as religious
text, mostly in the Greek (Septuagint) or Aramaic (Targum) translations.[241]
Early Christians wrote many religious works, including the ones included in the canon of the New
Testament. The canonical texts, which have become the main sources used by historians to try to
understand the historical Jesus and sacred texts within Christianity, were probably written between
50 and 120 AD.[242]
Historical views
Historical Jesus and Quest for the historical Jesus
See also: Biblical criticism
Prior to the Enlightenment, the gospels were usually regarded as accurate historical accounts, but
since then scholars have emerged who question the reliability of the gospels and draw a distinction
between the Jesus described in the gospels and the Jesus of history. [243] Since the 18th century,
three separate scholarly quests for the historical Jesus have taken place, each with distinct
characteristics and based on different research criteria, which were often developed during the quest
that applied them.[102][244] While there is widespread scholarly agreement on the existence of Jesus,
[g]
and a basic consensus on the general outline of his life, [o] the portraits of Jesus constructed by
various scholars often differ from each other, and from the image portrayed in the gospel accounts.
[246][247]
Approaches to the historical reconstruction of the life of Jesus have varied from the "maximalist"
approaches of the 19th century, in which the gospel accounts were accepted as reliable evidence
wherever it is possible, to the "minimalist" approaches of the early 20th century, where hardly
anything about Jesus was accepted as historical. [248] In the 1950s, as the second quest for the
historical Jesus gathered pace, the minimalist approaches faded away, and in the 21st century,
minimalists such as Price are a very small minority.[249][250] Although a belief in the inerrancy of the
gospels cannot be supported historically, many scholars since the 1980s have held that, beyond the
few facts considered to be historically certain, certain other elements of Jesus' life are "historically
probable".[249][251][252] Modern scholarly research on the historical Jesus thus focuses on identifying the
most probable elements.[253][254]
Sources
Sources for the historicity of Jesus
New Testament scholars face a formidable challenge when they analyze the canonical Gospels.
[257]
The Gospels are not biographies in the modern sense, and the authors explain Jesus' theological
significance and recount his public ministry while omitting many details of his life. [257] The reports of
supernatural events associated with Jesus' death and resurrection make the challenge even more
difficult.[257] Scholars regard the gospels as compromised sources of information because the writers
were trying to glorify Jesus.[89] Even so, the sources for Jesus' life are better than sources scholars
have for the life of Alexander the Great.[89] Scholars use a number of criteria, such as the criterion of
independent attestation, the criterion of coherence, and the criterion of discontinuity to judge the
historicity of events.[258] The historicity of an event also depends on the reliability of the source;
indeed, the gospels are not independent nor consistent records of Jesus' life. Mark, which is most
likely the earliest written gospel, has been considered for many decades the most historically
accurate.[259] John, the latest written gospel, differs considerably from the Synoptic Gospels, and thus
is generally considered less reliable, although more and more scholars now also recognize that it
may contain a core of older material as historically valuable as the Synoptic tradition or even more
so.[260]
The non-canonical Gospel of Thomas might be an independent witness to many of Jesus' parables
and aphorisms. For example, Thomas confirms that Jesus blessed the poor and that this saying
circulated independently before being combined with similar sayings in the Q source.[261] Other select
non-canonical Christian texts may also have value for historical Jesus research. [94]
Early non-Christian sources that attest to the historical existence of Jesus include the works of the
historians Josephus and Tacitus.[p][256][263] Josephus scholar Louis Feldman has stated that "few have
doubted the genuineness" of Josephus' reference to Jesus in book 20 of the Antiquities of the Jews,
and it is disputed only by a small number of scholars. [264][265] Tacitus referred to Christ and his
execution by Pilate in book 15 of his work Annals. Scholars generally consider Tacitus's reference to
the execution of Jesus to be both authentic and of historical value as an independent Roman source.
[266]
Non-Christian sources are valuable in two ways. First, they show that even neutral or hostile parties
never evince any doubt that Jesus actually existed. Second, they present a rough picture of Jesus
that is compatible with that found in the Christian sources: that Jesus was a teacher, had a
reputation as a miracle worker, had a brother James, and died a violent death. [11]
Archeology helps scholars better understand Jesus' social world. [267] Recent archeological work, for
example, indicates that Capernaum, a city important in Jesus' ministry, was poor and small, without
even a forum or an agora.[268][269] This archaeological discovery resonates well with the scholarly view
that Jesus advocated reciprocal sharing among the destitute in that area of Galilee. [268]
Chronology
Main article: Chronology of Jesus
Anno Domini
Jesus was a Galilean Jew,[12] born around the beginning of the 1st century, who died in 30 or 33 AD
in Judea.[6] The general scholarly consensus is that Jesus was a contemporary of John the
Baptist and was crucified by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who held office from 26 to 36 AD.[27]
The gospels offer several clues concerning the year of Jesus' birth. Matthew 2:1 associates the birth
of Jesus with the reign of Herod the Great, who died around 4 BC, and Luke 1:5 mentions that
Herod was on the throne shortly before the birth of Jesus,[270][271] although this gospel also associates
the birth with the Census of Quirinius which took place ten years later. [272][273] Luke 3:23 states that
Jesus was "about thirty years old" at the start of his ministry, which according to Acts 10:37–38was
preceded by John the Baptist's ministry, itself recorded in Luke 3:1–2 to have begun in the 15th year
of Tiberius' reign (28 or 29 AD).[271][274] By collating the gospel accounts with historical data and using
various other methods, most scholars arrive at a date of birth from 6 to 4 BC for Jesus, [274][275] but
some propose estimates that lie in a wider range. [q]
The years of Jesus' ministry have been estimated using several different approaches. [276][277] One of
these applies the reference in Luke 3:1–2, Acts 10:37–38 and the dates of Tiberius' reign, which are
well known, to give a date of around 28–29 AD for the start of Jesus' ministry. [278] Another approach
uses the statement about the temple in John 2:13–20, which asserts that the temple in
Jerusalem was in its 46th year of construction at the start of Jesus' ministry, together with Josephus'
statementthat the temple's reconstruction was started by Herod the Great in the 18th year of his
reign, to estimate a date around 27–29 AD.[276][279] A further method uses the date of the death of John
the Baptist and the marriage of Herod Antipas to Herodias, based on the writings of Josephus, and
correlates it with Matthew 14:4 and Mark 6:18.[280][281] Given that most scholars date the marriage of
Herod and Herodias as AD 28–35, this yields a date about 28–29 AD. [277]
A number of approaches have been used to estimate the year of the crucifixion of Jesus. Most
scholars agree that he died in 30 or 33 AD.[6][282] The gospels state that the event occurred during the
prefecture of Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea from 26 to 36 AD.[283][284][285] The date for
the conversion of Paul (estimated to be 33–36 AD) acts as an upper bound for the date of
Crucifixion. The dates for Paul's conversion and ministry can be determined by analyzing the Pauline
epistles and the Acts of the Apostles.[286][287] Astronomers have tried to estimate the precise date of the
Crucifixion by analyzing lunar motion and calculating historic dates of Passover, a festival based on
the lunisolar Hebrew calendar. The most widely accepted dates derived from this method are April 7,
30 AD, and April 3, 33 AD (both Julian).[288]
Historicity of events
Historicity of Jesus
See also: Cultural and historical background of Jesus, History of the Jews in the Roman
Empire, Historical criticism, Textual criticism, and Historical reliability of the Gospels
Roman senator and historian Tacitus mentioned the execution of "Christus" (Jesus) by Pilate in a passage
describing the Great Fire of Rome and Nero's persecution of Christians in the Annals, a history of the Roman
Empire during the 1st century.
Scholars have reached a limited consensus on the basics of Jesus' life. [289]
Family
Brothers of Jesus
Many scholars agree that Joseph, Jesus' father, died by the time Jesus began his ministry. Joseph is
not mentioned at all in the gospels during Jesus' ministry. Joseph's death would explain why in Mark
6:3, Jesus' neighbors refer to Jesus as the "son of Mary" (sons were usually identified by their
fathers).[290]
According to Theissen and Merz, it is common for extraordinary charismatic leaders, such as Jesus,
to come into conflict with their ordinary families.[291] In Mark, Jesus' family comes to get him, fearing
that he is mad (Mark 3:20–34), and this account is likely historical because early Christians would
not have invented it.[292] After Jesus' death, many members of his family joined the Christian
movement.[291] Jesus' brother James became a leader of the Jerusalem Church.[293]
Géza Vermes says that the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus arose from theological development
rather than from historical events.[294] Despite the widely held view that the authors of the Synoptic
Gospels drew upon each other (the so-called synoptic problem), other scholars take it as significant
that the virgin birth is attested by two separate gospels, Matthew and Luke.[295][296][297][298][299][300]
According to E. P. Sanders, the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke are the clearest case of
invention in the Gospel narratives of Jesus' life. Both accounts have Jesus born in Bethlehem, in
accordance with Jewish salvation history, and both have him growing up in Nazareth. But Sanders
points that the two Gospels report completely different and irreconcilable explanations for how that
happened. Luke's account of a census in which everyone returned to their ancestral cities is not
plausible. Matthew's account is more plausible, but the story reads as though it was invented to
identify Jesus as like a new Moses, and the historian Josephus reports Herod the Great's brutality
without ever mentioning that he massacred little boys.[301]
Sanders says that the genealogies of Jesus are based not on historical information but on the
authors' desire to show that Jesus was the universal Jewish savior. [113] In any event, once the
doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus became established, that tradition superseded the earlier tradition
that he was descended from David through Joseph.[302] Luke reports that Jesus was a blood
relation of John the Baptist, but scholars generally consider this connection to be invented. [113][303]
Baptism
Most modern scholars consider Jesus' baptism to be a definite historical fact, along with his
crucifixion.[7] Theologian James D. G. Dunn states that they "command almost universal assent" and
"rank so high on the 'almost impossible to doubt or deny' scale of historical facts" that they are often
the starting points for the study of the historical Jesus. [7] Scholars adduce the criterion of
embarrassment, saying that early Christians would not have invented a baptism that might imply that
Jesus committed sins and wanted to repent.[304][305] According to Theissen and Merz, Jesus was
inspired by John the Baptist and took over from him many elements of his teaching. [306]
Ministry in Galilee
Most scholars hold that Jesus lived in Galilee and Judea and did not preach or study elsewhere.
[307]
They agree that Jesus debated with Jewish authorities on the subject of God, performed some
healings, taught in parables and gathered followers.[27] Jesus' Jewish critics considered his ministry to
be scandalous because he feasted with sinners, fraternized with women, and allowed his followers
to pluck grain on the Sabbath. [79] According to Sanders, it is not plausible that disagreements over
how to interpret the Law of Moses and the Sabbath would have led Jewish authorities to want Jesus
killed.[308]
According to Ehrman, Jesus taught that a coming kingdom was everyone's proper focus, not
anything in this life.[309] He taught about the Jewish Law, seeking its true meaning, sometimes in
opposition to other traditions.[310] Jesus put love at the center of the Law, and following that Law was
an apocalyptic necessity.[310] His ethical teachings called for forgiveness, not judging others, loving
enemies, and caring for the poor. [311] Funk and Hoover note that typical of Jesus were paradoxical or
surprising turns of phrase, such as advising one, when struck on the cheek, to offer the other
cheek to be struck as well (Luke 6:29).[312]
The Gospels portray Jesus teaching in well-defined sessions, such as the Sermon on the Mount in
the Gospel of Matthew or the parallel Sermon on the Plain in Luke. According to Gerd Theissen and
Annette Merz, these teaching sessions include authentic teachings of Jesus, but the scenes were
invented by the respective evangelists to frame these teachings, which had originally been recorded
without context.[94] While Jesus' miracles fit within the social context of antiquity, he defined them
differently. First, he attributed them to the faith of those healed. Second, he connected them to end
times prophecy.[313]
Jesus chose twelve disciples [314] (the "Twelve"), evidently as an apocalyptic message.[315] All three
Synoptics mention the Twelve, although the names on Luke's list vary from those in Mark and
Matthew, suggesting that Christians were not certain who all the disciples were. [315] The 12 disciples
might have represented the twelve original tribes of Israel, which would be restored once God's rule
was instituted.[315] The disciples were reportedly meant to be the rulers of the tribes in the coming
Kingdom (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30).[315] According to Bart Ehrman, Jesus' promise that the Twelve
would rule is historical, because the Twelve included Judas Iscariot. In Ehrman's view, no Christians
would have invented a line from Jesus, promising rulership to the disciple who betrayed him. [315] In
Mark, the disciples play hardly any role other than a negative one. While others sometimes respond
to Jesus with complete faith, his disciples are puzzled and doubtful. [316] They serve as a foilto Jesus
and to other characters.[316] The failings of the disciples are probably exaggerated in Mark, and the
disciples make a better showing in Matthew and Luke. [316]
Sanders says that Jesus' mission was not about repentance, although he acknowledges that this
opinion is unpopular. He argues that repentance appears as a strong theme only in Luke, that
repentance was John the Baptist's message, and that Jesus' ministry would not have been
scandalous if the sinners he ate with had been repentant. [317] According to Theissen and Merz, Jesus
taught that God was generously giving people an opportunity to repent. [318]
Role
Jesus taught that an apocalyptic figure, the "Son of Man", would soon come on clouds of glory to
gather the elect, or chosen ones (Mark 13:24–27, Matthew 24:29–31, Luke 21:25–28). He referred
to himself as a "son of man" in the colloquial sense of "a person", but scholars do not know whether
he also meant himself when he referred to the heavenly "Son of Man". Paul the Apostle and other
early Christians interpreted the "Son of Man" as the risen Jesus.[44]
The title Christ, or Messiah, indicates that Jesus' followers believed him to be the anointed heir of
King David, whom some Jews expected to save Israel. The Gospels refer to him not only as a
Messiah but in the absolute form as "the Messiah" or, equivalently, "the Christ". In early Judaism,
this absolute form of the title is not found, but only phrases such as "his Messiah". The tradition is
ambiguous enough to leave room for debate as to whether Jesus defined his eschatological role as
that of the Messiah.[319] The Jewish messianic tradition included many different forms, some of them
focused on a Messiah figure and others not.[320] Based on the Christian tradition, Gerd
Theissen advances the hypothesis that Jesus saw himself in messianic terms but did not claim the
title "Messiah".[320] Bart Ehrman argues that Jesus did consider himself to be the Messiah, albeit in
the sense that he would be the king of the new political order that God would usher in, [321] not in the
sense that most people today think of the term. [322]
Passover and crucifixion in Jerusalem
Around AD 30, Jesus and his followers traveled from Galilee to Jerusalem to observe Passover.
[314]
Jesus caused a disturbance in the Second Temple,[29] which was the center of Jewish religious
and civil authority. Sanders associates it with Jesus' prophecy that the Temple would be totally
demolished.[323] Jesus had a last meal with his disciples, which is the origin of the Christian sacrament
of bread and wine. Jesus' words are recorded in the Synoptics and in Paul's First Epistle to the
Corinthians. The differences in the accounts cannot be completely reconciled, and it is impossible to
know what Jesus intended, but in general the meal seems to point forward to the coming Kingdom.
Jesus probably expected to be killed, and he may have hoped that God would intervene. [324]
The Gospels say that Jesus was betrayed to the authorities by a disciple, and many scholars
consider this report to be highly reliable. [140] He was executed on the orders of Pontius Pilate, the
Roman prefect of Judaea.[29] Pilate most likely saw Jesus' reference to the Kingdom of God as a
threat to Roman authority and worked with the Temple elites to have Jesus executed. [325] The
Sadducean high-priestly leaders of the Temple more plausibly had Jesus executed for political
reasons than for his teaching.[140] They may have regarded him as a threat to stability, especially after
he caused a disturbance at the Second Temple. [140][43] Other factors, such as Jesus' triumphal entry
into Jerusalem, may have contributed to this decision. [326] Most scholars consider Jesus' crucifixion to
be factual, because early Christians would not have invented the painful death of their leader. [7][327]
After crucifixion
The Resurrection of Christ from a 16th-century manuscript of La Passion de Nostre Seigneur
After Jesus' death, his followers said he rose from the dead, although exact details of their
experiences are unclear. According to Sanders, the Gospel reports contradict each other, which,
according to him, suggests competition among those claiming to have seen him first rather than
deliberate fraud.[328] On the other hand, L. Michael White suggests that inconsistencies in the Gospels
reflect differences in the agendas of their unknown authors. [289] The followers of Jesus formed a
community to wait for his return and the founding of his kingdom. [29]
Portraits of Jesus
Portraits of the historical Jesus
Christ Pantocrator in a Roman mosaic in the church of Santa Pudenziana, Rome, c. 400–410 AD during
the Western Roman Empire
Modern research on the historical Jesus has not led to a unified picture of the historical figure, partly
because of the variety of academic traditions represented by the scholars. [329] Given the scarcity of
historical sources, it is generally difficult for any scholar to construct a portrait of Jesus that can be
considered historically valid beyond the basic elements of his life. [91][92] The portraits of Jesus
constructed in these quests often differ from each other, and from the image portrayed in the
gospels.[330][331]
Jesus is seen as the founder of, in the words of Sanders, a '"renewal movement within Judaism."
One of the criteria used to discern historical details in the "third quest" is the criterion of plausibility,
relative to Jesus' Jewish context and to his influence on Christianity. A disagreement in
contemporary research is whether Jesus was apocalyptic. Most scholars conclude that he was an
apocalyptic preacher, like John the Baptist and Paul the Apostle. In contrast, certain prominent North
American scholars, such as Burton Mack and John Dominic Crossan, advocate for a non-
eschatological Jesus, one who is more of a Cynic sage than an apocalyptic preacher.[332] In addition
to portraying Jesus as an apocalyptic prophet, a charismatic healer or a cynic philosopher, some
scholars portray him as the true Messiah or an egalitarian prophet of social change.[333][334] However,
the attributes described in the portraits sometimes overlap, and scholars who differ on some
attributes sometimes agree on others.[335]
Since the 18th century, scholars have occasionally put forth that Jesus was a political national
messiah, but the evidence for this portrait is negligible. Likewise, the proposal that Jesus was
a Zealot does not fit with the earliest strata of the Synoptic tradition. [140]
The ethnicity of Jesus in art has been influenced by cultural settings. [336][337]
Jesus grew up in Galilee and much of his ministry took place there. [338] The languages spoken in
Galilee and Judea during the 1st century AD include Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, Hebrew,
and Greek, with Aramaic being predominant. [339][340]There is substantial consensus that Jesus gave
most of his teachings in Aramaic.[341]
Modern scholars agree that Jesus was a Jew of 1st-century Palestine.[342][343] Ioudaios in New
Testament Greek[r] is a term which in the contemporary context may refer to religion (Second Temple
Judaism), ethnicity (of Judea), or both.[345][346][347] In a review of the state of modern scholarship, Amy-
Jill Levine writes that the entire question of ethnicity is "fraught with difficulty", and that "beyond
recognizing that 'Jesus was Jewish', rarely does the scholarship address what being 'Jewish'
means".[348]
The New Testament gives no description of the physical appearance of Jesus before his death—it is
generally indifferent to racial appearances and does not refer to the features of the people it
mentions.[349][350][351] Jesus probably looked like a typical Jew of his time and according to some
scholars was likely to have had a sinewy appearance due to his ascetic and itinerant lifestyle.[352]
The Christ myth theory is the hypothesis that Jesus of Nazareth never existed; or if he did, that he
had virtually nothing to do with the founding of Christianity and the accounts in the gospels.[s] Stories
of Jesus' birth, along with other key events, have so many mythic elements that some scholars have
suggested that Jesus himself was a myth.[354] Bruno Bauer (1809–1882) taught that the first Gospel
was a work of literature that produced history rather than described it. [355] According to Albert
Kalthoff (1850–1906) a social movement produced Jesus when it encountered Jewish messianic
expectations.[355] Arthur Drews (1865–1935) saw Jesus as the concrete form of a myth that predated
Christianity.[355] Despite arguments put forward by authors who have questioned the existence of
a historical Jesus, there remains a strong consensus in historical-critical biblical scholarship that a
historical Jesus did live in that area and in that time period. [356][357][358][359][360][361][362]
Perspectives
Religious perspectives on Jesus
Apart from his own disciples and followers, the Jews of Jesus' day generally rejected him as the
Messiah, as do the great majority of Jews today. Christian theologians, ecumenical councils,
reformers and others have written extensively about Jesus over the centuries. Christian
sects and schisms have often been defined or characterized by their descriptions of Jesus.
Meanwhile, Manichaeans, Gnostics, Muslims, Baha'is, and others have found prominent places for
Jesus in their religions.[363][364][365] Jesus has also had detractors, both past and present.
Christian
Jesus in Christianity, Christ (title), and Christology
The Trinity is the belief in Christianity that God is one God in three persons: God the Father, God the
Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is depicted with the Alpha and Omega letters in the catacombs of Rome from the 4th century.
Jesus is the central figure of Christianity. [14] Although Christian views of Jesus vary, it is possible to
summarize the key beliefs shared among major denominations, as stated in
their catechetical or confessional texts.[366][367][368] Christian views of Jesus are derived from various
sources, including the canonical gospels and New Testament letters such as the Pauline epistles
and the Johannine writings. These documents outline the key beliefs held by Christians about Jesus,
including his divinity, humanity, and earthly life, and that he is the Christ and the Son of God.
[369]
Despite their many shared beliefs, not all Christian denominations agree on all doctrines, and
both major and minor differences on teachings and beliefs have persisted throughout Christianity for
centuries.[370]
The New Testament states that the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian faith (1
Corinthians 15:12–20).[371]Christians believe that through his sacrificial death and resurrection,
humans can be reconciled with God and are thereby offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.
[35]
Recalling the words of John the Baptist on the day after Jesus' baptism, these doctrines
sometimes refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God, who was crucified to fulfill his role as the servant of
God.[372][373]Jesus is thus seen as the new and last Adam, whose obedience contrasts with Adam's
disobedience.[374] Christians view Jesus as a role model, whose God-focused life believers are
encouraged to imitate.[14]
Most Christians believe that Jesus was both human and the Son of God. [15] While there has
been theological debate over his nature,[t] Trinitarian Christians generally believe that Jesus is the
Logos, God's incarnation and God the Son, both fully divine and fully human. However, the doctrine
of the Trinity is not universally accepted among Christians. [376][377] With the Protestant Reformation,
Christians such as Michael Servetus and the Socinians started questioning the ancient creeds that
had established Jesus' two natures.[44] Nontrinitarian Christian groups include The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints,[378]Unitarians and Jehovah's Witnesses.[375]
Christians revere not only Jesus himself, but also his name. Devotions to the Holy Name of Jesus go
back to the earliest days of Christianity.[379][380] These devotions and feasts exist in
both Eastern and Western Christianity.[380]
Jewish
Judaism's view of Jesus
Judaism rejects the idea of Jesus being God,[43] or a mediator to God, or part of a Trinity.[381] It holds
that Jesus is not the Messiah, arguing that he neither fulfilled the Messianic prophecies in
the Tanakh nor embodied the personal qualifications of the Messiah. [382] Jews argue that Jesus did
not fulfill prophesies to build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26–28), gather Jews back to Israel (Isaiah
43:5–6), bring world peace (Isaiah 2:4), and unite humanity under the God of Israel (Zechariah 14:9).
[383]
Furthermore, according to Jewish tradition, there were no prophets after Malachi,[384] who
delivered his prophesies in the 5th century BC.[385]
Judaic criticism of Jesus is long-standing. The Talmud, written and compiled from the 3rd to the 5th
century AD,[386] includes stories that since medieval times have been considered to be defamatory
accounts of Jesus.[387] In one such story, Yeshu HaNozri ("Jesus the Nazarene"), a lewd apostate, is
executed by the Jewish high court for spreading idolatry and practicing magic. [388] The majority of
contemporary scholars consider that this material provides no information on the historical Jesus.
[389]
The Mishneh Torah, a late 12th-century work of Jewish law written by Moses Maimonides, states
that Jesus is a "stumbling block" who makes "the majority of the world to err and serve a god other
than the Lord".[390]
Medieval Hebrew literature contains the anecdotal "Episode of Jesus" (known also as Toledot
Yeshu), in which Jesus is described as being the son of Joseph, the son of Pandera (see: Episode
of Jesus). The account portrays Jesus as an impostor. [391]
Islamic
Artistic depictions
Depiction of Jesus
Jesus healing a paralytic in one of the first known images of Jesus from Dura Europos in the 2nd century[425]
Some of the earliest depictions of Jesus at the Dura-Europos church are firmly dated to before 256.
[426]
Thereafter, despite the lack of biblical references or historical records, a wide range of depictions
of Jesus appeared during the last two millennia, often influenced by cultural settings, political
circumstances and theological contexts.[336][337][350] As in other Early Christian art, the earliest depictions
date to the late 2nd or early 3rd century, and surviving images are found especially in
the Catacombs of Rome.[427]
The depiction of Christ in pictorial form was highly controversial in the early church.[428][u][429] From the
5th century onward, flat painted icons became popular in the Eastern Church. [430] The Byzantine
Iconoclasm acted as a barrier to developments in the East, but by the ninth century, art was
permitted again.[336] The Protestant Reformation brought renewed resistance to imagery, but total
prohibition was atypical, and Protestant objections to images have tended to reduce since the 16th
century. Although large images are generally avoided, few Protestants now object to book
illustrations depicting Jesus.[431][432] The use of depictions of Jesus is advocated by the leaders of
denominations such as Anglicans and Catholics[433][434][435] and is a key element of the Eastern
Orthodox tradition.[436][437]
The Transfiguration was a major theme in Eastern Christian art, and every Eastern Orthodox monk
who had trained in icon painting had to prove his craft by painting an icon depicting it. [438] Icons
receive the external marks of veneration, such as kisses and prostration, and they are thought to be
powerful channels of divine grace.[430] The Renaissance brought forth a number of artists who
focused on depictions of Jesus; Fra Angelico and others followed Giotto in the systematic
development of uncluttered images.[336]
Before the Protestant Reformation, the crucifix was common in Western Christianity. It is a model of
the cross with Jesus crucified on it. The crucifix became the central ornament of the altar in the 13th
century, a use that has been nearly universal in Roman Catholic churches since then. [439]
Jesus appears as an infant in a manger (feed trough) in Christmas creches, which depict the Nativity
scene.[440] He is typically joined by Mary, Joseph, animals, shepherds, angels, and the Magi.
[440]
Francis of Assisi (1181/82–1226) is credited with popularizing the creche, although he probably
did not initiate it.[440] The creche reached its height of popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries in
southern Europe.[440]
Associated relics
Relics associated with Jesus
The Shroud of Turin (Italy) is the best-known claimed relic of Jesus and one of the most studied artifacts in
human history.
The total destruction that ensued with the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70 made the
survival of items from 1st-century Judea very rare and almost no direct records survive about the
history of Judaism from the last part of the 1st century through the 2nd century. [441][442][v] Margaret M.
Mitchell writes that although Eusebius reports (Ecclesiastical History III 5.3) that the early Christians
left Jerusalem for Pella just before Jerusalem was subjected to the final lock down, we must accept
that no first hand Christian items from the early Jerusalem Church have reached us. [444] Joe
Nickell writes, "as investigation after investigation has shown, not a single, reliably authenticated
relic of Jesus exists."[445][w]
However, throughout the history of Christianity a number of relics attributed to Jesus have been
claimed, although doubt has been cast on them. The 16th-century Catholic
theologian Erasmus wrote sarcastically about the proliferation of relics and the number of buildings
that could have been constructed from the wood claimed to be from the cross used in the
Crucifixion.[448]Similarly, while experts debate whether Jesus was crucified with three nails or with
four, at least thirty holy nails continue to be venerated as relics across Europe. [449]
Some relics, such as purported remnants of the Crown of Thorns, receive only a modest number of
pilgrims, while the Shroud of Turin (which is associated with an approved Catholic devotion to
the Holy Face of Jesus), has received millions,[450] including popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.[451]
[452]
Galileo Galilei.
Galileo Galilei (Italian: [ɡaliˈlɛːo ɡaliˈlɛi]; 15 February 1564[3] – 8 January 1642) was
an Italianastronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath.[4] Galileo has
been called the "father of observational astronomy",[5] the "father of modern physics",[6][7] the "father of
the scientific method",[8] and the "father of modern science".[9][10]
Galileo studied speed and velocity, gravity and free fall, the principle of relativity, inertia, projectile
motion and also worked in applied science and technology, describing the properties
of pendulumsand "hydrostatic balances", inventing the thermoscope and various military compasses,
and using the telescope for scientific observations of celestial objects. His contributions to
observational astronomy include the telescopic confirmation of the phases of Venus, the observation
of the four largest satellites of Jupiter, the observation of Saturn and the analysis of sunspots.
Galileo Galilei
Name
The surname Galilei derives from the given name of an ancestor, Galileo Bonaiuti, a physician,
university teacher and politician who lived in Florence from 1370 to 1450; his descendants had
changed their family name from Bonaiuti (or Buonaiuti) to Galilei in his honor in the late 14th century.
[21]
Galileo Bonaiuti was buried in the same church, the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, where
about 200 years later his more famous descendant Galileo Galilei was also buried. [22]
It was common for mid-sixteenth-century Tuscan families to name the eldest son after the parents'
surname.[23] Hence, Galileo Galilei was not necessarily named after his ancestor Galileo Bonaiuti.
The Italian male given name "Galileo" (and thence the surname "Galilei") derives from the Latin
"Galilaeus", meaning "of Galilee", a biblically significant region in Northern Israel.[24][25] Because of that
region, the adjective galilaios (Greekγαλιλαίος, Latin Galilaeus, Italian galileo), which means
"Galilean", has been used in antiquity (particularly by emperor Julian) to refer to Christ and his
followers;[26] after this, the adjective has been adopted as a name with a meaning similar
to Jesus or Christian.[
The biblical roots of Galileo's name and surname were to become the subject of a famous pun. [27] In
1614, during the Galileo affair, one of Galileo's opponents, the Dominican priest Tommaso Caccini,
delivered against Galileo a controversial and influential sermon. In it he made a point of
quoting Acts 1:11, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?". [28]
Children
Galileo's beloved elder daughter, Virginia (SisterMaria Celeste), was particularly devoted to her father. She is
buried with him in his tomb in the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence.
Despite being a genuinely pious Roman Catholic, [29] Galileo fathered three children out of wedlock
with Marina Gamba. They had two daughters, Virginia (born in 1600) and Livia (born in 1601), and a
son, Vincenzo (born in 1606).[30]
Because of their illegitimate birth, their father considered the girls unmarriageable, if not posing
problems of prohibitively expensive support or dowries, which would have been similar to Galileo's
previous extensive financial problems with two of his sisters.[31] Their only worthy alternative was the
religious life. Both girls were accepted by the convent of San Matteo in Arcetri and remained there
for the rest of their lives.[32] Virginia took the name Maria Celeste upon entering the convent. She died
on 2 April 1634, and is buried with Galileo at the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence. Livia took the
name Sister Arcangela and was ill for most of her life. Vincenzo was later legitimised as the legal
heir of Galileo and married Sestilia Bocchineri.[33]
Career as a scientist
Although Galileo seriously considered the priesthood as a young man, at his father's urging he
instead enrolled in 1580 at the University of Pisa for a medical degree.[34] In 1581, when he was
studying medicine, he noticed a swinging chandelier, which air currents shifted about to swing in
larger and smaller arcs. To him, it seemed, by comparison with his heartbeat, that the chandelier
took the same amount of time to swing back and forth, no matter how far it was swinging. When he
returned home, he set up two pendulums of equal length and swung one with a large sweep and the
other with a small sweep and found that they kept time together. It was not until the work
of Christiaan Huygens, almost one hundred years later, that the tautochrone nature of a swinging
pendulum was used to create an accurate timepiece. [35] Up to this point, Galileo had deliberately
been kept away from mathematics, since a physician earned a higher income than a mathematician.
However, after accidentally attending a lecture on geometry, he talked his reluctant father into letting
him study mathematics and natural philosophy instead of medicine.[35] He created a thermoscope, a
forerunner of the thermometer, and, in 1586, published a small book on the design of
a hydrostatic balance he had invented (which first brought him to the attention of the scholarly
world). Galileo also studied disegno, a term encompassing fine art, and, in 1588, obtained the
position of instructor in the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence, teaching perspective
and chiaroscuro. Being inspired by the artistic tradition of the city and the works of the Renaissance
artists, Galileo acquired an aesthetic mentality. While a young teacher at the Accademia, he began a
lifelong friendship with the Florentine painter Cigoli, who included Galileo's lunar observations in one
of his paintings.[36][37]
In 1589, he was appointed to the chair of mathematics in Pisa. In 1591, his father died, and he was
entrusted with the care of his younger brother Michelagnolo. In 1592, he moved to the University of
Padua where he taught geometry, mechanics, and astronomy until 1610.[38] During this period,
Galileo made significant discoveries in both pure fundamental science (for example, kinematics of
motion and astronomy) as well as practical applied science (for example, strength of materials and
pioneering the telescope). His multiple interests included the study of astrology, which at the time
was a discipline tied to the studies of mathematics and astronomy. [39]
Cardinal Bellarmine had written in 1615 that the Copernican system could not be defended without
"a true physical demonstration that the sun does not circle the earth but the earth circles the sun".
[40]
Galileo considered his theory of the tides to provide the required physical proof of the motion of
the earth. This theory was so important to him that he originally intended to entitle his Dialogue on
the Two Chief World Systems the Dialogue on the Ebb and Flow of the Sea.[41] The reference to tides
was removed from the title by order of the Inquisition.
For Galileo, the tides were caused by the sloshing back and forth of water in the seas as a point on
the Earth's surface sped up and slowed down because of the Earth's rotation on its axis and
revolution around the Sun. He circulated his first account of the tides in 1616, addressed to Cardinal
Orsini.[42] His theory gave the first insight into the importance of the shapes of ocean basins in the
size and timing of tides; he correctly accounted, for instance, for the negligible tides halfway along
the Adriatic Sea compared to those at the ends. As a general account of the cause of tides,
however, his theory was a failure.
If this theory were correct, there would be only one high tide per day. Galileo and his contemporaries
were aware of this inadequacy because there are two daily high tides at Venice instead of one,
about twelve hours apart. Galileo dismissed this anomaly as the result of several secondary causes
including the shape of the sea, its depth, and other factors. [43] Against the assertion that Galileo was
deceptive in making these arguments, Albert Einstein expressed the opinion that Galileo developed
his "fascinating arguments" and accepted them uncritically out of a desire for physical proof of the
motion of the Earth.[44] Galileo dismissed the idea, held by his contemporary Johannes Kepler, that
the moon caused the tides.[45] (Galileo also took no interest in Kepler's elliptical orbits of the planets.)
[46][47]
In the whole world prior to Galileo's conflict with the Church, the majority of educated people
subscribed either to the Aristotelian geocentric view that the earth was the center of the universe and
that all heavenly bodies revolved around the Earth, [67] or the Tychonic system that blended
geocentrism with heliocentrism.[68] Nevertheless, following the death of Copernicus and before
Galileo, heliocentrism was relatively uncontroversial; [68] Copernicus's work was used by Pope
Gregory XIII to reform the calendar in 1582. [a]
Opposition to heliocentrism and Galileo's writings combined religious and scientific objections.
Scientific opposition came from Tycho Brahe and others and arose from the fact that, if heliocentrism
were true, an annual stellar parallax should be observed, though none was. Copernicus and
Aristarchus had correctly postulated that parallax was negligible because the stars were so distant.
However, Brahe had countered that, since stars appeared to have measurable size, if the stars were
that distant, they would be gigantic, and in fact far larger than the Sun or any other celestial body. In
Brahe's system, by contrast, the stars were a little more distant than Saturn, and the Sun and stars
were comparable in size.[69]
Religious opposition to heliocentrism arose from Biblical references such as Psalm 93:1, 96:10,
and 1 Chronicles 16:30 which include text stating that "the world is firmly established, it cannot be
moved." In the same manner, Psalm 104:5 says, "the Lord set the earth on its foundations; it can
never be moved." Further, Ecclesiastes 1:5 states that "And the sun rises and sets and returns to its
place."[70]
Galileo defended heliocentrism based on his astronomical observations of 1609 (Sidereus
Nuncius 1610). In December 1613, the Grand Duchess Christina of Florence confronted one of
Galileo's friends and followers, Benedetto Castelli, with biblical objections to the motion of the earth.
According to Maurice Finocchiaro, this was done in a friendly and gracious manner, out of curiosity.
Prompted by this incident, Galileo wrote a letter to Castelli in which he argued that heliocentrism was
actually not contrary to biblical texts, and that the bible was an authority on faith and morals, not on
science. This letter was not published, but circulated widely. [71]
By 1615, Galileo's writings on heliocentrism had been submitted to the Roman Inquisition by
Father Niccolò Lorini, who claimed that Galileo and his followers were attempting to reinterpret the
Bible, which was seen as a violation of the Council of Trent and looked dangerously like
Protestantism.[72] Lorini specifically cited Galileo's letter to Castelli. [73] Galileo went to Rome to defend
himself and his Copernican and biblical ideas. At the start of 1616, Monsignor Francesco
Ingoli initiated a debate with Galileo, sending him an essay disputing the Copernican system. Galileo
later stated that he believed this essay to have been instrumental in the action against
Copernicanism that followed.[74] According to Maurice Finocchiaro, Ingoli had probably been
commissioned by the Inquisition to write an expert opinion on the controversy, and the essay
provided the "chief direct basis" for the Inquisition's actions. [75] The essay focused on eighteen
physical and mathematical arguments against heliocentrism. It borrowed primarily from the
arguments of Tycho Brahe, and it notedly mentioned Brahe's argument that heliocentrism required
the stars to be much larger than the Sun. Ingoli wrote that the great distance to the stars in the
heliocentric theory "clearly proves ... the fixed stars to be of such size, as they may surpass or equal
the size of the orbit circle of the Earth itself."[76] The essay also included four theological arguments,
but Ingoli suggested Galileo focus on the physical and mathematical arguments, and he did not
mention Galileo's biblical ideas.[77] In February 1616, an Inquisitorial commission declared
heliocentrism to be "foolish and absurd in philosophy, and formally heretical since it explicitly
contradicts in many places the sense of Holy Scripture." The Inquisition found that the idea of the
Earth's movement "receives the same judgement in philosophy and... in regard to theological truth it
is at least erroneous in faith".[78] (The original document from the Inquisitorial commission was made
widely available in 2014.[79])
Pope Paul V instructed Cardinal Bellarmine to deliver this finding to Galileo, and to order him to
abandon the opinion that heliocentrism was physically true. On 26 February, Galileo was called to
Bellarmine's residence and ordered:
... to abandon completely... the opinion that the sun stands still at the center of the world and the
earth moves, and henceforth not to hold, teach, or defend it in any way whatever, either orally or in
writing.[80]
The decree of the Congregation of the Index banned Copernicus's De Revolutionibus and other
heliocentric works until correction.[80] Bellarmine's instructions did not prohibit Galileo from discussing
heliocentrism as a mathematical and philosophic idea, so long as he did not advocate for its physical
truth.[11][81]
For the next decade, Galileo stayed well away from the controversy. He revived his project of writing
a book on the subject, encouraged by the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini as Pope Urban
VIII in 1623. Barberini was a friend and admirer of Galileo, and had opposed the condemnation of
Galileo in 1616. Galileo's resulting book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, was
published in 1632, with formal authorization from the Inquisition and papal permission.[82]
Earlier, Pope Urban VIII had personally asked Galileo to give arguments for and against
heliocentrism in the book, and to be careful not to advocate heliocentrism. He made another request,
that his own views on the matter be included in Galileo's book. Only the latter of those requests was
fulfilled by Galileo.
Whether unknowingly or deliberately, Simplicio, the defender of the Aristotelian geocentric view
in Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, was often caught in his own errors and
sometimes came across as a fool. Indeed, although Galileo states in the preface of his book that the
character is named after a famous Aristotelian philosopher (Simplicius in Latin, "Simplicio" in Italian),
the name "Simplicio" in Italian also has the connotation of "simpleton". [83] This portrayal of Simplicio
made Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems appear as an advocacy book: an attack
on Aristotelian geocentrism and defence of the Copernican theory. Unfortunately for his relationship
with the Pope, Galileo put the words of Urban VIII into the mouth of Simplicio.
Most historians agree Galileo did not act out of malice and felt blindsided by the reaction to his book.
[b]
However, the Pope did not take the suspected public ridicule lightly, nor the Copernican advocacy.
Galileo had alienated one of his biggest and most powerful supporters, the Pope, and was called to
Rome to defend his writings[84] in September 1632. He finally arrived in February 1633 and was
brought before inquisitor Vincenzo Maculani to be charged. Throughout his trial, Galileo steadfastly
maintained that since 1616 he had faithfully kept his promise not to hold any of the condemned
opinions, and initially he denied even defending them. However, he was eventually persuaded to
admit that, contrary to his true intention, a reader of his Dialogue could well have obtained the
impression that it was intended to be a defence of Copernicanism. In view of Galileo's rather
implausible denial that he had ever held Copernican ideas after 1616 or ever intended to defend
them in the Dialogue, his final interrogation, in July 1633, concluded with his being threatened with
torture if he did not tell the truth, but he maintained his denial despite the threat. [85]
The sentence of the Inquisition was delivered on 22 June. It was in three essential parts:
Galileo was found "vehemently suspect of heresy", namely of having held the opinions that
the Sun lies motionless at the centre of the universe, that the Earth is not at its centre and
moves, and that one may hold and defend an opinion as probable after it has been declared
contrary to Holy Scripture. He was required to "abjure, curse and detest" those opinions.[86]
He was sentenced to formal imprisonment at the pleasure of the Inquisition. [87] On the
following day, this was commuted to house arrest, which he remained under for the rest of his
life.
His offending Dialogue was banned; and in an action not announced at the trial, publication
of any of his works was forbidden, including any he might write in the future. [88]
Portrait, attributed to Murillo, of Galileo gazing at the words "E pur si muove" (And yet it moves) (not legible in
this image) scratched on the wall of his prison cell
According to popular legend, after recanting his theory that the Earth moved around the Sun, Galileo
allegedly muttered the rebellious phrase "And yet it moves". A 1640s painting by the Spanish
painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo or an artist of his school, in which the words were hidden until
restoration work in 1911, depicts an imprisoned Galileo apparently gazing at the words "E pur si
muove" written on the wall of his dungeon. The earliest known written account of the legend dates to
a century after his death, but Stillman Drake writes "there is no doubt now that the famous words
were already attributed to Galileo before his death". [89]
After a period with the friendly Ascanio Piccolomini (the Archbishop of Siena), Galileo was allowed to
return to his villa at Arcetri near Florence in 1634, where he spent part of his life under house arrest.
Galileo was ordered to read the seven penitential psalms once a week for the next three years.
However, his daughter Maria Celeste relieved him of the burden after
securing ecclesiastical permission to take it upon herself.[90]
It was while Galileo was under house arrest that he dedicated his time to one of his finest
works, Two New Sciences. Here he summarised work he had done some forty years earlier, on the
two sciences now called kinematics and strength of materials, published in Holland to avoid the
censor. This book has received high praise from Albert Einstein.[91] As a result of this work, Galileo is
often called the "father of modern physics". He went completely blind in 1638 and was suffering from
a painful hernia and insomnia, so he was permitted to travel to Florence for medical advice. [16][17]
Dava Sobel argues that prior to Galileo's 1633 trial and judgement for heresy, Pope Urban VIII had
become preoccupied with court intrigue and problems of state, and began to fear persecution or
threats to his own life. In this context, Sobel argues that the problem of Galileo was presented to the
pope by court insiders and enemies of Galileo. Having been accused of weakness in defending the
church, Urban reacted against Galileo out of anger and fear. [92]
Death
Tomb of Galileo, Santa Croce, Florence
Galileo continued to receive visitors until 1642, when, after suffering fever and heart palpitations, he
died on 8 January 1642, aged 77.[16][93] The Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinando II, wished to bury
him in the main body of the Basilica of Santa Croce, next to the tombs of his father and other
ancestors, and to erect a marble mausoleum in his honour. [94]
These plans were dropped, however, after Pope Urban VIII and his nephew, Cardinal Francesco
Barberini, protested,[95] because Galileo had been condemned by the Catholic Church for "vehement
suspicion of heresy".[96] He was instead buried in a small room next to the novices' chapel at the end
of a corridor from the southern transept of the basilica to the sacristy. [97] He was reburied in the main
body of the basilica in 1737 after a monument had been erected there in his honour; [98] during this
move, three fingers and a tooth were removed from his remains. [99] One of these fingers, the middle
finger from Galileo's right hand, is currently on exhibition at the Museo Galileoin Florence, Italy.[100]
Scientific contributions
Scientific methods
Galileo made original contributions to the science of motion through an innovative combination of
experiment and mathematics.[101] More typical of science at the time were the qualitative studies
of William Gilbert, on magnetism and electricity. Galileo's father, Vincenzo Galilei, a lutenist and
music theorist, had performed experiments establishing perhaps the oldest known non-linear relation
in physics: for a stretched string, the pitch varies as the square root of the tension. [102]These
observations lay within the framework of the Pythagorean tradition of music, well-known to
instrument makers, which included the fact that subdividing a string by a whole number produces a
harmonious scale. Thus, a limited amount of mathematics had long related music and physical
science, and young Galileo could see his own father's observations expand on that tradition. [103]
Galileo was one of the first modern thinkers to clearly state that the laws of nature are mathematical.
In The Assayer, he wrote "Philosophy is written in this grand book, the universe ... It is written in the
language of mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric
figures;...."[104] His mathematical analyses are a further development of a tradition employed by late
scholastic natural philosophers, which Galileo learned when he studied philosophy. [105] His work
marked another step towards the eventual separation of science from both philosophy and religion; a
major development in human thought. He was often willing to change his views in accordance with
observation. In order to perform his experiments, Galileo had to set up standards of length and time,
so that measurements made on different days and in different laboratories could be compared in a
reproducible fashion. This provided a reliable foundation on which to confirm mathematical laws
using inductive reasoning.
Galileo showed a modern appreciation for the proper relationship between mathematics, theoretical
physics, and experimental physics. He understood the parabola, both in terms of conic sections and
in terms of the ordinate (y) varying as the square of the abscissa (x). Galilei further asserted that the
parabola was the theoretically ideal trajectory of a uniformly accelerated projectile in the absence
of air resistance or other disturbances. He conceded that there are limits to the validity of this theory,
noting on theoretical grounds that a projectile trajectory of a size comparable to that of
the Earth could not possibly be a parabola, [106] but he nevertheless maintained that for distances up to
the range of the artillery of his day, the deviation of a projectile's trajectory from a parabola would be
only very slight.[107]
Astronomy
Galileo showed the Doge of Venicehow to use the telescope (fresco by Giuseppe Bertini)
It was on this page that Galileo first noted an observation of the moons of Jupiter. This observation upset the
notion that all celestial bodies must revolve around the Earth. Galileo published a full description in Sidereus
Nuncius in March 1610
Based only on uncertain descriptions of the first practical telescope which Hans Lippershey tried to
patent in the Netherlands in 1608, [108] Galileo, in the following year, made a telescope with about 3x
magnification. He later made improved versions with up to about 30x magnification. [109] With
a Galilean telescope, the observer could see magnified, upright images on the Earth—it was what is
commonly known as a terrestrial telescope or a spyglass. He could also use it to observe the sky; for
a time he was one of those who could construct telescopes good enough for that purpose. On 25
August 1609, he demonstrated one of his early telescopes, with a magnification of about 8 or 9,
to Venetian lawmakers. His telescopes were also a profitable sideline for Galileo, who sold them to
merchants who found them useful both at sea and as items of trade. He published his initial
telescopic astronomical observations in March 1610 in a brief treatise entitled Sidereus
Nuncius (Starry Messenger).[110]
Kepler's supernova
Tycho and others had observed the supernova of 1572. Ottavio Brenzoni's letter of 15 January 1605
to Galileo brought the 1572 supernova and the less bright nova of 1601 to Galileo's notice. Galileo
observed and discussed Kepler's supernova in 1604. Since these new stars displayed no
detectable diurnal parallax, Galileo concluded that they were distant stars, and, therefore, disproved
the Aristotelian belief in the immutability of the heavens.[111]
Jupiter's moons
On 7 January 1610, Galileo observed with his telescope what he described at the time as "three
fixed stars, totally invisible[c] by their smallness", all close to Jupiter, and lying on a straight line
through it.[112]Observations on subsequent nights showed that the positions of these "stars" relative to
Jupiter were changing in a way that would have been inexplicable if they had really been fixed stars.
On 10 January, Galileo noted that one of them had disappeared, an observation which he attributed
to its being hidden behind Jupiter. Within a few days, he concluded that they were orbiting Jupiter:
[113]
he had discovered three of Jupiter's four largest moons. He discovered the fourth on 13 January.
Galileo named the group of four the Medicean stars, in honour of his future patron, Cosimo II de'
Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Cosimo's three brothers.[114] Later astronomers, however,
renamed them Galilean satellites in honour of their discoverer. These satellites were independently
discovered by Simon Marius on 8 January 1610 and are now called Io, Europa, Ganymede,
and Callisto the names given by Marius in his Mundus Iovialispublished in 1614.[115]
His observations of the satellites of Jupiter caused a revolution in astronomy: a planet with smaller
planets orbiting it did not conform to the principles of Aristotelian cosmology, which held that all
heavenly bodies should circle the Earth,[116] and many astronomers and philosophers initially refused
to believe that Galileo could have discovered such a thing. [117] His observations were confirmed by
the observatory of Christopher Clavius and he received a hero's welcome when he visited Rome in
1611.[118] Galileo continued to observe the satellites over the next eighteen months, and by mid-1611,
he had obtained remarkably accurate estimates for their periods—a feat which Kepler had believed
impossible.[119]
Venus, Saturn, and Neptune
From September 1610, Galileo observed that Venus exhibited a full set of phases similar to that of
the Moon. The heliocentric model of the Solar System developed by Nicolaus Copernicus predicted
that all phases would be visible since the orbit of Venus around the Sun would cause its illuminated
hemisphere to face the Earth when it was on the opposite side of the Sun and to face away from the
Earth when it was on the Earth-side of the Sun. On the other hand, in Ptolemy's geocentric model it
was impossible for any of the planets' orbits to intersect the spherical shell carrying the Sun.
Traditionally, the orbit of Venus was placed entirely on the near side of the Sun, where it could
exhibit only crescent and new phases. It was, however, also possible to place it entirely on the far
side of the Sun, where it could exhibit only gibbous and full phases. After Galileo's telescopic
observations of the crescent, gibbous and full phases of Venus, the Ptolemaic model became
untenable. Thus in the early 17th century, as a result of his discovery, the great majority of
astronomers converted to one of the various geo-heliocentric planetary models, [120] such as the
Tychonic, Capellan and Extended Capellan models,[d] each either with or without a daily rotating
Earth. These all had the virtue of explaining the phases of Venus without the vice of the 'refutation' of
full heliocentrism's prediction of stellar parallax. Galileo's discovery of the phases of Venus was thus
arguably his most empirically practically influential contribution to the two-stage transition from full
geocentrism to full heliocentrism via geo-heliocentrism.
Galileo observed the planet Saturn, and at first mistook its rings for planets, thinking it was a three-
bodied system. When he observed the planet later, Saturn's rings were directly oriented at Earth,
causing him to think that two of the bodies had disappeared. The rings reappeared when he
observed the planet in 1616, further confusing him. [121]
Galileo also observed the planet Neptune in 1612. It appears in his notebooks as one of many
unremarkable dim stars. He did not realise that it was a planet, but he did note its motion relative to
the stars before losing track of it.[122]
Sunspots
Galileo made naked-eye and telescopic studies of sunspots.[123] Their existence raised another
difficulty with the unchanging perfection of the heavens as posited in orthodox Aristotelian celestial
physics. An apparent annual variation in their trajectories, observed by Francesco Sizzi and others in
1612–1613,[124]also provided a powerful argument against both the Ptolemaic system and the
geoheliocentric system of Tycho Brahe.[e] A dispute over claimed priority in the discovery of
sunspots, and in their interpretation, led Galileo to a long and bitter feud with the Jesuit Christoph
Scheiner. In the middle was Mark Welser, to whom Scheiner had announced his discovery, and who
asked Galileo for his opinion. [citation needed] In fact, there is little doubt that both of them were beaten
by David Fabricius and his son Johannes.
Moon
Prior to Galileo's construction of his version of a telescope, Thomas Harriot, an English
mathematician and explorer, had already used what he dubbed a "perspective tube" to observe the
Moon. Reporting his observations, Harriot noted only "strange spottednesse" in the waning of the
crescent, but was ignorant to the cause. Galileo, due in part to his artistic training [37] and the
knowledge of chiaroscuro,[36] had understood the patterns of light and shadow were, in fact,
topographical markers. While not being the only one to observe the Moon through a telescope,
Galileo was the first to deduce the cause of the uneven waning as light occlusion from lunar
mountains and craters. In his study, he also made topographical charts, estimating the heights of the
mountains. The Moon was not what was long thought to have been a translucent and perfect
sphere, as Aristotle claimed, and hardly the first "planet", an "eternal pearl to magnificently ascend
into the heavenly empyrian", as put forth by Dante. Galileo is sometimes credited with the discovery
of the lunar libration in latitude in 1632,[125] although Thomas Harriot or William Gilbertmight have
done it before.[126]
Milky Way and stars
Galileo observed the Milky Way, previously believed to be nebulous, and found it to be a multitude
of stars packed so densely that they appeared from Earth to be clouds. He located many other stars
too distant to be visible with the naked eye. He observed the double star Mizar in Ursa Major in
1617.[127]
In the Starry Messenger, Galileo reported that stars appeared as mere blazes of light, essentially
unaltered in appearance by the telescope, and contrasted them to planets, which the telescope
revealed to be discs. But shortly thereafter, in his Letters on Sunspots, he reported that the
telescope revealed the shapes of both stars and planets to be "quite round". From that point forward,
he continued to report that telescopes showed the roundness of stars, and that stars seen through
the telescope measured a few seconds of arc in diameter. [128] He also devised a method for
measuring the apparent size of a star without a telescope. As described in his Dialogue Concerning
the two Chief World Systems, his method was to hang a thin rope in his line of sight to the star and
measure the maximum distance from which it would wholly obscure the star. From his
measurements of this distance and of the width of the rope, he could calculate the angle subtended
by the star at his viewing point.[129] In his Dialogue, he reported that he had found the apparent
diameter of a star of first magnitude to be no more than 5 arcseconds, and that of one of sixth
magnitude to be about 5/6 arcseconds. Like most astronomers of his day, Galileo did not recognise
that the apparent sizes of stars that he measured were spurious, caused by diffraction and
atmospheric distortion (see seeing disk or Airy disk), and did not represent the true sizes of stars.
However, Galileo's values were much smaller than previous estimates of the apparent sizes of the
brightest stars, such as those made by Tycho Brahe (see Magnitude) and enabled Galileo to counter
anti-Copernican arguments such as those made by Tycho that these stars would have to be
absurdly large for their annual parallaxes to be undetectable. [130] Other astronomers such as Simon
Marius, Giovanni Battista Riccioli, and Martinus Hortensius made similar measurements of stars,
and Marius and Riccioli concluded the smaller sizes were not small enough to answer Tycho's
argument.[131]
Engineering
Galileo's geometrical and military compass, thought to have been made c. 1604 by his personal instrument-
maker Marc'Antonio Mazzoleni
Galileo made a number of contributions to what is now known as engineering, as distinct from
pure physics. Between 1595 and 1598, Galileo devised and improved a geometric and military
compasssuitable for use by gunners and surveyors. This expanded on earlier instruments designed
by Niccolò Tartaglia and Guidobaldo del Monte. For gunners, it offered, in addition to a new and
safer way of elevating cannons accurately, a way of quickly computing the charge
of gunpowder for cannonballs of different sizes and materials. As a geometric instrument, it enabled
the construction of any regular polygon, computation of the area of any polygon or circular sector,
and a variety of other calculations. Under Galileo's direction, instrument maker Marc'Antonio
Mazzoleni produced more than 100 of these compasses, which Galileo sold (along with an
instruction manual he wrote) for 50 lire and offered a course of instruction in the use of the
compasses for 120 lire.[132]
In about 1593, Galileo constructed a thermometer, using the expansion and contraction of air in a
bulb to move water in an attached tube.
A replica of the earliest surviving telescope attributed to Galileo Galilei, on display at the Griffith Observatory.
In 1609, Galileo was, along with Englishman Thomas Harriot and others, among the first to use
a refracting telescope as an instrument to observe stars, planets or moons. The name "telescope"
was coined for Galileo's instrument by a Greek mathematician, Giovanni Demisiani,[133] at a banquet
held in 1611 by Prince Federico Cesi to make Galileo a member of his Accademia dei Lincei.[134] The
name was derived from the Greek tele = 'far' and skopein = 'to look or see'. In 1610, he used a
telescope at close range to magnify the parts of insects.[135] By 1624, Galileo had used[136] a
compound microscope. He gave one of these instruments to Cardinal Zollern in May of that year for
presentation to the Duke of Bavaria, [137] and in September, he sent another to Prince Cesi.
[138]
The Linceans played a role again in naming the "microscope" a year later when fellow academy
member Giovanni Faber coined the word for Galileo's invention from the Greek
words μικρόν (micron) meaning "small", and σκοπεῖν (skopein) meaning "to look at". The word was
meant to be analogous with "telescope".[139][140] Illustrations of insects made using one of Galileo's
microscopes and published in 1625, appear to have been the first clear documentation of the use of
a compound microscope.[141]
In 1612, having determined the orbital periods of Jupiter's satellites, Galileo proposed that with
sufficiently accurate knowledge of their orbits, one could use their positions as a universal clock, and
this would make possible the determination of longitude. He worked on this problem from time to
time during the remainder of his life, but the practical problems were severe. The method was first
successfully applied by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1681 and was later used extensively for large
land surveys; this method, for example, was used to survey France, and later by Zebulon Pike of the
midwestern United States in 1806. For sea navigation, where delicate telescopic observations were
more difficult, the longitude problem eventually required development of a practical portable marine
chronometer, such as that of John Harrison.[142] Late in his life, when totally blind, Galileo designed
an escapement mechanism for a pendulum clock (called Galileo's escapement), although no clock
using this was built until after the first fully operational pendulum clock was made by Christiaan
Huygens in the 1650s.
Galileo was invited on several occasions to advise on engineering schemes to alleviate river
flooding. In 1630 Mario Guiducci was probably instrumental in ensuring that he was consulted on
a scheme by Bartolotti to cut a new channel for the Bisenzio River near Florence.[143]
Physics
Galileo's theoretical and experimental work on the motions of bodies, along with the largely
independent work of Kepler and René Descartes, was a precursor of the classical
mechanics developed by Sir Isaac Newton. Galileo conducted several experiments with pendulums.
It is popularly believed (thanks to the biography by Vincenzo Viviani) that these began by watching
the swings of the bronze chandelier in the cathedral of Pisa, using his pulse as a timer. Later
experiments are described in his Two New Sciences. Galileo claimed that a simple pendulum
is isochronous, i.e. that its swings always take the same amount of time, independently of
the amplitude. In fact, this is only approximately true,[144] as was discovered by Christiaan Huygens.
Galileo also found that the square of the period varies directly with the length of the pendulum.
Galileo's son, Vincenzo, sketched a clock based on his father's theories in 1642. The clock was
never built and, because of the large swings required by its verge escapement, would have been a
poor timekeeper. (See Engineering above.)
Galileo is lesser known for, yet still credited with, being one of the first to understand sound
frequency. By scraping a chisel at different speeds, he linked the pitch of the sound produced to the
spacing of the chisel's skips, a measure of frequency. In 1638, Galileo described an experimental
method to measure the speed of light by arranging that two observers, each having lanterns
equipped with shutters, observe each other's lanterns at some distance. The first observer opens the
shutter of his lamp, and, the second, upon seeing the light, immediately opens the shutter of his own
lantern. The time between the first observer's opening his shutter and seeing the light from the
second observer's lamp indicates the time it takes light to travel back and forth between the two
observers. Galileo reported that when he tried this at a distance of less than a mile, he was unable to
determine whether or not the light appeared instantaneously. [145]Sometime between Galileo's death
and 1667, the members of the Florentine Accademia del Cimentorepeated the experiment over a
distance of about a mile and obtained a similarly inconclusive result. [146]We now know that the speed
of light is far too fast to be measured by such methods (with human shutter-openers on Earth).
Galileo put forward the basic principle of relativity, that the laws of physics are the same in any
system that is moving at a constant speed in a straight line, regardless of its particular speed or
direction. Hence, there is no absolute motion or absolute rest. This principle provided the basic
framework for Newton's laws of motion and is central to Einstein's special theory of relativity.
Falling bodies
See also: Equations for a falling body
A biography by Galileo's pupil Vincenzo Viviani stated that Galileo had dropped balls of the same
material, but different masses, from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to demonstrate that their time of
descent was independent of their mass.[147] This was contrary to what Aristotle had taught: that heavy
objects fall faster than lighter ones, in direct proportion to weight. [148] While this story has been retold
in popular accounts, there is no account by Galileo himself of such an experiment, and it is generally
accepted by historians that it was at most a thought experiment which did not actually take place. [149]
[150]
An exception is Drake,[151] who argues that the experiment did take place, more or less as Viviani
described it. The experiment described was actually performed by Simon Stevin (commonly known
as Stevinus) and Jan Cornets de Groot,[35] although the building used was actually the church tower
in Delft in 1586.[152] However, most of his experiments with falling bodies were carried out using
inclined planes where both the issues of timing and air resistance were much reduced.[153]
During the Apollo 15 mission in 1971, astronaut David Scott showed that Galileo was right: acceleration is the
same for all bodies subject to gravity on the Moon, even for a hammer and a feather.
In his 1638 Discorsi, Galileo's character Salviati, widely regarded as Galileo's spokesman, held that
all unequal weights would fall with the same finite speed in a vacuum. But this had previously been
proposed by Lucretius[154] and Simon Stevin.[155] Cristiano Banti's Salviati also held it could be
experimentally demonstrated by the comparison of pendulum motions in air with bobs of lead and of
cork which had different weight but which were otherwise similar.
Galileo proposed that a falling body would fall with a uniform acceleration, as long as the resistance
of the medium through which it was falling remained negligible, or in the limiting case of its falling
through a vacuum.[156] He also derived the correct kinematical law for the distance travelled during a
uniform acceleration starting from rest—namely, that it is proportional to the square of the elapsed
time ( d ∝ t 2 ).[157] Prior to Galileo, Nicole Oresme, in the 14th century, had derived the times-squared
law for uniformly accelerated change, [158] and Domingo de Soto had suggested in the 16th century
that bodies falling through a homogeneous medium would be uniformly accelerated. [159] Galileo
expressed the time-squared law using geometrical constructions and mathematically precise words,
adhering to the standards of the day. (It remained for others to re-express the law in algebraic
terms).
He also concluded that objects retain their velocity in the absence of any impediments to their
motion,[citation needed] thereby contradicting the generally accepted Aristotelian hypothesis that a body
could only remain in so-called "violent", "unnatural", or "forced" motion so long as an agent of
change (the "mover") continued to act on it.[160] Philosophical ideas relating to inertia had been
proposed by John Philoponus and Jean Buridan. Galileo stated: "Imagine any particle projected
along a horizontal plane without friction; then we know, from what has been more fully explained in
the preceding pages, that this particle will move along this same plane with a motion which is
uniform and perpetual, provided the plane has no limits" [161] This was incorporated into Newton's laws
of motion (first law).
Mathematics
While Galileo's application of mathematics to experimental physics was innovative, his mathematical
methods were the standard ones of the day, including dozens of examples of an inverse
proportion square root method passed down from Fibonacci and Archimedes. The analysis and
proofs relied heavily on the Eudoxian theory of proportion, as set forth in the fifth book of Euclid's
Elements. This theory had become available only a century before, thanks to accurate translations
by Tartaglia and others; but by the end of Galileo's life, it was being superseded by the algebraic
methods of Descartes.
The concept now named Galileo's paradox was not original with him. His proposed solution,
that infinite numbers cannot be compared, is no longer considered useful.
Timeline
1543 – Nicolaus Copernicus publishes De revolutionibus orbium coelestium as an alternative
world system to the Ptolemy's geocentric modelcausing subsequent questions to be raised
about Aristotelian physics following Copernicus' death
1563 – Parents Vincenzo Galilei and Giulia Ammannati marry
1564 – Birth in Pisa, Italy
~1570 – Thomas Digges publishes Pantometria describing a telescope built between 1540–
1559 by his father Leonard Digges
1573 – Tycho Brahe publishes De nova stella (On the new star) refuting Aristotelian belief in
immutable celestial spheres and an eternal, unchanging, more perfect heavenly realm of
celestial aether above the moon
1576 – Giuseppe Moletti, Galileo's predecessor in the mathematics chair at Padua, reports
falling bodies of the same shape fall at the same speed, regardless of material [162]
1581 – His father, Vincenzo Galilei publishes Dialogo della musica antica et
moderna formulating musical theories[163]
1581 – Enrols as medical student at University of Pisa
1582 – Attends mathematics lecture by Ostilio Ricci and decides to study math and science
1585 – Leaves University of Pisa without degree and works as tutor
1586 – Invents hydrostatic balance; wrote La Balancitta (The little balance)
1586 – Simon Stevin publishes results for dropping lead weights from 10 meters
1588 – Tycho Brahe publishes work on comets containing a description of the Tychonic
system of the world[164]
1589 – Appointed to Mathematics Chair, University of Pisa
~1590 – Partially completes De Motu (On Motion), which is never published
1591 – Death of his father, Vicenzo Galilei
1592 – Appointed professor of mathematics at University of Padua, remains 18 years
~1593 – Invents early thermometer that unfortunately depended on both temperature and
pressure
~1595 – Invents improved ballistics calculation geometric and military compass, which he
later improves for surveying and general calculations and earns income from tutoring on its use
1597 – Letter to Kepler indicates his belief in the Copernican System
1600 – First child, Virginia is born; ~1600 Le Meccaniche (Mechanics)
1600 – William Gilbert publishes On the Magnet and Magnetic Bodies, and on That Great
Magnet the Earth with arguments supporting the Copernican system
1600 – Roman Inquisition finds Giordano Bruno, Copernican system supporter, guilty
of heresy for opinions on pantheism and the eternal plurality of worlds, and for denial of
the Trinity, divinity of Christ, virginity of Mary, and Transubstantiation; burned at the stake by civil
authorities
1601 – Daughter Livia is born
1604 – Measures supernova position indicating no parallax for the new star
1605 – Sued by brothers-in-law for nonpayment of sisters' dowries
1606 – Son Vincenzo born
1606 – Publishes manual for his calculating compass
1607 – Rotilio Orlandini attempts to assassinate Galileo's friend, Friar Paolo Sarpi
1608 – Hans Lippershey invents a refracting telescope
1609 – Independently invents and improves telescopes based on description of invention by
Hans Lippershey
1609 – Kepler publishes Astronomia nova containing his first two laws and for the first time
demonstrates the Copernican model is more accurate than the Ptolemaic for uses such as
navigation and prediction
1609 – Thomas Harriot sketches the Moon from telescopic observations made four months
before Galileo's
1610 – Publishes Sidereus Nuncius (Starry Messenger); views our moon's mountains and
craters and brightest 4 of Jupiter's moons
1610 – Martin Horky publishes Brevissima Peregrinatio Contra Nuncium Sidereum, opposing
Galileo
1610 – Kepler requests one of Galileo's telescopes or lenses, but Galileo replies he is too
busy to build one and has no extras[165]
1610 – Lifetime appointment to mathematics position at University of Padua, and as
mathematician and philosopher for Cosimo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany
1611 – Discovers phases of Venus; granted audience with Pope; made member of Lincean
Academy
1611 – Awarded an honorary degree by the Jesuit College in Rome [166]
1611 – David Fabricius publishes Narration on Spots Observed on the Sun and their
Apparent Rotation with the Sun prior to Christoph Scheiner and Galileo's published works on the
subject
1612 – Proposed Jupiter's moons could be used as a universal clock for possible
determination of longitude
~1612 or 1613 – Francesco Sizzi discovers annual variations in sunspots' motions
1613 – Letters on Sunspots
1613 – Letter to Benedetto Castelli discussing the rotation of the sun and Galileo's support of
the Copernican system. Using Biblical inerrancyas a basis, Galileo writes that Joshua's
command for the sun to stand still in Joshua 10:13 proves the "impossibility of the Aristotelian
and Ptolemaic world system, and on the other hand agrees very well with the Copernican
one."[167] He went on to write that "the sun gives not only light (as it obviously does) but also
motion to all the planets that revolve around it" by its rotation.[167]
1615 – Letter to Grand Duchess Christina (not published until 1636)
1616 – Officially warned by the Church not to hold or defend the Copernican System
1616 – The Catholic Church places De revolutionibus orbium coelestium on the List of
Prohibited Books, pending correction
1616 – Private letter "Discourse on the Tides"
1617 – Moves into Bellosguardo, west of Florence, near his daughters' convent; observes
double star Mizar in Ursa Major
1619 – Kepler publishes Harmonices Mundi which introduces his third law
1619 – Discourse on the Comets
1623 – Maffeo Barberini becomes Pope Urban VIII
1623 – Publishes The Assayer
1624 – Visits Pope who praises and honours him, leaving with assumed permission to
publish work on the Copernican vs. Ptolemaic Systems; used a compound microscope
1625 – Illustrations of insects made using one of Galileo's microscopes published
1630 – Completes Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems and subsequently
receives approval of Church censor
1630 – Invited by Grand Duke Ferdinand II of Tuscany to advise on proposed engineering
works on the Bisenzio River
1631 – Produces report on the Bisenzio engineering proposals, arguing against them
1632 – Publishes Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems
1633 – sentenced by the Inquisition to imprisonment, commuted to house arrest, for
vehement suspicion of heresy in violating the 1616 injunction
1633 – Catholic Church places Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems on
the List of Prohibited Books
1638 – Publishes Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences
1642 – Death in Arcetri, Italy
1668 – Isaac Newton builds his reflecting telescope
1687 – Newton publishes Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica deriving Kepler's
laws from the Universal Law of Gravitation and the Laws of Motion
2016 – The American Juno spacecraft, carrying a plaque and a Lego minifigure dedicated at
Galileo, arrives at Jupiter's orbit
Legacy
Later Church reassessments
The Galileo affair was largely forgotten after Galileo's death, and the controversy subsided. The
Inquisition's ban on reprinting Galileo's works was lifted in 1718 when permission was granted to
publish an edition of his works (excluding the condemned Dialogue) in Florence.[168] In 1741, Pope
Benedict XIV authorised the publication of an edition of Galileo's complete scientific works [f] which
included a mildly censored version of the Dialogue.[169] In 1758, the general prohibition against works
advocating heliocentrism was removed from the Index of prohibited books, although the specific ban
on uncensored versions of the Dialogue and Copernicus's De Revolutionibus remained.[170] All traces
of official opposition to heliocentrism by the church disappeared in 1835 when these works were
finally dropped from the Index.[171]
Interest in the Galileo affair was revived in the early 19th century, when Protestant polemicists used
it (and other events such as the Spanish Inquisition and the myth of the flat Earth) to attack Roman
Catholicism.[11] Interest in it has waxed and waned ever since. In 1939, Pope Pius XII, in his first
speech to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, within a few months of his election to the papacy,
described Galileo as being among the "most audacious heroes of research... not afraid of the
stumbling blocks and the risks on the way, nor fearful of the funereal monuments". [172] His close
advisor of 40 years, Professor Robert Leiber, wrote: "Pius XII was very careful not to close any doors
(to science) prematurely. He was energetic on this point and regretted that in the case of Galileo." [173]
On 15 February 1990, in a speech delivered at the Sapienza University of Rome,[g] Cardinal
Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) cited some current views on the Galileo affair as forming what
he called "a symptomatic case that permits us to see how deep the self-doubt of the modern age, of
science and technology goes today".[174] Some of the views he cited were those of the
philosopher Paul Feyerabend, whom he quoted as saying "The Church at the time of Galileo kept
much more closely to reason than did Galileo himself, and she took into consideration the ethical
and social consequences of Galileo's teaching too. Her verdict against Galileo was rational and just
and the revision of this verdict can be justified only on the grounds of what is politically
opportune."[174] The Cardinal did not clearly indicate whether he agreed or disagreed with
Feyerabend's assertions. He did, however, say "It would be foolish to construct an impulsive
apologetic on the basis of such views."[174]
On 31 October 1992, Pope John Paul II expressed regret for how the Galileo affair was handled, and
issued a declaration acknowledging the errors committed by the Catholic Church tribunal that judged
the scientific positions of Galileo Galilei, as the result of a study conducted by the Pontifical Council
for Culture.[175][176] In March 2008, the head of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Nicola Cabibbo,
announced a plan to honour Galileo by erecting a statue of him inside the Vatican walls. [177] In
December of the same year, during events to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo's earliest
telescopic observations, Pope Benedict XVI praised his contributions to astronomy. [178] A month later,
however, the head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Gianfranco Ravasi, revealed that the plan to
erect a statue of Galileo in the grounds of the Vatican had been suspended. [179]
Galileo's astronomical discoveries and investigations into the Copernican theory have led to a lasting
legacy which includes the categorisation of the four large moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo
(Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) as the Galilean moons. Other scientific endeavours and
principles are named after Galileo including the Galileo spacecraft,[183] the first spacecraft to enter
orbit around Jupiter, the proposed Galileo global satellite navigation system,
the transformation between inertial systems in classical mechanics denoted Galilean
transformation and the Gal (unit), sometimes known as the Galileo, which is a non-SI unit
of acceleration.
Partly because 2009 was the fourth centenary of Galileo's first recorded astronomical observations
with the telescope, the United Nations scheduled it to be the International Year of Astronomy.[184] A
global scheme was laid out by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), also endorsed
by UNESCO—the UN body responsible for educational, scientific and cultural matters.
The International Year of Astronomy 2009 was intended to be a global celebration of astronomy and
its contributions to society and culture, stimulating worldwide interest not only in astronomy but
science in general, with a particular slant towards young people.
Asteroid 697 Galilea is named in his honour.
In artistic and popular media
Galileo is mentioned several times in the "opera" section of the Queen song, "Bohemian Rhapsody".
[185]
He features prominently in the song "Galileo" performed by the Indigo Girls and Amy
Grant's Galileo on her Heart in Motion album.
Twentieth-century plays have been written on Galileo's life, including Life of Galileo (1943) by the
German playwright Bertolt Brecht, with a film adaptation (1975) of it, and Lamp At Midnight (1947)
by Barrie Stavis,[186] as well as the 2008 play "Galileo Galilei".[187]
Kim Stanley Robinson wrote a science fiction novel entitled Galileo's Dream (2009), in which Galileo
is brought into the future to help resolve a crisis of scientific philosophy; the story moves back and
forth between Galileo's own time and a hypothetical distant future and contains a great deal of
biographical information.[188]
Galileo Galilei was recently selected as a main motif for a high value collectors' coin: the
€25 International Year of Astronomy commemorative coin, minted in 2009. This coin also
commemorates the 400th anniversary of the invention of Galileo's telescope. The obverse shows a
portion of his portrait and his telescope. The background shows one of his first drawings of the
surface of the moon. In the silver ring, other telescopes are depicted: the Isaac Newton Telescope,
the observatory in Kremsmünster Abbey, a modern telescope, a radio telescope and a space
telescope. In 2009, the Galileoscope was also released. This is a mass-produced, low-cost
educational 2-inch (51 mm) telescope with relatively high quality.
Writings
Galileo's early works describing scientific instruments include the 1586 tract entitled The Little
Balance (La Billancetta) describing an accurate balance to weigh objects in air or water [189] and the
1606 printed manual Le Operazioni del Compasso Geometrico et Militare on the operation of a
geometrical and military compass.[190]
His early works in dynamics, the science of motion and mechanics were his circa 1590 Pisan De
Motu (On Motion) and his circa 1600 Paduan Le Meccaniche (Mechanics). The former was based on
Aristotelian–Archimedean fluid dynamics and held that the speed of gravitational fall in a fluid
medium was proportional to the excess of a body's specific weight over that of the medium, whereby
in a vacuum, bodies would fall with speeds in proportion to their specific weights. It also subscribed
to the Philoponan impetus dynamics in which impetus is self-dissipating and free-fall in a vacuum
would have an essential terminal speed according to specific weight after an initial period of
acceleration.
Galileo's 1610 The Starry Messenger (Sidereus Nuncius) was the first scientific treatise to be
published based on observations made through a telescope. It reported his discoveries of:
the Galilean moons
the roughness of the Moon's surface
the existence of a large number of stars invisible to the naked eye, particularly those
responsible for the appearance of the Milky Way
differences between the appearances of the planets and those of the fixed stars—the former
appearing as small discs, while the latter appeared as unmagnified points of light
Galileo published a description of sunspots in 1613 entitled Letters on Sunspots[191] suggesting the
Sun and heavens are corruptible. The Letters on Sunspots also reported his 1610 telescopic
observations of the full set of phases of Venus, and his discovery of the puzzling "appendages" of
Saturn and their even more puzzling subsequent disappearance. In 1615, Galileo prepared a
manuscript known as the "Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina" which was not published in printed
form until 1636. This letter was a revised version of the Letter to Castelli, which was denounced by
the Inquisition as an incursion upon theology by advocating Copernicanism both as physically true
and as consistent with Scripture.[192] In 1616, after the order by the inquisition for Galileo not to hold
or defend the Copernican position, Galileo wrote the "Discourse on the Tides" (Discorso sul flusso e
il reflusso del mare) based on the Copernican earth, in the form of a private letter to Cardinal Orsini.
[193]
In 1619, Mario Guiducci, a pupil of Galileo's, published a lecture written largely by Galileo under
the title Discourse on the Comets (Discorso Delle Comete), arguing against the Jesuit interpretation
of comets.[194]
In 1623, Galileo published The Assayer—Il Saggiatore, which attacked theories based on Aristotle's
authority and promoted experimentation and the mathematical formulation of scientific ideas. The
book was highly successful and even found support among the higher echelons of the Christian
church.[195] Following the success of The Assayer, Galileo published the Dialogue Concerning the
Two Chief World Systems (Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo) in 1632. Despite taking
care to adhere to the Inquisition's 1616 instructions, the claims in the book favouring Copernican
theory and a non Geocentric model of the solar system led to Galileo being tried and banned on
publication. Despite the publication ban, Galileo published his Discourses and Mathematical
Demonstrations Relating to Two New Sciences (Discorsi e Dimostrazioni Matematiche, intorno a
due nuove scienze) in 1638 in Holland, outside the jurisdiction of the Inquisition.
Urbain Le Verrier
Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier FRS (FOR) HFRSE (French: [yʁbɛ̃ ʒɑ̃ ʒɔzɛf lə vɛʁje]; 11
March 1811 – 23 September 1877) was a French astronomer and mathematician who specialized
in celestial mechanics and is best known for predicting the existence and position of Neptune
using only mathematics. The calculations were made to explain discrepancies with Uranus's orbit
and the laws of Kepler and Newton. Le Verrier sent the coordinates to Johann Gottfried Galle in
Berlin, asking him to verify. Galle found Neptune in the same night he received Le Verrier's
letter, within 1° of the predicted position. The discovery of Neptune is widely regarded as a
dramatic validation of celestial mechanics, and is one of the most remarkable moments of 19th-
century science.
Urbain Le Verrier
Biography
Early years
Le Verrier was born at Saint-Lô, Manche, France, and studied at École Polytechnique. He briefly
studied chemistry under Gay-Lussac, writing papers on the combinations of phosphorus and
hydrogen, and phosphorus and oxygen.[1] He then switched to astronomy, particularly celestial
mechanics, and accepted a job at the Paris Observatory. He spent most of his professional life
there, and eventually became that institution's Director, from 1854 to 1870 and again from 1873
to 1877.[2]
In 1846, Le Verrier became a member of the French Academy of Sciences, and in 1855, he was
elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Le Verrier's name is one
of the 72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower.
Career
Early work
Le Verrier's first work in astronomy was presented to the Académie des Sciences in September
1839, entitled Sur les variations séculaires des orbites des planètes (On the Secular Variations of
the Orbits of the Planets). This work addressed the then most-important question in astronomy:
the stability of the Solar System, first investigated by Laplace. He was able to derive some
important limits on the motions of the system, but due to the inaccurately-known masses of the
planets, his results were tentative.
From 1844 to 1847, Le Verrier published a series of works on periodic comets, in particular
those of Lexell, Faye and DeVico. He was able to show some interesting interactions with the
planet Jupiter, proving that certain comets were actually the reappearance of previously-known
comets flung into different orbits.[3]
Discovery of Neptune
Main article: Discovery of Neptune
Signature of M. LeVerrier
Le Verrier's most famous achievement is his prediction of the existence of the then unknown
planet Neptune, using only mathematics and astronomical observations of the known planet
Uranus. Encouraged by physicist Arago,[4] Director of the Paris Observatory, Le Verrier was
intensely engaged for months in complex calculations to explain small but systematic
discrepancies between Uranus's observed orbit and the one predicted from the laws of gravity of
Newton. At the same time, but unknown to Le Verrier, similar calculations were made by John
Couch Adams in England. Le Verrier announced his final predicted position for Uranus's unseen
perturbing planet publicly to the French Academy on 31 August 1846, two days before Adams's
final solution was privately mailed to the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Le Verrier transmitted
his own prediction by 18 September in a letter to Johann Galle of the Berlin Observatory. The
letter arrived five days later, and the planet was found with the Berlin Fraunhofer refractor that
same evening, 23 September 1846, by Galle and Heinrich d'Arrest within 1° of the predicted
location near the boundary between Capricorn and Aquarius.
There was, and to an extent still is, controversy over the apportionment of credit for the
discovery. There is no ambiguity to the discovery claims of Le Verrier, Galle, and d'Arrest.
Adams's work was begun earlier than Le Verrier's but was finished later and was unrelated to the
actual discovery. Not even the briefest account of Adams's predicted orbital elements was
published until more than a month after Berlin's visual confirmation. Adams made full public
acknowledgement of Le Verrier's priority and credit (not forgetting to mention the role of Galle)
when he gave his paper to the Royal Astronomical Society in November 1846:[5]
I mention these dates merely to show that my results were arrived at independently, and
previously to the publication of those of M. Le Verrier, and not with the intention of interfering
with his just claims to the honours of the discovery; for there is no doubt that his researches were
first published to the world, and led to the actual discovery of the planet by Dr. Galle, so that the
facts stated above cannot detract, in the slightest degree, from the credit due to M. Le Verrier.
— Adams (1846)
Early in the 19th century, the methods of predicting the motions of the planets were somewhat
scattered, having been developed over decades by many different researchers. In 1847, Le
Verrier took on the task to "... embrace in a single work the entire planetary system, put
everything in harmony if possible, otherwise, declare with certainty that there are as yet
unknown causes of perturbations...",[6] a work which would occupy him for the rest of his life.
Le Verrier began by re-evaluating, to the 7th order, the technique of calculating the planetary
perturbations known as the perturbing function. This derivation, which resulted in 469
mathematical terms, was complete by 1849. He next collected observations of the positions of
the planets as far back as 1750. Examining these and correcting for inconsistencies with the most
recent data occupied him until 1852.[3]
Le Verrier published, in the Annales de l'Observatoire de Paris, tables of the motions of all of the
known planets, releasing them as he completed them, starting in 1858.[7] The tables formed the
fundamental ephemeris of the Connaissance des Temps, the astronomical almanac of the Bureau
des Longitudes, until about 1912.[8] About that time, Le Verrier's work on the outer planets was
revised and expanded by Gaillot.[9]
Precession of Mercury
Le Verrier began studying the motion of Mercury as early as 1843, with a report entitled
Détermination nouvelle de l ’orbite de Mercure et de ses perturbations (A New Determination of
the Orbit of Mercury and its Perturbations).[3] In 1859, Le Verrier was the first to report that the
slow precession of Mercury’s orbit around the Sun could not be completely explained by
Newtonian mechanics and perturbations by the known planets. He suggested, among possible
explanations, that another planet (or perhaps, instead, a series of smaller 'corpuscules') might
exist in an orbit even closer to the Sun than that of Mercury, to account for this perturbation.[10]
(Other explanations considered included a slight oblateness of the Sun.) The success of the
search for Neptune based on its perturbations of the orbit of Uranus led astronomers to place
some faith in this possible explanation, and the hypothetical planet was even named Vulcan.
However, no such planet was ever found,[11] and the anomalous precession was eventually
explained by general relativity theory.
Later life
Le Verrier's methods of management were disliked by the staff of the Observatoire, and the
disputes became so great that he was driven out in 1870. He was succeeded by Delaunay, but
was reinstated in 1873 after Delaunay accidentally drowned. Le Verrier held the position until
his death in 1877.[1]
Le Verrier had a wife and children.[12] He died in Paris, France and was buried in the
Montparnasse Cemetery. A large stone celestial globe sits over his grave. He will be remembered
by the phrase attributed to Arago: "the man who discovered a planet with the point of his pen."
Honours
Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society – 1868 and 1876
Namesake of craters on the Moon and Mars, a ring of Neptune, and the asteroid 1997 Leverrier
One of the 72 names engraved on the Eiffel Tower
Zeus God
Zeus (/zjuːs/[3] or /zuːs/;Greek: Ζεύς, Zeús [zdeǔ̯s])[4] is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, who rules
as king of the gods of Mount Olympus. His name is cognate with the first element of his Roman equivalent Jupiter.
His mythologies and powers are similar, though not identical, to those of Indo-European deities such
as Indra, Jupiter, Perkūnas, Perun, and Thor.[5][6][7]
Zeus is the child of Cronus and Rhea, the youngest of his siblings to be born, though sometimes reckoned the eldest
as the others required disgorging from Cronus's stomach. In most traditions, he is married to Hera, by whom he is
usually said to have fathered Ares, Hebe, and Hephaestus.[8] At the oracle of Dodona, his consort was said to
be Dione, by whom the Iliad states that he fathered Aphrodite.[11] Zeus was also infamous for his erotic escapades.
These resulted in many divine and heroic offspring,
including Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus, Perseus, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Minos, and
the Muses.
[8]
Zeus
He was respected as an allfather who was chief of the gods[12] and assigned the others to their roles:[13] "Even the gods
who are not his natural children address him as Father, and all the gods rise in his presence."[14][15] He
was equated with many foreign weather gods, permitting Pausanias to observe "That Zeus is king in heaven is a
saying common to all men".[16] Zeus' symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and oak. In addition to his Indo-
European inheritance, the classical "cloud-gatherer" (Greek: Νεφεληγερέτα, Nephelēgereta)[17] also derives certain
iconographic traits from the cultures of the ancient Near East, such as the scepter. Zeus is frequently depicted by
Greek artists in one of two poses: standing, striding forward with a thunderbolt leveled in his raised right hand, or
seated in majesty.
Name
The god's name in the nominative is Ζεύς (Zeús). It is inflected as
follows: vocative: Ζεῦ (Zeû); accusative: Δία (Día); genitive: Διός (Diós); dative: Διί (Dií). Diogenes
Laërtius quotes Pherecydes of Syros as spelling the name, Ζάς.[18]
Zeus is the Greek continuation of *Di̯ ēus, the name of the Proto-Indo-European god of the daytime sky, also called
*Dyeus ph2tēr ("Sky Father").[19][20] The god is known under this name in the Rigveda (Vedic Sanskrit Dyaus/Dyaus
Pita), Latin (compare Jupiter, from Iuppiter, deriving from the Proto-Indo-European vocative *dyeu-ph2tēr),[21] deriving
from the root *dyeu- ("to shine", and in its many derivatives, "sky, heaven, god").[19] Zeus is the only deity in the
Olympic pantheon whose name has such a transparent Indo-European etymology.[22]
The earliest attested forms of the name are the Mycenaean Greek 𐀇𐀸, di-we and 𐀇𐀺, di-wo, written in the Linear
B syllabic script.[23]
Plato, in his Cratylus, gives a folk etymology of Zeus meaning "cause of life always to all things," because of puns
between alternate titles of Zeus (Zen and Dia) with the Greek words for life and "because of."[24] This etymology, along
with Plato's entire method of deriving etymologies, is not supported by modern scholarship.[25][26]
Mythology
Birth
Infancy
Varying versions of the story exist:
1. According to Hyginus (Fabulae, 139)) Zeus was raised by a nymph named Amalthea. Since Saturn (Cronus)
ruled over the Earth, the heavens and the sea, she hid him by dangling him on a rope from a tree so he was
suspended between earth, sea and sky and thus, invisible to his father.
2. According to Pseudo-Apollodorus (Bibliotheca, 1.1.5-7)) Zeus was raised by a goat named Amalthea in a
cave called Dictaeon Antron (Psychro Cave). A a company of soldiers called Kouretes danced, shouted and
clashed their spears against their shields so that Cronus would not hear the baby's cry.
After the battle with the Titans, Zeus shared the world with his elder brothers, Poseidon and Hades, by drawing lots:
Zeus got the sky and air, Poseidon the waters, and Hades the world of the dead (the underworld). The ancient
Earth, Gaia, could not be claimed; she was left to all three, each according to their capabilities, which explains why
Poseidon was the "earth-shaker" (the god of earthquakes) and Hades claimed the humans who died (see
also Penthus).
Gaia resented the way Zeus had treated the Titans, because they were her children. Soon after taking the throne as
king of the gods, Zeus had to fight some of Gaia's other children, the monsters Typhon and Echidna. He vanquished
Typhon and trapped him under Mount Etna, but left Echidna and her children alive.
The Chariot of Zeus, from an 1879 Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Alfred Church.
Throughout history Zeus has been depicted as using violence to get his way and terrorize humans. As god of the sky
he has the power to hurl lightning bolts as a weapon. Since lightning is quite powerful and sometimes deadly, it is a
bold sign when lightning strikes because it is known that Zeus most likely threw the bolt.[30]
In the Iliad
Jupiter and Juno on Mount Ida by James Barry, 1773 (City Art Galleries, Sheffield.)
The Iliad is a poem by Homer about the Trojan war and the battle over the City of Troy. As God of the sky, lightning,
thunder, law, order, justice, Zeus controlled ancient Greece and all of the mortals and immortals living there.[31] The
Iliad covers the Trojan War, in which Zeus plays a major part.
Notable Scenes that include Zeus[32][33]
Book 2: Zeus sends Agamemnon a dream and is able to partially control his decisions because of the
effects of the dream
Book 4: Zeus promises Hera to ultimately destroy the City of Troy at the end of the war
Book 7: Zeus and Poseidon ruin the Achaeans fortress
Book 8: Zeus prohibits the other Gods from fighting each other and has to return to Mount Ida where he can
think over his decision that the Greeks will lose the war
Book 14: Zeus is seduced by Hera and becomes distracted while she helps out the Greeks
Book 15: Zeus wakes up and realizes that Poseidon his own brother has been helping out the Greeks, while
also sending Hector and Apollo to help fight the Trojans ensuring that the City of Troy will fall
Book 16: Zeus is upset that he couldn't help save Sarpedon's life because it would then contradict his
previous decisions
Book 17: Zeus is emotionally hurt by the fate of Hector
Book 20: Zeus lets the other Gods help out their respective sides in the war
Book 24: Zeus demands that Achilles release the corpse of Hector to be buried honourably
Family
Zeus and Hera
Hera
Zeus was brother and consort of Hera. By Hera, Zeus sired Ares, Hebe and Hephaestus, though some accounts say
that Hera produced these offspring alone. Some also include Eileithyia, Eris, Enyo and Angelos as their daughters. In
the section of the Iliad known to scholars as the Deception of Zeus, the two of them are described as having begun
their sexual relationship without their parents knowing about it.[34] The conquests of Zeus among nymphs and the
mythic mortal progenitors of Hellenic dynasties are famous. Olympian mythography even credits him with unions
with Leto, Demeter, Metis, Themis, Eurynome and Mnemosyne.[35][36] Other relationships with immortals
included Dione and Maia. Among mortals were Semele, Io, Europa and Leda (for more details, see below) and with
the young Ganymede(although he was mortal Zeus granted him eternal youth and immortality).
Many myths render Hera as jealous of his amorous conquests and a consistent enemy of Zeus's mistresses and their
children by him. For a time, a nymph named Echo had the job of distracting Hera from his affairs by talking
incessantly, and when Hera discovered the deception, she cursed Echo to repeat the words of others.
Transformation of Zeus
Love
Disguises
interest
Alcmene Amphitryon
Antiope a satyr
Callisto Artemis
Cassiopeia Phoenix
Europa a bull
Eurymedusa ant
Ganymede an eagle
Imandra a shower
Lamia a lapwing
Mnemosyne a shepherd
Nemesis a goose
Persephone a serpent
Semele a fire
Thalia a vulture
Divine Mortal
Offspring Divine Lovers Offspring Offspring
Lovers Consort
• Nymphs
Boetis • Aethlius or
of Eridanos
Calyce
Cassiopeia
Asteria
Second
Coryphe • Coria (Athene)[45] Dia • Pirithous
Generation:
Demeter • Tityos
2. Eirene Larissa
• Dionysus[46]
3. Eunomia • Minos
Dione
Unknown
Eurydome or 1. Aglaea • Eubuleus[49] Euryodeia • Arcesius
mother
Eurymedusa Unknown
2. Euphrosyne • Litae Helen • Musaeus[41]
or mother
Unknown
3. Thalia • Nymphs Hermippe • Orchomenus[50]
mother
Eurynome
Unknown
• Asopus • Phasis[51] Hippodamia • Olenus[41]
mother
Semi-divine
• Agdistis Offspring Imandra[53] no known offspring
Lovers
Gaia
• Manes • Aeacus • Thebe[54]
Aegina Iodame
Antiope
• Achilleus
• Ares3 • Zethus Lamia
(Acheilus)[57][58]
• Libyan
• Arge[56] Borysthenis • Targitaus Lamia
Sibyl (Herophile)
• Sarpedon
no known
• Eleutheria[59] Callirrhoe Hippodamia[41]
offspring
Leda
Leto Electra
• Locrus
Megaclite
Mnemosyne • Muses (Original
Eurynome • Ogygias[41] • Thebe
three)
Niobe
Pandora
Idaea
Io
Pyrrha
Podarge
Persephone
Thebe
Thyia
Nymph Unknown
• Pandia • Saon (possibly) • Geraestus
Samothracian mother
Unknown
Thalassa • Aphrodite • Corinthus
mother
Unknown
Thalia • Palici • Crinacus
mother
Unknown
• Aletheia No mother • Orion
mother
Unknown
• Ate
mother
Unknown
• Caerus
mother
The Greeks variously claimed that the Moires/Fates were the daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Themis or of
1
Zeus played a dominant role, presiding over the Greek Olympian pantheon. He fathered many of the heroes and was
featured in many of their local cults. Though the Homeric "cloud collector" was the god of the sky and thunder like his
Near-Eastern counterparts, he was also the supreme cultural artifact; in some senses, he was the embodiment of
Greek religious beliefs and the archetypal Greek deity.
Aside from local epithets that simply designated the deity as doing something random at some particular place,
the epithets or titles applied to Zeus emphasized different aspects of his wide-ranging authority:
Zeus Aegiduchos or Aegiochos: Usually taken as Zeus as the bearer of the Aegis, the divine shield with
the head of Medusa across it,[72][73][74] although others derive it from "goat" (αἴξ) and okhē (οχή) in reference to
Zeus's nurse, the divine goat Amalthea.[75][76]
Zeus Agoraeus: Zeus as patron of the marketplace (agora) and punisher of dishonest traders.
Zeus Areius: either "warlike" or "the atoning one".
Zeus Horkios: Zeus as keeper of oaths. Exposed liars were made to dedicate a votive statue to Zeus, often
at the sanctuary at Olympia
Zeus Olympios: Zeus as king of the gods and patron of the Panhellenic Games at Olympia
Zeus Panhellenios ("Zeus of All the Greeks"): worshipped at Aeacus's temple on Aegina
Zeus Xenios, Philoxenon, or Hospites: Zeus as the patron of hospitality (xenia) and guests, avenger of
wrongs done to strangers
A bust of Zeus.
Cults of Zeus
Marble eagle from the sanctuary of Zeus Hypsistos, Archaeological Museum of Dion.
Panhellenic cults
Colossal seated Marnasfrom Gaza portrayed in the style of Zeus. Roman period Marnas [81] was the chief divinity of Gaza (Istanbul
Archaeology Museum).
The major center where all Greeks converged to pay honor to their chief god was Olympia. Their
quadrennial festival featured the famous Games. There was also an altar to Zeus made not of stone, but of ash, from
the accumulated remains of many centuries' worth of animals sacrificed there.
Outside of the major inter-polis sanctuaries, there were no modes of worshipping Zeus precisely shared across the
Greek world. Most of the titles listed below, for instance, could be found at any number of Greek temples from Asia
Minor to Sicily. Certain modes of ritual were held in common as well: sacrificing a white animal over a raised altar, for
instance.
Zeus Velchanos
With one exception, Greeks were unanimous in recognizing the birthplace of Zeus as Crete. Minoan culture
contributed many essentials of ancient Greek religion: "by a hundred channels the old civilization emptied itself into
the new", Will Durant observed,[82]and Cretan Zeus retained his youthful Minoan features. The local child of the Great
Mother, "a small and inferior deity who took the roles of son and consort",[83] whose Minoan name the Greeks
Hellenized as Velchanos, was in time assumed as an epithet by Zeus, as transpired at many other sites, and he
came to be venerated in Crete as Zeus Velchanos ("boy-Zeus"), often simply the Kouros.
In Crete, Zeus was worshipped at a number of caves at Knossos, Ida and Palaikastro. In the Hellenistic period a
small sanctuary dedicated to Zeus Velchanos was founded at the Hagia Triada site of a long-ruined Minoan palace.
Broadly contemporary coins from Phaistos show the form under which he was worshiped: a youth sits among the
branches of a tree, with a cockerel on his knees.[84] On other Cretan coins Velchanos is represented as an eagle and
in association with a goddess celebrating a mystic marriage.[85]Inscriptions at Gortyn and Lyttos record
a Velchania festival, showing that Velchanios was still widely venerated in Hellenistic Crete.[86]
The stories of Minos and Epimenides suggest that these caves were once used for incubatory divination by kings and
priests. The dramatic setting of Plato's Laws is along the pilgrimage-route to one such site, emphasizing archaic
Cretan knowledge. On Crete, Zeus was represented in art as a long-haired youth rather than a mature adult and
hymned as ho megas kouros, "the great youth". Ivory statuettes of the "Divine Boy" were unearthed near
the Labyrinth at Knossos by Sir Arthur Evans.[87] With the Kouretes, a band of ecstatic armed dancers, he presided
over the rigorous military-athletic training and secret rites of the Cretan paideia.
The myth of the death of Cretan Zeus, localised in numerous mountain sites though only mentioned in a
comparatively late source, Callimachus,[88] together with the assertion of Antoninus Liberalis that a fire shone forth
annually from the birth-cave the infant shared with a mythic swarm of bees, suggests that Velchanos had been an
annual vegetative spirit.[89] The Hellenistic writer Euhemerusapparently proposed a theory that Zeus had actually been
a great king of Crete and that posthumously, his glory had slowly turned him into a deity. The works of Euhemerus
himself have not survived, but Christian patristic writers took up the suggestion.
Zeus Lykaios
Further information: Lykaia
The epithet Zeus Lykaios ("wolf-Zeus") is assumed by Zeus only in connection with the archaic festival of
the Lykaia on the slopes of Mount Lykaion ("Wolf Mountain"), the tallest peak in rustic Arcadia; Zeus had only a
formal connection[90] with the rituals and myths of this primitive rite of passage with an ancient threat
of cannibalism and the possibility of a werewolftransformation for the ephebes who were the participants.[91] Near the
ancient ash-heap where the sacrifices took place[92] was a forbidden precinct in which, allegedly, no shadows were
ever cast.[93]
According to Plato,[94] a particular clan would gather on the mountain to make a sacrifice every nine years to Zeus
Lykaios, and a single morsel of human entrails would be intermingled with the animal's. Whoever ate the human flesh
was said to turn into a wolf, and could only regain human form if he did not eat again of human flesh until the next
nine-year cycle had ended. There were games associated with the Lykaia, removed in the fourth century to the first
urbanization of Arcadia, Megalopolis; there the major temple was dedicated to Zeus Lykaios.
There is, however, the crucial detail that Lykaios or Lykeios (epithets of Zeus and Apollo) may derive from Proto-
Greek *λύκη, "light", a noun still attested in compounds such as ἀμφιλύκη, "twilight", λυκάβας, "year" (lit. "light's
course") etc. This, Cook argues, brings indeed much new 'light' to the matter as Achaeus, the contemporary
tragedian of Sophocles, spoke of Zeus Lykaios as "starry-eyed", and this Zeus Lykaios may just be the Arcadian
Zeus, son of Aether, described by Cicero. Again under this new signification may be seen Pausanias' descriptions of
Lykosoura being 'the first city that ever the sun beheld', and of the altar of Zeus, at the summit of Mount Lykaion,
before which stood two columns bearing gilded eagles and 'facing the sun-rise'. Further Cook sees only the tale of
Zeus' sacred precinct at Mount Lykaion allowing no shadows referring to Zeus as 'god of light' (Lykaios).[95]
A statue of Zeus in a drawing.
Non-panhellenic cults
In addition to the Panhellenic titles and conceptions listed above, local cults maintained their own idiosyncratic ideas
about the king of gods and men. With the epithet Zeus Aetnaeus he was worshiped on Mount Aetna, where there
was a statue of him, and a local festival called the Aetnaea in his honor.[97] Other examples are listed below. As Zeus
Aeneius or Zeus Aenesius, he was worshiped in the island of Cephalonia, where he had a temple on Mount Aenos.
[98]
Oracles of Zeus
Although most oracle sites were usually dedicated to Apollo, the heroes, or various goddesses like Themis, a few
oracular sites were dedicated to Zeus. In addition, some foreign oracles, such as Baʿal's at Heliopolis,
were associated with Zeus in Greek or Jupiter in Latin.
The Oracle at Dodona
The cult of Zeus at Dodona in Epirus, where there is evidence of religious activity from the second millennium BC
onward, centered on a sacred oak. When the Odyssey was composed (circa 750 BC), divination was done there by
barefoot priests called Selloi, who lay on the ground and observed the rustling of the leaves and branches.[99] By the
time Herodotus wrote about Dodona, female priestesses called peleiades ("doves") had replaced the male priests.
Zeus's consort at Dodona was not Hera, but the goddess Dione — whose name is a feminine form of "Zeus". Her
status as a titaness suggests to some that she may have been a more powerful pre-Hellenic deity, and perhaps the
original occupant of the oracle.
The Oracle at Siwa
The oracle of Ammon at the Siwa Oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt did not lie within the bounds of the Greek
world before Alexander's day, but it already loomed large in the Greek mind during the archaic
era: Herodotus mentions consultations with Zeus Ammon in his account of the Persian War. Zeus Ammon was
especially favored at Sparta, where a temple to him existed by the time of the Peloponnesian War.[100]
After Alexander made a trek into the desert to consult the oracle at Siwa, the figure arose in the Hellenistic
imagination of a Libyan Sibyl.
Evolution of Zeus Nikephoros ("Zeus holding Nike") on Indo-Greekcoinage: from the Classical motif of Nike handing the wreath of victory to
Zeus himself (left, coin of Heliocles I 145-130 BC), then to a baby elephant (middle, coin of Antialcidas 115-95 BC), and then to the Wheel of
Zeus in philosophy
In Neoplatonism, Zeus's relation to the gods familiar from mythology is taught as the Demiurge or Divine Mind.
Specifically within Plotinus's work the Enneads[108] and the Platonic Theology of Proclus.
In modern culture
Depictions of Zeus as a bull, the form he took when abducting Europa, are found on the Greek 2-euro coin and on
the United Kingdom identity card for visa holders. Mary Beard, professor of Classics at Cambridge University, has
criticised this for its apparent celebration of rape.[112]
Zeus has been portrayed by Axel Ringvall in Jupiter på jorden, the first known film adaption to feature Zeus; Niall
MacGinnis in Jason and the Argonauts[113][114] and Angus MacFadyen in the 2000 remake;[115] Laurence Olivier in the
original Clash of the Titans,[116] and Liam Neeson in the 2010 remake,[117] along with the 2012 sequel Wrath of the
Titans;[118][119] Anthony Quinn in the 1990s TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys;[120] Rip Torn in the Disney
animated feature Hercules;[121] Corey Burton in Hercules, God of War II, God of War III, God of War:
Ascension, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, and Kingdom Hearts 3;[122][123] and Sean Bean in Percy Jackson and the
Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010).[124]
a[126]
b[127]
Ares Hephaestus
Metis
Athena[128]
Leto
Apollo
Artemis
Maia
Hermes
Semele
Dionysus
Dione
a[129] b[130]
Aphrodite
Argive genealogy
Argive genealogy in Greek mythology
v
t
e
Inachus
Melia
Phorone
Zeus Io
us
Epaphus Memphis
Libya Poseidon
Telephas
Belus Achiroë Agenor
sa
Aegyptu Phoenix
Danaus Pieria Cadmus Cilix Europa
s
Zeu
Mantineu Hypermne Harmoni s
Lynceus
s stra a
Polydorus
Rhadama
Spar Lacedaem nthus
Ocalea Abas Agave Sarpedon
ta on
Autonoë
Perseus Dionysus
Colour key:
Male
Female
Deity
Franz Xaver Kugler
Franz Xaver Kugler (27 November 1862 – 25 January 1929) was
a German chemist, mathematician, Assyriologist, and Jesuitpriest.[1]
Kugler was born in Königsbach, Palatinate, then part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. He earned
a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1885, and the following year he entered the Jesuits. By 1893 he had
been ordained as a priest. Four years later at the age of 35, he became a professor of
Mathematics at Ignatius-College in Valkenburg in the Netherlands.[1]
He is most noted for his studies of cuneiform tablets and Babylonian astronomy.[2] He worked out the
Babylonian theories on the Moon and planets, which were published in 1907. However his full work
on Babylonian astronomy was never completed, with only three volumes out of a planned five
published
F. X. Kugler
Society of Jesus
Christogram of the Jesuits
History
Regimini militantis
Suppression
Hierarchy
Superior General
Arturo Sosa
Spirituality
Spiritual Exercises
Ad majorem Dei gloriam
Magis
Works
Notable Jesuits
Ignatius of Loyola
Francis Xavier
Peter Faber
Aloysius Gonzaga
John Berchmans
Robert Bellarmine
Peter Canisius
Edmund Campion
Pope Francis
Jesuit saints
Jesuit theologians
Jesuit philosophers
Catholicism portal
v
t
e
For other people named Franz Kugler, see Franz Kugler.
.
He died in Lucerne, Switzerland.[1]
Bibliography
Die Babylonische Mondrechnung, Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, (1900).
Die Sternenfahrt des Gilgamesch: Kosmologische würdigung des babylonischen
Nationalepos. (1904).
Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel. Münster in Westfalien: Aschendorffsche
Verlagsbuchandlung, (1907). 2 Vols.
Volume 1
Volume 2 part 1
Volume 2, part 2.1
Volume 2, part 2.2
Supplement 1
Supplement 2 pt. 1-8
Supplement 2 pt. 9-14
Darlegungen und Thesen über altbabylonische Chronologie, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und
verwandte Gebiete, 22 (1909), pp. 63–78 (*).
GUR, masihu sa sattuk, KA, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete, 23 (1909),
pp. 267–273
Im Bannkreis Babels : panbabylonistische Konstruktionen und religionsgeschichtliche
Tatsachen. Münster: Aschendorff (1910).
Zwei Kassitenkönige der Liste A, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete, 24
(1910), 173-178.
Chronologisches und Soziales aus der Zeit Lugalanda’s und Urukagina’s, Zeitschrift für
Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete, 25 (1911), 275-280.
Contribution à la météorologie babylonienne, Revue d’assyriologie et d’archéologie orientale,
8 (1911), 107-130.
Bemerkungen zur neuesten Königsliste, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete,
27 (1912), 242-245.
Von Moses bis Paulus: Forschungen zur Geschichte Israels. Münster: Aschendorff, (1922).
Sibyllinischer Sternkampf und Phaëthon in naturgeschichtlicher Beleuchtung Münster in
Westfalen : Aschendorff (1927).
Honors
The crater Kugler on the Moon is named after him.[3]
Max Planck
Planck in 1933
The Munich physics professor Philipp von Jolly advised Planck against going into physics, saying, "in this field,
almost everything is already discovered, and all that remains is to fill a few holes."[11] Planck replied that he did not
wish to discover new things, but only to understand the known fundamentals of the field, and so began his studies in
1874 at the University of Munich. Under Jolly's supervision, Planck performed the only experiments of his scientific
career, studying the diffusion of hydrogen through heated platinum, but transferred to theoretical physics.
In 1877 he went to the Friedrich Wilhelms University in Berlin for a year of study with physicists Hermann von
Helmholtz and Gustav Kirchhoff and mathematician Karl Weierstrass. He wrote that Helmholtz was never quite
prepared, spoke slowly, miscalculated endlessly, and bored his listeners, while Kirchhoff spoke in carefully prepared
lectures which were dry and monotonous. He soon became close friends with Helmholtz. While there he undertook a
program of mostly self-study of Clausius's writings, which led him to choose thermodynamics as his field.
In October 1878 Planck passed his qualifying exams and in February 1879 defended his dissertation, Über den
zweiten Hauptsatz der mechanischen Wärmetheorie (On the second law of thermodynamics). He briefly taught
mathematics and physics at his former school in Munich.
By the year 1880, Planck obtained two highest academic degrees offered in Europe. The first was a doctorate degree
after he completed his paper detailing his research and theory of thermodynamics.[7] He then presented his thesis
called Gleichgewichtszustände isotroper Körper in verschiedenen Temperaturen (Equilibrium states of isotropic
bodies at different temperatures), which earned him a habilitation.
Academic career
With the completion of his habilitation thesis, Planck became an unpaid Privatdozent (German academic rank
comparable to lecturer/assistant professor) in Munich, waiting until he was offered an academic position. Although he
was initially ignored by the academic community, he furthered his work on the field of heat theory and discovered one
after another the same thermodynamical formalism as Gibbs without realizing it. Clausius's ideas
on entropy occupied a central role in his work.
In April 1885 the University of Kiel appointed Planck as associate professor of theoretical physics. Further work on
entropy and its treatment, especially as applied in physical chemistry, followed. He published his Treatise on
Thermodynamics in 1897.[12] He proposed a thermodynamic basis for Svante Arrhenius's theory
of electrolytic dissociation.
In 1889 he was named the successor to Kirchhoff's position at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Berlin[13] –
presumably thanks to Helmholtz's intercession – and by 1892 became a full professor. In 1907 Planck was
offered Boltzmann's position in Vienna, but turned it down to stay in Berlin. During 1909, as a University of Berlin
professor, he was invited to become the Ernest Kempton Adams Lecturer in Theoretical Physics at Columbia
University in New York City. A series of his lectures were translated and co-published by Columbia University
professor A. P. Wills.[14] He retired from Berlin on 10 January 1926,[15] and was succeeded by Erwin Schrödinger.[16]
Family
In March 1887 Planck married Marie Merck (1861–1909), sister of a school fellow, and moved with her into a sublet
apartment in Kiel. They had four children: Karl (1888–1916), the twins Emma (1889–1919) and Grete (1889–1917),
and Erwin (1893–1945).
After the apartment in Berlin, the Planck family lived in a villa in Berlin-Grunewald, Wangenheimstrasse 21. Several
other professors from University of Berlin lived nearby, among them theologian Adolf von Harnack, who became a
close friend of Planck. Soon the Planck home became a social and cultural center. Numerous well-known scientists,
such as Albert Einstein, Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner were frequent visitors. The tradition of jointly performing music
had already been established in the home of Helmholtz.
After several happy years, in July 1909 Marie Planck died, possibly from tuberculosis. In March 1911 Planck married
his second wife, Marga von Hoesslin (1882–1948); in December his fifth child Hermann was born.
During the First World War Planck's second son Erwin was taken prisoner by the French in 1914, while his oldest son
Karl was killed in action at Verdun. Grete died in 1917 while giving birth to her first child. Her sister died the same way
two years later, after having married Grete's widower. Both granddaughters survived and were named after their
mothers. Planck endured these losses stoically.
In January 1945, Erwin, to whom he had been particularly close, was sentenced to death by
the Nazi Volksgerichtshof because of his participation in the failed attempt to assassinate Hitler in July 1944. Erwin
was executed on 23 January 1945.[17]
to 1928."
Planck started a six-semester course of lectures on theoretical physics, "dry, somewhat impersonal" according to Lise
Meitner, "using no notes, never making mistakes, never faltering; the best lecturer I ever heard" according to an
English participant, James R. Partington, who continues: "There were always many standing around the room. As the
lecture-room was well heated and rather close, some of the listeners would from time to time drop to the floor, but this
did not disturb the lecture". Planck did not establish an actual "school"; the number of his graduate students was only
about 20, among them:
1897 Max Abraham (1875–1922)
1903 Max von Laue (1879–1960)
1904 Moritz Schlick (1882–1936)
1906 Walther Meissner (1882–1974)
1907 Fritz Reiche (1883–1960)
1912 Walter Schottky (1886–1976)
1914 Walther Bothe (1891–1957)[19]
Black-body radiation
In 1894 Planck turned his attention to the problem of black-body radiation. He had been commissioned by electric
companies to create maximum light from lightbulbs with minimum energy. The problem had been stated by Kirchhoff
in 1859: "how does the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a black body (a perfect absorber, also
known as a cavity radiator) depend on the frequency of the radiation (i.e., the color of the light) and the temperature
of the body?". The question had been explored experimentally, but no theoretical treatment agreed with experimental
values. Wilhelm Wien proposed Wien's law, which correctly predicted the behaviour at high frequencies, but failed at
low frequencies. The Rayleigh–Jeans law, another approach to the problem, created what was later known as the
"ultraviolet catastrophe", but contrary to many textbooks this was not a motivation for Planck.[20]
Planck's first proposed solution to the problem in 1899 followed from what Planck called the "principle of elementary
disorder", which allowed him to derive Wien's law from a number of assumptions about the entropy of an ideal
oscillator, creating what was referred-to as the Wien–Planck law. Soon it was found that experimental evidence did
not confirm the new law at all, to Planck's frustration. Planck revised his approach, deriving the first version of the
famous Planck black-body radiation law, which described the experimentally observed black-body spectrum well. It
was first proposed in a meeting of the DPG on 19 October 1900 and published in 1901. This first derivation did not
include energy quantisation, and did not use statistical mechanics, to which he held an aversion. In November 1900,
Planck revised this first approach, relying on Boltzmann's statistical interpretation of the second law of
thermodynamics as a way of gaining a more fundamental understanding of the principles behind his radiation law. As
Planck was deeply suspicious of the philosophical and physical implications of such an interpretation of Boltzmann's
approach, his recourse to them was, as he later put it, "an act of despair ... I was ready to sacrifice any of my
previous convictions about physics."[20]
The central assumption behind his new derivation, presented to the DPG on 14 December 1900, was the supposition,
now known as the Planck postulate, that electromagnetic energy could be emitted only in quantized form, in other
words, the energy could only be a multiple of an elementary unit:
where h is Planck's constant, also known as Planck's action quantum (introduced already in 1899), and ν is the
frequency of the radiation. Note that the elementary units of energy discussed here are represented by hν and not
simply by ν. Physicists now call these quanta photons, and a photon of frequency ν will have its own specific and
unique energy. The total energy at that frequency is then equal to hν multiplied by the number of photons at that
frequency.
Planck in 1918, the year he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on quantum theory
At first Planck considered that quantisation was only "a purely formalassumption ... actually I did not think much about
it..."; nowadays this assumption, incompatible with classical physics, is regarded as the birth of quantum physics and
the greatest intellectual accomplishment of Planck's career (Ludwig Boltzmann had been discussing in a theoretical
paper in 1877 the possibility that the energy states of a physical system could be discrete). The discovery of Planck's
constant enabled him to define a new universal set of physical units (such as the Planck length and the Planck
mass), all based on fundamental physical constants upon which much of quantum theory is based. In recognition of
Planck's fundamental contribution to a new branch of physics, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for 1918
(he actually received the award in 1919).[21][22]
Subsequently, Planck tried to grasp the meaning of energy quanta, but to no avail. "My unavailing attempts to
somehow reintegrate the action quantum into classical theory extended over several years and caused me much
trouble." Even several years later, other physicists like Rayleigh, Jeans, and Lorentz set Planck's constant to zero in
order to align with classical physics, but Planck knew well that this constant had a precise nonzero value. "I am
unable to understand Jeans' stubbornness – he is an example of a theoretician as should never be existing, the same
as Hegel was for philosophy. So much the worse for the facts if they don't fit."[23]
Max Born wrote about Planck: "He was, by nature, a conservative mind; he had nothing of the revolutionary and was
thoroughly skeptical about speculations. Yet his belief in the compelling force of logical reasoning from facts was so
strong that he did not flinch from announcing the most revolutionary idea which ever has shaken physics."[1]
Quantum mechanics
From left to right: W. Nernst, A. Einstein, M. Planck, R.A. Millikan and von Laue at a
In 1938, Planck celebrated his 80th birthday. The DPG held a celebration, during which the Max-Planck medal
(founded as the highest medal by the DPG in 1928) was awarded to French physicist Louis de Broglie. At the end of
1938, the Prussian Academy lost its remaining independence and was taken over by Nazis (Gleichschaltung). Planck
protested by resigning his presidency. He continued to travel frequently, giving numerous public talks, such as his talk
on Religion and Science, and five years later he was sufficiently fit to climb 3,000-metre peaks in the Alps.
During the Second World War the increasing number of Allied bombing missions against Berlin forced Planck and his
wife to temporarily leave the city and live in the countryside. In 1942 he wrote: "In me an ardent desire has grown to
persevere this crisis and live long enough to be able to witness the turning point, the beginning of a new rise." In
February 1944 his home in Berlin was completely destroyed by an air raid, annihilating all his scientific records and
correspondence. His rural retreat was threatened by the rapid advance of the Allied armies from both sides.
In 1944, Planck's son Erwin was arrested by the Gestapo following the attempted assassination of Hitler in the 20
July plot. He was tried and sentenced to death by the People’s Court in October 1944. Erwin was hanged at
Berlin’s Plötzensee Prison in January 1945. The death of his son destroyed much of Planck's will to live.[33] After the
end of the war Planck, his second wife, and his son by her were brought to a relative in Göttingen, where Planck died
on October 4th, 1947. His grave is situated in the old Stadtfriedhof (City Cemetery) in Göttingen.[34]
Religious views
Planck was a member of the Lutheran Church in Germany.[35] However, Planck was very tolerant towards alternative
views and religions.[36] In a lecture in 1937 entitled "Religion und Naturwissenschaft" (Religion and Natural Science)
he suggested the importance of these symbols and rituals related directly with a believer's ability to worship God, but
that one must be mindful that the symbols provide an imperfect illustration of divinity. He criticized atheism for being
focused on the derision of such symbols, while at the same time warned of the over-estimation of the importance of
such symbols by believers.[37]
He was favorable to all religions, but he himself chose Christianity. He did, however, regret the Church's demands for
unquestioning belief, which served to repel questioners. For example, he believed "the faith in miracles must yield,
step by step, before the steady and firm advance of the facts of science, and its total defeat is undoubtedly a matter
of time." [38]
In his 1937 lecture "Religion and Naturwissenschaft," Planck expressed the view that God is everywhere present, and
held that "the holiness of the unintelligible Godhead is conveyed by the holiness of symbols." Atheists, he thought,
attach too much importance to what are merely symbols. Planck was a churchwarden from 1920 until his death, and
believed in an almighty, all-knowing, beneficent God (though not necessarily a personal one). Both science and
religion wage a "tireless battle against skepticism and dogmatism, against unbelief and superstition" with the goal
"toward God!"[38]
Max Planck said in 1944, "As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of
matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter
originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most
minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and
intelligent spirit (orig. geist). This spirit is the matrix of all matter."[39]
Planck regarded the scientist as a man of imagination and Christian faith. He said: "Both religion and science require
a belief in God. For believers, God is in the beginning, and for physicists He is at the end of all considerations… To
the former He is the foundation, to the latter, the crown of the edifice of every generalized world view".[40]
On the other hand, Planck wrote, "...'to believe' means 'to recognize as a truth,' and the knowledge of nature,
continually advancing on incontestably safe tracks, has made it utterly impossible for a person possessing some
training in natural science to recognize as founded on truth the many reports of extraordinary occurrences
contradicting the laws of nature, of miracles which are still commonly regarded as essential supports and
confirmations of religious doctrines, and which formerly used to be accepted as facts pure and simple, without doubt
or criticism. The belief in miracles must retreat step by step before relentlessly and reliably progressing science and
we cannot doubt that sooner or later it must vanish completely."[41]
Later in life, Planck's views on God were that of a deist.[42] For example, six months before his death a rumour started
that Planck had converted to Catholicism, but when questioned what had brought him to make this step, he declared
that, although he had always been deeply religious, he did not believe "in a personal God, let alone a Christian
God."[43]
Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina in March 2017
Early life
Valentina Tereshkova was born in the village of Maslennikovo in Tutayevsky District, Yaroslavl
Oblast, in central Russia. Her parents had migrated from Belarus.[5] Tereshkova's father was a tractor
driver and her mother worked in a textile plant. Tereshkova went to school in 1945 at the age 8;
however, she left school in 1953 at 16 and continued her education by correspondence courses. [6]
She became interested in parachuting from a young age, and trained in skydiving at the local
Aeroclub, making her first jump at age 22 on 21 May 1959; at the time, she was employed as a
textile worker in a local factory. It was her expertise in skydiving that led to her selection as a
cosmonaut. In 1961, she became Secretary of the local Komsomol (Young Communist League) and
later joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. [7]
After the flight of Yuri Gagarin in 1961, Sergey Korolyov, the chief Soviet rocket engineer, came up
with the idea of putting a woman in space. On 16 February 1962, Valentina Tereshkova was
selected to join the female cosmonaut corps. Out of more than 400 applicants, five were
selected: Tatyana Kuznetsova, Irina Solovyova, Zhanna Yorkina, Valentina Ponomaryova, and
Tereshkova. Qualifications included that they be parachutists under 30 years of age, under 170 cm
(5 ft 7 in) tall, and under 70 kg (154 lb) in weight.[8]
Tereshkova was considered a particularly worthy candidate, partly due to her "proletarian"
background, and because her father, tank leader sergeant Vladimir Tereshkov, was a war hero. He
died in the Finnish Winter War during World War II in the Lemetti area in Finnish Karelia when
Tereshkova was two years old. After her mission, she was asked how the Soviet Union should thank
her for her service to the country. Tereshkova asked that the government search for, and publish,
the location where her father was killed in action. This was done, and a monument now stands at the
site in Lemetti—now on the Russian side of the border. Tereshkova has since visited Finland several
times.
Training included weightless flights, isolation tests, centrifuge tests, rocket theory, spacecraft
engineering, 120 parachute jumps and pilot training in MiG-15UTI jet fighters. The group spent
several months in intensive training, concluding with examinations in November 1962, after which
four remaining candidates were commissioned Junior Lieutenants in the Soviet Air Force.
Tereshkova, Solovyova and Ponomaryova were the leading candidates, and a joint mission profile
was developed that would see two women launched into space, on solo Vostok flights on
consecutive days in March or April 1963. [9]
Originally it was intended that Tereshkova would launch first in Vostok 5 while Ponomaryova would
follow her into orbit in Vostok 6. However, this flight plan was altered in March 1963. Vostok 5 would
now carry a male cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky flying the joint mission, with a solo woman aboard
Vostok 6 in June 1963. The State Space Commission nominated Tereshkova to pilot Vostok 6 at
their meeting on 21 May and this was confirmed by Nikita Khrushchev himself.[10] Tereshkova was
exactly ten years younger than the youngest Mercury Seven astronaut, Gordon Cooper.
After watching the successful launch of Vostok 5 on 14 June, Tereshkova began final preparations
for her own flight. She was 26 at the time. On the morning of 16 June 1963, Tereshkova and her
backup Solovyova were both dressed in spacesuits and taken to the launch pad by bus. Following
the tradition set by Gagarin, Tereshkova also urinated on the bus tire, becoming the first woman to
do so[11]. After completing her communication and life support checks, she was sealed inside the
Vostok. After a two-hour countdown, Vostok 6 launched faultlessly, and Tereshkova became the first
woman in space.[12] Her call sign in this flight was Chaika (English: Seagull; Russian: Ча́йка), later
commemorated as the name of an asteroid, 1671 Chaika.[13]
From left to right: Yuri Gagarin, Pavel Popovich, Valentina Tereshkova, and Nikita Khrushchev at the Lenin
Mausoleum, during a celebration honoring the Soviet cosmonauts, 1963
Education
After her flight, Tereshkova studied at the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy and graduated with
distinction as a cosmonaut engineer. In 1977 she earned a doctorate in engineering.
Due to her prominence, Tereshkova was chosen for several political positions: from 1966 to 1974
she was a member of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, from 1974 to 1989 a member of
the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, and from 1969 to 1991 she was in the Central Committee of
the Communist Party. In 1997, she was retired from the Russian Air Force and the cosmonaut corps
by presidential order.
Beyond her recognized political offices within the Soviet Union, Tereshkova also became a well-
known representative of the Soviet Union abroad. She was made a member of the World Peace
Council in 1966, a member of the Yaroslavl Soviet in 1967. She was also the Soviet representative
to the UN Conference for the International Women's Year in Mexico City in 1975. She also led the
Soviet delegation to the World Conference on Women in Copenhagen and played a critical role in
shaping the socialist women's global agenda for peace. [18] She attained the rank of deputy to the
Supreme Soviet, membership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Central Committee, Vice
President of the International Woman’s Democratic Federation and President of the Soviet-Algerian
Friendship Society.
She was decorated with the Hero of the Soviet Union medal, the USSR's highest award. She was
also awarded the Order of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, numerous other medals, and
foreign orders including the Karl Marx Order, United Nations Gold Medal of Peace and the Simba
International Women’s Movement Award. She was also bestowed a title of the Hero of Socialist
Labor of Czechoslovakia, Hero of Labor of Vietnam, and Hero of Mongolia. In 1990 she received an
honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. Tereshkova crater on the far side of the
Moon was named after her.
Personal life
Valentina Tereshkova and NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
in December 2010.
Tereshkova with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the Russian State Duma, 2018
Russian
Order of Merit for the Fatherland;
2nd class (6 March 2007) – for outstanding contribution to the development of
domestic space
3rd class (6 March 1997) – for services to the state and the great personal
contribution to the development of domestic space
Order of Alexander Nevsky (2013)[27]
Order of Honour (10 June 2003) – for outstanding contribution to the development and
strengthening of international scientific, cultural and social ties
Order of Friendship (12 April 2011) – for outstanding contribution to the development of
national manned space flight and long-term fruitful public activity
Russian Federation State Prize for outstanding achievements in the field of humanitarian
action in 2008 (4 June 2009)
Certificates of appreciation from the Government of the Russian Federation;
16 June 2008, – for long-term fruitful state and public activities, considerable
personal contribution to the development of manned space flight and in connection with the
45th anniversary of spaceflight
12 June 2003, – for large contribution to the development of manned space flight
3 March 1997, – for the contribution to the development of space, the strengthening
of international scientific and cultural ties and years of diligent work
Soviet
Honoured Master of Sport (19 June 1963)
Hero of the Soviet Union (22 June 1963)
Order of Lenin (22 June 1963; 6 May 1981) – for making progress on the development and
strengthening of ties with the progressive community and peace-loving forces of foreign
countries
Order of the October Revolution (1 December 1971)
Order of the Red Banner of Labour (5 March 1987) – for social activities
Order of the Friendship of Peoples
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Soviet Union
Other Warsaw Pact awards
"Gold Star" Hero of Socialist Labour (Czechoslovakia) (August 1963)
"Gold Star" Hero of Socialist Labour (Bulgaria) (Bulgaria, 9 September 1963)
Order of Georgi Dimitrov (Bulgaria, 9 September 1963)
Order of Karl Marx (October 1963, East Germany)
Medal of Becker (October 1963, East Germany)
Cross of Grunwald, 1st class (October 1963, Poland)
Order of the National Flag with diamonds (Hungary, April 1965)
Order "For Achievements in Science" (Romania, 17 November 1973)
Medal "For Strengthening Brotherhood in Arms" (Bulgaria, 1976)
Order of Klement Gottwald (Czechoslovakia)
Other international awards
Order of Tri Shakti Patta, 1st class (Nepal, November 1963)
Star of the Republic of Indonesia, 2nd class (November 1963)
Order of the Volta (Ghana, January 1964)
"Gold Soyombo" Hero of Labour (Mongolia)
Order of Sukhbaatar (Mongolia, May 1965)
Order of the Enlightenment (Afghanistan, August 1969)
Order of Planets (Jordan, December 1969)
Order of the Nile (Egypt, January 1971)
"Gold Star" Hero of Labour (Vietnam) (October 1971)
Order of Bernardo O'Higgins (Chile, March 1972)
Order of the Yugoslav Flag with sash (November 1972)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun (Peru, 1974)
Order of Playa Girón (Cuba, 1974)
Order of Ana Betancourt (Cuba, 1974)
Order of Duke Branimir, with sash (Croatia, 17 February 2003)
Scientific, social and religious organizations
Gold Medal, Tsiolkovsky Academy of Sciences of the USSR
Gold Medal of the British Society for interplanetary communications "For achievements in
space exploration" (February 1964)
Gold Medal of the "Cosmos" (FAI)
Award Galambera Astronautics
Gold Medal of Peace Joliot-Curie (France, 1964)
Order "Wind Rose" International Committee of the National Aeronautics and Space Missions
"Golden mimosa" of the Italian Union of Women (1963)
Sign of the Komsomol "For active in the League" (1963)
Gold Medal Exhibition of Economic Achievements (28 June 1963)
Honour of DOSAAF (1 July 1963)
Order of St. Euphrosyne, Grand Duchess of Moscow, 2nd class (2008)
Honorary citizenships
Kaluga, Yaroslavl (Russia), Karaganda, Baikonur (Leninsk, Kazakhstan, 1977), Gyumri (Leninakan,
Armenia, 1965), Vitebsk (Belarus,
1975), Montreux (Switzerland), Drancy (France), Montgomery (UK), Polizzi
Generosa (Italy), Darkhan (Mongolia, 1965), Sofia, Burgas, Petrich, Stara
Zagora, Pleven, Varna(Bulgaria, 1963), Bratislava (Slovakia, 1963)
Recognition
Various locations and monuments have been named after Valentina Tereshkova:
A lunar crater, Tereshkova
A minor planet 1671 Chaika
Yalta embankment
Many streets
in Vitebsk, Volokolamsk, Grodno, Irkutsk, Ishimbay, Kemerovo, Klin, Korolyov, Lipetsk, Mytishchi
, Ardatov, Novosibirsk (Akademgorodok), Novocheboksarsk, Odessa, Orenburg, Yaroslavl, Kras
noyarsk, Penza, Gudermes (Chechen Republic)
A square in Tver
School number 32 in Yaroslavl, where she studied
Museum of Tereshkova "Cosmos" near her native village
Monument in Bayevsky District of Altai Territory, Siberia, close to her landing place of 53°N,
80°E.[28]
"Greatest woman of 20th century"
Cosmonaut monument in Moscow
Monument planned at Tereshkova's birthplace in Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl Planetarium (7 April 2011)
In popular culture
In 1997, London-based electronic pop group Komputer released a song entitled "Valentina" which
gives a more-or-less direct account of her career as a cosmonaut. It was released as a single and
appears on their album The World of Tomorrow. The band Public Service Broadcasting has a song
entitled "Valentina" on their 2015 album The Race for Space in tribute to her. In the same
year, Findlay Napier's album VIP: Very Interesting Persons included a song "Valentina", written in
her honour by Napier and Boo Hewerdine.
Tereshkova was featured in the 2003 made-for-television adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. She was
portrayed by Apollonia Vanova
In season three of Orange is the New Black, Red describes Tereshkova as her hero, and notes her
focus in wanting to travel to Mars, despite being in her seventies.
In 2015, a short film entitled Valentina's Dream was released by Meat Bingo Productions. The film
stars Rebecca Front as Tereshkova and is based on an interview by the former cosmonaut where
she expressed a desire to journey to Mars.
The 2007 video game Mass Effect included a fictional star system named for Tereshkova. [29]
Streets in Ukraine that bore Tereshkova's name have been renamed due to the country's 2015
decommunization law.[30][31]
The 2015 space flight simulator Kerbal Space Program features a pilot Kerbal named Valentina in
her honor.[32]
The 2017 mobile RPG Alliance: Heroes of the Spire has a hero named "Valentina, the Star Pioneer"
in honor of Tereshkova.
In 2017, Uruguayan electronic duo Corvis released a full album inspired by Valentina's
courage, Krasnyy. They specially made her a tribute naming "Chaika" to the most climatic and
emotional track of the album.
The BBC drama Call the Midwife (Season 7, Episode 4; broadcast 11 February 2018) used the
space flight of Tereshkova as an example of heroism by a woman.
George W. Bush
The September 11 terrorist attacks occurred eight months into Bush's first term. Bush responded
with what became known as the Bush Doctrine: launching a "War on Terror", an international military
campaign that included the war in Afghanistan in 2001 and the Iraq War in 2003. He signed into
law broad tax cuts, the Patriot Act, the No Child Left Behind Act, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban
Act, Medicare prescription drug benefits for seniors, and funding for the AIDS relief program known
as PEPFAR. His tenure included national debates on immigration, Social Security, electronic
surveillance, and torture. In the 2004 presidential race, Bush defeated Democratic Senator John
Kerry in another relatively close election. After his re-election, Bush received increasingly
heated criticism from across the political spectrum[7][8][9] for his handling of the Iraq War, Hurricane
Katrina,[10][11][12] and other challenges. Amid this criticism, the Democratic Party regained control of
Congress in the 2006 elections. In December 2007, the United States entered its longest post-World
War II recession, often referred to as the "Great Recession", prompting the Bush administration to
obtain congressional passage of multiple economic programs intended to preserve the country's
financial system.
Nationally, Bush was both one of the most popular and unpopular U.S. presidents in history, having
received the highest recorded presidential approval ratings in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, as well
as one of the lowest approval ratings during the 2008 financial crisis.[13] Bush finished his term in
office in 2009 and returned to Texas, where he had purchased a home in Dallas. In 2010, he
published his memoir, Decision Points.[14] His presidential library was opened in 2013. His presidency
has been ranked among the worstin historians' polls that were published in the late 2000s and
2010s. However, his favorability ratings with the public have increased since leaving office. [15][16][17][18]
Education
Bush attended public schools in Midland, Texas, until the family moved to Houston after he had
completed seventh grade. He then spent two years at The Kinkaid School, a prep school in Piney
Point Village in the Houston area.[23]
Bush attended high school at Phillips Academy, a boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts,
where he played baseball and was the head cheerleader during his senior year. [24][25] He
attended Yale University from 1964 to 1968, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
[26]
During this time, he was a cheerleader and a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon, serving as the
president of the fraternity during his senior year. [27][28][29] Bush became a member of the Skull and
Bonessociety as a senior.[30] Bush was a rugby union player and was on Yale's 1st XV.[31] He
characterized himself as an average student.[32] His GPA during his first three years at Yale was 77,
and he had a similar average under a nonnumeric rating system in his final year. [33]
In the fall of 1973, Bush entered Harvard Business School. He graduated in 1975 with
an MBA degree. He is the only U.S. president to have earned an MBA. [34]
Bush was initially engaged to Cathryn Lee Wolfman in 1967, but the engagement eventually fizzled
out. Bush and Wolfman remained on good terms after the end of the relationship. [35] While Bush was
at a backyard barbecue in 1977, friends introduced him to Laura Welch, a schoolteacher and
librarian. After a three-month courtship, she accepted his marriage proposal and they wed on
November 5 of that year.[36] The couple settled in Midland, Texas. Bush left his family's Episcopal
Churchto join his wife's United Methodist Church.[37] On November 25, 1981, Laura Bush gave birth
to fraternal twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna.[36]
Alcohol abuse
Prior to getting married, Bush struggled with multiple episodes of alcohol abuse. [38]In one instance on
September 4, 1976, he was pulled over near his family's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine for
driving under the influence of alcohol. He was cited for DUI, fined $150 (equivalent to $660 in 2018),
and got his Maine driver's license briefly suspended. [39] Bush said his wife has had a stabilizing effect
on his life,[36] and he attributes her influence to his 1986 decision to give up alcohol. [40] While Governor
of Texas, Bush said of his wife, "I saw an elegant, beautiful woman who turned out not only to be
elegant and beautiful, but very smart and willing to put up with my rough edges, and I must confess
has smoothed them off over time."[36]
Hobbies
Bush has been an avid reader throughout his adult life, preferring biographies and histories. [41] During
his time as president, Bush read the Bible daily.[42] He also read 14 Lincoln biographies, and during
the last three years of his presidency, he reportedly read 186 books. Walt Harrington, a journalist,
recalled seeing "books by John Fowles, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, and Gore Vidal lying
about, as well as biographies of Willa Cather and Queen Victoria" in his home when Bush was a
Texas oilman. Other activities include cigar smoking and golf. [43] Since leaving the White House,
Bush has also taken up oil painting. [44]
Military career
George W. Bush military service controversy
Killian documents controversy and Killian documents authenticity issues
In May 1968, Bush was commissioned into the Texas Air National Guard.[45] After two years of
training in active-duty service,[46] he was assigned to Houston, flying Convair F-102s with the 147th
Reconnaissance Wing out of the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base.[45][47] Critics, including
former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, have alleged that Bush was
favorably treated due to his father's political standing as a member of the House of Representatives,
citing his selection as a pilot despite his low pilot aptitude test scores and his irregular attendance.
[45]
In June 2005, the United States Department of Defense released all the records of Bush's Texas
Air National Guard service, which remain in its official archives.[48]
In late 1972 and early 1973, he drilled with the 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama Air National
Guard. He had moved to Montgomery, Alabama, to work on the unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign
of Republican Winton M. Blount.[49][50] In 1972, Bush was suspended from flying for failure to take a
scheduled physical exam.[51] He was honorably discharged from the Air Force Reserve on November
21, 1974.[52]
Business career
Professional life of George W. Bush
In 1977, Bush established Arbusto Energy, a small oil exploration company, although it did not begin
operations until the following year.[53][54] He later changed the name to Bush Exploration. In 1984, his
company merged with the larger Spectrum 7, and Bush became chairman.[55] The company was hurt
by decreased oil prices, and it folded into HKN, Inc.,[55][56] with Bush becoming a member of HKN's
board of directors.[55] Questions of possible insider trading involving HKN arose, but a Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation concluded that the information Bush had at the time of
his stock sale was not sufficient to constitute insider trading. [55][57]
In April 1989, Bush arranged for a group of investors to purchase a controlling interest in the Texas
Rangers baseball franchise for $89 million and invested $500,000 himself to start. He then served as
managing general partner for five years.[58] He actively led the team's projects and regularly attended
its games, often choosing to sit in the open stands with fans.[59] Bush's sale of his shares in the
Rangers in 1998 brought him over $15 million from his initial $800,000 investment.[60]
In 1978, Bush ran for the House of Representatives from Texas's 19th congressional district. The
retiring member, George H. Mahon, had held the district for the Democratic Party since 1935. Bush's
opponent, Kent Hance, portrayed him as out of touch with rural Texans, and Bush lost the election
with 46.8 percent of the vote to Hance's 53.2 percent. [61]
Bush and his family moved to Washington, D.C., in 1988 to work on his father's campaign for the
U.S. presidency.[62][63] He served as a campaign advisor and liaison to the media, and assisted his
father by campaigning across the country.[55] In December 1991, Bush was one of seven people
named by his father to run his father's 1992 presidential re-election campaign, as a "campaign
advisor".[64] The previous month, his father had asked him to tell White House chief of staff John H.
Sununu that he should resign.[65]
After easily winning the Republican primary, Bush faced popular Democratic incumbent
Governor Ann Richards.[55][67] In the course of the campaign, Bush pledged to sign a bill allowing
Texans to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons. Richards had vetoed the bill, but Bush signed
it into law after he became governor.[68] According to The Atlantic Monthly, the race "featured a rumor
that she was a lesbian, along with a rare instance of such a tactic's making it into the public record –
when a regional chairman of the Bush campaign allowed himself, perhaps inadvertently, to be
quoted criticizing Richards for 'appointing avowed homosexual activists' to state jobs".[69] The Atlantic,
and others, connected the lesbian rumor to Karl Rove,[70] but Rove denied being involved. [71] Bush
won the general election with 53.5 percent against Richards' 45.9 percent.[72]
Bush used a budget surplus to push through Texas's largest tax-cut, $2 billion. [66] He extended
government funding for organizations providing education of the dangers of alcohol and drug use
and abuse, and helping to reduce domestic violence.[73] Critics contended that during his tenure,
Texas ranked near the bottom in environmental evaluations. Supporters pointed to his efforts to
raise the salaries of teachers and improve educational test scores. [55]
In 1999, Bush signed a law that required electric retailers to buy a certain amount of energy from
renewable sources(RPS),[74][75][76] which helped Texas eventually become the leading producer of wind
powered electricity in the U.S.[77][78][79]
In 1998, Bush won re-election with a record[55] 69 percent of the vote.[80] He became the first governor
in Texas history to be elected to two consecutive four-year terms. [55] For most of Texas history,
governors served two-year terms; a constitutional amendment extended those terms to four years
starting in 1975.[81] In his second term, Bush promoted faith-based organizations and enjoyed high
approval ratings.[55] He proclaimed June 10, 2000, to be Jesus Day in Texas, a day on which he
"urge[d] all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need". [82]
Throughout Bush's first term, he was the focus of national attention as a potential future presidential
candidate. Following his re-election, speculation soared, and within a year he decided to seek the
2000 Republican presidential nomination.[55]
Presidential campaigns
2000 presidential candidacy
2000 United States presidential election
George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign
Primary
George W. Bush in Concord, New Hampshire, signing to be a candidate for president
Incumbent Democratic president Bill Clinton was completing his second and final term, and the field
for nomination for President of both parties was wide open. Bush was the Governor of Texas in June
1999 when he announced his candidacy for President of the United States. He entered a large field
of hopefuls for the Republican Party presidential nomination that included John McCain, Alan
Keyes, Steve Forbes, Gary Bauer, Orrin Hatch, Elizabeth Dole, Dan Quayle, Pat Buchanan, Lamar
Alexander, John Kasich, and Bob Smith.
Bush portrayed himself as a compassionate conservative, implying he was more centrist than other
Republicans. He campaigned on a platform that included bringing integrity and honor back to the
White House, increasing the size of the United States Armed Forces, cutting taxes, improving
education, and aiding minorities. [55] By early 2000, the race had centered on Bush and McCain. [55]
Bush won the Iowa caucuses, and although he was heavily favored to win the New Hampshire
primary, he trailed McCain by 19 percent and lost that primary. Despite this, Bush regained
momentum, and according to political observers, he effectively became the front runner after
the South Carolina primary—which according to The Boston Globe—made history for his campaign's
negativity. The New York Times described it as a smear campaign.[83][84][85]
General election
On July 25, 2000, Bush surprised some observers when he selected Dick Cheney—a former White
House Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative, and Secretary of Defense—to be his running mate. At the
time, Cheney was serving as head of Bush's vice presidential search committee. Soon after at
the 2000 Republican National Convention, Bush and Cheney were officially nominated by the
Republican Party.
Bush continued to campaign across the country and touted his record as Governor of Texas.
[55]
During his campaign, Bush criticized his Democratic opponent, incumbent Vice President Al Gore,
over gun control and taxation.[86]
When the election returns were tallied on November 7, Bush had won 29 states, including Florida.
The closeness of the Florida outcome led to a recount.[55] The initial recount also went to Bush, but
the outcome was tied up in lower courts for a month until eventually reaching the U.S. Supreme
Court.[87] On December 9, in the controversial Bush v. Gore ruling,[88] the Court reversed a Florida
Supreme Court decision that had ordered a third count, and stopped an ordered statewide hand
recount based on the argument that the use of different standards among Florida's counties violated
the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.[55] The machine recount showed that
Bush had won the Florida vote by a margin of 537 votes out of six million cast. [89] Although he had
received 543,895 fewer individual nationwide votes than Gore, Bush won the election, receiving
271 electoral votes to Gore's 266 (Gore's statewide victories had electoral votes tallying 267;
however, one of Gore's pledged electors abstained, rendering the official tally at 266). Bush was the
first person to win an American presidential election with fewer popular votes than another candidate
since Benjamin Harrison in 1888.[89]
In his 2004 bid for re-election, Bush commanded broad support in the Republican Party and did not
encounter a primary challenge. He appointed Ken Mehlman as campaign manager, and Karl
Rove devised a political strategy.[90] Bush and the Republican platform emphasized a strong
commitment to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, [91] support for the USA PATRIOT Act,[92] a renewed
shift in policy for constitutional amendments banning abortion and same-sex marriage,[91]
[93]
reforming Social Security to create private investment accounts, [91]creation of an ownership
society,[91] and opposing mandatory carbon emissions controls.[94]Bush also called for the
implementation of a guest worker program for immigrants,[91] which was criticized by conservatives.[95]
The Bush campaign advertised across the U.S. against Democratic candidates, including Bush's
emerging opponent, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. Kerry and other Democrats attacked Bush
on the Iraq War, and accused him of failing to stimulate the economy and job growth. The Bush
campaign portrayed Kerry as a staunch liberal who would raise taxes and increase the size of
government. The Bush campaign continuously criticized Kerry's seemingly contradictory statements
on the war in Iraq,[55]and argued that Kerry lacked the decisiveness and vision necessary for success
in the War on Terror.
In the election, Bush carried 31 of 50 states, receiving a total of 286 electoral votes. He won an
absolute majority of the popular vote (50.7 percent to his opponent's 48.3 percent).[96] Bush's father
George H.W. Bush was the previous president who won an absolute majority of the popular vote; he
accomplished that feat in the 1988 election. Additionally, it was the first time since Herbert
Hoover's election in 1928 that a Republican president was elected alongside re-elected Republican
majorities in both Houses of Congress.
Presidency (2001–2009)
Presidency of George W. Bush
President Bush addressing the media at the Pentagon, September 17, 2001
Bush had originally outlined an ambitious domestic agenda, but his priorities were significantly
altered following the September 11 attacks.[97] Wars were waged in Afghanistan and Iraq, and there
were significant domestic debates regarding immigration, healthcare, Social Security, economic
policy, and treatment of terrorist detainees. Over an eight-year period, Bush's once-high approval
ratings[98] steadily declined, while his disapproval numbers increased significantly. [99] In 2007, the
United States entered the longest post-World War II recession. [100]
Domestic policy
Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration
Economic policy
Economic policy of the George W. Bush administration
Bush took office during a period of economic recession in the wake of the bursting of the dot-com
bubble.[101] The terrorist attacks also impacted the economy. His administration increased
federal government spending from $1.789 trillion to $2.983 trillion (60 percent) while revenues
increased from $2.025 trillion to $2.524 trillion (from 2000 to 2008). Individual income tax revenues
increased by 14 percent, corporate tax revenues by 50 percent, customs and duties by 40 percent.
Discretionary defense spending was increased by 107 percent, discretionary domestic spending by
62 percent, Medicare spending by 131 percent, social security by 51 percent, and income security
spending by 130 percent. Cyclically adjusted, revenues rose by 35 percent and spending by
65 percent.[102]
President Bush signing a $1.35 trillion tax cut into law, June 7, 2001
The increase in spending was more than under any predecessor since Lyndon B. Johnson.[103] The
number of economic regulation governmental workers increased by 91,196. [104]
The surplus in fiscal year 2000 was $237 billion—the third consecutive surplus and the largest
surplus ever.[105] In 2001, Bush's budget estimated that there would be a $5.6 trillion surplus over the
next ten years.[106] Facing congressional opposition, Bush held townhall style meetings across the
U.S. in order to increase public support for his plan for a $1.35 trillion tax cut program—one of the
largest tax cuts in U.S. history.[55] Bush argued that unspent government funds should be returned to
taxpayers, saying "the surplus is not the government's money. The surplus is the people's
money."[55] Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan warned of a recession and Bush stated that a
tax cut would stimulate the economy and create jobs. [107] Treasury Secretary Paul H. O'Neill, opposed
some of the tax cuts on the basis that they would contribute to budget deficits and undermine Social
Security.[108] O'Neill disputes the claim, made in Bush's book Decision Points, that he never openly
disagreed with him on planned tax cuts.[109] By 2003, the economy showed signs of improvement,
though job growth remained stagnant. [55] Another tax cut program was passed that year.
During the 2001 to 2008 years, GDP grew at an average annual rate of 2.125 percent,[110] less than
for past business cycles.[111]
Bush entered office with the Dow Jones Industrial Average at 10,587, and the average peaked in
October 2007 at over 14,000. When Bush left office, the average was at 7,949, one of the lowest
levels of his presidency.[112] Only four other US presidents have left office with the stock market lower
than when they began.[113]
Deficit and debt increases 2001–2009. Gross debt has increased over $500 billion each year since
FY2003.
Unemployment originally rose from 4.2 percent in January 2001 to 6.3 percent in June 2003, but
subsequently dropped to 4.5 percent as of July 2007.[114] Adjusted for inflation, median household
incomedropped by $1,175 between 2000 and 2007,[115] while Professor Ken Homa of Georgetown
University has noted that "Median real after-tax household income went up 2 percent". [116] The
poverty rate increased from 11.3 percent in 2000 to 12.3 percent in 2006 after peaking at
12.7 percent in 2004.[117] By October 2008, due to increases in spending, [118] the national debt had
risen to $11.3 trillion,[119] an increase of over 100 percent from 2000 when the debt was only
$5.6 trillion.[120][121] Most debt was accumulated as a result of what became known as the "Bush tax
cuts" and increased national security spending. [122] In March 2006, then-Senator Barack Obama said
when he voted against raising the debt ceiling: "The fact that we are here today to debate raising
America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure."[123] By the end of Bush's presidency,
unemployment climbed to 7.2 percent.[124]
In December 2007, the United States entered the longest post–World War II recession,[100] which
included a housing market correction, a subprime mortgage crisis, soaring oil prices, and a declining
dollar value.[125] In February, 63,000 jobs were lost, a five-year record. [126][127] To aid with the situation,
Bush signed a $170 billion economic stimulus package which was intended to improve the economic
situation by sending tax rebate checks to many Americans and providing tax breaks for struggling
businesses. The Bush administration pushed for significantly increased regulation of Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac in 2003,[128] and after two years, the regulations passed the House but died in
the Senate. Many Republican senators, as well as influential members of the Bush Administration,
feared that the agency created by these regulations would merely be mimicking the private sector's
risky practices.[129][130][131] In September 2008, the crisis became much more seriousbeginning with the
government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac followed by the collapse of Lehman
Brothers and a federal bailout of American International Group for $85 billion.[132]
Many economists and world governments determined that the situation had become the worst
financial crisis since the Great Depression.[133][134] Additional regulation over the housing market would
have been beneficial, according to former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.[135] Bush,
meanwhile, proposed a financial rescue plan to buy back a large portion of the U.S. mortgage
market.[136] Vince Reinhardt, a former Federal Reserve economist now at the American Enterprise
Institute, said "it would have helped for the Bush administration to empower the folks at Treasury
and the Federal Reserve and the comptroller of the currency and the FDIC to look at these issues
more closely", and additionally, that it would have helped "for Congress to have held hearings". [130]
In November 2008, over 500,000 jobs were lost, which marked the largest loss of jobs in the United
States in 34 years.[137]The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in the last four months of 2008,
1.9 million jobs were lost.[138] By the end of 2008, the U.S. had lost a total of 2.6 million jobs.[139]
Education and health
Bush undertook a number of educational agendas, such as increasing the funding for the National
Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health in his first years of office, and creating
education programs to strengthen the grounding in science and mathematics for American high
school students. Funding for the NIH was cut in 2006, the first such cut in 36 years, due to rising
inflation.[140]
President Bush signing the No Child Left Behind Act into law, January 8, 2002
One of the administration's early major initiatives was the No Child Left Behind Act, which aimed to
measure and close the gap between rich and poor student performance, provide options to parents
with students in low-performing schools, and target more federal funding to low-income schools. This
landmark education initiative passed with broad bipartisan support, including that of Senator Ted
Kennedy of Massachusetts.[141] It was signed into law by Bush in early 2002.[142]Many contend that the
initiative has been successful, as cited by the fact that students in the U.S. have performed
significantly better on state reading and math tests since Bush signed "No Child Left Behind" into
law.[143] Critics argue that it is underfunded [144] and that NCLBA's focus on "high-stakes testing" and
quantitative outcomes is counterproductive.[145]
After being re-elected, Bush signed into law a Medicare drug benefit program that, according to Jan
Crawford, resulted in "the greatest expansion in America's welfare state in forty years;" the bill's
costs approached $7 trillion.[146] In 2007, Bush opposed and vetoed State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) legislation, which was added by the Democrats onto a war funding bill and passed
by Congress. The SCHIP legislation would have significantly expanded federally funded health care
benefits and plans to children of some low-income families from about six million to ten million
children. It was to be funded by an increase in the cigarette tax. [147] Bush viewed the legislation as a
move toward socialized health care, and asserted that the program could benefit families making as
much as $83,000 per year who did not need the help. [148]
Social services and Social Security
Following Republican efforts to pass the Medicare Act of 2003, Bush signed the bill, which included
major changes to the Medicare program by providing beneficiaries with some assistance in paying
for prescription drugs, while relying on private insurance for the delivery of benefits. [149] The retired
persons lobby group AARP worked with the Bush Administration on the program and gave their
endorsement. Bush said the law, estimated to cost $400 billion over the first ten years, would give
the elderly "better choices and more control over their health care". [150]
President Bush discussing Social Security reform at the Lake Nona YMCA Family Center in Orlando,
Florida, March 18, 2005
Bush began his second term by outlining a major initiative to "reform" Social Security,[151] which was
facing record deficit projections beginning in 2005. Bush made it the centerpiece of his domestic
agenda despite opposition from some in the U.S. Congress. [151] In his 2005 State of the Union
Address, Bush discussed the potential impending bankruptcy of the program and outlined his new
program, which included partial privatization of the system, personal Social Security accounts, and
options to permit Americans to divert a portion of their Social Security tax (FICA) into secured
investments.[151] Democrats opposed the proposal to partially privatize the system. [151]
Bush embarked on a 60-day national tour, campaigning for his initiative in media events known as
"Conversations on Social Security", in an attempt to gain public support. [152] Nevertheless, public
support for the proposal declined[153] and the House Republican leadership decided not to put Social
Security reform on the priority list for the remainder of their 2005 legislative agenda. [154] The
proposal's legislative prospects were further diminished by the fall of 2005 political fallout
from Hurricane Katrina.[155] After the Democrats gained control of both houses of Congress as a result
of the 2006 midterm elections, there was no prospect of further congressional action on the Bush
proposal for the remainder of his term in office.
Environmental policies
Main article: Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration § Environment
Upon taking office in 2001, Bush stated his opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, an amendment to
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which seeks to impose mandatory
targets for reducing greenhouse gasemissions, citing that the treaty exempted 80 percent of the
world's population[156] and would have cost tens of billions of dollars per year. [157] He also cited that the
Senate had voted 95–0 in 1997 on a resolution expressing its disapproval of the protocol.
In May 2001, Bush signed an executive order to create an interagency task force to streamline
energy projects,[158] and later signed two other executive orders to tackle environmental issues. [159]
In 2002, Bush announced the Clear Skies Act of 2003,[160] which aimed at amending the Clean Air
Act to reduce air pollution through the use of emissions trading programs. Many experts argued that
this legislation would have weakened the original legislation by allowing higher emission rates of
pollutants than were previously legal. [161] The initiative was introduced to Congress, but failed to make
it out of committee.
Later in 2006, Bush declared the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a national monument, creating the
largest marine reserve to date. The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument comprises
84 million acres (340,000 km2) and is home to 7,000 species of fish, birds, and other marine animals,
many of which are specific to only those islands.[162] The move was hailed by conservationists for "its
foresight and leadership in protecting this incredible area". [163]
Bush has said that he believes that global warming is real[164] and has noted that it is a serious
problem, but he asserted there is a "debate over whether it's man-made or naturally caused". [165] The
Bush Administration's stance on global warming remained controversial in the scientific and
environmental communities. Critics have alleged that the administration [166]misinformed the public
and did not do enough to reduce carbon emissions and deter global warming.[167]
Energy policies
In his 2006 State of the Union Address, Bush declared, "America is addicted to oil" and announced
his Advanced Energy Initiative to increase energy development research.[168]
President Bush delivering a statement on energy, urging Congress to end offshore oil drill ban, June 18,
2008
In his 2007 State of the Union Address, Bush renewed his pledge to work toward diminished reliance
on foreign oil by reducing fossil fuel consumption and increasing alternative fuel production.[169] Amid
high gasoline prices in 2008, Bush lifted a ban on offshore drilling.[170] However, the move was largely
symbolic because there was still a federal law banning offshore drilling. Bush said, "This means that
the only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil reserves is action from the
U.S. Congress."[170] Bush had said in June 2008, "In the long run, the solution is to reduce demand for
oil by promoting alternative energy technologies. My administration has worked with Congress to
invest in gas-saving technologies like advanced batteries and hydrogen fuel cells... In the short run,
the American economy will continue to rely largely on oil. And that means we need to increase
supply, especially here at home. So my administration has repeatedly called on Congress to expand
domestic oil production."[171]
In his 2008 State of the Union Address, Bush announced that the U.S. would commit $2 billion over
the next three years to a new international fund to promote clean energy technologies and fight
climate change, saying, "Along with contributions from other countries, this fund will increase and
accelerate the deployment of all forms of cleaner, more efficient technologies in developing nations
like India and China, and help leverage substantial private-sector capital by making clean energy
projects more financially attractive." He also announced plans to reaffirm the United States'
commitment to work with major economies, and, through the UN, to complete an international
agreement that will slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases; he stated,
"This agreement will be effective only if it includes commitments by every major economy and gives
none a free ride."[172]
Stem cell research and first veto
Federal funding for medical research involving the creation or destruction of human embryos through
the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health has been
forbidden by law since the passage in 1995 of the Dickey-Wicker Amendment by Congress and the
signature of President Bill Clinton.[173] Bush has said that he supports adult stem cell research and
has supported federal legislation that finances adult stem cell research. However, Bush did not
support embryonic stem cell research.[174] On August 9, 2001, Bush signed an executive order lifting
the ban on federal funding for the 71 existing "lines" of stem cells, [175] but the ability of these existing
lines to provide an adequate medium for testing has been questioned. Testing can be done on only
12 of the original lines, and all approved lines have been cultured in contact with mouse cells, which
creates safety issues that complicate development and approval of therapies from these lines. [176] On
July 19, 2006, Bush used his veto power for the first time in his presidency to veto the Stem Cell
Research Enhancement Act. The bill would have repealed the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, thereby
permitting federal money to be used for research where stem cells are derived from the destruction
of an embryo.[177]
Genetic Nondiscrimination
On May 21, 2008, Bush signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).[178]
[179]
The bill aimed to protect Americans against health insurance and employment discrimination
based on a person's genetic information. The issue had been debated for 13 years before it finally
became law. The measure is designed to protect citizens without hindering genetic research.
Immigration
President Bush discussing border security with Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff near El Paso,
November 2005
Nearly 8 million immigrants came to the United States from 2000 to 2005, more than in any other
five-year period in the nation's history.[180] Almost half entered illegally.[181] In 2006, Bush urged
Congress to allow more than 12 million illegal immigrants to work in the United States with the
creation of a "temporary guest-worker program". Bush also urged Congress to provide additional
funds for border security and committed to deploying 6,000 National Guard troops to the Mexico–
United States border.[182] From May to June 2007, Bush strongly supported the Comprehensive
Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which was written by a bipartisan group of Senators with the active
participation of the Bush administration.[183] The bill envisioned a legalization program for illegal
immigrants, with an eventual path to citizenship; establishing a guest worker program; a series of
border and work site enforcement measures; a reform of the green card application process and the
introduction of a point-based "merit" system for green cards; elimination of "chain migration" and of
the Diversity Immigrant Visa; and other measures. Bush argued that the lack of legal status denies
the protections of U.S. laws to millions of people who face dangers of poverty and exploitation, and
penalizes employers despite a demand for immigrant labor. [184] Bush contended that the proposed bill
did not amount to amnesty.[185]
A heated public debate followed, which resulted in a substantial rift within the Republican Party,
most conservatives opposed it because of its legalization or amnesty provisions. [186] The bill was
eventually defeated in the Senate on June 28, 2007, when a cloture motion failed on a 46–53 vote.
[187]
Bush expressed disappointment upon the defeat of one of his signature domestic initiatives.
[188]
The Bush administration later proposed a series of immigration enforcement measures that do
not require a change in law.[189]
On September 19, 2010, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Bush offered to accept
100,000 Palestinian refugees as American citizens if a permanent settlement had been reached
between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. [190]
Hurricane Katrina
Political effects of Hurricane Katrina
President Bush shaking hands with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin after viewing the devastation of
Hurricane Katrina, September 2, 2005
Hurricane Katrina struck early in Bush's second term and was one of the most damaging natural
disasters in U.S. history. Katrina formed in late August during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
and devastated much of the north-central Gulf Coast of the United States, particularly New Orleans.
[191]
President Bush announcing his nomination of Alberto Gonzales as the next U.S. Attorney General,
November 10, 2004
During Bush's second term, a controversy arose over the Justice Department'smidterm dismissal of
seven United States Attorneys.[205] The White House maintained that the U.S. attorneys were fired for
poor performance.[206] Attorney General Alberto Gonzales later resigned over the issue, along with
other senior members of the Justice Department. [207][208] The House Judiciary Committee issued
subpoenas for advisers Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten to testify regarding this matter, but Bush
directed Miers and Bolten to not comply with those subpoenas, invoking his right of executive
privilege. Bush maintained that all of his advisers were protected under a broad executive privilege
protection to receive candid advice. The Justice Department determined that the President's order
was legal.[209]
Although Congressional investigations focused on whether the Justice Department and the White
House were using the U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage, no official findings have been
released. On March 10, 2008, the Congress filed a federal lawsuit to enforce their issued
subpoenas.[210] On July 31, 2008, a United States district court judge ruled that Bush's top advisers
were not immune from Congressional subpoenas. [211]
In all, twelve Justice Department officials resigned rather than testify under oath before Congress.
They included Attorney General Alberto Gonzales[212] and his chief of staff Kyle Sampson,
[213]
Gonzales' liaison to the White House Monica Goodling,[214] aide to the president Karl Rove[215] and
his senior aide Sara Taylor.[216] In addition, legal counsel to the president Harriet Miers[217] and deputy
chief of staff to the president Joshua Bolten[218] were both found in contempt of Congress.[216]
In 2010, the Justice Department investigator concluded that though political considerations did play
a part in as many as four of the attorney firings,[219] the firings were "inappropriately political", but not
criminal. According to the prosecutors, there was insufficient evidence to pursue prosecution for any
criminal offense.[220]
Purge of the Central Intelligence Agency
Following the resignation of CIA director George Tenet in 2004, Bush nominated Porter Goss to
head the agency. The White House ordered Goss to purge agency officers who were disloyal to the
administration.[221] After Goss' appointment, many of the CIA's senior agents were fired or quit. The
CIA has been accused of deliberately leaking classified information to undermine the 2004 election.
[222]
Foreign policy
Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration
In July 2001, Bush visited Pope John Paul II at Castel Gandolfo.[223] During his presidential campaign,
Bush's foreign policy platform included support for stronger economic and political relationship
with Latin America, especially Mexico, and a reduction of involvement in "nation-building" and other
small-scale military engagements. The administration pursued a national missile defense.[224] Bush
was an advocate of China's entry into the World Trade Organization.[225]
After the September 11 attacks on New York, Bush launched the War on Terror, in which the United
States military and a small international coalition invaded Afghanistan. In his 2002 State of the Union
Address, Bush referred to an "axis of evil" consisting of Iraq, Iran and North Korea.[226] In 2003, Bush
then launched the invasion of Iraq, searching for Weapons of Mass Destruction, which he described
as being part of the War on Terrorism. [227] Those invasions led to the toppling of the Taliban regime in
Afghanistan and the removal of Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq.
Bush began his second term with an emphasis on improving strained relations with European
nations. He appointed long-time adviser Karen Hughes to oversee a global public relations
campaign. Bush lauded the pro-democracy struggles in Georgia and Ukraine. [228]
In March 2006, Bush reversed decades of U.S. policy when he visited India [229] in a trip focused
particularly on areas of nuclear energy, counter-terrorism cooperation; and discussions that would
eventually lead to the India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement.[230] This was in stark contrast to
the stance taken by his predecessor, Bill Clinton, whose approach and response to India after the
1998 nuclear tests has been characterised as "sanctions and hectoring". [231]
Midway through Bush's second term, questions arose whether Bush was retreating from his freedom
and democracy agenda, which was highlighted in policy changes toward some oil-rich former Soviet
republics in central Asia.[232]
In an address before both Houses of Congress on September 20, 2001, Bush thanked the nations of
the world for their support following the September 11 attacks. He specifically thanked UK Prime
Minister Tony Blair for traveling to Washington to show "unity of purpose with America", and said
"America has no truer friend than Great Britain." [233]
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
President Bush, standing with firefighter Bob Beckwith, addressing rescue workers at Ground Zero in New
York, September 14, 2001
The September 11 terrorist attacks were a major turning point in Bush's presidency. That evening,
he addressed the nation from the Oval Office, promising a strong response to the attacks. He also
emphasized the need for the nation to come together and comfort the families of the victims. Three
days after the attacks, Bush visited Ground Zero and met with Mayor Rudy Giuliani, firefighters,
police officers, and volunteers. To much applause, Bush addressed the gathering via a megaphone
while standing in a heap of rubble: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people
who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." [234]
In a September 20 speech, Bush condemned Osama bin Laden and his organization Al-Qaeda, and
issued an ultimatum to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, where bin Laden was operating, to "hand
over the terrorists, or ... share in their fate". [235]
War on Terrorism
War on Terror
President Bush presenting former British Prime Minister Tony Blair with the Presidential Medal of Freedom,
January 13, 2009
After September 11, Bush announced a global War on Terror. The Afghan Taliban regime was not
forthcoming with Osama bin Laden, so Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the
Taliban regime.[236] In his January 29, 2002 State of the Union Address, he asserted that an "axis of
evil" consisting of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq was "arming to threaten the peace of the world" and
"pose[d] a grave and growing danger". [237] The Bush Administration asserted both a right and the
intention to wage preemptive war, or preventive war.[238] This became the basis for the Bush
Doctrine which weakened the unprecedented levels of international and domestic support for the
United States which had followed the September 11 attacks.[239]
Dissent and criticism of Bush's leadership in the War on Terror increased as the war in Iraq
continued.[240][241][242] In 2006, a National Intelligence Estimate concluded that the Iraq War had become
the "cause célèbre for jihadists".[243][244]
Afghanistan invasion
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
President Bush and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan appearing at a joint news conference in Kabul,
March 1, 2006
On October 7, 2001, U.S. and British forces initiated bombing campaigns that led to the arrival
of Northern Alliance troops in Kabul on November 13. The main goals of the war were to defeat
the Taliban, drive al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan, and capture key al-Qaeda leaders. In December
2001, the Pentagon reported that the Taliban had been defeated, [245] but cautioned that the war would
go on to continue weakening Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders. [245] Later that month the UN had installed
the Afghan Transitional Administration chaired by Hamid Karzai.[246][247] In 2002, based
on UNICEF figures, Nicholas Kristof reported that "our invasion of Afghanistan may end up saving
one million lives over the next decade" as the result of improved healthcare and greater access to
humanitarian aid.[248]
Efforts to kill or capture al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden failed as he escaped a battle in
December 2001 in the mountainous region of Tora Bora, which the Bush Administration later
acknowledged to have resulted from a failure to commit enough U.S. ground troops. [249] It was not
until May 2011, two years after Bush left office, that bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces under the
Obama administration. Bin Laden's successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, remains at large.
Despite the initial success in driving the Taliban from power in Kabul, by early 2003 the Taliban was
regrouping, amassing new funds and recruits.[250] The 2005 failure of Operation Red Wings showed
that the Taliban had returned.[251] In 2006, the Taliban insurgency appeared larger, fiercer and better
organized than expected, with large-scale allied offensives such as Operation Mountain
Thrust attaining limited success.[252][253][254] As a result, Bush commissioned 3,500 additional troops to
the country in March 2007.[255]
Iraq invasion
Iraq War
President Bush, with Naval Flight Officer Lieutenant Ryan Philips, after landing on the USS Abraham
Lincoln prior to his Mission Accomplished speech, May 1, 2003
Beginning with his January 29, 2002 State of the Union address, Bush began publicly focusing
attention on Iraq, which he labeled as part of an "axis of evil" allied with terrorists and posing "a
grave and growing danger" to U.S. interests through possession of weapons of mass destruction.[237]
[256]
President Bush paying a surprise visit to Baghdad International Airport, November 27, 2003
More than 20 nations (most notably the United Kingdom), designated the "coalition of the willing"
joined the United States[263] in invading Iraq. They launched the invasion on March 20, 2003. The
Iraqi military was quickly defeated. The capital, Baghdad, fell on April 9, 2003. On May 1, Bush
declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. The initial success of U.S. operations increased
his popularity, but the U.S. and allied forces faced a growing insurgency led by sectarian groups;
Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech was later criticized as premature.[264] From 2004 until 2007,
the situation in Iraq deteriorated further, with some observers arguing that there was a full-scale civil
war in Iraq.[265] Bush's policies met with criticism, including demands domestically to set a timetable to
withdraw troops from Iraq. The 2006 report of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, led by James Baker,
concluded that the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating". While Bush admitted that there
were strategic mistakes made in regards to the stability of Iraq, [266] he maintained he would not
change the overall Iraq strategy.[267][268] According to Iraq Body Count, some 251,000 Iraqis have been
killed in the civil war following the U.S.-led invasion, including at least 163,841 civilians. [269]
President Bush with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, July 25, 2006
In January 2005, free, democratic elections were held in Iraq for the first time in 50 years.
[270]
According to Iraqi National Security Advisor Mowaffak al-Rubaie, "This is the greatest day in the
history of this country."[270] Bush praised the event as well, saying that the Iraqis "have taken rightful
control of their country's destiny".[270] This led to the election of Jalal Talabani as president and Nouri
al-Maliki as Prime Minister of Iraq. A referendum to approve a constitution in Iraq was held in
October 2005, supported by most Shiites and many Kurds.[271]
On January 10, 2007, Bush announced a surge of 21,500 more troops for Iraq, as well as a job
program for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and $1.2 billion (equivalent to $1.4 billion in 2018)
for these programs.[272] On May 1, 2007, Bush used his second-ever veto to reject a bill setting a
deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops,[273] saying the debate over the conflict was
"understandable" but insisting that a continued U.S. presence there was crucial. [274]
In March 2008, Bush praised the Iraqi government's "bold decision" to launch the Battle of
Basra against the Mahdi Army, calling it "a defining moment in the history of a free Iraq". [275] He said
he would carefully weigh recommendations from his commanding General David Petraeus and
Ambassador Ryan Crocker about how to proceed after the end of the military buildup in the summer
of 2008. He also praised the Iraqis' legislative achievements, including a pension law, a revised de-
Baathification law, a new budget, an amnesty law, and a provincial powers measure that, he said,
set the stage for the Iraqi elections.[276] By July 2008, American troop deaths had reached their lowest
number since the war began, [277] and due to increased stability in Iraq, Bush announced the
withdrawal of additional American forces.[277]
Surveillance
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, Bush issued an executive order that authorized
the President's Surveillance Program. The new directive allowed the National Security Agency to
monitor communications between suspected terrorists outside the U.S. and parties within the U.S.
without obtaining a warrant, which previously had been required by the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act.[278] As of 2009, the other provisions of the program remained highly classified.
[279]
Once the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel questioned its original legal opinion that
FISA did not apply in a time of war, the program was subsequently re-authorized by the President on
the basis that the warrant requirements of FISA were implicitly superseded by the subsequent
passage of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists.[280] The program proved to
be controversial; critics of the administration and organizations such as the American Bar
Associationargued that it was illegal.[281] In August 2006, a U.S. district court judge ruled that the NSA
electronic surveillance programwas unconstitutional,[282] but on July 6, 2007, that ruling
was vacated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on the grounds that the
plaintiffs lacked standing.[283] On January 17, 2007, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales informed U.S.
Senate leaders that the program would not be reauthorized by the President, but would be subjected
to judicial oversight.[284] Later in 2007, the NSA launched a replacement for the program, referred to
as PRISM, that was subject to the oversight of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Court.[285] This program was not publicly revealed until reports by The Washington Post[285] and The
Guardian[286] emerged in June 2013.[285]
Interrogation policies
Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture and Torture Memos
President Bush at the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of victory in World War II, Red Square,
Moscow
Bush authorized the CIA to use waterboarding and several other "enhanced interrogation
techniques" that several critics, including Barack Obama, would label as torture. [287][288][289][290] Between
2002 and 2003, the CIA considered certain enhanced interrogation techniques, such as
waterboarding, to be legal based on secret Justice Department legal opinions arguing that terror
detainees were not protected by the Geneva Conventions' ban on torture, which was described as
"an unconstitutional infringement of the President's authority to conduct war". [291][292]The CIA had
exercised the technique on certain key terrorist suspects under authority given to it in the Bybee
Memo from the Attorney General, though that memo was later withdrawn. [293] While not permitted by
the U.S. Army Field Manualswhich assert "that harsh interrogation tactics elicit unreliable
information",[291] the Bush administration believed these enhanced interrogations "provided critical
information" to preserve American lives.[294]Critics, such as former CIA officer Bob Baer, have stated
that information was suspect, "you can get anyone to confess to anything if the torture's bad
enough."[295]
On October 17, 2006, Bush signed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 into law.[296] The new rule
was enacted in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Hamdan v.
Rumsfeld, 548 U.S. 557 (2006),[297] which allowed the U.S. government to prosecute unlawful enemy
combatants by military commission rather than a standard trial. The law also denied the detainees
access to habeas corpus and barred the torture of prisoners. The provision of the law allowed the
president to determine what constitutes "torture". [296]
On March 8, 2008, Bush vetoed H.R. 2082,[298] a bill that would have expanded congressional
oversight over the intelligence community and banned the use of waterboarding as well as other
forms of interrogation not permitted under the United States Army Field Manual on Human
Intelligence Collector Operations, saying that "the bill Congress sent me would take away one of the
most valuable tools in the War on Terror". [299] In April 2009, the ACLU sued and won release of the
secret memos that had authorized the Bush administration's interrogation tactics. [300] One memo
detailed specific interrogation tactics including a footnote that described waterboarding as torture as
well as that the form of waterboarding used by the CIA was far more intense than authorized by the
Justice Department.[301]
North Korea condemnation
North Korea–United States relations
Bush publicly condemned Kim Jong-il of North Korea and identified North Korea as one of three
states in an "axis of evil". He said that "the United States of America will not permit the world's most
dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons." [237] Within months,
"both countries had walked away from their respective commitments under the U.S.–DPRK Agreed
Framework of October 1994."[302] North Korea's October 9, 2006, detonation of a nuclear device
further complicated Bush's foreign policy, which centered for both terms of his presidency on
"[preventing] the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons from
threatening the United States and the world". [237] Bush condemned North Korea's position, reaffirmed
his commitment to "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula", and stated that "transfer of nuclear weapons
or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the
United States", for which North Korea would be held accountable. [303] On May 7, 2007, North Korea
agreed to shut down its nuclear reactors immediately pending the release of frozen funds held in a
foreign bank account. This was a result of a series of three-way talks initiated by the United States
and including China.[304] On September 2, 2007, North Korea agreed to disclose and dismantle all of
its nuclear programs by the end of 2007.[305] By May 2009, North Korea had restarted its nuclear
program and threatened to attack South Korea. [306]
On June 22, 2010, "While South Korea prospers, the people of North Korea have suffered
profoundly," he said, adding that, "communism had resulted in dire poverty, mass starvation and
brutal suppression. "In recent years," he went on to say, "the suffering has been compounded by the
leader who wasted North Korea's precious few resources on personal luxuries and nuclear weapons
programs."[307]
Syria sanctions
President Bush with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Shanghai, October 21, 2001. Russia had
cooperated with U.S. in the War on Terror.
Bush expanded economic sanctions on Syria.[308] In 2003, Bush signed the Syria Accountability Act,
which expanded sanctions on Syria. In early 2007, the Treasury Department, acting on a June
2005 executive order, froze American bank accounts of Syria's Higher Institute of Applied Science
and Technology, Electronics Institute, and National Standards and Calibration Laboratory. Bush's
order prohibits Americans from doing business with these institutions suspected of helping
spread weapons of mass destruction[309] and being supportive of terrorism. [310] Under separate
executive orders signed by Bush in 2004 and later 2007, the Treasury Department froze the assets
of two Lebanese and two Syrians, accusing them of activities to "undermine the legitimate political
process in Lebanon" in November 2007. Those designated included: Assaad Halim Hardan, a
member of Lebanon's parliament and current leader of the Syrian Socialist National Party; Wi'am
Wahhab, a former member of Lebanon's government (Minister of the Environment) under Prime
Minister Omar Karami (2004–2005); Hafiz Makhluf, a colonel and senior official in the Syrian
General Intelligence Directorate and a cousin of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; and Muhammad
Nasif Khayrbik, identified as a close adviser to Assad. [311]
Africa
Bush initiated the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Program (PEPFAR). The U.S.
government had spent some $44 billion on the project since 2003 (a figure that includes $7 billion
contributed to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, a multilateral organization),
[312]
which saved an estimated 5 million lives.[313] According to The New York
Times correspondent Peter Baker, "Bush did more to stop AIDS and more to help Africa than any
president before or since."[313]
Assassination attempt
On May 10, 2005, Vladimir Arutyunian, a native Georgian who was born to a family of
ethnic Armenians, threw a live hand grenade toward a podium where Bush was speaking
at Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was seated nearby. It
landed in the crowd about 65 feet (20 m) from the podium after hitting a girl, but it did not detonate.
Arutyunian was arrested in July 2005, confessed, was convicted and was given a life sentence in
January 2006.[314]
Other issues
President Bush, Mahmoud Abbas, and Ariel Sharon meet at the Red Sea Summit in Aqaba, Jordan, June
4, 2003
Bush withdrew U.S. support for several international agreements, including the Anti-Ballistic Missile
Treaty (ABM) with Russia. He also signed the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty with Russia.
Bush emphasized a careful approach to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians; he
denounced Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafatfor his support of violence, but
sponsored dialogues between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian National Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas. Bush supported Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and lauded
the democratic elections held in Palestine after Arafat's death.
Bush also expressed U.S. support for the defense of Taiwan following the stand-off in April 2001
with the People's Republic of China over the Hainan Island incident, when an EP-3E Aries
II surveillance aircraft collided with a People's Liberation Army Air Force jet, leading to the detention
of U.S. personnel. From 2003 to 2004, Bush authorized U.S. military intervention in Haiti and Liberia
to protect U.S. interests. Bush condemned the militia attacks Darfur and denounced the killings in
Sudan as genocide.[315]Bush said that an international peacekeeping presence was critical in Darfur,
but opposed referring the situation to the International Criminal Court.
In the State of the Union address in January 2003, Bush outlined a five-year strategy for global
emergency AIDS relief, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Bush announced $15 billion
for this effort[316] which directly supported life-saving antiretroviral treatment for more than 3.2 million
men, women and children worldwide.[317]
On June 10, 2007, Bush met with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and became the first
president to visit Albania.[318] Bush has voiced his support for the independence of Kosovo.[319] Bush
opposed South Ossetia's independence.[320] On August 15, 2008, Bush said of Russia's invasion of
the country of Georgia: "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy
in the 21st century."[321]
Bush opened the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Departing from previous practice, he
stood among a group of U.S. athletes rather than from a ceremonial stand or box, saying: "On behalf
of a proud, determined, and grateful nation, I declare open the Games of Salt Lake City, celebrating
the Olympic Winter Games."[322] In 2008, in the course of a good-will trip to Asia, he attended
the Summer Olympics in Beijing.[323]
Bush twice invoked Section 3 of the Twenty-fifth Amendment, which allows a president to
temporarily transfer the powers and duties of his office to the vice president, who then
becomes acting president. On June 29, 2002, Bush underwent a colonoscopy and chose to invoke
Section 3 of the amendment, making Vice President Dick Cheney the acting president. The medical
procedure began at 7:09 am. EDT and ended at 7:29 am. EDT. Bush woke up twenty minutes later,
but did not resume his presidential powers and duties until 9:24 am. EDT after the president's
doctor, Richard Tubb, conducted an overall examination. Tubb said he recommended the additional
time to make sure the sedative had no after effects. On July 21, 2007, Bush again invoked Section 3
in response to having to undergo a colonoscopy, again making Vice President Cheney the acting
president. Bush invoked Section 3 at 7:16 am. EDT. He reclaimed his powers at 9:21 am. EDT. In
both cases, Bush specifically cited Section 3 when he transferred the presidential powers to the Vice
President and when he reclaimed those powers.[324]
Judicial appointments
Supreme Court
George W. Bush Supreme Court candidates
Supreme Court Justice nominee John Roberts and President Bush, July 19, 2005
Supreme Court Justice nominee Samuel Alito and President Bush, October 31, 2005
approve
disapprove
unsure
Gallup/USA Today Bush public opinion polling from February 2001 to January 2009
Bush's upbringing in West Texas, his accent, his vacations on his Texas ranch, and his penchant for
country metaphors contribute to his folksy, American cowboy image. [332][333] "I think people look at him
and think John Wayne", said Piers Morgan, editor of the British Daily Mirror.[334]
Bush has been parodied by the media,[335] comedians, and other politicians.[336]Detractors tended to
cite linguistic errors made by Bush during his public speeches, which are colloquially referred to
as Bushisms.[337]
In contrast to his father—who was perceived as having troubles with an overarching unifying theme
—Bush embraced larger visions and was seen as a man of larger ideas and associated huge risks.
[338]
Tony Blair wrote in 2010 that the caricature of Bush as being dumb is "ludicrous" and that Bush is
"very smart".[339] In an interview with Playboy, The New York Timescolumnist David Brooks said Bush
"was 60 IQ points smarter in private than he was in public. He doesn't want anybody to think he's
smarter than they are, so puts on a Texas act."[340]
Job approval
Bush began his presidency with approval ratings near 50 percent.[341] After the September 11 attacks,
Bush gained an approval rating of 90 percent,[342] maintaining 80 to 90 percent approval for four
months after the attacks. It remained over 50 percent during most of his first term[13] and then fell to
as low as 19 percent in his second term.[343]
In 2000 and again in 2004, Time magazine named George W. Bush as its Person of the Year, a title
awarded to someone who the editors believe "has done the most to influence the events of the
year".[344] In May 2004, Gallup reported that 89 percent of the Republican electorate approved of
Bush.[345] However, the support waned due mostly to a minority of Republicans' frustration with him
on issues of spending, illegal immigration, and Middle Eastern affairs.[346]
Within the United States armed forces, according to an unscientific survey, the president was
strongly supported in the 2004 presidential elections. [347] While 73 percent of military personnel said
that they would vote for Bush, 18 percent preferred his Democratic rival, John Kerry.[347] According
to Peter Feaver, a Duke University political scientist who has studied the political leanings of the
U.S. military, members of the armed services supported Bush because they found him more likely
than Kerry to complete the War in Iraq.[347]
Bush's approval rating went below the 50 percent mark in AP-Ipsos polling in December 2004.
[348]
Thereafter, his approval ratings and approval of his handling of domestic and foreign policy
issues steadily dropped. Bush received heavy criticism for his handling of the Iraq War, his response
to Hurricane Katrina and to the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, NSA warrantless surveillance, the Plame
affair, and Guantanamo Bay detention camp controversies.[349] There were calls for
Bush's impeachment, though most polls showed a plurality of Americans would not support such an
action.[350] The arguments offered for impeachment usually centered on the NSA warrantless
surveillance controversy,[351] the Bush administration's justification for the war in Iraq, and alleged
violations of the Geneva Conventions.[Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who had run against
Bush during the 2004 presidential campaign, introduced 35 articles of impeachment on the floor of
the House of Representatives against Bush on June 9, 2008, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
declared that impeachment was "off the table". [352]
Polls that were conducted in 2006 showed an average of 37 percent approval ratings for Bush,[353] the
lowest for any second-term president at that point of his term since Harry S. Truman in March 1951
(when Truman's approval rating was 28 percent),[348][354] which contributed to what Bush called the
"thumping" of the Republican Party in the 2006 mid-term elections.[355] Throughout most of 2007,
Bush's approval rating hovered in the mid-thirties; [356] the average for his entire second term was
37 percent, according to Gallup.[357]
President Bush's approval rating with key events marked, 2001–2006
By the beginning of 2008, his final year in office, Bush's approval rating had dropped to a low of just
19 percent, largely from the loss of support among Republicans. [343]Commenting on his low poll
numbers and accusations of being "the worst president," [358][359] Bush would say, "I make decisions on
what I think is right for the United States based upon principles. I frankly don't give a damn about the
polls."[360]
In the spring of that year, Bush's disapproval ratings reached the highest ever recorded for any
president in the 70-year history of the Gallup poll, with 69 percent of those polled in April 2008
disapproving of the job Bush was doing as president and 28 percent approving—although the
majority (66 percent) of Republicans still approved of his job performance. [361]
In polls conducted in the fall, just before the 2008 election, his approval ratings remained at record
lows of 19 to 20 percent,[362][363] while his disapproval ratings ranged from 67 percent to as high as
75 percent.[363][364] In polling conducted January 9–11, 2009, his final job approval rating by Gallup was
34 percent, which placed him on par with Jimmy Carter and Harry S. Truman, the other presidents
whose final Gallup ratings measured in the low 30s (Richard Nixon's final Gallup approval rating was
even lower, at 24 percent).[365] According to a CBS News/New York Times poll conducted January
11–15, 2009, Bush's final approval rating in office was 22 percent, the lowest in American history.[362]
Foreign perceptions
Bush was criticized internationally and targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization
campaigns for his administration's foreign policy.[366][367] Views of him within the international
community—even in France, a close ally of the United States—were more negative than those of
most previous American presidents in history.[368]
Bush was described as having especially close personal relationships with Tony Blair of Great
Britain and Vicente Fox of Mexico, although formal relations were sometimes strained. [369][370][371] Other
leaders, such as Afghan president Hamid Karzai,[372] Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni,[373] Spanish
prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero,[374]and Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez,[375] openly
criticized the president. Later in Bush's presidency, tensions arose between him and Vladimir Putin,
which led to a cooling of their relationship.[376]
In 2006, most respondents in 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world were found to hold an
unfavorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as negative
for world security.[377][378] In 2007, the Pew Global Attitudes Project reported that during the Bush
presidency, attitudes towards the United States, and towards Americans, became less favorable
around the world.[379]
A March 2007 survey of Arab opinion conducted by Zogby International and the University of
Maryland found that Bush was the most disliked leader in the Arab world. [380]
The Pew Research Center's 2007 Global Attitudes poll found that out of 47 countries, in only nine
countries did most respondents express "a lot of confidence" or "some confidence" in Bush: Ethiopia,
Ghana, India, Israel, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda. [381]
During a June 2007 visit to the predominantly Muslim [382] Albania, Bush was greeted enthusiastically.
Albania has a population of 2.8 million,[383] has troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the country's
government is highly supportive of American foreign policy. [384] A huge image of the President was
hung in the middle of the capital city of Tirana flanked by Albanian and American flags while a local
street was named after him.[385][386] A shirt-sleeved statue of Bush was unveiled in Fushë-Krujë, a few
kilometers northwest of Tirana.[387] The Bush administration's support for the independence of
Albanian-majority Kosovo, while endearing him to the Albanians, has troubled U.S. relations with
Serbia, leading to the February 2008 torching of the U.S. embassy in Belgrade.[388]
Acknowledgments and dedications
The statue of George W. Bush was erected at Fushë-Krujë, Albania after his visit
On May 7, 2005, during an official state visit to Latvia, Bush was awarded the Order of the Three
Stars presented to him by President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga.[389] A few places outside the United States
bear Bush's name. In 2005, the Tbilisi City Council voted to rename a street in honor of the U.S.
president.[390] Previously known as Melaani Drive, the street links the Georgian capital's airport with
the city center and was used by Bush's motorcade during his visit four months earlier. [391] A street
in Tirana, formerly known as Rruga Puntorët e Rilendjes, situated directly outside the Albanian
Parliament, was renamed after Bush a few days before he made the first-ever visit by an American
president to Albania in June 2007.[392] In Jerusalem, a small plaza with a monument bearing his name
is also dedicated to Bush.[393]
In 2012, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves awarded Bush the Order of the Cross of Terra
Mariana for his work in expanding NATO.[394]
Reception
The George W. Bush presidency has been ranked among the worst in surveys of presidential
scholars published in the late 2000s and 2010s.[15][16][17]
After his re-election in 2004, Bush received increasingly heated criticism from across the political
spectrum[7][8][9] for his handling of the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina,[10][11][12] and other challenges. Amid
this criticism, the Democratic Party regained control of Congress in the 2006 elections. In December
2007, the United States entered its longest post-World War IIrecession, often referred to as the
"Great Recession", prompting the Bush administration to obtain congressional passage of multiple
economic programs intended to preserve the country's financial system. Nationally, Bush was both
one of the most popular and unpopular presidents in history, having received the highest recorded
presidential approval ratings in the wake of the September 11 attacks, as well as one of the lowest
approval ratings during the 2008 financial crisis.[13]
Bush said in 2013, "Ultimately history will judge the decisions I made, and I won't be around because
it will take time for the objective historians to show up. So I am pretty comfortable with it. I did what I
did."[395]
Post-presidency (2009–present)
Residence
George and Laura Bush waving to a crowd of 1000 at Andrews Air Force Base before their final departure
to Texas, January 20, 2009
Following the inauguration of Barack Obama, Bush and his family flew from Andrews Air Force
Base to a homecoming celebration in Midland, Texas, following which they returned to their ranch
in Crawford, Texas.[396] They bought a home in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas, Texas,
where they settled down.[397]
He makes regular appearances at various events throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area, most
notably when he conducted the opening coin toss at the Dallas Cowboysfirst game in the team's
new stadium in Arlington[398] and an April 2009 visit to a Texas Rangers game, where he thanked the
people of Dallas for helping him settle in and was met with a standing ovation. [399] He also attended
every home playoff game for the Texas Rangers 2010 season and, accompanied by his father,
threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for Game 4 of the 2010 World
Series on October 31, 2010.[400]
On August 6, 2013, Bush was successfully treated for a coronary artery blockage with a stent. The
blockage had been found during an annual medical examination.[401]
In reaction to the 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers, Bush stated: "Laura and I are heartbroken
by the heinous acts of violence in our city last night. Murdering the innocent is always evil, never
more so than when the lives taken belong to those who protect our families and communities." [402]
Since leaving office, Bush has kept a relatively low profile [403] though he has made public
appearances, most notably after the release of his memoirs in 2010 and for the 10th anniversary of
the September 11 attacks in 2011. In March 2009, he delivered his first post-presidency speech
in Calgary, Alberta,[404][405] appeared via video on The Colbert Report during which he praised U.S.
troops for earning a "special place in American history,"[406] and attended the funeral of Senator Ted
Kennedy.[407] Bush made his debut as a motivational speaker on October 26 at the "Get Motivated"
seminar in Dallas.[408] In the aftermath of the Fort Hood shootingthat took place on November 5, 2009,
in Texas, the Bushes paid an undisclosed visit to the survivors and victims' families the day following
the shooting, having contacted the base commander requesting that the visit be private and not
involve press coverage.[409]
(L–R) Charlie Strong, Texas Longhorns head football coach, George W. Bush and Reverend Jesse
Jackson hold up a Texas Longhorns football jersey at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2014
In February 2016, George W. Bush spoke and campaigned for his brother Jeb Bushin South
Carolina during a rally for the Jeb Bush presidential campaign in the 2016 Republican Party
presidential primaries.[423]
While Bush endorsed the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, he declined to
endorse the 2016 Republican nominee Donald Trump[424]and he did not attend the 2016 Republican
National Convention, which formally nominated Trump.[425] On the eve of Trump's nomination, it was
reported that Bush had privately expressed concern about the current direction of the Republican
Party and told a group of his former aides and advisors, "I'm worried that I will be the last Republican
president."[426][427] Bush and his wife Laura did not vote for Trump in the 2016 presidential
election according to a spokesperson for the Bush family, instead choosing to leave their presidential
ballots blank.[428] After the election, Bush, his father, and his brother Jeb called Trump on the phone to
congratulate him on his victory.[429] Both he and Laura attended Trump's inauguration, and images of
Bush struggling to put on a rain poncho during the ceremony became an internet meme.[430] While
leaving the event, Bush allegedly described the ceremony as "some weird shit". [431]
In February 2017, Bush released a book of his own portraits of veterans called Portraits of
Courage (full title: Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors).[432]
Following the white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Bush and his father
released a joint statement condemning the violence and ideologies present at the rally; "America
must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms. As we pray for
Charlottesville, we are all reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city's most prominent
citizen in the Declaration of Independence: we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator
with unalienable rights. We know these truths to be everlasting because we have seen the decency
and greatness of our country."[433] Their statement came as President Trump was facing controversy
over his statements about the rally. Subsequently, Bush gave a speech in New York where he noted
of the current political climate, "Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to
conspiracy theories and outright fabrication." He continued, "Bigotry in any form is blasphemy
against the American creed and it means the very identity of our nation depends on the passing of
civic ideals to the next generation," while urging citizens to oppose threats to American democracy
and be positive role models for young people. [434] The speech was widely interpreted as a
denouncement of Donald Trump and his ideologies, despite Bush not mentioning Trump by name.[434]
[435][436][437]
In April 2018, Bush and his father met in Texas with Mohammad bin Salman, the crown prince and
de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.[438]
Collaborations
In January 2010, at President Obama's request, Bush and Bill Clinton established the Clinton Bush
Haiti Fund to raise contributions for relief and recovery efforts following the 2010 Haiti
earthquake earlier that month.[439]
On May 2, 2011, President Obama called Bush, who was at a restaurant with his wife, to inform him
that Osama bin Laden had been killed.[440] The Bushes joined the Obamas in New York City to mark
the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At the Ground Zero memorial,
Bush read a letter that President Abraham Lincoln wrote to a widow who lost five sons during the
Civil War.[441]
On September 7, 2017, Bush partnered with former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W.
Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama to work with One America Appeal to help the victims
of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in the Gulf Coast and Texas communities.[442]
Art
After serving as president, Bush began painting as a hobby after reading Winston Churchill's essay
"Painting as a Pastime". Subjects have included people, dogs, and still life.[443] He has also painted
self-portraits and portraits of world leaders, including Vladimir Putin and Tony Blair. [444][445][446] In
February 2017, Bush released a book of portraits of veterans, Portraits of Courage.[432] The net
proceeds from his book are donated to the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
In mass culture
W. (2008) - a biographical drama film directed by Oliver Stone, in which George W. Bush is
portrayed by Josh Brolin.
America Betrayed (2008) - a documentary political film directed by Leslie Carde. [447]
Vice (2018) - a biographical comedy-drama film written and directed by Adam McKay, in
which George W. Bush is portrayed by Sam Rockwell.
Legacy
George W. Bush Presidential Centeron the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) located
in University Park, Texas
President Bush's legacy continues to develop today. Supporters credit Bush's counterterrorism
policies with preventing another major terrorist attack from occurring in the US after 9/11 and also
praise individual policies such as the Medicare prescription drug benefit and the AIDS relief program
known as PEPFAR. Critics often point to his handling of the Iraq War, specifically the failure to
find weapons of mass destruction, that were the main rationale behind the initial invasion—as well
as his handling of tax policy, Hurricane Katrina, climate change and the 2008 financial crisis—as
proof that George W. Bush was unfit to be president. [448][449][450]
Several historians and commentators hold the view that Bush was one of the most consequential
presidents in American history. Princeton University scholar Julian Zelizer described Bush's
presidency as a "transformative" one, and said that "some people hate him, some people love him,
but I do think he'll have a much more substantive perception as time goes on". [451]Bryon Williams
of The Huffington Post referred to Bush as "the most noteworthy president since FDR" and said that
the Patriot Act "increased authority of the executive branch at the expense of judicial opinions about
when searches and seizures are reasonable" as evidence. [452] Bush's administration presided over
the largest tax cuts since the presidency of Ronald Reagan,[453] and his homeland security reforms
proved to be the most significant expansion of the federal government since the Great Society.
[454]
Much of these policies have endured in the administrations of his two immediate
successors, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.[455][456] A 2010 Siena Research Institute survey of the
opinions of historians, political scientists, and presidential scholars ranked him 39th out of 43
presidents. The survey respondents gave President Bush low ratings on his handling of the U.S.
economy, communication, ability to compromise, foreign policy accomplishments, and intelligence. [457]
Among the public, his reputation has improved somewhat since his presidency ended in 2009. In
February 2012, Gallup reported that "Americans still rate George W. Bush among the worst
presidents, though their views have become more positive in the three years since he left
office."[458] Gallup had earlier noted that Bush's favorability ratings in public opinion surveys had
begun to rise a year after he had left office, from 40 percent in January 2009 and 35 percent in
March 2009, to 45 percent in July 2010, a period during which he had remained largely out of the
news.[459] Other pollsters have noted similar trends of slight improvement in Bush's personal
favorability since the end of his presidency.[460] In April 2013, Bush's approval rating stood at
47 percent approval and 50 percent disapproval in a poll jointly conducted for The Washington
Postand ABC, his highest approval rating since December 2005. Bush had achieved notable gains
among seniors, non-college whites, and moderate and conservative Democrats since leaving office,
although majorities disapproved of his handling of the economy (53 percent) and the Iraq War
(57 percent).[461] His 47 percent approval rating was equal to that of President Obama's in the same
polling period.[462] A CNN poll conducted that same month found that 55 percent of Americans said
Bush's presidency had been a failure, with opinions divided along party lines, and 43 percent of
independents calling it a success.[463] Bush's public image saw greater improvement starting in 2017,
which has been interpreted as Democrats viewing him more favorably in response to Donald
Trump's presidency,[464][465] an assessment that has also been expressed by Bush himself. [466]
Private life
British Association members on the voyage to South Africa, 1905. Brown is seated at bottom right.
Brown never married, and for most of his adult life lived with his unmarried younger sister, Mildred,
who kept house for him. She made it her job to shield him from "cares and disturbances" and
succeeded in "utterly spoiling him." [1] In his youth, he was a keen rower and mountaineer. He was a
capable pianist and continued to play until a few years before his death. He remained fond of music
and was for a time the head of the New Haven Oratorio Society. Brown also played chess to a high
standard and loved detective stories.
He enjoyed travelling and frequently crossed the Atlantic between the United States and Great
Britain. With several professional colleagues, he was also an enthusiastic participant in the British
Association's extended visit to South Africa and other parts of southern and eastern Africa between
July and October 1905.[9][10]
His daily routine was unusual, and was described as follows: [1]
He was in the habit of going to bed early and as a consequence woke up between three and five
o'clock in the morning. After having fortified himself with strong coffee from a thermos bottle he set to
work without leaving his bed, smoking numerous cigarettes. His serious scientific work was thus
done before he got up for breakfast at nine o'clock.
Death
A heavy smoker, Brown suffered from bronchial trouble for much of his life. He was afflicted by ill-
health during most of the six years of his retirement, and died in New Haven, Connecticut in 1938.
His sister, Mildred, had died a few years before him and his only surviving close family was his
widowed older sister, Ella Yorke, who had emigrated with her husband to New Zealand in the 1890s.
[1]
Legacy
Brown's Tables were adopted by nearly all of the national ephemerides in 1923 for their calculations
of the Moon's position, and continued to be used with some modification until 1983. With the advent
of digital computers, Brown's original trigonometrical expressions, given in the introduction to his
1919 tables (and from which the tables had been compiled), began to be used for direct computation
instead of the tables themselves. This also gained some improvement in precision, since the tables
had embodied some minor approximations, in a trade-off between accuracy and the amount of
labour needed for computations in those days of manual calculation. [11]
By the middle of the 20th century, the difference between Universal and Ephemeris Time had been
recognised and evaluated, and the troublesome empirical terms were removed. [11] Further
adjustments to Brown's theory were then made, arising from improved observational values of the
fundamental astronomical constants used in the theory, and from re-working Brown's original
analytical expansions to gain more precise versions of the coefficients used in the theory. [12]
Eventually, in 1984, Brown's work was replaced by results gained from more modern observational
data (including data from lunar laser ranging) and altogether new computational methods for
calculating the Moon's ephemeris.[13]
Honours
Awards
Adams Prize (1907)
Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1907)
Bruce Medal (1920)
James Craig Watson Medal (1936)
Named after him
The crater Brown on the Moon
Asteroid 1643 Brown
Brown lunation number
Iron Man,
Iron Man (Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic
books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee,
developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The character
made his first appearance in Tales of Suspense #39 (cover dated March 1963), and received his
own title in Iron Man #1 (May 1968).
A wealthy American business magnate, playboy, and ingenious scientist, Anthony
Edward "Tony" Stark suffers a severe chest injury during a kidnapping. When his captors attempt to
force him to build a weapon of mass destruction, he instead creates a powered suit of armor to save
his life and escape captivity. Later, Stark develops his suit, adding weapons and other technological
devices he designed through his company, Stark Industries. He uses the suit and successive
versions to protect the world as Iron Man. Although at first concealing his true identity, Stark
eventually declared that he was, in fact, Iron Man in a public announcement.
Initially, Iron Man was a vehicle for Stan Lee to explore Cold War themes, particularly the role of
American technology and industry in the fight against communism.[1] Subsequent re-imaginings of
Iron Man have transitioned from Cold War motifs to contemporary matters of the time. [1]
Throughout most of the character's publication history, Iron Man has been a founding member of the
superhero team the Avengers and has been featured in several incarnations of his own various
comic book series. Iron Man has been adapted for several animated TV shows and films.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe character is portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the live action
film Iron Man (2008), which was a critical and box office success. Downey, who received much
acclaim for his performance, reprised the role in a cameo in The Incredible Hulk (2008), two Iron
Man sequels Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 (2013), The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of
Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers:
Infinity War (2018) and will do so again in Avengers: Endgame (2019) in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe.
Iron Man was ranked 12th on IGN's "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes" in 2011, [2] and third in their list of
"The Top 50 Avengers" in 2012.
Solo series
After issue #99 (March 1968), the Tales of Suspense series was renamed Captain America. An Iron
Man story appeared in the one-shot comic Iron Man and Sub-Mariner (April 1968), before the
"Golden Avenger"[21] made his solo debut with Iron Man #1 (May 1968).[22] The series' indicia gives
its copyright title Iron Man, while the trademarked cover logo of most issues is The Invincible Iron
Man.
This initial series ended with issue #332 (Sept. 1996). Jim Lee, Scott Lobdell, and Jeph
Loeb authored a second volume of the series which was drawn primarily by Whilce
Portacio and Ryan Benjamin. This volume took place in a parallel universe[23] and ran 13 issues (Nov.
1996 - Nov. 1997).[24] Volume 3, whose first 25 issues were written by Kurt Busiek[25] and then by
Busiek and Roger Stern, ran 89 issues (Feb. 1998 - Dec. 2004). Later writers included Joe
Quesada, Frank Tieri, Mike Grell, and John Jackson Miller. Issue #41 (June 2001) was additionally
numbered #386, reflecting the start of dual numbering starting from the premiere issue of volume
one in 1968. The final issue was dual-numbered as #434. [26] The next Iron Man series, Iron Man vol.
4, debuted in early 2005 with the Warren Ellis-written storyline "Extremis", with artist Adi Granov.[27]
It ran 35 issues (Jan. 2005 - Jan. 2009), with the cover logo simply Iron Man beginning with issue
[28]
#13, and Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., beginning issue #15. On the final three issues, the cover
logo was overwritten by "War Machine, Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D.", [29] which led to the launch of a War
Machine ongoing series.[30]
The Invincible Iron Man vol. 1, by writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca, began with a
premiere issue cover-dated July 2008. [31] For a seven-month overlap, Marvel published both volume
four and volume five simultaneously.[32] This Invincible volume jumped its numbering of issues from
#33 to #500, cover dated March 2011, to reflect the start from the premiere issue of volume one in
1968.
After the conclusion of The Invincible Iron Man a new Iron Man series was started as a part
of Marvel Now!. Written by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Greg Land, it began with issue #1 in
November 2012.[33]
Many Iron Man annuals, miniseries, and one-shot titles have been published through the years, such
as Age of Innocence: The Rebirth of Iron Man (Feb. 1996), Iron Man: The Iron Age #1-2 (Aug.–Sept.
1998), Iron Man: Bad Blood #1-4 (Sept.–Dec. 2000), Iron Man House of M #1-3 (Sept.–Nov.
2005), Fantastic Four / Iron Man: Big in Japan #1-4 (Dec. 2005–March 2006), Iron Man: The
Inevitable #1-6 (Feb.–July 2006), Iron Man / Captain America: Casualties of War (Feb. 2007), Iron
Man: Hypervelocity #1-6 (March–Aug. 2007), Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin #1-6 (Nov. 2007–April
2008), and Iron Man: Legacy of Doom (June–Sept. 2008). Publications have included such spin-offs
as the one-shot Iron Man 2020 (June 1994), featuring a different Iron Man in the future, and
the animated TV series adaptations Marvel Action Hour, Featuring Iron Man #1-8 (Nov. 1994–June
1995) and Marvel Adventures Iron Man #1-12 (July 2007–June 2008).[34]
Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963): Iron Man debuts. Cover art by Jack Kirby and Don Heck.
Tales of Suspense #48 (Dec. 1963), the debut of Iron Man's first red-and-gold suit of armor. Cover art by Jack
Kirby and Sol Brodsky.
Origins
Anthony Edward Stark is the son of wealthy industrialist and head of Stark Industries, Howard
Stark, and Maria Stark. A boy genius, he enters MIT at the age of 15 to study engineering and later
receives master's degrees in engineering and physics. After his parents are killed in a car accident,
he inherits his father's company.
Stark is injured by a booby trap and captured by enemy forces led by Wong-Chu. Wong-Chu orders
Stark to build weapons, but Stark's injuries are dire and shrapnel is moving towards his heart. His
fellow prisoner, Ho Yinsen, a Nobel Prize-winning physicistwhose work Stark had greatly admired
during college, constructs a magnetic chest plate to keep the shrapnel from reaching Stark's heart.
In secret, Stark and Yinsen use the workshop to design and construct a suit of powered armor,
which Stark uses to escape. During the escape attempt, Yinsen sacrifices his life to save Stark's by
distracting the enemy as Stark recharges. Stark takes revenge on his kidnappers and rejoins the
American forces, on his way meeting a wounded American Marine fighter pilot, James "Rhodey"
Rhodes.
Back home, Stark discovers that the shrapnel fragment lodged in his chest cannot be removed
without killing him, and he is forced to wear the armor's chestplate beneath his clothes to act as a
regulator for his heart. He must recharge the chestplate every day or else risk the shrapnel killing
him. The cover story that Stark tells the news media and general public is that Iron Man is his robotic
personal bodyguard, and corporate mascot. To that end, Iron Man fights threats to his company
(e.g., Communistopponents Black Widow, the Crimson Dynamo, and the Titanium Man), as well as
independent villains like the Mandarin (who becomes his greatest enemy). No one suspects Stark of
being Iron Man, as he cultivates a strong public image of being a rich playboy and industrialist. Two
notable members of the series' supporting cast, at this point, are his personal chauffeur Harold
"Happy" Hogan, and secretary Virginia "Pepper" Potts—to both of whom he eventually reveals his
dual identity. Meanwhile, James Rhodes finds his own niche as Stark's personal pilot, ultimately
revealing himself to be a man of extraordinary skill and daring in his own right.
The series took an anti-Communist stance in its early years, which was softened as public (and
therefore, presumably, reader) opposition rose to the Vietnam War.[5] This change evolved in a series
of storylines featuring Stark reconsidering his political opinions, and the morality of manufacturing
weapons for the U.S. military. Stark shows himself to be occasionally arrogant, and willing to act
unethically in order to 'let the ends justify the means'. [35][36] This leads to personal conflicts with the
people around him, both in his civilian and superhero identities. Stark uses his vast personal fortune
not only to outfit his own armor, but also to develop weapons for S.H.I.E.L.D.; other technologies
(e.g., Quinjets used by the Avengers); and the image inducers used by the X-Men. Eventually,
Stark's heart condition is resolved with an artificial heart transplant.[37]
2000s
At one point, Stark's armor becomes sentient despite fail-safes to prevent its increasingly
sophisticated computer systems from doing so.[63] Initially, Stark welcomes this "living" armor for its
improved tactical abilities. The armor begins to grow more aggressive, killing indiscriminately and
eventually desiring to replace Stark altogether. In the final confrontation on a desert island, Stark
suffers another heart attack. The armor sacrifices its own existence to save its creator's life, giving
up essential components to give Stark a new, artificial heart. This new heart solves Stark's health
problems, but it does not have an internal power supply, so Stark becomes once again dependent
on periodic recharging. The sentient armor incident so disturbs Stark that he temporarily returns to
using an unsophisticated early model version of his armor to avoid a repeat incident. [64] He dabbles
with using liquid metal circuitry known as S.K.I.N. that forms into a protective shell around his body,
but eventually returns to more conventional hard metal armors. [65]
During this time, Stark engages in a romance with Rumiko Fujikawa,[66] a wealthy heiress and
daughter of the man who had taken over his company during the "Heroes Reborn" period. Her
relationship with Stark endures many highs and lows, including infidelity with Stark's rival, Tiberius
Stone, in part because the fun-loving Rumiko believes that Stark is too serious and dull. Their
relationship ends with Rumiko's death at the hands of an Iron Man impostor in Iron Man (vol. 3) #87.
In Iron Man (vol. 3) #55 (July 2002), Stark publicly reveals his dual identity as Iron Man, not realizing
that by doing so, he has invalidated the agreements protecting his armor from government
duplication, since those contracts state that the Iron Man armor would be used by an employee of
Tony Stark, not by Stark himself. When he discovers that the United States military is again using his
technology, and its defective nature nearly causes a disaster in Washington, D.C. which Iron Man
barely manages to avert, Stark accepts a Presidential appointment as Secretary of Defense. In this
way, he hopes to monitor and direct how his designs are used. [67]
In the "Avengers Disassembled" storyline, Stark is forced to resign after launching into a tirade
against the Latverian ambassador at the United Nations, being manipulated by the mentally
imbalanced Scarlet Witch, who destroys Avengers Mansion and kills several members. Stark
publicly stands down as Iron Man, but continues using the costume. He joins the Avengers in
stopping the breakout in progress from the Raft and even saves Captain America from falling.
[68]
Tony changes the Avengers base to Stark Tower.[69] The Ghost, the Living
Laser and Spymaster reappear and shift Iron Man from standard superhero stories to dealing
with politicsand industrialism.[70]
New Avengers: Illuminati #1 (June 2006) reveals that years before, Stark had participated with a
secret group that included the Black Panther, Professor X, Mister Fantastic, Black Bolt, Doctor
Strange, and Namor. The goal of the group (dubbed the Illuminati by Marvel) was to strategize
overarching menaces, in which the Black Panther rejects a membership offer. Stark's goal is to
create a governing body for all superheroes in the world, but the beliefs of its members instead force
them all to share vital information.
"Civil War"
In the "Civil War" storyline, after the actions of inexperienced superheroes the New Warriors result in
the destruction of several city blocks in Stamford, Connecticut, there is an outcry across America
against superhumans. Learning of the Government's proposed plans, Tony Stark suggests a new
plan to instigate a Superhuman Registration Act. The Act would force every superpowered individual
in the U.S. to register their identity with the government and act as licensed agents. The Act would
force inexperienced superhumans to receive training in how to use and control their abilities,
something in which Tony strongly believes. Since his struggle with alcoholism, Stark has carried a
tremendous burden of guilt after nearly killing an innocent bystander while piloting the armor drunk.
While Reed Richards and Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym both agree with Stark's proposal, not everyone
does. After Captain America is ordered to bring in anyone who refuses to register, he and other anti-
registration superheroes go rogue, coming into conflict with the pro-registration heroes, led by Iron
Man. The war ends when Captain America surrenders to prevent further collateral damage and
civilian casualties, although he had defeated Stark by defusing his armor. Stark is appointed the new
director of S.H.I.E.L.D.,[71] and organizes a new government-sanctioned group of Avengers. Shortly
afterwards, Captain America is assassinated while in custody. [72] This leaves Stark with a great
amount of guilt and misgivings about the cost of his victory.[73]
"Secret Invasion"
To tie into the 2008 Iron Man feature film, Marvel launched a new Iron Man ongoing series, The
Invincible Iron Man, with writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca. The series inaugural six-
part storyline was "The Five Nightmares", which saw Stark targeted by Ezekiel Stane, the son of
Stark's former nemesis, Obadiah Stane.[74]
In the "Secret Invasion" storyline, after Tony Stark survives an attempt by Ultron to take over his
body, he is confronted in the hospital by Spider-Woman, holding the corpse of a Skrull posing
as Elektra. Realizing this is the start of an invasion by the Skrulls, Tony reveals the corpse to the
Illuminati and declares that they are at war. After Black Bolt reveals himself as a Skrull and is killed
by Namor, a squadron of Skrulls attack, forcing Tony to evacuate the other Illuminati members and
destroy the area, killing all the Skrulls. Realizing that they are incapable of trusting each other, the
members all separate to form individual plans for the oncoming invasion. [75]
Stark is discredited and publicly vilified after his inability to anticipate or prevent the secret infiltration
and invasion of Earth by the Skrulls, and by the Skrull disabling of his StarkTech technology, which
had a virtual monopoly on worldwide defense.[76] After the invasion, the U.S. government removes
him as head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and disbands the Avengers, handing control of the Initiative over
to Norman Osborn.
"Dark Reign"
Dark Reign (comics)
With his Extremis powers failing, Stark uploads a virus to destroy all records of the Registration Act,
thus preventing Osborn from learning the identities of his fellow heroes and anything that Osborn
could use, including his repulsor generators. The only copy of the database is in Stark's brain, which
he tries to delete while on the run from Osborn.[77] Stark goes so far as to inflict brain damage on
himself in order to ensure that the relevant information is wiped. When Osborn catches up to the
debilitated Stark and beats him savagely, Pepper Potts broadcasts the beatings worldwide, costing
Osborn credibility and giving Stark public sympathy. Stark goes into a vegetative state, having
previously granted Donald Blake (alter ego of the superhero Thor) power of attorney. [78] A
holographic message stored in Pepper's armor reveals that Stark had developed a means of
'rebooting' his mind from his current state prior to his destruction of the database, with Blake and
Bucky resolving to use it to restore him to normal. Meanwhile, Stark is trapped in his subconscious,
where figments of his own mind prevent him from returning to the waking world. When the procedure
fails to work, Bucky calls in Doctor Strange, who succeeds in restoring Stark back to consciousness.
The backup Stark created was made prior to the Civil War, and as such he does not remember
anything that took place during the event, although he still concludes after reviewing his past actions
that he would not have done anything differently. His brain damage means he is now dependent on
an arc reactor to sustain his body's autonomous functions. [79]
2010s
"Siege"
Siege (comics)
In the "Siege" storyline, Tony Stark is seen under the care of Dr. Donald Blake and Maria Hill when
Asgard is attacked.[80] Thor is ambushed by Osborn and the Sentry, but rescued by Hill. Osborn
declares martial law and unleashes Daken and the Sentry on Broxton to root out Thor and Hill. Hill
returns to Stark's hiding place to move him to a safer location and are joined by Speed of the Young
Avengers, who has a set of Iron Man's MK III armor that Edwin Jarvis had given Captain America.
While Osborn is battling the New Avengers, Stark appears and disables Osborn's Iron Patriot armor.
Osborn orders the Sentry to annihilate Asgard, rather than allow the Avengers to have it. After
Asgard falls, Stark stands alongside his fellow heroes, as Osborn exclaims they are all doomed and
he 'was saving them from him' pointing up towards a Void-possessed Sentry.[81] As the Void tears
apart the teams, Loki gives them the power to fight back through the Norn Stones. The Void kills
Loki, enraging Thor. Tony tells Thor to get the Void away from Asgard, which allows Tony to drop a
commandeered H.A.M.M.E.R. Helicarrier on the Void. Thor is forced to killed Sentry when the Void
resurfaces. Sometime later, the Super-Human Registration Act is repealed and Tony is given back
his company and armor. As a symbol for their heroics and their new unity, Thor places an Asgardian
tower on Stark Tower where the Watchtower once stood. [82]
"Heroic Age"
Heroic Age (comics)
In the 2010-2011 "Stark: Resilient" storyline, Tony builds the Bleeding Edge armor with the help of
Mister Fantastic. This new armor fully uses the repulsor tech battery embedded in his chest to power
Tony's entire body and mind, thus allowing him access to Extremis once more. Furthermore, the
battery operates as his "heart" and is predominantly the only thing keeping him alive. [83] Tony
announces he will form a new company, Stark Resilient. He states that he will no longer develop
weapons, but will use his repulsor technology to give free energy to the world. Justine and Sasha
Hammer create their own armored hero, Detroit Steel, to take Stark's place as the Army's leading
weapons-builder. Stark's plan consists of building two repulsor-powered cars. The Hammers try to
foil his efforts. The first car is destroyed by sabotage, while Detroit Steel attacks Stark Resilient's
facilities while Tony tests the second car. Through a legal maneuver, Tony is able to get the
Hammers to stop their attacks and releases a successful commercial about his new car. [84][85]
"Fear Itself"
In the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, Earth is attacked by the Serpent, the God of Fear and the long-
forgotten brother of Odin.[86] In Paris, Iron Man fights Grey Gargoyle, who has become Mokk, Breaker
of Faith, one of the Serpent's Worthy. Mokk leaves Iron Man unconscious and transforms Detroit
Steel and the citizens of Paris into stone.[87][88] To defeat the Serpent's army, Tony drinks a bottle of
wine (thus 'sacrificing' his sobriety) to gain an audience with Odin, who allows Tony to enter the
realm of Svartalfheim. Tony and the dwarves of Svartalfheim build enchanted weapons. [89] Tony
upgrades his armor with uru-infused enchantments and delivers the finished weapons to the
Avengers, who use them for the final battle against the Serpent's forces. Iron Man watches as Thor
kills the Serpent, but dies in the process. After the battle is over, Tony melts down the weapons he
created and repairs Captain America's shield, which had been broken by Serpent, and gives it back
to Captain America.[90] During a subsequent argument with Odin about the gods' lack of involvement
in the recent crisis, Odin gives Tony a brief opportunity to see the vastness of the universe the way
he sees it. As thanks for Tony's role in the recent crisis, Odin restores all the people that the Grey
Gargoyle killed during his rampage.[91]
Return of the Mandarin and Marvel NOW!
In the storylines "Demon" and "The Long Way Down", Stark is subpoenaed by the U.S. government
after evidence surfaces of him using the Iron Man armor while under the influence. Mandarin and
Zeke Stane upgrade some of Iron Man's old enemies and send them to commit acts of terrorism
across the world, intending to discredit Iron Man. General Bruce Babbage forces Stark to wear a
tech governor, a device that allows Babbage to deactivate Stark's armor whenever he wants. To
fight back, Tony undergoes a surgical procedure that expels the Bleeding Edge technology out of his
body and replaces his repulsor node with a new model, forcing Babbage to remove the tech
governor off his chest. He announces his retirement as Iron Man, faking Rhodes' death and giving
him a new armor so that he becomes the new Iron Man.[92] This leads into the next storyline, "The
Future", in which the Mandarin takes control of Stark's mind and uses him to create new armored
bodies for the alien spirits inhabiting his rings, but Stark allies himself with some of his old enemies,
who have also been imprisoned by Mandarin, and manages to defeat him. The final issue of this
storyline concluded Matt Fraction's series.[93]
In the ongoing series that premiered in 2012 as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch, Tony Stark has
hit a technological ceiling. After the death of Dr. Maya Hansen and the destruction of all of the
Extremis Version 2 kits that were being sold to the black market, Tony decides that the Earth is not
safe without him learning more from what's in the final frontier. He takes his new suit, enhanced with
an artificial intelligence named P.E.P.P.E.R. and joins Peter Quill and The Guardians of the
Galaxy after helping them thwart a Badoon attack on Earth. [94]
Superior Iron Man
Tony Stark's personality is inverted during the events of AXIS, bringing out more dark aspects of
himself like irresponsibility, egotism and alcoholism.[95] Stark relocates to San Francisco and builds a
new, all-white armor. He supplies the citizens of San Francisco with the Extremis 3.0 app, a version
of the techno-virus that offers beauty, health or even immortality, free. [96] When every person in the
city viewed Iron Man as a messiah for making their dreams come true, he ended the free trial mode
and started charging a daily fee of $99.99, causing many to resort to crime as way to pay for the
upgrade.[97] Daredevil confronts Stark at his new Alcatraz Islandpenthouse, but is easily brushed off.
[98]
Iron Man uses Extremis 3.0 to temporarily restore Daredevil's sight, just to prove his point.
[99]
Daredevil deduces that Stark had added Extremis to the water supply and the phones only
transmit an activation signal, but Stark subjects Murdock to minor brain damage to prevent him from
sharing this revelation with others.[100]
After discovering that new villain Teen Abomination is the son of Happy Hogan, Stark decides to
help him,[101] but this minor act of redemption is too late for Pepper Potts, who attacks Stark with the
aid of an A.I. based on Stark's mind.[102] This culminates in a confrontation between the two Starks, as
Stark calls on the unwitting aid of all 'infected' with the Extremis upgrade while the A.I. uses Stark's
various old armors to attack him. [103] Although Stark technically wins the battle as he destroys his
other armors and deletes the A.I. backup, Pepper states that she plans to reveal the truth about his
goals with Extremis, bluntly informing him that if he continues his Extremis upgrade project, he will
have to do it alone, accepting his fate of being regarded as a monster by all who know him. [104]
Time Runs Out
During the "Time Runs Out" storyline, an attempt at reclaiming Wakanda from the Cabal that Namor
had created to destroy incursive Earths results in Tony being held captive in the Necropolis. [105] After
the Cabal are apparently killed, the Illuminati free Tony, who is forced to flee due to the Illuminati's
unwillingness to let Stark be there with them when they meet Rogers and the Avengers. When the
Shi'ar and their allies arrive to destroy Earth, the Avengers and the Illuminati unsuccessfully try to
retaliate. Iron Man uses Sol's Hammer to destroy the fleet. [106] The incursions continue, and Rogers
confronts Stark about what he knows. A fight ensues between them and Stark admits that he had
lied and had known about the incursions all along. During the final incursion, Earth-1610's
S.H.I.E.L.D. launches a full-scale attack on Earth-616, during which Stark and Rogers are crushed
by a Helicarrier.[107]
All-New, All-Different Marvel
After the events of the Secret Wars crossover, Stark returns to his normal self with no signs of his
inverted personality. Eight months following the return of the universe as seen in the "All-New, All-
Different Marvel" event, Tony works in his laboratory non-stop after his position as an innovator had
been put in doubt. Because an M.I.T. student reverse-engineered some of his technology, Stark
develops a new armor which can change shape according to the situation he would find himself.
When Stark's new A.I. Friday informs him that Madame Masque has broken into the ruins of Castle
Doom, he travels to Latveria to investigate and runs into some revolutionaries who are then defeated
by a man in a suit. To his amazement, Iron Man's armor computer identifies him as Doctor Doom
with his face restored. Doctor Doom claims that he wanted to help Iron Man. [108]
After learning from Doctor Doom that Madame Masque has taken a decoy of the Wand of Watoomb,
Tony Stark confronts Madame Masque. Upon learning that Madame Masque is not allied with Doctor
Doom, Tony is attacked by her with a burst of energy that damages his armor. [109] Friday manages to
gain control of the suit and takes Tony to a safe location. Iron Man tracks Madame Masque to
Marina del Rey. After finding a tape recorder with her messages, Tony is attacked by several black
silhouettes with swords.[110]
Iron Man escapes the ninjas that are attacking him and manages to defeat most of them, but they kill
themselves before he can interrogate any of them. Iron Man and Doctor Doom arrive at Mary Jane
Watson's newest Chicago night club Jackpot when Madame Masque attacks it. [111] As Mary Jane
distracts Madame Masque by knocking off her mask, Iron Man and Doctor Doom discover that
Madame Masque is possessed by a demon. Doctor Doom is able to perform an exorcism on her.
Doctor Strange arrives and tells Iron Man he will take Madame Masque with him to fix her
metaphysically and then hand her over at S.H.I.E.L.D. Iron Man also informs him of Doctor Doom's
help who had left the scene some time ago. Three days later, Iron Man offers Mary Jane a job to
make up for the damage to her nightclub.[112]After speaking with War Machine, Tony Stark meets up
at a diner with Amara Perera when they are unexpectedly joined by Doctor Doom who wanted to
make sure that the demonic possession that affected Madame Masque has not affected Stark or
Amara.[113] Stark shows Mary Jane the demonstration on the people that he will be working with. They
are interrupted by Friday who tells Tony that War Machine is missing. [ Before heading to Tokyo,
Tony receives from Mary Jane the emergency number for Peter Parker. In Tokyo, Iron Man is
contacted by Spider-Man at War Machine's last known location as he is being observed by ninjas. [114]
During the Civil War II storyline, Iron Man protests the logic of using precognitive powers to stop
future crimes after the recently emerged Inhuman Ulysses predicted Thanos' attack on Project
Pegasus. Three weeks later, Iron Man is summoned to the Triskelion after War Machine is killed in
battle against Thanos. When Iron Man learns that War Machine and the Ultimates used Ulysses'
power to ambush Thanos, he vows to stop anyone from using that power again. [115] Iron Man
infiltrates New Attilan and makes off with Ulysses. At Stark Tower, Iron Man vows to find out how
Ulysses' precognition works. The Inhumans attack Stark Tower but are stopped by the Avengers,
the Ultimates, and S.H.I.E.L.D. During the confrontation, Ulysses has another vision which he
projects to Iron Man and everyone present, showing a rampaging Hulk standing over the corpses of
the defeated superheroes.[116] The heroes confront Banner, who is killed by Hawkeye. Barton claims
that Banner was about to transform and Banner had previously asked Hawkeye to kill him if he
should turn back into the Hulk. Tony is disgusted at this use of Ulysses' power. When his analysis of
Ulysses brain is completed,[117] Tony reveals that Ulysses does not actually see the future, but simply
assembles large quantities of data to project likely outcomes. While Danvers continues to use the
visions as a resource, Tony objects to the concept of profiling people. This results in a stand-off
when Tony's side abducts a woman from custody after Ulysses' visions identified her as a deep-
cover HYDRA agent, despite the lack of supporting evidence. [118]
Iron Man learns that his biological mother was actually Amanda Armstrong, who had given him up
for adoption. S.H.I.E.L.D. had Armstrong's baby adopted by Howard and Maria Stark. [119]
Marvel NOW! 2016
In July 2016, it was announced that Tony Stark would hand off the mantle of Iron Man to a 15-year-
old girl named Riri Williams. Riri is an MIT student who built her own Iron Man suit out of scrap
pieces and, as such, attracted Stark's attention. Early depictions of Williams' suit depict it without the
Arc Reactor, but leaves the power source for the suit unclear. [120] Another Iron Man-based series
titled Infamous Iron Man debuted featuring Doctor Doom sporting his version of the Iron Man armor.
[121]
This is revealed to be the result of serious injuries sustained by Stark during his final confrontation
with Captain Marvel. Danvers' beating leaves Stark in a coma, but he is left alive due to unspecified
experiments Stark has carried out on himself over the years.[122]
Existing as an A.I.
Following the revelation that Stark experimented on himself at the end of Civil War II, Beast
concludes that the only option is to let the experiments do their job in healing Tony and recover on
his own In Invincible Iron Man #1, an employee of Stark sends Riri Williams an artificial intelligence
housing a copy of Tony Stark's consciousness to help her control and mentor in her own version of
the Iron Man armor. This A.I. is directly copied from Tony's brain, granting sentience, with Williams
commenting on Stark existing as a "techno-ghost". As an A.I., Stark can walk around as a hard-light
object and gains the ability to remote control his vast armory of Iron Man suits. [ In The Mighty
Captain Marvel #3, the Tony Stark A.I. goes to Antarctica and visits Captain Marvel with the intent on
settling their differences from the Second Civil War, she apologizes to him for her regrets, reconciles
with him eventually and they become allies once more. Then in Secret Empire, the Tony Stark A.I.
suits up as Iron Man once again and learns of Captain America's betrayal to Hydra and how he
ended up like this. As Hydra tightens its grip across America, the Tony Stark A.I. leads a team
known as the Underground to find the Cosmic Cubes to restore Rogers to his normal self. When
things start to escalate, Tony and his crew go rogue and in search for answers for the Cube. As Iron
Man and the Underground search for them they are intercepted by Captain America and his Hydra
team. With both teams encountering each other, they are captured by the Ultron/Hank Pym hybrid,
who forces both teams to sit at a dinner table. During "dinner", Ultron reveals information about the
Hydra Avengers - such as Odinson working with Hydra to reclaim Mjolnir, Scarlet Witch being
possessed by Chthon, and Vision being affected by an A.I. virus. Ultron argues that he is doing this
because the Avengers have become less of a family over the years as so many of them jump to
obey Captain America or Iron Man, despite past experience confirming that this is not always a good
idea, but Tony counters that the only reason the team failed as a family was because of Hank's
abuse towards Wasp. Enraged, Ultron is about to kill everyone, but Ant-Man is able to calm him
down by arguing that Hank remains his own inspiration. Ultron allows the Underground to leave with
the fragment, arguing that neither side should have an advantage over the other. Back in America,
Hydra Supreme has put Namor in a position where he will be forced to sign a peace treaty that gives
Rogers access to the Cosmic Cube fragment in Atlantis, but Hydra Supreme muses that he is
unconcerned about who will acquire the fragments, as he has an inside man in the Underground.
After the Mount was attacked by Thor and the resurrected Hulk led by Hydra, the Underground
evacuated the civilians thanks to Hawkeye and the rest of the heroes. Captain America and Iron
Man fight as the Mount collapses around them. The Tony Stark A.I. initiates the Mount's "Clean
Slate Protocol", and blows up the Mount, killing Madame Hydra, then apologizes to Steve Rogers
about their past differences, but the A.I survives and, in the aftermath, helps the heroes pull the
pieces back together to take down Hydra. When Iron Man confronts Hydra Supreme, he and the
other heroes are easily overpowered by him and watch the original Captain America defeat his
Hydra self and into celebrating their victory.[123]
Marvel Legacy
Mary Jane Watson and other Stark employees find that Stark's body has completely vanished from
its pod, despite tests taken mere hours ago showing no sign of improvement or brain activity. [
The Bleeding Edge Armor, like the Extremis Armor before it, is stored in Stark's bones, and can be assembled
and controlled by his thoughts
Iron Man possesses powered armor that gives him superhuman strength and durability, flight, and
an array of weapons. The armor is invented and worn by Stark (with occasional short-term
exceptions). Other people who have assumed the Iron Man identity include Stark's long-time partner
and best friend James Rhodes;[125] close associates Harold "Happy" Hogan; Eddie March;[126]
[127]
(briefly) Michael O'Brien and Riri Williams.
The weapons systems of the suit have changed over the years, but Iron Man's standard offensive
weapons have always been the repulsor rays that are fired from the palms of his gauntlets. Other
weapons built into various incarnations of the armor include: the uni-beam projector in its chest;
pulse bolts (that pick up kinetic energy along the way; so the farther they travel, the harder they hit);
an electromagnetic pulse generator; and a defensive energy shield that can be extended up to 360
degrees. Other capabilities include: generating ultra-freon (i.e., a freeze-beam); creating and
manipulating magnetic fields; emitting sonic blasts; and projecting 3-dimensional holograms (to
create decoys).
In addition to the general-purpose model he wears, Stark has developed several
specialized suits for space travel,[38] deep-sea diving, stealth,[39][40] and other special purposes. Stark
has modified suits, like the Hulkbuster heavy armor. The Hulkbuster armor is composed of add-ons
to his so-called modular armor, designed to enhance its strength and durability enough to engage
the Hulk in a fight. A later model, created with the help of Odin and the Asgardian metal Uru, is
similar to the Destroyer. Stark develops an electronics pack during the Armor Wars that, when
attached to armors that use Stark technologies, will burn out those components, rendering the suit
useless. This pack is ineffective on later models. While it is typically associated with James Rhodes,
the War Machine armor began as one of Stark's specialty armors.
The most recent models of Stark's armor, beginning with the Extremis armor, are now stored in the
hollow portions of Stark's bones, and the personal area networking implement used to control it is
implanted into his forearm, and connected directly to his central nervous system.
The Extremis has since been removedand he now uses more conventional armors. Some armors
still take a liquid form, but are not stored within his body. His Endo-Sym Armor incorporates a
combination of the liquid smart-metal with the alien Venom symbiote, psionically controlled by Stark.
Post-Secret Wars, Stark uses a more streamlined suit of armor that can practically "morph" into
other armors or weapons.[
Powers
After being critically injured during a battle with the Extremis-enhanced Mallen, Stark injects his
nervous system with modified techno-organic virus-like body restructuring machines (the Extremis
process).[128] By rewriting his own biology, Stark is able to save his life, gain an enhanced healing
factor, and partially merge with the Iron Man armor, superseding the need for bulky, AI-controlled
armors in favor of lighter designs, technopathically controlled by his own brain. His enhanced
technopathy extends to every piece of technology, limitless and effortlessly due to his ability to
interface with communication satellites and wireless connections to increase his "range". Some
components of the armor-sheath are now stored in Tony's body, able to be recalled, and extruded
from his own skin, at will.
During the "Secret Invasion" storyline the Extremis package is catastrophically shut down by a virus,
forcing him again to rely on the previous iteration of his armor, and restoring his previous limitations.
Furthermore, Osborn's takeover of most of the few remaining Starktech factories, with Ezekiel Stane
systematically crippling the others, limits Tony to the use of lesser, older and weaker armors. [129]
After being forced to "wipe out" his brain to prevent Norman Osborn from gaining his information,
Tony Stark is forced to have a new arc reactor, of Rand design installed in his chest. The process
greatly improves his strength, stamina and intellect. The procedure left him with virtually no
autonomic functions: as his brain was stripped of every biological function, Tony is forced to rely on
a digital backup of his memories (leaving him with severe gaps and lapses in his long-term memory)
and on software routine in the arc reactor for basic stimuli reaction, such as blinking and breathing.
[130][131]
The Bleeding Edge package of armor and physical enhancement is now equal in power, if not a
more advanced, version of the old Extremis tech.[83]
Skills
Tony Stark is an inventive genius whose expertise in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry,
and computer science rivals that of Reed Richards, Hank Pym, and Bruce Banner, and his expertise
in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering surpasses even theirs. He is regarded as one
of the most intelligent characters in the Marvel Universe. He graduated with advanced degrees in
physics and engineering at the age of 17 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)[132] and
further developed his knowledge ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum mechanics as time
progressed. His expertise extends to his ingenuity in dealing with difficult situations, such as difficult
foes and deathtraps, in which he is capable of using available tools, including his suit, in unorthodox
but effective ways. He is well respected in the business world, able to command people's attention
when he speaks on economic matters, having over the years built up several multimillion-dollar
companies from virtually nothing. He is noted for the loyalty he commands from and returns to those
who work for him, as well as for his business ethics. Thus he immediately fired an employee who
made profitable, but illegal, sales to Doctor Doom.[47] He strives to be environmentally responsible in
his businesses.
At a time when Stark was unable to use his armor for a period, he received some combat training
from Captain America and has become physically formidable on his own when the situation
demands it.[133] In addition, Stark possesses great business and political acumen. On multiple
occasions he reacquired control of his companies after losing them amid corporate takeovers. [134]
Due to his membership in the Illuminati, Iron Man was given the Space Infinity Gem to safeguard.
[135]
It allows the user to exist in any location (or all locations), move any object anywhere throughout
the universe and warp or rearrange space.
Supporting characters
List of Iron Man supporting characters
Other versions
Alternative versions of Iron Man
In other media
Iron Man in other media
In 1966, Iron Man was featured in a series of cartoons. [136] In 1981, Iron Man guest appeared
in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, but only as Tony Stark.[137] He went on to feature again in
his own series in the 1990s as part of the Marvel Action Hour with the Fantastic Four; Robert
Hays provided his voice in these animated cartoons. Iron Man makes an appearance in the episode
"Shell Games" of Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes. Apart from comic books, Iron Man
appears in Capcom's "Vs." video games, including Marvel Super Heroes, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New
Age of Heroes, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Iron
Man is a playable character in Iron Man, the 1992 arcade game Captain America and the
Avengers, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and its sequel, and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, as
well as being featured as an unlockable character in X-Men Legends II: Rise of
Apocalypse and Tony Hawk's Underground.[138] In the 2009 animated series, Iron Man: Armored
Adventures, most of the characters, including Tony Stark, are teenagers. An anime
adaptation began airing in Japan in October 2010 as part of a collaboration between Marvel
Animation and Madhouse, in which Stark, voiced by Keiji Fujiwara, travels to Japan where he ends
up facing off against the Zodiac.[139]
Iron Man suit Mark VI from Iron Man 2 (premiered in 2010)
In 2008, a film adaptation titled Iron Man was released, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark
and directed by Jon Favreau. Iron Man received very positive reviews from film critics,[140] grossing
$318 million domestically and $585 million worldwide.[141] The character of Tony Stark, again played
by Robert Downey Jr., appeared at the end of the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk. Downey reprised
his role in Iron Man 2 (2010), Marvel's The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of
Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers:
Infinity War (2018), and will appear in Avengers: Endgame in 2019.[142]
In 2009, Playtech released an online casino slot machine game called Iron Man. After that they
created two more games, Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3.[143]
In October 2016, Eoin Colfer released a young adult novel called Iron Man: The Gauntlet.[144]
Cultural influence
Basically I'm here to announce that we are building Iron Man.
— The 44th President of the United States Barack Obamamade a surprise announcement at a press conference at the White
[145]
House, when he revealed details of the creation of "Manufacturing Innovation Institutes" in Chicago and Detroit.
The rapper Ghostface Killah, a member of Wu-Tang Clan, titled his 1996 debut solo
album Ironman, and has since continued to use lyrics related to the Iron Man comics
and samples from the animated TV shows on his records.[146][147] He has adopted the nickname
Tony Starks as one of his numerous alter-egos,[147] and was featured in a scene deleted from
the Iron Man film.
Paul McCartney's song "Magneto and Titanium Man" was inspired by the X-Men's nemesis
and the original version of the Iron Man villain. Another Iron Man villain, the Crimson Dynamo, is
mentioned in the lyrics to this song.[148][149]
The British band Razorlight mentions Tony Stark in a verse of their song, "Hang By, Hang
By".[150]
The character of Nathan Stark on the television show Eureka is inspired by Tony Stark.[151]
In 2011, IGN ranked Iron Man 12th in the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes. [2]
Two Iron Man-themed trucks compete in the Monster Jam monster truck racing series.
Debuted in Atlanta on 9 January 2010, they are driven by Lee O' Donnell and Morgan Kane. [152]
In 2015, University of Central Florida engineering student Albert Manero, who builds and
donates affordable 3D-printed bionic limbs to those in need, constructed a bionic arm based on
Iron Man's suit for 7-year-old Alex Pring, a superhero fan who was born with a partially formed
right arm. He then delivered the Iron Man arm to Pring with the help of Robert Downey Jr. in
character as Tony Stark.[153]
For Major League Baseball Players Weekend in August 2018, New York Yankees second
baseman Gleyber Torres designed his custom cleats after Iron Man's suit.[154]
John Fillmore Hayford (May 19, 1868 – March 10, 1925) was an eminent United States geodesist.
His work involved the study of isostasy and the construction of a reference ellipsoid for
approximating the figure of the Earth. The crater Hayford on the far side of the Moon is named after
him.[1] Mount Hayford, a 1,871 m mountain peak near Metlakatla, Alaska, United States, is named
after him.[2] A biography of Hayford may be found in the Biographical Memoirs of the National
Academy of Sciences, 16 (5), 1935.
Works.
Hayford, JF (1917), "Gravity and Isostasy.", Science (published Apr 13, 1917), 45 (1163): 350–
354, doi:10.1126/science.45.1163.350, PMID 17795741
Hayford, JF (1911), "The American Association for the Advancement of Science the Relations of Isostasy
to Geodesy, Geophysics and Geology.", Science (published Feb 10, 1911), 33 (841): 199–
208, doi:10.1126/science.33.841.199, PMID 17815861
Tittmann, OH; Hayford, JF (1906), "The Budapest Conference of the International Geodetic
Association.", Science (published Dec 7, 1906), 24 (623): 713–
719, doi:10.1126/science.24.623.713, PMID 17836523
Hayford, JF (1906), "Report of the General Secretary.", Science (published Jul 13, 1906), 24(602): 33–
40, doi:10.1126/science.24.602.33, PMID 17811031
Hayford, JF (1905), "A Connection by Precise Leveling Between the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans.", Science (published Apr 28, 1905), 21 (539): 673–
674, doi:10.1126/science.21.539.673, PMID 17789796
Hayford, JF (1901), "A New Connection Between the Gravity Measures of Europe and of the United
States.", Science (published Apr 26, 1901), 13 (330): 654–
655, doi:10.1126/science.13.330.654, PMID 17808951
Hayford, JF (1898), "The Limitations of the Present Solution of the Tidal Problem.", Science (published
Dec 9, 1898), 8 (206), pp. 810–814, doi:10.1126/science.8.206.810, PMID
Robert Bruce Banner
The Hulk is a fictional superhero appearing in publications by the American publisher Marvel
Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut
issue of The Incredible Hulk (May 1962). In his comic book appearances, the character is both the
Hulk, a green-skinned, hulking and muscular humanoid possessing a vast degree of physical
strength, and his alter ego Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, a physically weak, socially withdrawn, and
emotionally reserved physicist, the two existing as independent personalities and resenting of the
other.
Following his accidental exposure to gamma rays during the detonation of an experimental bomb,
Banner is physically transformed into the Hulk when subjected to emotional stress, at or against his
will, often leading to destructive rampages and conflicts that complicate Banner's civilian life. The
Hulk's level of strength is normally conveyed as proportionate to his level of anger. Commonly
portrayed as a raging savage, the Hulk has been represented with other personalities based on
Banner's fractured psyche, from a mindless, destructive force, to a brilliant warrior, or genius
scientist in his own right. Despite both Hulk and Banner's desire for solitude, the character has a
large supporting cast, including Banner's lover Betty Ross, his friend Rick Jones, his cousin She-
Hulk, sons Hiro-Kala and Skaar, and his co-founders of the superhero team the Avengers. However,
his uncontrollable power has brought him into conflict with his fellow heroes and others.
Lee stated that the Hulk's creation was inspired by a combination of Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde.[3]Although the Hulk's coloration has varied throughout the character's publication history,
the most usual color is green. He has two main catchphrases: "Hulk is strongest one there is!" and
the better-known "Hulk smash!", which has founded the basis for numerous pop culture memes.
One of the most iconic characters in popular culture, [4][5] the character has appeared on a variety of
merchandise, such as clothing and collectable items, inspired real-world structures (such as theme
park attractions), and been referenced in a number of media. Banner and the Hulk have been
adapted in live-action, animated, and video game incarnations. The most notable of these were the
1970s The Incredible Hulk television series, in which the character was portrayed by Bill
Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. The character was first played in a live-action feature film by Eric Bana,
with Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo portraying the character in the films The Incredible Hulk, The
Avengers, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War,
and Avengers: Endgame of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
List of Hulk titles
Series history
The Hulk's original series was canceled with issue #6 (March 1963). Lee had written each story, with
Kirby penciling the first five issues and Steve Ditko penciling and inking the sixth. The character
immediately guest-starred in The Fantastic Four #12 (March 1963), and months later became a
founding member of the superhero team the Avengers, appearing in the first two issues of the team's
eponymous series (Sept. and Nov. 1963), and returning as an antagonist in issue #3 and as an ally
in #5 (Jan.–May 1964). He then guest-starred in Fantastic Four #25–26 (April–May 1964), which
revealed Banner's full name as Robert Bruce Banner, and The Amazing Spider-Man #14 (July
1964).[16]
The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962). Cover art by Jack Kirby and Paul Reinman.
Around this time, co-creator Kirby received a letter from a college dormitory stating the Hulk had
been chosen as its official mascot.[8] Kirby and Lee realized their character had found an audience in
college-age readers.
A year and a half after The Incredible Hulk was canceled, the Hulk became one of two features
in Tales to Astonish, beginning in issue #60 (Oct. 1964).[17]
This new Hulk feature was initially scripted by Lee, with pencils by Steve Ditko and inks by George
Roussos. Other artists later in this run included Jack Kirby (#68–87, June 1965 – Oct. 1966); Gil
Kane (credited as "Scott Edwards", #76, (Feb. 1966)); Bill Everett (#78–84, April–Oct. 1966); John
Buscema (#85–87); and Marie Severin. The Tales to Astonish run introduced the super-villains
the Leader,[3] who would become the Hulk's nemesis, and the Abomination, another gamma-
irradiated being.[3]Marie Severin finished out the Hulk's run in Tales to Astonish. Beginning with issue
#102 (April 1968) the book was retitled The Incredible Hulk vol. 2,[18] and ran until 1999, when Marvel
canceled the series and launched Hulk #1. Marvel filed for a trademark for "The Incredible Hulk" in
1967, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued the registration in 1970.[19]
Len Wein wrote the series from 1974 through 1978, working first with Herb Trimpe, then, as of issue
#194 (December 1975), with Sal Buscema, who was the regular artist for ten years.[20] Issues #180–
181 (Oct.–Nov. 1974) introduced Wolverine as an antagonist,[21] who would go on to become one of
Marvel Comics' most popular characters. In 1977, Marvel launched a second title, The Rampaging
Hulk, a black-and-white comics magazine.[3] This was originally conceived as a flashback series, set
between the end of his original, short-lived solo title and the beginning of his feature in Tales to
Astonish.[22] After nine issues, the magazine was retitled The Hulk! and printed in color.[23]
In 1977, two Hulk television films were aired to strong ratings, leading to an Incredible Hulk TV
series which aired from 1978 to 1982. A huge ratings success, the series introduced the popular
Hulk catchphrase, "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry", and broadened the
character's popularity from a niche comic book readership into the mainstream consciousness. [24]
Bill Mantlo became the series' writer for five years beginning with issue #245 (March 1980). Mantlo's
"Crossroads of Eternity" stories (#300–313, Oct. 1984 – Nov. 1985) explored the idea that Banner
had suffered child abuse. Later Hulk writers Peter David and Greg Pak have called these stories an
influence on their approaches to the character.[25][26] Mantlo left the series for Alpha Flight and that
series' writer John Byrne took over The Incredible Hulk.[27] The final issue of Byrne's six issue run
featured the wedding of Bruce Banner and Betty Ross.[28] Writer Peter David began a twelve-year run
with issue #331 (May 1987). He returned to the Roger Stern and Mantlo abuse storylines, expanding
the damage caused, and depicting Banner as suffering dissociative identity disorder (DID).[3]
In 1998, David killed off Banner's long-time love Betty Ross. Marvel executives used Ross' death as
an opportunity to pursue the return of the Savage Hulk. David disagreed, leading to his parting ways
with Marvel.[29] Also in 1998, Marvel relaunched The Rampaging Hulk as a standard comic book
rather than as a comics magazine. [3] The Incredible Hulk was again cancelled with issue #474 of its
second volume in March 1999 and was replaced with new series, Hulk the following month, with
returning writer Byrne and art by Ron Garney.[30][31] By issue #12 (March 2000), Hulk was retitled
as The Incredible Hulk vol. 3[32] New series writer Paul Jenkinsdeveloped the Hulk's multiple
personalities,[33] and his run was followed by Bruce Jones[34] with his run featuring Banner being
pursued by a secret conspiracy and aided by the mysterious Mr. Blue. Jones appended his 43-
issue Incredible Hulk run with the limited series Hulk/Thing: Hard Knocks #1–4 (Nov. 2004 – Feb.
2005), which Marvel published after putting the ongoing series on hiatus. Peter David, who had
initially signed a contract for the six-issue Tempest Fugit limited series, returned as writer when it
was decided to make that story the first five parts of the revived volume three. [35] After a four-part tie-
in to the "House of M" storyline and a one-issue epilogue, David left the series once more, citing the
need to do non-Hulk work for the sake of his career. [36]
Writer Greg Pak took over the series in 2006, leading the Hulk through several crossover storylines
including "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk", which left the Hulk temporarily incapacitated and
replaced as the series' title character by the demigod Hercules in the retitled The Incredible
Hercules (Feb. 2008). The Hulk returned periodically in Hulk, which then starred the new Red Hulk.
[37]
In September 2009, The Incredible Hulk was relaunched as The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #600.
[37]
The series was retitled The Incredible Hulks with issue #612 (Nov. 2010) to encompass the Hulk's
expanded family, and ran until issue #635 (Oct. 2011) when it was replaced with The Incredible
Hulk vol. 4, (15 issues, Dec. 2011 – Dec. 2012) written by Jason Aaron with art by Marc Silvestri.
[38]
As part of Marvel's 2012 Marvel NOW!relaunch, a series called The Indestructible Hulk (Nov.
2012) debuted under the creative team of Mark Waid and Leinil Yu.[39] This series was replaced in
2014 with The Hulk by Waid and artist Mark Bagley.[40]
A number of alternate universes and alternate timelines in Marvel Comics publications allow writers
to introduce variations on the Hulk, in which the character's origins, behavior, and morality differ from
the mainstream setting. In some stories, someone other than Bruce Banner is the Hulk.
In some versions, the Hulk succumbs to the darker side of his nature: in "Future Imperfect"
(December 1992), a future version of the Hulk has become the Maestro, the tyrannical and ruthless
ruler of a nuclear war-irradiated Earth,[91] and in "Old Man Logan" (2008), an insane Hulk rules over a
post-apocalyptic California, and leads a gang of his inbred Hulk children created with his first cousin
She-Hulk.[92][93]
Characterization
Like other long-lived characters, the Hulk's character and cultural interpretations have changed with
time, adding or modifying character traits. The Hulk is typically seen as a hulking man with green
skin, wearing only a pair of torn purple pants that survive his physical transformation. As the
character progressed, other outfits were designed that could stretch to accommodate the
transformations back and forth. As Bruce Banner, the character is approximately 5'9" tall and weighs
128Ibs, but when transformed into the Hulk, the character can stand between 7–8 feet tall and weigh
up to 1,400Ibs.[94]Following his debut, Banner's transformations were triggered at nightfall, turning
him into a grey-skinned Hulk. In Incredible Hulk #2, the Hulk started to appear with green skin,[95] and
in Avengers #3 (1963) Banner realized that his transformations were now triggered by surges of
adrenaline in response to feelings of fear, pain or anger. [96] Incredible Hulk #227 (1978) established
that the Hulk's separate personality was not due to the mutation affecting his brain, but because
Banner was suffering from multiple personality disorder, with the savage Green Hulk representing
Banner's repressed childhood rage and aggression, [97] and the Grey Hulk representing Banner's
repressed selfish desires and urges
Statue of the Hulk
.[98]
Personality
Bruce Banner
During his decades of publication, Banner has been portrayed differently, but common themes
persist. Banner, a physicist, is sarcastic and seemingly very self-assured when he first appears
in Incredible Hulk #1, but is also emotionally withdrawn in most fashions. [3] Banner designed the
gamma bomb which caused his affliction, and the ironic twist of his self-inflicted fate has been one of
the most persistent common themes.[8] Arie Kaplan describes the character thus: "Robert Bruce
Banner lives in a constant state of panic, always wary that the monster inside him will erupt, and
therefore he can't form meaningful bonds with anyone." [99] As a child, Banner's father Brian often got
mad and physically abused both Banner and his mother, creating the psychological complex of fear,
anger, and the fear of anger and the destruction it can cause that underlies the character. Banner
has been shown to be emotionally repressed, but capable of deep love for Betty Ross, and for
solving problems posed to him. Under the writing of Paul Jenkins, Banner was shown to be a
capable fugitive, applying deductive reasoning and observation to figure out the events transpiring
around him. On the occasions that Banner has controlled the Hulk's body, he has applied principles
of physics to problems and challenges and used deductive reasoning. It was shown after his ability
to turn into the Hulk was taken away by the Red Hulk that Banner has been extremely versatile as
well as cunning when dealing with the many situations that followed. When he was briefly separated
from the Hulk by Doom, Banner became criminally insane, driven by his desire to regain the power
of the Hulk, but once the two recombined he came to accept that he was a better person with the
Hulk to provide something for him to focus on controlling rather than allowing his intellect to run
without restraint against the world.[100]
Hulk
The original Grey Hulk was shown as average in intelligence who roamed aimlessly and became
annoyed at "puny" humans who took him for a dangerous monster. Shortly after becoming the Hulk,
his transformation continued turning him green, coinciding with him beginning to display primitive
speech,[95] and by Incredible Hulk#4, radiation treatments gave Banner's mind complete control of the
Hulk's body. While Banner relished his indestructibility and power, he was quick to anger and more
aggressive in his Hulk form and while he became known as a hero alongside the Avengers, his
increasing paranoia caused him to leave the group, believing he would never be trusted. [96]
Originally, the Hulk was shown as simple minded and quick to anger. [101] The Hulk generally divorces
his identity from Banner's, decrying Banner as "puny Banner." [102]From his earliest stories, the Hulk
has been concerned with finding sanctuary and quiet [8] and often is shown reacting emotionally to
situations quickly. Grest and Weinberg call Hulk the "dark, primordial side of Banner's
psyche."[11] Even in the earliest appearances, Hulk spoke in the third person. Hulk retains a modest
intelligence, thinking and talking in full sentences, and Lee even gives the Hulk expository dialogue
in issue six, allowing readers to learn just what capabilities Hulk has, when the Hulk says, "But these
muscles ain't just for show! All I gotta do is spring up and just keep goin'!" In the 1970s, Hulk was
shown as more prone to anger and rage, and less talkative. Writers played with the nature of his
transformations,[103] briefly giving Banner control over the change, and the ability to maintain control of
his Hulk form. Artistically and conceptually, the character has become progressively more muscular
and powerful in the years since his debut. [104]
Originally, Stan Lee wanted the Hulk to be grey but due to ink problems, Hulk's color was changed to
green. This was later changed in story to indicate that the Grey Hulk and the Savage Hulk are
separate personalities or entities fighting for control in Bruce's subconscious. The Grey Hulk
incarnation can do the more unscrupulous things that Robert Bruce Banner could not bring himself
to do, with many sources comparing the Grey Hulk to the moody teenager that Banner never
allowed himself to be. While the Grey Hulk still had the "madder he gets, the stronger he gets" part
that is similar to the Savage Hulk, it is on a much slower rate. It is said by Leader that the Grey Hulk
is stronger on nights of the New Moon and weaker on nights of the Full Moon. Originally, the night is
when Bruce Banner becomes the Grey Hulk and changes back by dawn. In later comics, willpower
or stress would have Robert Bruce Banner turn into the Grey Hulk.[105] During one storyline where he
was placed under a spell to prevent him turning back into Bruce Banner and publicly presumed dead
when he was teleported away from a gamma bomb explosion that destroyed an entire town, the
Grey Hulk adopted a specific name as Joe Fixit, a security guard for a Las Vegas casino owner,
with the Grey Hulk often being referred to as Joe after these events. [volume & issue needed]
The Gravage Hulk is the result of Robert Bruce Banner using the Gamma Projector on himself
which merged his Savage Hulk and Grey Hulk personas. This form possesses the raw power of the
Savage Hulk and the cunning intellect of the Grey Hulk. While he doesn't draw on anger to empower
him, the Gravage Hulk persona draws on dimensional nexus energies to increase his level. [106]
The Dark Hulk persona is the result of Hulk being possessed by Shanzar. This form has black skin
and is viciously strong.[107]
Convinced that unaided, the Banner, Green Hulk and Grey Hulk identities would eventually destroy
each other, Doc Samson uses hypnosis to merge the three to create a new single identity combining
Banner's intelligence with the Grey Hulk's and Banner's attitudes, and the Green Hulk's body. This
new or Merged Hulk considered himself cured and began a new life, but the merger was not
perfect, and the Hulk sometimes still considered Banner a separate person, and when overcome
with rage, the Merged Hulk would transform back into Banner's human body while still thinking
himself the Hulk.[98] The Merged Hulk is the largest of the three primary Hulk incarnations and has a
higher base line. While in a calm emotional state, the Merged Hulk is stronger than Savage Hulk
when he is calm. Unlike the Savage Hulk and the Grey Hulk, Robert Bruce Banner subconsciously
installed a type of safeguard within this incarnation. The safeguard is that when the Merged Hulk
gets angry, he regresses back to Robert Bruce Banner with the mind of the Savage Hulk. [108]
The Green Scar persona is unleashed on Sakaar and is considered an enraged version of Gravage
Hulk. In addition, he is an expert in armed combat like the use of swords and shields. Green Scar is
also a capable leader and an expert strategist. [109]
Kluh is described as the Hulk's Hulk. This form has black skin, red lines, and a mohawk. Kluh had
incredible power where he bested the inverted Avengers and knocked around Nova and has normal
intellect.[75]
Doc Green is a variation of the Merged Hulk persona that is the result of Extremis fixing Hulk's brain.
This persona is powerful enough to destroy Tony Stark's mansion with one thunderclap. [77]
Immortal Hulk is the result of Bruce Banner and Hulk having been through different deaths and
rebirths. This incarnation is articulate, smart, cunning, and does merciless attacks on those who do
harm. Unlike the other Hulk incarnations, Immortal Hulk is content with waiting inside Bruce. If Bruce
is injured by sunset, the Immortal Hulk will emerge with his transformation being limited to night-time.
[90]
Supporting characters
List of Hulk supporting characters
Over the long publication history of the Hulk's adventures, many recurring characters have featured
prominently, including his best friend and sidekick Rick Jones, love interest and wife Betty Ross and
her father, the often adversarial General "Thunderbolt" Ross. Both Banner and Hulk have families
created in their respective personas. Banner is son to Brian, an abusive father who killed Banner's
mother while she tried to protect her son from his father's delusional attacks, and cousin to Jennifer
Walters, the She-Hulk, who serves as his frequent ally.[155] Banner had a stillborn child with Betty,
while the Hulk has two sons with his deceased second wife CaieraOldstrong, Skaar and Hiro-Kala,
and his DNA was used to create a daughter named Lyra with Thundra the warrior woman.[156]
The Fantastic Four #12 (March 1963), featured the Hulk's first battle with the Thing. Although many
early Hulk stories involve Ross trying to capture or destroy the Hulk, the main villain is often a
radiation-based character, like the Gargoyle or the Leader, along with other foes such as the Toad
Men, or Asian warlord General Fang. Ross' daughter Betty loves Banner and criticizes her father for
pursuing the Hulk. General Ross' right-hand man, Major Glenn Talbot, also loves Betty and is torn
between pursuing Hulk and trying to gain Betty's love more honorably. Rick Jones serves as the
Hulk's friend and sidekick in these early tales. The Hulk's archenemies are the Abomination and
the Leader. The Abomination is more monstrous and wreaks havoc for fun and pleasure. The
Leader is a super-genius who has tried plan after plan to take over the world.
Cultural impact
Hulk in other media
The Hulk character and the concepts behind it have been raised to the level of iconic status by many
within and outside the comic book industry. In 2003, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine claimed the
character had "stood the test of time as a genuine icon of American pop culture."[157] In 2008, the Hulk
was listed as the 19th greatest comic book character by Wizard magazine.[158] Empire magazine
named him as the 14th-greatest comic-book character and the fifth-greatest Marvel character. [159] In
2011, the Hulk placed No. 9 on IGN's list of "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes",[160] and fourth on their list
of "The Top 50 Avengers" in 2012.[161]
Analysis
The Hulk is often viewed as a reaction to war. As well as being a reaction to the Cold War, the
character has been a cipher for the frustrations the Vietnam War raised, and Ang Lee said that
the Iraq War influenced his direction.[11][162][163] In the Michael Nyman edited edition of The Guardian,
Stefanie Diekmann explored Marvel Comics' reaction to the September 11 attacks. Diekmann
discussed The Hulk's appearance in the 9/11 tribute comic Heroes, claiming that his greater
prominence, alongside Captain America, aided in "stressing the connection between anger and
justified violence without having to depict anything more than a well-known and well-respected
protagonist."[164] In Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics, Les
Daniels addresses the Hulk as an embodiment of cultural fears of radiation and nuclear science. He
quotes Jack Kirby thus: "As long as we're experimenting with radioactivity, there's no telling what
may happen, or how much our advancements in science may cost us." Daniels continues, "The Hulk
became Marvel's most disturbing embodiment of the perils inherent in the atomic age."[165]
In Comic Book Nation, Bradford Wright alludes to Hulk's counterculture status, referring to a
1965 Esquire magazine poll amongst college students which "revealed that student radicals
ranked Spider-Man and the Hulk alongside the likes of Bob Dylan and Che Guevara as their favorite
revolutionary icons." Wright goes on to cite examples of his anti-authority symbol status. Two of
these are "The Ballad of the Hulk" by Jerry Jeff Walker, and the Rolling Stone cover for September
30, 1971, a full color Herb Trimpe piece commissioned for the magazine. [103][166] The Hulk has been
caricatured in such animated television series as The Simpsons,[167] Robot Chicken, and Family Guy,
[168]
and such comedy TV series as The Young Ones.[169] The character is also used as a cultural
reference point for someone displaying anger or agitation. For example, in a 2008 Daily
Mirror review of an EastEnders episode, a character is described as going "into Incredible Hulk
mode, smashing up his flat."[170] The Hulk, especially his alter-ego Bruce Banner, is also a common
reference in rap music. The term was represented as an analogue to marijuana in Dr. Dre's 2001,
[171]
while more conventional references are made in Ludacris and Jermaine Dupri's popular single
"Welcome to Atlanta".[172]
The 2003 Ang Lee-directed Hulk film saw discussion of the character's appeal to Asian Americans.
[173]
The Taiwanese-born Ang Lee commented on the "subcurrent of repression" that underscored the
character of The Hulk, and how that mirrored his own experience: "Growing up, my artistic leanings
were always repressed—there was always pressure to do something 'useful,' like being a doctor."
Jeff Yang, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, extended this self-identification to Asian
American culture, arguing that "the passive-aggressive streak runs deep among Asian Americans—
especially those who have entered creative careers, often against their parents' wishes." [174]
There have been explorations about the real world possibility of Hulk's gamma-radiation based
origin. In The Science of Superheroes, Lois Grest and Robert Weinberg examined Hulk's powers,
explaining the scientific flaws in them. Most notably, they point out that the level of gamma
radiation Banner is exposed to at the initial blast would induce radiation sickness and kill him, or if
not, create significant cancer risks for Banner, because hard radiation strips cells of their ability to
function. They go on to offer up an alternate origin, in which a Hulk might be created by biological
experimentation with adrenal glands and GFP. Charles Q. Choi from LiveScience.com further
explains that unlike the Hulk, gamma rays are not green; existing as they do beyond the visible
spectrum, gamma rays have no color at all that we can describe. He also explains that gamma rays
are so powerful (the most powerful form of electromagnetic radiation and 10,000 times more
powerful than visible light) that they can even convert energy into matter – a possible explanation for
the increased mass that Bruce Banner takes on during transformations. "Just as the Incredible Hulk
'is the strongest one there is,' as he says himself, so too are gamma ray bursts the most powerful
explosions known."[175]
Debuting in Strange Tales #75 (June 1960), was a huge robot built by Albert Poole called the
Hulk, which was actually armor that Poole would wear. In modern-day reprints, the character's
name was changed to Grutan.[176]
First appearing in Journey Into Mystery #62 (Nov. 1960) was Xemnu the Living Hulk, a huge,
furry alien monster.[177] Coincidentally, the character's debut story was also illustrated by Jack
Kirby. The character reappeared in issue #66 (March 1961). Since then the character has been
a mainstay in the Marvel Universe, and was renamed Xemnu the Titan.[178]
A huge, orange, slimy monster was featured in a movie called The Hulk in Tales to
Astonish #21 (July 1961). In modern-day reprints, the character's name was changed to
the Glop.[179]
Reception
The Hulk was ranked #1 on a listing of Marvel Comics' monster characters in 2015. [180]
Bt PRS
Biography
George Stokes was the youngest son of the Reverend Gabriel Stokes, a clergyman in the Church of
Ireland who served as rector of Skreen, in County Sligo. Stokes home life was strongly influenced by
his father's evangelical Protestantism.[1] After attending schools in Skreen, Dublin, and Bristol, in
1837 Stokes matriculated at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Four years later he graduated as senior
wrangler and first Smith's prizeman, achievements that earned him election of a fellow of the college.
[2]
In accordance with the college statutes, Stokes had to resign the fellowship when he married in
1857. Twelve years later, under new statutes, he was re-elected to the fellowship and he retained
that place until 1902, when on the day before his 83rd birthday, he was elected as the college's
Master. Stokes did not hold that position for long, for he died at Cambridge on 1 February the
following year, and was buried in the Mill Road cemetery.
Career
In 1849, Stokes was appointed to the Lucasian professorship of mathematics at Cambridge, a
position he held until his death in 1903. On 1 June 1899, the jubilee of this appointment was
celebrated there in a ceremony, which was attended by numerous delegates from European and
American universities. A commemorative gold medal was presented to Stokes by the chancellor of
the university and marble busts of Stokes by Hamo Thornycroft were formally offered to Pembroke
College and to the university by Lord Kelvin. Stokes, who was made a baronet in 1889, further
served his university by representing it in parliament from 1887 to 1892 as one of the two members
for the Cambridge University constituency. During a portion of this period (1885–1890) he also was
president of the Royal Society, of which he had been one of the secretaries since 1854. Since he
was also Lucasian Professor at this time, Stokes was the first person to hold all three positions
simultaneously; Newton held the same three, although not at the same time.
Stokes was the oldest of the trio of natural philosophers, James Clerk Maxwell and Lord Kelvin being
the other two, who especially contributed to the fame of the Cambridge school of mathematical
physics in the middle of the 19th century. Stokes's original work began about 1840, and from that
date onwards the great extent of his output was only less remarkable than the brilliance of its quality.
The Royal Society's catalogue of scientific papers gives the titles of over a hundred memoirs by him
published down to 1883. Some of these are only brief notes, others are short controversial or
corrective statements, but many are long and elaborate treatises.
Contributions to science
In scope, his work covered a wide range of physical inquiry but, as Marie Alfred Cornu remarked in
his Rede lecture of 1899,[3] the greater part of it was concerned with waves and the transformations
imposed on them during their passage through various media.
Fluid dynamics
His first published papers, which appeared in 1842 and 1843, were on the steady motion of
incompressible fluids and some cases of fluid motion.[4][5] These were followed in 1845 by one on the
friction of fluids in motion and the equilibrium and motion of elastic solids, [6] and in 1850 by another
on the effects of the internal friction of fluids on the motion of pendulums.[7] To the theory of sound he
made several contributions, including a discussion of the effect of wind on the intensity of
sound[8] and an explanation of how the intensity is influenced by the nature of the gas in which the
sound is produced.[9]These inquiries together put the science of fluid dynamics on a new footing, and
provided a key not only to the explanation of many natural phenomena, such as the suspension of
clouds in air, and the subsidence of ripples and waves in water, but also to the solution of practical
problems, such as the flow of water in rivers and channels, and the skin resistance of ships.
Creeping flow
Stokes's law
Creeping flow past a sphere: streamlines and forces.
His work on fluid motion and viscosity led to his calculating the terminal velocity for a sphere falling
in a viscous medium.[10] This became known as Stokes's law. He derived an expression for the
frictional force (also called drag force) exerted on spherical objects with very small Reynolds
numbers.
His work is the basis of the falling sphere viscometer, in which the fluid is stationary in a vertical
glass tube. A sphere of known size and density is allowed to descend through the liquid. If correctly
selected, it reaches terminal velocity, which can be measured by the time it takes to pass two marks
on the tube. Electronic sensing can be used for opaque fluids. Knowing the terminal velocity, the
size and density of the sphere, and the density of the liquid, Stokes's law can be used to calculate
the viscosity of the fluid. A series of steel ball bearings of different diameter is normally used in the
classic experiment to improve the accuracy of the calculation. The school experiment
uses glycerine as the fluid, and the technique is used industrially to check the viscosity of fluids used
in processes.
The same theory explains why small water droplets (or ice crystals) can remain suspended in air (as
clouds) until they grow to a critical size and start falling as rain (or snow and hail). Similar use of the
equation can be made in the settlement of fine particles in water or other fluids.
The CGS unit of kinematic viscosity was named "stokes" in recognition of his work.
Light
Perhaps his best-known researches are those which deal with the wave theory of light.
His optical work began at an early period in his scientific career. His first papers on the aberration of
light appeared in 1845 and 1846, [11][12] and were followed in 1848 by one on the theory of certain
bands seen in the spectrum.[13]
In 1849 he published a long paper on the dynamical theory of diffraction, in which he showed that
the plane of polarisation must be perpendicular to the direction of propagation. [14] Two years later he
discussed the colours of thick plates. [15]
Stokes also investigated George Airy's mathematical description of rainbows.[16] Airy's findings
involved an integral that was awkward to evaluate. Stokes expressed the integral as a divergent
series, which were little understood. However, by cleverly truncating the series (i.e., ignoring all
except the first few terms of the series), Stokes obtained an accurate approximation to the integral
that was far easier to evaluate than the integral itself. [17] Stokes's research on asymptotic series led to
fundamental insights about such series.[18]
Fluorescence
Fluorspar
In 1852, in his famous paper on the change of wavelength of light, he described the phenomenon
of fluorescence, as exhibited by fluorspar and uranium glass, materials which he viewed as having
the power to convert invisible ultra-violet radiation into radiation of longer wavelengths that are
visible.[19] The Stokes shift, which describes this conversion, is named in Stokes's honour. A
mechanical model, illustrating the dynamical principle of Stokes's explanation was shown. The
offshoot of this, Stokes line, is the basis of Raman scattering. In 1883, during a lecture at the Royal
Institution, Lord Kelvin said he had heard an account of it from Stokes many years before, and had
repeatedly but vainly begged him to publish it.[20]
Polarization
A calcite crystal laid upon a paper with some letters showing the double refraction
In the same year, 1852, there appeared the paper on the composition and resolution of streams of
polarised light from different sources,[21] and in 1853 an investigation of the
metallic reflection exhibited by certain non-metallic substances.[22] The research was to highlight the
phenomenon of light polarisation. About 1860 he was engaged in an inquiry on the intensity of light
reflected from, or transmitted through, a pile of plates; [23] and in 1862 he prepared for the British
Association a valuable report on double refraction, a phenomenon where certain crystals show
different refractive indices along different axes.[24] Perhaps the best known crystal is Iceland spar,
transparent calcite crystals.
A paper on the long spectrum of the electric light bears the same date, [25] and was followed by an
inquiry into the absorption spectrum of blood.[26]
Chemical analysis
The chemical identification of organic bodies by their optical properties was treated in 1864; [27] and
later, in conjunction with the Rev. William Vernon Harcourt, he investigated the relation between the
chemical composition and the optical properties of various glasses, with reference to the conditions
of transparency and the improvement of achromatic telescopes.[28] A still later paper connected with
the construction of optical instruments discussed the theoretical limits to the aperture of microscope
objectives.[29]
Other work
Crookes Radiometer
Unpublished research
Many of Stokes' discoveries were not published, or were only touched upon in the course of his oral
lectures. One such example is his work in the theory of spectroscopy.
Lord Kelvin
In his presidential address to the British Association in 1871, Lord Kelvin stated his belief that the
application of the prismatic analysis of light to solar and stellar chemistry had never been suggested
directly or indirectly by anyone else when Stokes taught it to him at Cambridge University some time
prior to the summer of 1852, and he set forth the conclusions, theoretical and practical, which he
learnt from Stokes at that time, and which he afterwards gave regularly in his public lectures
at Glasgow.[39]
Kirchhoff
These statements, containing as they do the physical basis on which spectroscopy rests, and the
way in which it is applicable to the identification of substances existing in the sun and stars, make it
appear that Stokes anticipated Kirchhoff by at least seven or eight years. Stokes, however, in a letter
published some years after the delivery of this address, stated that he had failed to take one
essential step in the argument—not perceiving that emission of light of definite wavelength not
merely permitted, but necessitated, absorption of light of the same wavelength. He modestly
disclaimed "any part of Kirchhoff's admirable discovery," adding that he felt some of his friends had
been over-zealous in his cause.[40] It must be said, however, that English men of science have not
accepted this disclaimer in all its fullness, and still attribute to Stokes the credit of having first
enunciated the fundamental principles of spectroscopy.
In another way, too, Stokes did much for the progress of mathematical physics. Soon after he was
elected to the Lucasian chair he announced that he regarded it as part of his professional duties to
help any member of the university in difficulties he might encounter in his mathematical studies, and
the assistance rendered was so real that pupils were glad to consult him, even after they had
become colleagues, on mathematical and physical problems in which they found themselves at a
loss. Then during the thirty years he acted as secretary of the Royal Society he exercised an
enormous if inconspicuous influence on the advancement of mathematical and physical science, not
only directly by his own investigations, but indirectly by suggesting problems for inquiry and inciting
men to attack them, and by his readiness to give encouragement and help.
Contributions to engineering
He appeared as an expert witness at the Tay Bridge disaster, where he gave evidence about the
effects of wind loads on the bridge. The centre section of the bridge (known as the High Girders)
was completely destroyed during a storm on 28 December 1879, while an express train was in the
section, and everyone aboard died (more than 75 victims). The Board of Inquiry listened to
many expert witnesses, and concluded that the bridge was "badly designed, badly built and badly
maintained".[41]
As a result of his evidence, he was appointed a member of the subsequent Royal Commission into
the effect of wind pressure on structures. The effects of high winds on large structures had been
neglected at that time, and the commission conducted a series of measurements across Britain to
gain an appreciation of wind speeds during storms, and the pressures they exerted on exposed
surfaces.
Work on religion
Stokes held conservative religious values and beliefs. In 1886, he became president of the Victoria
Institute, which had been founded to defend evangelical Christian principles against challenges from
the new sciences, especially the Darwinian theory of biological evolution. He gave the 1891 Gifford
lecture on natural theology.[42][43] He was also the vice-president of the British and Foreign Bible
Society and was actively involved in doctrinal debates concerning missionary work. [44]
As President of the Victoria Institute, Stokes wrote: "We all admit that the book of Nature and the
book of Revelation come alike from God, and that consequently there can be no real discrepancy
between the two if rightly interpreted. The provisions of Science and Revelation are, for the most
part, so distinct that there is little chance of collision. But if an apparent discrepancy should arise, we
have no right on principle, to exclude either in favour of the other. For however firmly convinced we
may be of the truth of revelation, we must admit our liability to err as to the extent or interpretation of
what is revealed; and however strong the scientific evidence in favour of a theory may be, we must
remember that we are dealing with evidence which, in its nature, is probable only, and it is
conceivable that wider scientific knowledge might lead us to alter our opinion". [45]
Personal life
He married, on 4 July 1857 at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, Mary Susanna Robinson, daughter of
the Rev Thomas Romney Robinson. They had five children: Arthur Romney, who inherited the
baronetcy; Susanna Elizabeth, who died in infancy; Isabella Lucy (Mrs Laurence Humphry) who
contributed the personal memoir of her father in "Memoir and Scientific Correspondence of the Late
George Gabriel Stokes, Bart"; Dr William George Gabriel, physician, a troubled man who committed
suicide aged 30 whilst temporarily insane; and Dora Susanna, who died in infancy. He is survived by
his great great granddaughter Briana Stokes.
Albert Einstein.
Albert Einstein (/ˈaɪnstaɪn/;[4] German: [ˈalbɛɐ̯t ˈʔaɪnʃtaɪn] ( listen); 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955)
was a German-born theoretical physicist[5] who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two
pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics).[3][6]:274 His work is also known for its
influence on the philosophy of science.[7][8] He is best known to the general public for his mass–
energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation".
[9]
He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially
for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect",[10] a pivotal step in the development
of quantum theory.
Near the beginning of his career, Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough
to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led him
to develop his special theory of relativity during his time at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern (1902–
1909), Switzerland. However, he realized that the principle of relativity could also be extended to
gravitational fields, and he published a paper on general relativity in 1916 with his theory of
gravitation. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which
led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the
thermal properties of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In 1917, he applied
the general theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe. [11][12]
Except for one year in Prague, Einstein lived in Switzerland between 1895 and 1914, during which
time he renounced his German citizenship in 1896, then received his academic diploma from the
Swiss federal polytechnic school (later the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, ETH) in Zürich
in 1900. After being stateless for more than five years, he acquired Swiss citizenship in 1901, which
he kept for the rest of his life. In 1905, he was awarded a PhD by the University of Zurich. The same
year, he published four groundbreaking papers during his renowned annus mirabilis (miracle year)
which brought him to the notice of the academic world at the age of 26. Einstein taught theoretical
physics at Zurich between 1912 and 1914 before he left for Berlin, where he was elected to
the Prussian Academy of Sciences.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein in 1921
In 1933, while Einstein was visiting the United States, Adolf Hitler came to power. Because of
his Jewish background, Einstein did not return to Germany.[13] He settled in the United States and
became an American citizen in 1940.[14] On the eve of World War II, he endorsed a letter to President
Franklin D. Roosevelt alerting him to the potential development of "extremely powerful bombs of a
new type" and recommending that the US begin similar research. This eventually led to
the Manhattan Project. Einstein supported the Allies, but he generally denounced the idea of
using nuclear fission as a weapon. He signed the Russell–Einstein Manifesto with British
philosopher Bertrand Russell, which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons. He was affiliated
with the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, until his death in 1955.
Einstein published more than 300 scientific papers and more than 150 non-scientific works.[11][15] His
intellectual achievements and originality have made the word "Einstein" synonymous with "genius".
[16]
Eugene Wigner wrote of Einstein in comparison to his contemporaries that "Einstein's
understanding was deeper even than Jancsi von Neumann's. His mind was both more penetrating
and more original than von Neumann's. And that is a very remarkable statement."
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, in the Kingdom of Württemberg in the German Empire, on 14 March
1879.[5] His parents were Hermann Einstein, a salesman and engineer, and Pauline Koch. In 1880,
the family moved to Munich, where Einstein's father and his uncle Jakob founded Elektrotechnische
Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie, a company that manufactured electrical equipment based on direct current.
[5]
The Einsteins were non-observant Ashkenazi Jews, and Albert attended a Catholic elementary
school in Munich, from the age of 5, for three years. At the age of 8, he was transferred to
the Luitpold Gymnasium (now known as the Albert Einstein Gymnasium), where he received
advanced primary and secondary school education until he left the German Empire seven years
later.[18]
In 1894, Hermann and Jakob's company lost a bid to supply the city of Munich with electrical lighting
because they lacked the capital to convert their equipment from the direct current (DC) standard to
the more efficient alternating current (AC) standard.[19] The loss forced the sale of the Munich factory.
In search of business, the Einstein family moved to Italy, first to Milan and a few months later
to Pavia. When the family moved to Pavia, Einstein, then 15, stayed in Munich to finish his studies at
the Luitpold Gymnasium. His father intended for him to pursue electrical engineering, but Einstein
clashed with authorities and resented the school's regimen and teaching method. He later wrote that
the spirit of learning and creative thought was lost in strict rote learning. At the end of December
1894, he travelled to Italy to join his family in Pavia, convincing the school to let him go by using a
doctor's note.[20]During his time in Italy he wrote a short essay with the title "On the Investigation of
the State of the Ether in a Magnetic Field".[21][22]
Einstein always excelled at math and physics from a young age, reaching a mathematical level
years ahead of his peers. The twelve year old Einstein taught himself algebra and Euclidean
geometry over a single summer. Einstein also independently discovered his own original proof of
the Pythagorean theorem at age 12.[23] A family tutor Max Talmud says that after he had given the 12
year old Einstein a geometry textbook, after a short time "[Einstein] had worked through the whole
book. He thereupon devoted himself to higher mathematics... Soon the flight of his mathematical
genius was so high I could not follow."[24] His passion for geometry and algebra led the twelve year
old to become convinced that nature could be understood as a "mathematical structure". [24] Einstein
started teaching himself calculus at 12, and as a 14 year old he says he had
"mastered integral and differentialcalculus".[25]
At age 13, Einstein was introduced to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, and Kant became his favorite
philosopher, his tutor stating: "At the time he was still a child, only thirteen years old, yet Kant's
works, incomprehensible to ordinary mortals, seemed to be clear to him." [24]
In 1895, at the age of 16, Einstein took the entrance examinations for the Swiss Federal
Polytechnic in Zürich(later the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, ETH). He failed to reach the
required standard in the general part of the examination, [26] but obtained exceptional grades in
physics and mathematics.[27] On the advice of the principal of the Polytechnic, he attended
the Argovian cantonal school (gymnasium) in Aarau, Switzerland, in 1895 and 1896 to complete his
secondary schooling. While lodging with the family of professor Jost Winteler, he fell in love with
Winteler's daughter, Marie. Albert's sister Maja later married Winteler's son Paul.[28] In January 1896,
with his father's approval, Einstein renounced his citizenship in the German Kingdom of
Württemberg to avoid military service.[29] In September 1896, he passed the Swiss Matura with
mostly good grades, including a top grade of 6 in physics and mathematical subjects, on a scale of
1–6.[30] At 17, he enrolled in the four-year mathematics and physics teaching diploma program at the
Zürich Polytechnic. Marie Winteler, who was a year older, moved to Olsberg, Switzerland, for a
teaching post.
Einstein's future wife, a 20-year old Serbian woman Mileva Marić, also enrolled at the Polytechnic
that year. She was the only woman among the six students in the mathematics and physics section
of the teaching diploma course. Over the next few years, Einstein and Marić's friendship developed
into romance, and they read books together on extra-curricular physics in which Einstein was taking
an increasing interest. In 1900, Einstein passed the exams in Maths and Physics and was awarded
the Federal Polytechnic teaching diploma.[31] There have been claims that Marić collaborated with
Einstein on his 1905 papers, [32][33] known as the Annus Mirabilis papers, but historians of physics who
have studied the issue find no evidence that she made any substantive contributions. [34][35][36][37]
An early correspondence between Einstein and Marić was discovered and published in 1987 which
revealed that the couple had a daughter named "Lieserl", born in early 1902 in Novi Sad where
Marić was staying with her parents. Marić returned to Switzerland without the child, whose real name
and fate are unknown. The contents of Einstein's letter in September 1903 suggest that the girl was
either given up for adoption or died of scarlet fever in infancy.[38][39]
Friends
Among Einstein's well-known friends were Michele Besso, Paul Ehrenfest, Marcel
Grossmann, János Plesch, Daniel Q. Posin, Maurice Solovine, and Stephen Wise.[49]
Patent office
After graduating in 1900, Einstein spent almost two frustrating years searching for a teaching post.
He acquired Swiss citizenship in February 1901,[50] but for medical reasons was not conscripted. With
the help of Marcel Grossmann's father, he secured a job in Bern at the Federal Office for Intellectual
Property, the patent office,[51][52] as an assistant examiner – level III.[53][54]
Einstein evaluated patent applications for a variety of devices including a gravel sorter and an
electromechanical typewriter.[54] In 1903, his position at the Swiss Patent Office became permanent,
although he was passed over for promotion until he "fully mastered machine technology". [55]:370
Much of his work at the patent office related to questions about transmission of electric signals and
electrical–mechanical synchronization of time, two technical problems that show up conspicuously in
the thought experiments that eventually led Einstein to his radical conclusions about the nature of
light and the fundamental connection between space and time. [55]:377
With a few friends he had met in Bern, Einstein started a small discussion group in 1902, self-
mockingly named "The Olympia Academy", which met regularly to discuss science and philosophy.
Their readings included the works of Henri Poincaré, Ernst Mach, and David Hume, which influenced
his scientific and philosophical outlook.[56]
First scientific papers
Einstein's official 1921 portrait after receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics
Academic career
By 1908, he was recognized as a leading scientist and was appointed lecturer at the University of
Bern. The following year, after giving a lecture on electrodynamics and the relativity principle at the
University of Zürich, Alfred Kleiner recommended him to the faculty for a newly created
professorship in theoretical physics. Einstein was appointed associate professor in 1909. [61]
Einstein became a full professor at the German Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague in April
1911, accepting Austrian citizenship in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to do so.[62][63] During his Prague
stay, he wrote 11 scientific works, five of them on radiation mathematics and on the quantum theory
of solids. In July 1912, he returned to his alma mater in Zürich. From 1912 until 1914, he was
professor of theoretical physics at the ETH Zurich, where he taught analytical mechanics
and thermodynamics. He also studied continuum mechanics, the molecular theory of heat, and the
problem of gravitation, on which he worked with mathematician and friend Marcel Grossmann.[64]
On 3 July 1913, he was voted for membership in the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin. Max
Planck and Walther Nernst visited him the next week in Zurich to persuade him to join the academy,
additionally offering him the post of director at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics, which was
soon to be established.[65] (Membership in the academy included paid salary and professorship
without teaching duties at the Humboldt University of Berlin.) He was officially elected to the
academy on 24 July, and he accepted to move to the German Empire the next year. His decision to
move to Berlin was also influenced by the prospect of living near his cousin Elsa, with whom he had
developed a romantic affair. He joined the academy and thus the Berlin University on 1 April 1914.
[66]
As World War I broke out that year, the plan for Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics was aborted.
The institute was established on 1 October 1917, with Einstein as its director. [67] In 1916, Einstein
was elected president of the German Physical Society (1916–1918).[68]
Based on calculations Einstein made in 1911, about his new theory of general relativity, light from
another star should be bent by the Sun's gravity. In 1919, that prediction was confirmed by Sir Arthur
Eddington during the solar eclipse of 29 May 1919. Those observations were published in the
international media, making Einstein world-famous. On 7 November 1919, the leading British
newspaper The Times printed a banner headline that read: "Revolution in Science – New Theory of
the Universe – Newtonian Ideas Overthrown".[69]
In 1920, he became a Foreign Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
[70]
In 1922, he was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to Theoretical Physics,
and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". [10] While the general theory of
relativity was still considered somewhat controversial, the citation also does not treat the cited work
as an explanation but merely as a discovery of the law, as the idea of photons was considered
outlandish and did not receive universal acceptance until the 1924 derivation of the Planck
spectrum by S. N. Bose. Einstein was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS)
in 1921.[3] He also received the Copley Medal from the Royal Society in 1925.[3]
Einstein visited New York City for the first time on 2 April 1921, where he received an official
welcome by Mayor John Francis Hylan, followed by three weeks of lectures and receptions. He went
on to deliver several lectures at Columbia University and Princeton University, and in Washington he
accompanied representatives of the National Academy of Science on a visit to the White House. On
his return to Europe he was the guest of the British statesman and philosopher Viscount Haldane in
London, where he met several renowned scientific, intellectual and political figures, and delivered a
lecture at King's College London.[71] [72]
He also published an essay, "My First Impression of the U.S.A.," in July 1921, in which he tried
briefly to describe some characteristics of Americans, much as had Alexis de Tocqueville, who
published his own impressions in Democracy in America (1835).[73] For some of his observations,
Einstein was clearly surprised: "What strikes a visitor is the joyous, positive attitude to life ... The
American is friendly, self-confident, optimistic, and without envy." [74]:20
In 1922, his travels took him to Asia and later to Palestine, as part of a six-month excursion and
speaking tour, as he visited Singapore, Ceylon and Japan, where he gave a series of lectures to
thousands of Japanese. After his first public lecture, he met the emperor and empress at
the Imperial Palace, where thousands came to watch. In a letter to his sons, he described his
impression of the Japanese as being modest, intelligent, considerate, and having a true feel for art.
In his own travel diaries from his 1922-23 visit to Asia, he expresses some views on the Chinese,
[75]
Japanese and Indian people, which have been described as xenophobic and racist judgments when
they were rediscovered in 2018.[76]
Because of Einstein's travels to the Far East, he was unable to personally accept the Nobel Prize for
Physics at the Stockholm award ceremony in December 1922. In his place, the banquet speech was
held by a German diplomat, who praised Einstein not only as a scientist but also as an international
peacemaker and activist.[77]
On his return voyage, he visited Palestine for 12 days in what would become his only visit to that
region. He was greeted as if he were a head of state, rather than a physicist, which included a
cannon salute upon arriving at the home of the British high commissioner, Sir Herbert Samuel.
During one reception, the building was stormed by people who wanted to see and hear him. In
Einstein's talk to the audience, he expressed happiness that the Jewish people were beginning to be
recognized as a force in the world.[78]
Einstein visited Spain for two weeks in 1923, where he briefly met Santiago Ramón y Cajal and also
received a diploma from King Alfonso XIIInaming him a member of the Spanish Academy of
Sciences.[79]
From 1922 to 1932, Einstein was a member of the International Committee on Intellectual
Cooperation of the League of Nations in Geneva (with a few months of interruption in 1923–1924),
[80]
a body created to promote international exchange between scientists, researchers, teachers,
artists and intellectuals.[81] Originally slated to serve as the Swiss delegate, Secretary-General Eric
Drummond was persuaded by Catholic activists Oskar Halecki and Giuseppe Motta to instead have
him become the German delegate, thus allowing Gonzague de Reynold to take the Swiss spot, from
which he promoted traditionalist Catholic values.[82] Einstein’s former physics professor Hendrik
Lorentz and the French chemist Marie Curiewere also members of the committee.
Cartoon of Einstein, who has shed his "Pacifism" wings, standing next to a pillar labeled "World Peace". He is
rolling up his sleeves and holding a sword labeled "Preparedness" (by Charles R. Macauley, c. 1933).
In February 1933 while on a visit to the United States, Einstein knew he could not return to Germany
with the rise to power of the Nazis under Germany's new chancellor, Adolf Hitler.[88][89]
While at American universities in early 1933, he undertook his third two-month visiting professorship
at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He and his wife Elsa returned to Belgium by
ship in March, and during the trip they learned that their cottage was raided by the Nazis and his
personal sailboat confiscated. Upon landing in Antwerp on 28 March, he immediately went to the
German consulate and surrendered his passport, formally renouncing his German citizenship. [90] The
Nazis later sold his boat and converted his cottage into a Hitler Youth camp.[91]
Refugee status
Albert Einstein's landing card (26 May 1933), when he landed in Dover(United Kingdom)
from Ostende(Belgium) to visit Oxford.
In April 1933, Einstein discovered that the new German government had passed laws barring Jews
from holding any official positions, including teaching at universities. [90] Historian Gerald
Holton describes how, with "virtually no audible protest being raised by their colleagues", thousands
of Jewish scientists were suddenly forced to give up their university positions and their names were
removed from the rolls of institutions where they were employed. [74]
A month later, Einstein's works were among those targeted by the German Student Union in
the Nazi book burnings, with Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels proclaiming, "Jewish
intellectualism is dead."[90] One German magazine included him in a list of enemies of the German
regime with the phrase, "not yet hanged", offering a $5,000 bounty on his head. [90][92] In a subsequent
letter to physicist and friend Max Born, who had already emigrated from Germany to England,
Einstein wrote, "... I must confess that the degree of their brutality and cowardice came as something
of a surprise."[90] After moving to the US, he described the book burnings as a "spontaneous
emotional outburst" by those who "shun popular enlightenment," and "more than anything else in the
world, fear the influence of men of intellectual independence." [93]
Einstein was now without a permanent home, unsure where he would live and work, and equally
worried about the fate of countless other scientists still in Germany. He rented a house in De Haan,
Belgium, where he lived for a few months. In late July 1933, he went to England for about six weeks
at the personal invitation of British naval officer Commander Oliver Locker-Lampson, who had
become friends with Einstein in the preceding years. To protect Einstein, Locker-Lampson had two
assistants watch over him at his secluded cottage outside London, with a photo of them carrying
shotguns and guarding Einstein, published in the Daily Herald on 24 July 1933.[94][95]
Locker-Lampson took Einstein to meet Winston Churchill at his home, and later, Austen
Chamberlain and former Prime Minister Lloyd George.[96]Einstein asked them to help bring Jewish
scientists out of Germany. British historian Martin Gilbert notes that Churchill responded
immediately, and sent his friend, physicist Frederick Lindemann, to Germany to seek out Jewish
scientists and place them in British universities.[97] Churchill later observed that as a result of
Germany having driven the Jews out, they had lowered their "technical standards" and put the
Allies' technology ahead of theirs.[97]
Einstein later contacted leaders of other nations, including Turkey's Prime Minister, İsmet İnönü, to
whom he wrote in September 1933 requesting placement of unemployed German-Jewish scientists.
As a result of Einstein's letter, Jewish invitees to Turkey eventually totaled over "1,000 saved
individuals".[98]
Locker-Lampson also submitted a bill to parliament to extend British citizenship to Einstein, during
which period Einstein made a number of public appearances describing the crisis brewing in Europe.
[99]
In one of his speeches he denounced Germany's treatment of Jews, while at the same time he
introduced a bill promoting Jewish citizenship in Palestine, as they were being denied citizenship
elsewhere.[100] In his speech he described Einstein as a "citizen of the world" who should be offered a
temporary shelter in the UK.[note 2][101] Both bills failed, however, and Einstein then accepted an earlier
offer from the Institute for Advanced Study, in Princeton, New Jersey, US, to become a resident
scholar.[99]
Resident scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study
In October 1933 Einstein returned to the US and took up a position at the Institute for Advanced
Study,[99][102]noted for having become a refuge for scientists fleeing Nazi Germany. [103] At the time, most
American universities, including Harvard, Princeton and Yale, had minimal or no Jewish faculty or
students, as a result of their Jewish quotas, which lasted until the late 1940s.[103]
Einstein was still undecided on his future. He had offers from several European universities,
including Christ Church, Oxford where he stayed for three short periods between May 1931 and
June 1933 and was offered a 5-year studentship, [104][105] but in 1935 he arrived at the decision to
remain permanently in the United States and apply for citizenship. [99][106]
Einstein's affiliation with the Institute for Advanced Study would last until his death in 1955. [107] He
was one of the four first selected (two of the others being John von Neumann and Kurt Gödel) at the
new Institute, where he soon developed a close friendship with Gödel. The two would take long
walks together discussing their work. Bruria Kaufman, his assistant, later became a physicist. During
this period, Einstein tried to develop a unified field theoryand to refute the accepted
interpretation of quantum physics, both unsuccessfully.
World War II and the Manhattan Project
See also: Einstein–Szilárd letter
In 1939, a group of Hungarian scientists that included émigré physicist Leó Szilárd attempted to alert
Washington to ongoing Nazi atomic bomb research. The group's warnings were discounted. Einstein
and Szilárd, along with other refugees such as Edward Teller and Eugene Wigner, "regarded it as
their responsibility to alert Americans to the possibility that German scientists might win the race to
build an atomic bomb, and to warn that Hitler would be more than willing to resort to such a
weapon."[108][109] To make certain the US was aware of the danger, in July 1939, a few months before
the beginning of World War II in Europe, Szilárd and Wigner visited Einstein to explain the possibility
of atomic bombs, which Einstein, a pacifist, said he had never considered. [110] He was asked to lend
his support by writing a letter, with Szilárd, to President Roosevelt, recommending the US pay
attention and engage in its own nuclear weapons research.
The letter is believed to be "arguably the key stimulus for the U.S. adoption of serious investigations
into nuclear weapons on the eve of the U.S. entry into World War II". [111] In addition to the letter,
Einstein used his connections with the Belgian Royal Family[112] and the Belgian queen mother to get
access with a personal envoy to the White House's Oval Office. Some say that as a result of
Einstein's letter and his meetings with Roosevelt, the US entered the "race" to develop the bomb,
drawing on its "immense material, financial, and scientific resources" to initiate the Manhattan
Project.
For Einstein, "war was a disease ... [and] he called for resistance to war." By signing the letter to
Roosevelt, some argue he went against his pacifist principles. [113] In 1954, a year before his death,
Einstein said to his old friend, Linus Pauling, "I made one great mistake in my life—when I signed the
letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made; but there was some
justification—the danger that the Germans would make them ..."[114]
US citizenship
Einstein became an American citizen in 1940. Not long after settling into his career at the Institute for
Advanced Study (in Princeton, New Jersey), he expressed his appreciation of the meritocracy in
American culture when compared to Europe. He recognized the "right of individuals to say and think
what they pleased", without social barriers, and as a result, individuals were encouraged, he said, to
be more creative, a trait he valued from his own early education. [115]
Einstein joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in
Princeton, where he campaigned for the civil rights of African Americans. He considered racism
America's "worst disease,"[92] seeing it as "handed down from one generation to the next". [116] As part
of his involvement, he corresponded with civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois and was prepared to
testify on his behalf during his trial in 1951.[117]:565 When Einstein offered to be a character witness for
Du Bois, the judge decided to drop the case.[118]
In 1946 Einstein visited Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, a historically black college, where he was
awarded an honorary degree. (Lincoln was the first university in the United States to grant college
degrees to African Americans; alumni include Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall.) Einstein
gave a speech about racism in America, adding, "I do not intend to be quiet about it." [119] A resident of
Princeton recalls that Einstein had once paid the college tuition for a black student. [118]
Personal life
Einstein in 1947
Einstein (right) with writer, musician and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, 1930
Einstein developed an appreciation for music at an early age, and later wrote: "If I were not a
physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see
my life in terms of music... I get most joy in life out of music."[125][126]
His mother played the piano reasonably well and wanted her son to learn the violin, not only to instill
in him a love of music but also to help him assimilate into German culture. According to
conductor Leon Botstein, Einstein began playing when he was 5, although he did not enjoy it at that
age.[127]
When he turned 13, he discovered the violin sonatas of Mozart, whereupon "Einstein fell in love"
with Mozart's music and studied music more willingly. He taught himself to play without "ever
practicing systematically", he said, deciding that "love is a better teacher than a sense of duty." [127] At
age 17, he was heard by a school examiner in Aarau as he played Beethoven's violin sonatas, the
examiner stating afterward that his playing was "remarkable and revealing of 'great insight'." What
struck the examiner, writes Botstein, was that Einstein "displayed a deep love of the music, a quality
that was and remains in short supply. Music possessed an unusual meaning for this student." [127]
Music took on a pivotal and permanent role in Einstein's life from that period on. Although the idea of
becoming a professional musician himself was not on his mind at any time, among those with whom
Einstein played chamber music were a few professionals, and he performed for private audiences
and friends. Chamber music had also become a regular part of his social life while living in Bern,
Zürich, and Berlin, where he played with Max Planck and his son, among others. He is sometimes
erroneously credited as the editor of the 1937 edition of the Köchel catalogue of Mozart's work; that
edition was prepared by Alfred Einstein, who may have been a distant relation. [128][129]
In 1931, while engaged in research at the California Institute of Technology, he visited the Zoellner
family conservatory in Los Angeles, where he played some of Beethoven and Mozart's works with
members of the Zoellner Quartet.[130][131] Near the end of his life, when the young Juilliard
Quartet visited him in Princeton, he played his violin with them, and the quartet was "impressed by
Einstein's level of coordination and intonation". [127]
Political and religious views
Main articles: Albert Einstein's political views and Albert Einstein's religious views
Albert Einstein with his wife Elsa Einstein and Zionist leaders, including future President of Israel Chaim
Weizmann, his wife Vera Weizmann, Menahem Ussishkin, and Ben-Zion Mossinson on arrival in New York City
in 1921
Einstein's political view was in favor of socialism and critical of capitalism, which he detailed in his
essays such as "Why Socialism?".[132][133] Einstein offered and was called on to give judgments and
opinions on matters often unrelated to theoretical physics or mathematics. [99] He strongly advocated
the idea of a democratic global government that would check the power of nation-states in the
framework of a world federation. [134] The FBI created a secret dossier on Einstein in 1932, and by the
time of his death his FBI file was 1,427 pages long.[135]
Einstein was deeply impressed by Mahatma Gandhi. He exchanged written letters with Gandhi, and
called him "a role model for the generations to come" in a letter writing about him. [136]
Einstein spoke of his spiritual outlook in a wide array of original writings and interviews. [137] Einstein
stated that he had sympathy for the impersonal pantheistic God of Baruch Spinoza's philosophy.
[138]
He did not believe in a personal God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human
beings, a view which he described as naïve.[139] He clarified, however, that "I am not an atheist",
[140]
preferring to call himself an agnostic,[141] or a "deeply religious nonbeliever."[139] When asked if he
believed in an afterlife, Einstein replied, "No. And one life is enough for me." [142]
Einstein was primarily affiliated with non-religious humanist and Ethical Culture groups in both the
UK and US. He served on the advisory board of the First Humanist Society of New York,[143] and was
an honorary associate of the Rationalist Association, which publishes New Humanist in Britain. For
the seventy-fifth anniversary of the New York Society for Ethical Culture, he stated that the idea of
Ethical Culture embodied his personal conception of what is most valuable and enduring in religious
idealism. He observed, "Without 'ethical culture' there is no salvation for humanity." [144]
Death
On 17 April 1955, Einstein experienced internal bleeding caused by the rupture of an abdominal
aortic aneurysm, which had previously been reinforced surgically by Rudolph Nissen in 1948.[145] He
took the draft of a speech he was preparing for a television appearance commemorating the State of
Israel's seventh anniversary with him to the hospital, but he did not live long enough to complete it. [146]
Einstein refused surgery, saying, "I want to go when I want. It is tasteless to prolong life artificially. I
have done my share; it is time to go. I will do it elegantly." [147] He died in Princeton Hospital early the
next morning at the age of 76, having continued to work until near the end. [148]
During the autopsy, the pathologist of Princeton Hospital, Thomas Stoltz Harvey, removed Einstein's
brain for preservation without the permission of his family, in the hope that the neuroscience of the
future would be able to discover what made Einstein so intelligent.[149] Einstein's remains
were cremated and his ashes were scattered at an undisclosed location. [150][151]
In a memorial lecture delivered on 13 December 1965, at UNESCO headquarters, nuclear
physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer summarized his impression of Einstein as a person: "He was
almost wholly without sophistication and wholly without worldliness ... There was always with him a
wonderful purity at once childlike and profoundly stubborn." [152]
Scientific career
Throughout his life, Einstein published hundreds of books and articles. [15][5] He published more than
300 scientific papers and 150 non-scientific ones. [11][15] On 5 December 2014, universities and
archives announced the release of Einstein's papers, comprising more than 30,000 unique
documents.[153][154] Einstein's intellectual achievements and originality have made the word "Einstein"
synonymous with "genius."[16] In addition to the work he did by himself he also collaborated with other
scientists on additional projects including the Bose–Einstein statistics, the Einstein refrigerator and
others.[155]
On the Motion of
Small Particles
Suspended in a Explained empirical evidence for
Brownian
Stationary Liquid, as 11 May 18 July the atomic theory, supporting the
motion
Required by the application of statistical physics.
Molecular Kinetic
Theory of Heat
Statistical mechanics
Thermodynamic fluctuations and statistical physics
Main articles: Statistical mechanics, thermal fluctuations, and statistical physics
Einstein's first paper[160] submitted in 1900 to Annalen der Physik was on capillary attraction. It was
published in 1901 with the title "Folgerungen aus den Capillaritätserscheinungen", which translates
as "Conclusions from the capillarity phenomena". Two papers he published in 1902–1903
(thermodynamics) attempted to interpret atomic phenomena from a statistical point of view. These
papers were the foundation for the 1905 paper on Brownian motion, which showed that Brownian
movement can be construed as firm evidence that molecules exist. His research in 1903 and 1904
was mainly concerned with the effect of finite atomic size on diffusion phenomena. [160]
Theory of critical opalescence
Main article: Critical opalescence
Einstein returned to the problem of thermodynamic fluctuations, giving a treatment of the density
variations in a fluid at its critical point. Ordinarily the density fluctuations are controlled by the second
derivative of the free energy with respect to the density. At the critical point, this derivative is zero,
leading to large fluctuations. The effect of density fluctuations is that light of all wavelengths is
scattered, making the fluid look milky white. Einstein relates this to Rayleigh scattering, which is
what happens when the fluctuation size is much smaller than the wavelength, and which explains
why the sky is blue.[161] Einstein quantitatively derived critical opalescence from a treatment of density
fluctuations, and demonstrated how both the effect and Rayleigh scattering originate from the
atomistic constitution of matter.
Special relativity
Main article: History of special relativity
General relativity
General relativity and the equivalence principle
Main article: History of general relativity
General relativity (GR) is a theory of gravitation that was developed by Einstein between 1907 and
1915. According to general relativity, the observed gravitational attraction between masses results
from the warping of space and time by those masses. General relativity has developed into an
essential tool in modern astrophysics. It provides the foundation for the current understanding
of black holes, regions of space where gravitational attraction is so strong that not even light can
escape.
As Einstein later said, the reason for the development of general relativity was that the preference of
inertial motions within special relativity was unsatisfactory, while a theory which from the outset
prefers no state of motion (even accelerated ones) should appear more satisfactory.
[168]
Consequently, in 1907 he published an article on acceleration under special relativity. In that
article titled "On the Relativity Principle and the Conclusions Drawn from It", he argued that free
fall is really inertial motion, and that for a free-falling observer the rules of special relativity must
apply. This argument is called the equivalence principle. In the same article, Einstein also predicted
the phenomena of gravitational time dilation, gravitational red shift and deflection of light.[169][170]
In 1911, Einstein published another article "On the Influence of Gravitation on the Propagation of
Light" expanding on the 1907 article, in which he estimated the amount of deflection of light by
massive bodies. Thus, the theoretical prediction of general relativity could for the first time be tested
experimentally.[171]
Gravitational waves
In 1916, Einstein predicted gravitational waves,[172][173] ripples in the curvature of spacetime which
propagate as waves, traveling outward from the source, transporting energy as gravitational
radiation. The existence of gravitational waves is possible under general relativity due to its Lorentz
invariance which brings the concept of a finite speed of propagation of the physical interactions of
gravity with it. By contrast, gravitational waves cannot exist in the Newtonian theory of gravitation,
which postulates that the physical interactions of gravity propagate at infinite speed.
The first, indirect, detection of gravitational waves came in the 1970s through observation of a pair of
closely orbiting neutron stars, PSR B1913+16.[174] The explanation of the decay in their orbital period
was that they were emitting gravitational waves.[174][175] Einstein's prediction was confirmed on 11
February 2016, when researchers at LIGO published the first observation of gravitational waves,
[176]
detected on Earth on 14 September 2015, exactly one hundred years after the prediction. [174][177][178]
[179][180]
Following the discovery of the recession of the nebulae by Edwin Hubble in 1929, Einstein
abandoned his static model of the universe, and proposed two dynamic models of the cosmos, The
Friedmann-Einstein universe of 1931[185][186] and the Einstein–de Sitter universe of 1932.[187][188] In each
of these models, Einstein discarded the cosmological constant, claiming that it was "in any case
theoretically unsatisfactory".[185][186][189]
In many Einstein biographies, it is claimed that Einstein referred to the cosmological constant in later
years as his "biggest blunder". The astrophysicist Mario Livio has recently cast doubt on this claim,
suggesting that it may be exaggerated.[190]
In late 2013, a team led by the Irish physicist Cormac O'Raifeartaigh discovered evidence that,
shortly after learning of Hubble's observations of the recession of the nebulae, Einstein considered
a steady-state model of the universe.[191][192] In a hitherto overlooked manuscript, apparently written in
early 1931, Einstein explored a model of the expanding universe in which the density of matter
remains constant due to a continuous creation of matter, a process he associated with the
cosmological constant.[193][194] As he stated in the paper, "In what follows, I would like to draw attention
to a solution to equation (1) that can account for Hubbel's [sic] facts, and in which the density is
constant over time" ... "If one considers a physically bounded volume, particles of matter will be
continually leaving it. For the density to remain constant, new particles of matter must be continually
formed in the volume from space."
It thus appears that Einstein considered a steady-state model of the expanding universe many years
before Hoyle, Bondi and Gold.[195][196] However, Einstein's steady-state model contained a fundamental
flaw and he quickly abandoned the idea. [193][194][197]
Energy momentum pseudotensor
Stress–energy–momentum pseudotensor
General relativity includes a dynamical spacetime, so it is difficult to see how to identify the
conserved energy and momentum. Noether's theoremallows these quantities to be determined from
a Lagrangian with translation invariance, but general covariance makes translation invariance into
something of a gauge symmetry. The energy and momentum derived within general relativity by
Noether's prescriptions do not make a real tensor for this reason.
Einstein argued that this is true for fundamental reasons, because the gravitational field could be
made to vanish by a choice of coordinates. He maintained that the non-covariant energy momentum
pseudotensor was in fact the best description of the energy momentum distribution in a gravitational
field. This approach has been echoed by Lev Landau and Evgeny Lifshitz, and others, and has
become standard.
The use of non-covariant objects like pseudotensors was heavily criticized in 1917 by Erwin
Schrödinger and others.
Wormholes
Wormhole
In order to incorporate spinning point particles into general relativity, the affine connection needed to
be generalized to include an antisymmetric part, called the torsion. This modification was made by
Einstein and Cartan in the 1920s.
Equations of motion
Einstein–Infeld–Hoffmann equations
The theory of general relativity has a fundamental law—the Einstein equations which describe how
space curves, the geodesic equation which describes how particles move may be derived from the
Einstein equations.
Since the equations of general relativity are non-linear, a lump of energy made out of pure
gravitational fields, like a black hole, would move on a trajectory which is determined by the Einstein
equations themselves, not by a new law. So Einstein proposed that the path of a singular solution,
like a black hole, would be determined to be a geodesic from general relativity itself.
This was established by Einstein, Infeld, and Hoffmann for pointlike objects without angular
momentum, and by Roy Kerr for spinning objects.
The photoelectric effect. Incoming photons on the left strike a metal plate (bottom), and eject electrons,
depicted as flying off to the right.
Main articles: Photon and Quantum
In a 1905 paper,[201] Einstein postulated that light itself consists of localized particles (quanta).
Einstein's light quanta were nearly universally rejected by all physicists, including Max Planck and
Niels Bohr. This idea only became universally accepted in 1919, with Robert Millikan's detailed
experiments on the photoelectric effect, and with the measurement of Compton scattering.
Einstein concluded that each wave of frequency f is associated with a collection of photons with
energy hfeach, where h is Planck's constant. He does not say much more, because he is not sure
how the particles are related to the wave. But he does suggest that this idea would explain certain
experimental results, notably the photoelectric effect. [201]
Quantized atomic vibrations
Einstein solid
In 1907, Einstein proposed a model of matter where each atom in a lattice structure is an
independent harmonic oscillator. In the Einstein model, each atom oscillates independently—a
series of equally spaced quantized states for each oscillator. Einstein was aware that getting the
frequency of the actual oscillations would be difficult, but he nevertheless proposed this theory
because it was a particularly clear demonstration that quantum mechanics could solve the specific
heat problem in classical mechanics. Peter Debye refined this model.[202]
Adiabatic principle and action-angle variables
Adiabatic invariant
Throughout the 1910s, quantum mechanics expanded in scope to cover many different systems.
After Ernest Rutherford discovered the nucleus and proposed that electrons orbit like planets, Niels
Bohr was able to show that the same quantum mechanical postulates introduced by Planck and
developed by Einstein would explain the discrete motion of electrons in atoms, and the periodic table
of the elements.
Einstein contributed to these developments by linking them with the 1898 arguments Wilhelm
Wien had made. Wien had shown that the hypothesis of adiabatic invariance of a thermal equilibrium
state allows all the blackbody curves at different temperature to be derived from one another by
a simple shifting process. Einstein noted in 1911 that the same adiabatic principle shows that the
quantity which is quantized in any mechanical motion must be an adiabatic invariant. Arnold
Sommerfeld identified this adiabatic invariant as the action variable of classical mechanics.
Bose–Einstein statistics
Bose–Einstein statistics
Wave–particle duality
Although the patent office promoted Einstein to Technical Examiner Second Class in 1906, he had
not given up on academia. In 1908, he became a Privatdozent at the University of Bern.[205] In "Über
die Entwicklung unserer Anschauungen über das Wesen und die Konstitution der Strahlung" ("The
Development of our Views on the Composition and Essence of Radiation"), on the quantization of
light, and in an earlier 1909 paper, Einstein showed that Max Planck's energy quanta must have
well-defined momenta and act in some respects as independent, point-like particles. This paper
introduced the photon concept (although the name photon was introduced later by Gilbert N.
Lewis in 1926) and inspired the notion of wave–particle duality in quantum mechanics. Einstein saw
this wave–particle duality in radiation as concrete evidence for his conviction that physics needed a
new, unified foundation.
Zero-point energy
Zero-point energy
In a series of works completed from 1911 to 1913, Planck reformulated his 1900 quantum theory
and introduced the idea of zero-point energy in his "second quantum theory". Soon, this idea
attracted the attention of Einstein and his assistant Otto Stern. Assuming the energy of rotating
diatomic molecules contains zero-point energy, they then compared the theoretical specific heat of
hydrogen gas with the experimental data. The numbers matched nicely. However, after publishing
the findings, they promptly withdrew their support, because they no longer had confidence in the
correctness of the idea of zero-point energy.[206]
Stimulated emission
Stimulated emission
In 1917, at the height of his work on relativity, Einstein published an article in Physikalische
Zeitschrift that proposed the possibility of stimulated emission, the physical process that makes
possible the maser and the laser.[207] This article showed that the statistics of absorption and emission
of light would only be consistent with Planck's distribution law if the emission of light into a mode with
n photons would be enhanced statistically compared to the emission of light into an empty mode.
This paper was enormously influential in the later development of quantum mechanics, because it
was the first paper to show that the statistics of atomic transitions had simple laws.
Matter waves
Matter wave
Einstein discovered Louis de Broglie's work and supported his ideas, which were received
skeptically at first. In another major paper from this era, Einstein gave a wave equation for de Broglie
waves, which Einstein suggested was the Hamilton–Jacobi equation of mechanics. This paper would
inspire Schrödinger's work of 1926.
Quantum mechanics
Einstein's objections to quantum mechanics
Einstein was displeased with modern quantum mechanics as it had evolved after 1925. Contrary to
popular belief, his doubts were not due to a conviction that God "is not playing at dice." [208] Indeed, it
was Einstein himself, in his 1917 paper that proposed the possibility of stimulated emission,[207] who
first proposed the fundamental role of chance in explaining quantum processes. [209] Rather, he
objected to what quantum mechanics implies about the nature of reality. Einstein believed that a
physical reality exists independent of our ability to observe it. In contrast, Bohr and his followers
maintained that all we can know are the results of measurements and observations, and that it
makes no sense to speculate about an ultimate reality that exists beyond our perceptions. [210]
Bohr versus Einstein
Bohr–Einstein debates
In 1935, Einstein returned quantum mechanics, in particular to the question of its completeness, in
the "EPR paper".[213] In a thought experiment, he considered two particles which had interacted such
that their properties were strongly correlated. No matter how far the two particles were separated, a
precise position measurement on one particle would result in equally precise knowledge of the
position of the other particle; likewise a precise momentum measurement of one particle would result
in equally precise knowledge of the momentum of the other particle, without needing to disturb the
other particle in any way.[214]
Given Einstein's concept of local realism, there were two possibilities: (1) either the other particle
had these properties already determined, or (2) the process of measuring the first particle
instantaneously affected the reality of the position and momentum of the second particle. Einstein
rejected this second possibility (popularly called "spooky action at a distance"). [214]
Einstein's belief in local realism led him to assert that, while the correctness of quantum mechanics
was not in question, it must be incomplete. But as a physical principle, local realism was shown to be
incorrect when the Aspect experiment of 1982 confirmed Bell's theorem, which J. S. Bell had
delineated in 1964. The results of these and subsequent experiments demonstrate that quantum
physics cannot be represented by any version of the picture of physics in which "particles are
regarded as unconnected independent classical-like entities, each one being unable to communicate
with the other after they have separated."[215]
Although Einstein was wrong about local realism, his clear prediction of the unusual properties of its
opposite, entangled quantum states, has resulted in the EPR paper becoming among the top ten
papers published in Physical Review. It is considered a centerpiece of the development of quantum
information theory.[216]
Following his research on general relativity, Einstein entered into a series of attempts to generalize
his geometric theory of gravitation to include electromagnetism as another aspect of a single entity.
In 1950, he described his "unified field theory" in a Scientific American article titled "On the
Generalized Theory of Gravitation". [217] Although he continued to be lauded for his work, Einstein
became increasingly isolated in his research, and his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. In his
pursuit of a unification of the fundamental forces, Einstein ignored some mainstream developments
in physics, most notably the strong and weak nuclear forces, which were not well understood until
many years after his death. Mainstream physics, in turn, largely ignored Einstein's approaches to
unification. Einstein's dream of unifying other laws of physics with gravity motivates modern quests
for a theory of everything and in particular string theory, where geometrical fields emerge in a unified
quantum-mechanical setting.
Other investigations
Einstein's unsuccessful investigations
Einstein conducted other investigations that were unsuccessful and abandoned. These pertain
to force, superconductivity, and other research.
Collaboration with other scientists
The 1927 Solvay Conference in Brussels, a gathering of the world's top physicists. Einstein is in the center.
Einstein and De Haas demonstrated that magnetization is due to the motion of electrons, nowadays
known to be the spin. In order to show this, they reversed the magnetization in an iron bar
suspended on a torsion pendulum. They confirmed that this leads the bar to rotate, because the
electron's angular momentum changes as the magnetization changes. This experiment needed to be
sensitive, because the angular momentum associated with electrons is small, but it definitively
established that electron motion of some kind is responsible for magnetization.
Schrödinger gas model
Einstein suggested to Erwin Schrödinger that he might be able to reproduce the statistics of a Bose–
Einstein gas by considering a box. Then to each possible quantum motion of a particle in a box
associate an independent harmonic oscillator. Quantizing these oscillators, each level will have an
integer occupation number, which will be the number of particles in it.
This formulation is a form of second quantization, but it predates modern quantum mechanics. Erwin
Schrödinger applied this to derive the thermodynamic properties of a semiclassical ideal gas.
Schrödinger urged Einstein to add his name as co-author, although Einstein declined the invitation.
[218]
Einstein refrigerator
Einstein refrigerator
In 1926, Einstein and his former student Leó Szilárd co-invented (and in 1930, patented) the Einstein
refrigerator. This absorption refrigerator was then revolutionary for having no moving parts and using
only heat as an input.[219] On 11 November 1930, U.S. Patent 1,781,541 was awarded to Einstein and
Leó Szilárd for the refrigerator. Their invention was not immediately put into commercial production,
and the most promising of their patents were acquired by the Swedish company Electrolux.[220]
Non-scientific legacy
While traveling, Einstein wrote daily to his wife Elsa and adopted stepdaughters Margot and Ilse.
The letters were included in the papers bequeathed to The Hebrew University. Margot Einstein
permitted the personal letters to be made available to the public, but requested that it not be done
until twenty years after her death (she died in 1986 [221]). Einstein had expressed his interest in
the plumbing profession and was made an honorary member of the Plumbers and Steamfitters
Union.[222][223] Barbara Wolff, of The Hebrew University's Albert Einstein Archives, told the BBC that
there are about 3,500 pages of private correspondence written between 1912 and 1955. [224]
Corbis, successor to The Roger Richman Agency, licenses the use of his name and associated
imagery, as agent for the university.[225]
In popular culture
Albert Einstein in popular culture
In the period before World War II, The New Yorker published a vignette in their "The Talk of the
Town" feature saying that Einstein was so well known in America that he would be stopped on the
street by people wanting him to explain "that theory". He finally figured out a way to handle the
incessant inquiries. He told his inquirers "Pardon me, sorry! Always I am mistaken for Professor
Einstein."[226]
Einstein has been the subject of or inspiration for many novels, films, plays, and works of music.
[227]
He is a favorite model for depictions of mad scientists and absent-minded professors; his
expressive face and distinctive hairstyle have been widely copied and
exaggerated. Time magazine's Frederic Golden wrote that Einstein was "a cartoonist's dream come
true".[228]
Many popular quotations are often misattributed to him.[229][230]
Einstein received numerous awards and honors and in 1922 he was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize
in Physics "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the
photoelectric effect". None of the nominations in 1921 met the criteria set by Alfred Nobel, so the
1921 prize was carried forward and awarded to Einstein in 1922. [10]
Publications
The following publications by Einstein are referenced in this article. A more complete list of
his publications may be found at List of scientific publications by Albert Einstein.
Einstein, Albert (1901) [Manuscript received: 16 December 1900]. Written at Zurich, Switzerland.
"Folgerungen aus den Capillaritätserscheinungen" [Conclusions Drawn from the Phenomena of
Capillarity]. Annalen der Physik (Berlin) (in German). Hoboken, NJ (published 14 March
2006). 309 (3): 513–523. Bibcode:1901AnP...309..513E. doi:10.1002/andp.19013090306 – via Wiley
Online Library.
Einstein, Albert (1905a) [Manuscript received: 18 March 1905]. Written at Berne, Switzerland. "Über
einen die Erzeugung und Verwandlung des Lichtes betreffenden heuristischen Gesichtspunkt" [On a
Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light] (PDF). Annalen der
Physik (Berlin) (in German). Hoboken, NJ (published 10 March 2006). 322 (6): 132–
148. Bibcode:1905AnP...322..132E. doi:10.1002/andp.19053220607 – via Wiley Online Library.
Einstein, Albert (1905b) [Completed 30 April and submitted 20 July 1905]. Written at Berne,
Switzerland, published by Wyss Buchdruckerei. Eine neue Bestimmung der Moleküldimensionen [A
new determination of molecular dimensions] (PDF). Dissertationen Universität Zürich (PhD Thesis) (in
German). Zurich, Switzerland: ETH Zürich (published 2008). doi:10.3929/ethz-a-000565688 – via ETH
Bibliothek.
Einstein, Albert (1905c) [Manuscript received: 11 May 1905]. Written at Berne, Switzerland. "Über die
von der molekularkinetischen Theorie der Wärme geforderte Bewegung von in ruhenden
Flüssigkeiten suspendierten Teilchen" [On the Motion – Required by the Molecular Kinetic Theory of
Heat – of Small Particles Suspended in a Stationary Liquid]. Annalen der Physik (Berlin) (in German).
Hoboken, NJ (published 10 March 2006). 322(8): 549–
560. Bibcode:1905AnP...322..549E. doi:10.1002/andp.19053220806. hdl:10915/2785 – via Wiley
Online Library.
Einstein, Albert (1905d) [Manuscript received: 30 June 1905]. Written at Berne, Switzerland. "Zur
Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper" [On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies]. Annalen der Physik
(Berlin) (Submitted manuscript) (in German). Hoboken, NJ (published 10 March 2006). 322 (10): 891–
921. Bibcode:1905AnP...322..891E. doi:10.1002/andp.19053221004. hdl:10915/2786 – via Wiley
Online Library.
Einstein, Albert (1905e) [Manuscript received: 27 September 1905]. Written at Berne, Switzerland. "Ist
die Trägheit eines Körpers von seinem Energieinhalt abhängig?" [Does the Inertia of a Body Depend
Upon Its Energy Content?]. Annalen der Physik (Berlin) (in German). Hoboken, NJ (published 10
March 2006). 323 (13): 639–641. Bibcode:1905AnP...323..639E. doi:10.1002/andp.19053231314 –
via Wiley Online Library.
Einstein, Albert (1915) [Published 25 November 1915]. "Die Feldgleichungen der Gravitation" [The
Field Equations of Gravitation] (Online page images)(in German). Berlin, Germany: Königlich
Preussische Akademie der Wissenschaften: 844–847 – via ECHO, Cultural Heritage Online, Max
Planck Institute for the History of Science.
Einstein, Albert (1917a). "Kosmologische Betrachtungen zur allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie"
[Cosmological Considerations in the General Theory of Relativity] (in German). Königlich Preussische
Akademie der Wissenschaften, Berlin.
Einstein, Albert (1917b). "Zur Quantentheorie der Strahlung" [On the Quantum Mechanics of
Radiation]. Physikalische Zeitschrift (in German). 18: 121–128. Bibcode:1917PhyZ...18..121E.
Einstein, Albert (1923) [First published 1923, in English 1967]. Written at Gothenburg. Grundgedanken
und Probleme der Relativitätstheorie[Fundamental Ideas and Problems of the Theory of
Relativity] (PDF)(Speech). Lecture delivered to the Nordic Assembly of Naturalists at Gothenburg, 11
July 1923. Nobel Lectures, Physics 1901–1921 (in German and English). Stockholm: Nobelprice.org
(published 3 February 2015) – via Nobel Media AB 2014.
Einstein, Albert (1924) [Published 10 July 1924]. "Quantentheorie des einatomigen idealen
Gases" [Quantum theory of monatomic ideal gases] (Online page images). Sitzungsberichte der
Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Physikalisch-Mathematische Klasse (in German): 261–
267 – via ECHO, Cultural Heritage Online, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science.. First of a
series of papers on this topic.
Einstein, Albert (12 March 1926) [Cover Date 1 March 1926]. Written at Berlin. "Die Ursache der
Mäanderbildung der Flußläufe und des sogenannten Baerschen Gesetzes" [On Baer's
law and meanders in the courses of rivers]. Die Naturwissenschaften (in German). Heidelberg,
Germany. 14 (11): 223–224. Bibcode:1926NW.....14..223E. doi:10.1007/BF01510300. ISSN 1432-
1904 – via SpringerLink.
Einstein, Albert (1926b). Written at Berne, Switzerland. R. Fürth, ed. Investigations on the Theory of
the Brownian Movement (PDF). Translated by A. D. Cowper. US: Dover Publications (published
1956). ISBN 978-1-60796-285-4. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
Einstein, Albert; Podolsky, Boris; Rosen, Nathan (15 May 1935) [Received 25 March 1935]. "Can
Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete?". Physical
Review (Submitted manuscript). 47(10): 777–
780. Bibcode:1935PhRv...47..777E. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.47.777 – via APS Journals.
Einstein, Albert (9 November 1940). On Science and Religion. Nature. 146. pp. 605–
607. Bibcode:1940Natur.146..605E. doi:10.1038/146605a0. ISBN 978-0-7073-0453-3.
Einstein, Albert; et al. (4 December 1948). "To the editors of The New York Times". The New York
Times. Melville, New York: AIP, American Inst. of Physics. ISBN 0-7354-0359-7.
Einstein, Albert (May 1949). "Why Socialism? (Reprise)". Monthly Review. New York: Monthly Review
Foundation (published May 2009). Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2006. Retrieved 16
January 2006 – via MonthlyReview.org.
Einstein, Albert (1950). "On the Generalized Theory of Gravitation". Scientific American. CLXXXII (4):
13–17. Bibcode:1950SciAm.182d..13E. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0450-13.
Einstein, Albert (1954). Ideas and Opinions. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-517-00393-0.
Einstein, Albert (1969). Albert Einstein, Hedwig und Max Born: Briefwechsel 1916–1955 (in German).
Munich: Nymphenburger Verlagshandlung. ISBN 978-3-88682-005-4.
Einstein, Albert (1979). Autobiographical Notes. Paul Arthur Schilpp (Centennial ed.). Chicago: Open
Court. ISBN 978-0-87548-352-8.. The chasing a light beam thought experiment is described on pages
48–51.
Collected Papers: Stachel, John; Martin J. Klein; A. J. Kox; Michel Janssen; R. Schulmann; Diana
Komos Buchwald; et al., eds. (21 July 2008) [Published between 1987–2006]. The Collected Papers
of Albert Einstein. Einstein's Writings. 1–10. Princeton University Press.. Further information about the
volumes published so far can be found on the webpages of the Einstein Papers Project and on
the Princeton University Press Einstein Page
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) was the first to closely integrate the predictive geometrical
astronomy, which had been dominant from Ptolemy in the 2nd century to Copernicus, with physical
concepts to produce a New Astronomy, Based upon Causes, or Celestial Physics in 1609. His work
led to the modern laws of planetary orbits, which he developed using his physical principles and
the planetary observations made by Tycho Brahe. Kepler's model greatly improved the accuracy of
predictions of planetary motion, years before Isaac Newton developed his law of gravitation in 1686.
Johannes Kepler (/ˈkɛplər/;[1] German: [joˈhanəs ˈkɛplɐ, -nɛs -];[2][3] December 27, 1571 – November
15, 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer. He is a key figure in the 17th-
century scientific revolution, best known for his laws of planetary motion, and his books Astronomia
nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae. These works also provided one
of the foundations for Newton's theory of universal gravitation.
Kepler was a mathematics teacher at a seminary school in Graz, where he became an associate
of Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg. Later he became an assistant to the astronomer Tycho
Brahe in Prague, and eventually the imperial mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II and his two
successors Matthiasand Ferdinand II. He also taught mathematics in Linz, and was an adviser
to General Wallenstein. Additionally, he did fundamental work in the field of optics, invented an
improved version of the refracting telescope (the Keplerian telescope), and was mentioned in
the telescopic discoveries of his contemporary Galileo Galilei. He was a corresponding member of
the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome.[4]
Kepler lived in an era when there was no clear distinction between astronomyand astrology, but
there was a strong division between astronomy (a branch of mathematics within the liberal arts)
and physics (a branch of natural philosophy). Kepler also incorporated religious arguments and
reasoning into his work, motivated by the religious conviction and belief that God had created the
world according to an intelligible plan that is accessible through the natural light of reason.[5] Kepler
described his new astronomy as "celestial physics",[6]as "an excursion into Aristotle's Metaphysics",
[7]
and as "a supplement to Aristotle's On the Heavens",[8] transforming the ancient tradition of
physical cosmology by treating astronomy as part of a universal mathematical physics
Johannes Kepler
Portrait of Kepler by an unknown artist, 1610
Early years
Kepler was born on December 27, the feast day of St John the Evangelist, 1571, in the Free Imperial
City of Weil der Stadt (now part of the Stuttgart Region in the German state of Baden-Württemberg,
30 km west of Stuttgart's center). His grandfather, Sebald Kepler, had been Lord Mayor of the city.
By the time Johannes was born, he had two brothers and one sister and the Kepler family fortune
was in decline. His father, Heinrich Kepler, earned a precarious living as a mercenary, and he left
the family when Johannes was five years old. He was believed to have died in the Eighty Years'
War in the Netherlands. His mother, Katharina Guldenmann, an innkeeper's daughter, was
a healer and herbalist. Born prematurely, Johannes claimed to have been weak and sickly as a
child. Nevertheless, he often impressed travelers at his grandfather's inn with his phenomenal
mathematical faculty
Kepler's birthplace, in Weil der Stadt
.[10]
He was introduced to astronomy at an early age, and developed a love for it that would span his
entire life. At age six, he observed the Great Comet of 1577, writing that he "was taken by [his]
mother to a high place to look at it."[11] In 1580, at age nine, he observed another astronomical event,
a lunar eclipse, recording that he remembered being "called outdoors" to see it and that
the moon "appeared quite red".[11] However, childhood smallpox left him with weak vision and
crippled hands, limiting his ability in the observational aspects of astronomy. [12]
As a child, Kepler witnessed the Great Comet of 1577, which attracted the attention of astronomers across
Europe.
In 1589, after moving through grammar school, Latin school, and seminary at Maulbronn, Kepler
attended Tübinger Stift at the University of Tübingen. There, he studied philosophy under Vitus
Müller[13] and theologyunder Jacob Heerbrand (a student of Philipp Melanchthon at Wittenberg), who
also taught Michael Maestlin while he was a student, until he became Chancellor at Tübingen in
1590.[14] He proved himself to be a superb mathematician and earned a reputation as a skilful
astrologer, casting horoscopes for fellow students. Under the instruction of Michael Maestlin,
Tübingen's professor of mathematics from 1583 to 1631, [14] he learned both the Ptolemaic
system and the Copernican system of planetary motion. He became a Copernican at that time. In a
student disputation, he defended heliocentrismfrom both a theoretical and theological perspective,
maintaining that the Sunwas the principal source of motive power in the universe. [15] Despite his
desire to become a minister, near the end of his studies, Kepler was recommended for a position as
teacher of mathematics and astronomy at the Protestant school in Graz. He accepted the position in
April 1594, at the age of 23.[16]
Graz (1594–1600)
Mysterium Cosmographicum
With the support of his mentor Michael Maestlin, Kepler received permission from the Tübingen
university senate to publish his manuscript, pending removal of the Bible exegesis and the addition
of a simpler, more understandable description of the Copernican system as well as Kepler's new
ideas. Mysterium was published late in 1596, and Kepler received his copies and began sending
them to prominent astronomers and patrons early in 1597; it was not widely read, but it established
Kepler's reputation as a highly skilled astronomer. The effusive dedication, to powerful patrons as
well as to the men who controlled his position in Graz, also provided a crucial doorway into
the patronage system.[19]
Though the details would be modified in light of his later work, Kepler never relinquished the
Platonist polyhedral-spherist cosmology of Mysterium Cosmographicum. His subsequent main
astronomical works were in some sense only further developments of it, concerned with finding more
precise inner and outer dimensions for the spheres by calculating the eccentricities of the planetary
orbits within it. In 1621, Kepler published an expanded second edition of Mysterium, half as long
again as the first, detailing in footnotes the corrections and improvements he had achieved in the 25
years since its first publication.[20]
In terms of the impact of Mysterium, it can be seen as an important first step in modernizing the
theory proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus in his "De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium". Whilst
Copernicus sought to advance a heliocentric system in this book, he resorted to Ptolemaic devices
(viz., epicycles and eccentric circles) in order to explain the change in planets' orbital speed, and
also continued to use as a point of reference the center of the Earth's orbit rather than that of the
Sun "as an aid to calculation and in order not to confuse the reader by diverging too much from
Ptolemy." Modern astronomy owes much to Mysterium Cosmographicum, despite flaws in its main
thesis, "since it represents the first step in cleansing the Copernican system of the remnants of the
Ptolemaic theory still clinging to it." [21]
Other research
Following the publication of Mysterium and with the blessing of the Graz school inspectors, Kepler
began an ambitious program to extend and elaborate his work. He planned four additional books:
one on the stationary aspects of the universe (the Sun and the fixed stars); one on the planets and
their motions; one on the physical nature of planets and the formation of geographical features
(focused especially on Earth); and one on the effects of the heavens on the Earth, to include
atmospheric optics, meteorology, and astrology.[24]
He also sought the opinions of many of the astronomers to whom he had sent Mysterium, among
them Reimarus Ursus(Nicolaus Reimers Bär)—the imperial mathematician to Rudolph II and a bitter
rival of Tycho Brahe. Ursus did not reply directly, but republished Kepler's flattering letter to pursue
his priority dispute over (what is now called) the Tychonic systemwith Tycho. Despite this black
mark, Tycho also began corresponding with Kepler, starting with a harsh but legitimate critique of
Kepler's system; among a host of objections, Tycho took issue with the use of inaccurate numerical
data taken from Copernicus. Through their letters, Tycho and Kepler discussed a broad range of
astronomical problems, dwelling on lunar phenomena and Copernican theory (particularly its
theological viability). But without the significantly more accurate data of Tycho's observatory, Kepler
had no way to address many of these issues.[25]
Instead, he turned his attention to chronology and "harmony," the numerological relationships among
music, mathematicsand the physical world, and their astrological consequences. By assuming the
Earth to possess a soul (a property he would later invoke to explain how the sun causes the motion
of planets), he established a speculative system connecting astrological aspects and astronomical
distances to weather and other earthly phenomena. By 1599, however, he again felt his work limited
by the inaccuracy of available data—just as growing religious tension was also threatening his
continued employment in Graz. In December of that year, Tycho invited Kepler to visit him
in Prague; on January 1, 1600 (before he even received the invitation), Kepler set off in the hopes
that Tycho's patronage could solve his philosophical problems as well as his social and financial
ones.[26]
Prague (1600–1612)
Work for Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
A plate from Astronomiae Pars Optica, illustrating the structure of eyes of various species.
As Kepler slowly continued analyzing Tycho's Mars observations—now available to him in their
entirety—and began the slow process of tabulating the Rudolphine Tables, Kepler also picked up the
investigation of the laws of optics from his lunar essay of 1600. Both lunar and solar
eclipses presented unexplained phenomena, such as unexpected shadow sizes, the red color of a
total lunar eclipse, and the reportedly unusual light surrounding a total solar eclipse. Related issues
of atmospheric refraction applied to all astronomical observations. Through most of 1603, Kepler
paused his other work to focus on optical theory; the resulting manuscript, presented to the emperor
on January 1, 1604, was published as Astronomiae Pars Optica (The Optical Part of Astronomy). In
it, Kepler described the inverse-square lawgoverning the intensity of light, reflection by flat and
curved mirrors, and principles of pinhole cameras, as well as the astronomical implications of optics
such as parallax and the apparent sizes of heavenly bodies. He also extended his study of optics to
the human eye, and is generally considered by neuroscientists to be the first to recognize that
images are projected inverted and reversed by the eye's lens onto the retina. The solution to this
dilemma was not of particular importance to Kepler as he did not see it as pertaining to optics,
although he did suggest that the image was later corrected "in the hollows of the brain" due to the
"activity of the Soul."[34] Today, Astronomiae Pars Optica is generally recognized as the foundation of
modern optics (though the law of refraction is conspicuously absent).[35] With respect to the
beginnings of projective geometry, Kepler introduced the idea of continuous change of a
mathematical entity in this work. He argued that if a focus of a conic section were allowed to move
along the line joining the foci, the geometric form would morph or degenerate, one into another. In
this way, an ellipse becomes a parabola when a focus moves toward infinity, and when two foci of
an ellipse merge into one another, a circle is formed. As the foci of a hyperbola merge into one
another, the hyperbola becomes a pair of straight lines. He also assumed that if a straight line is
extended to infinity it will meet itself at a single point at infinity, thus having the properties of a large
circle.[36]
Supernova of 1604
Kepler's Supernova
In October 1604, a bright new evening star (SN 1604) appeared, but Kepler did not believe the
rumors until he saw it himself. Kepler began systematically observing the nova. Astrologically, the
end of 1603 marked the beginning of a fiery trigon, the start of the about 800-year cycle of great
conjunctions; astrologers associated the two previous such periods with the rise of Charlemagne (c.
800 years earlier) and the birth of Christ (c. 1600 years earlier), and thus expected events of great
portent, especially regarding the emperor. It was in this context, as the imperial mathematician and
astrologer to the emperor, that Kepler described the new star two years later in his De Stella Nova.
In it, Kepler addressed the star's astronomical properties while taking a skeptical approach to the
many astrological interpretations then circulating. He noted its fading luminosity, speculated about its
origin, and used the lack of observed parallax to argue that it was in the sphere of fixed stars, further
undermining the doctrine of the immutability of the heavens (the idea accepted since Aristotle that
the celestial spheres were perfect and unchanging). The birth of a new star implied the variability of
the heavens. In an appendix, Kepler also discussed the recent chronology work of the Polish
historian Laurentius Suslyga; he calculated that, if Suslyga was correct that accepted timelines were
four years behind, then the Star of Bethlehem—analogous to the present new star—would have
coincided with the first great conjunction of the earlier 800-year cycle. [37]
The location of the stella nova, in the foot of Ophiuchus, is marked with an N (8 grid squares down, 4 over
from the left).
Astronomia nova
The extended line of research that culminated in Astronomia nova (A New Astronomy)—including
the first two laws of planetary motion—began with the analysis, under Tycho's direction, of Mars'
orbit. Kepler calculated and recalculated various approximations of Mars' orbit using an equant (the
mathematical tool that Copernicus had eliminated with his system), eventually creating a model that
generally agreed with Tycho's observations to within two arcminutes (the average measurement
error). But he was not satisfied with the complex and still slightly inaccurate result; at certain points
the model differed from the data by up to eight arcminutes. The wide array of traditional
mathematical astronomy methods having failed him, Kepler set about trying to fit an ovoid orbit to
the data.[38]
In Kepler's religious view of the cosmos, the Sun (a symbol of God the Father) was the source of
motive force in the Solar System. As a physical basis, Kepler drew by analogy on William
Gilbert's theory of the magnetic soul of the Earth from De Magnete (1600) and on his own work on
optics. Kepler supposed that the motive power (or motive species)[39] radiated by the Sun weakens
with distance, causing faster or slower motion as planets move closer or farther from it. [40][a] Perhaps
this assumption entailed a mathematical relationship that would restore astronomical order. Based
on measurements of the aphelion and perihelion of the Earth and Mars, he created a formula in
which a planet's rate of motion is inversely proportional to its distance from the Sun. Verifying this
relationship throughout the orbital cycle, however, required very extensive calculation; to simplify this
task, by late 1602 Kepler reformulated the proportion in terms of geometry: planets sweep out equal
areas in equal times—Kepler's second law of planetary motion. [42]
Diagram of the geocentric trajectory of Mars through several periods of apparent retrograde
motion(Astronomia nova, Chapter 1, 1609)
He then set about calculating the entire orbit of Mars, using the geometrical rate law and assuming
an egg-shaped ovoid orbit. After approximately 40 failed attempts, in early 1605 he at last hit upon
the idea of an ellipse, which he had previously assumed to be too simple a solution for earlier
astronomers to have overlooked. [43]Finding that an elliptical orbit fit the Mars data, he immediately
concluded that all planets move in ellipses, with the sun at one focus—Kepler's first law of planetary
motion. Because he employed no calculating assistants, however, he did not extend the
mathematical analysis beyond Mars. By the end of the year, he completed the manuscript
for Astronomia nova, though it would not be published until 1609 due to legal disputes over the use
of Tycho's observations, the property of his heirs.[44]
Around 1611, Kepler circulated a manuscript of what would eventually be published (posthumously)
as Somnium [The Dream]. Part of the purpose of Somnium was to describe what practicing
astronomy would be like from the perspective of another planet, to show the feasibility of a non-
geocentric system. The manuscript, which disappeared after changing hands several times,
described a fantastic trip to the Moon; it was part allegory, part autobiography, and part treatise on
interplanetary travel (and is sometimes described as the first work of science fiction). Years later, a
distorted version of the story may have instigated the witchcraft trial against his mother, as the
mother of the narrator consults a demon to learn the means of space travel. Following her eventual
acquittal, Kepler composed 223 footnotes to the story—several times longer than the actual text—
which explained the allegorical aspects as well as the considerable scientific content (particularly
regarding lunar geography) hidden within the text.[51]
In Linz, Kepler's primary responsibilities (beyond completing the Rudolphine Tables) were teaching
at the district school and providing astrological and astronomical services. In his first years there, he
enjoyed financial security and religious freedom relative to his life in Prague—though he was
excluded from Eucharist by his Lutheran church over his theological scruples. It was also during his
time in Linz that Kepler had to deal with the accusation and ultimate verdict of witchcraft against his
mother Katharina in the Protestant town of Leonberg. That blow, happening only a few years after
Kepler’s excommunication, is not seen as a coincidence but as a symptom of the full-fledged assault
waged by the Lutherans against Kepler.[57]
His first publication in Linz was De vero Anno (1613), an expanded treatise on the year of Christ's
birth; he also participated in deliberations on whether to introduce Pope Gregory's reformed
calendar to Protestant German lands; that year he also wrote the influential mathematical
treatise Nova stereometria doliorum vinariorum, on measuring the volume of containers such as
wine barrels, published in 1615.[58]
Second marriage
On October 30, 1613, Kepler married the 24-year-old Susanna Reuttinger. Following the death of his
first wife Barbara, Kepler had considered 11 different matches over two years (a decision process
formalized later as the marriage problem).[59]He eventually returned to Reuttinger (the fifth match)
who, he wrote, "won me over with love, humble loyalty, economy of household, diligence, and the
love she gave the stepchildren."[60] The first three children of this marriage (Margareta Regina,
Katharina, and Sebald) died in childhood. Three more survived into adulthood: Cordula (born 1621);
Fridmar (born 1623); and Hildebert (born 1625). According to Kepler's biographers, this was a much
happier marriage than his first.[61]
Kepler's Figure 'M' from the Epitome, showing the world as belonging to just one of any number of similar
stars.
Since completing the Astronomia nova, Kepler had intended to compose an astronomy textbook.
[62]
In 1615, he completed the first of three volumes of Epitome astronomiae Copernicanae (Epitome
of Copernican Astronomy); the first volume (books I–III) was printed in 1617, the second (book IV) in
1620, and the third (books V–VII) in 1621. Despite the title, which referred simply to heliocentrism,
Kepler's textbook culminated in his own ellipse-based system. The Epitome became Kepler's most
influential work. It contained all three laws of planetary motion and attempted to explain heavenly
motions through physical causes.[63] Though it explicitly extended the first two laws of planetary
motion (applied to Mars in Astronomia nova) to all the planets as well as the Moon and the Medicean
satellites of Jupiter,[b] it did not explain how elliptical orbits could be derived from observational data.
[66]
In 1615, Ursula Reingold, a woman in a financial dispute with Kepler's brother Christoph, claimed
Kepler's mother Katharina had made her sick with an evil brew. The dispute escalated, and in 1617
Katharina was accused of witchcraft; witchcraft trials were relatively common in central Europe at
this time. Beginning in August 1620, she was imprisoned for fourteen months. She was released in
October 1621, thanks in part to the extensive legal defense drawn up by Kepler. The accusers had
no stronger evidence than rumors. Katharina was subjected to territio verbalis, a graphic description
of the torture awaiting her as a witch, in a final attempt to make her confess. Throughout the trial,
Kepler postponed his other work to focus on his "harmonic theory". The result, published in 1619,
was Harmonices Mundi ("Harmony of the World").[68]
Harmonices Mundi
Harmonices Mundi
Kepler was convinced "that the geometrical things have provided the Creator with the model for
decorating the whole world".[69] In Harmony, he attempted to explain the proportions of the natural
world—particularly the astronomical and astrological aspects—in terms of music. [70] The central set of
"harmonies" was the musica universalis or "music of the spheres", which had been studied
by Pythagoras, Ptolemy and many others before Kepler; in fact, soon after publishing Harmonices
Mundi, Kepler was embroiled in a priority dispute with Robert Fludd, who had recently published his
own harmonic theory.[71]
Kepler began by exploring regular polygons and regular solids, including the figures that would come
to be known as Kepler's solids. From there, he extended his harmonic analysis to music,
meteorology, and astrology; harmony resulted from the tones made by the souls of heavenly bodies
—and in the case of astrology, the interaction between those tones and human souls. In the final
portion of the work (Book V), Kepler dealt with planetary motions, especially relationships
between orbital velocity and orbital distance from the Sun. Similar relationships had been used by
other astronomers, but Kepler—with Tycho's data and his own astronomical theories—treated them
much more precisely and attached new physical significance to them. [72]
Among many other harmonies, Kepler articulated what came to be known as the third law of
planetary motion. He then tried many combinations until he discovered that (approximately) "The
square of the periodic times are to each other as the cubes of the mean distances." Although he
gives the date of this epiphany (March 8, 1618), he does not give any details about how he arrived at
this conclusion.[73] However, the wider significance for planetary dynamics of this purely kinematical
law was not realized until the 1660s. When conjoined with Christiaan Huygens' newly discovered law
of centrifugal force, it enabled Isaac Newton, Edmund Halley, and perhaps Christopher
Wren and Robert Hooke to demonstrate independently that the presumed gravitational attraction
between the Sun and its planets decreased with the square of the distance between them. [74] This
refuted the traditional assumption of scholastic physics that the power of gravitational attraction
remained constant with distance whenever it applied between two bodies, such as was assumed by
Kepler and also by Galileo in his mistaken universal law that gravitational fall is uniformly
accelerated, and also by Galileo's student Borrelli in his 1666 celestial mechanics. [75]
In 1623, Kepler at last completed the Rudolphine Tables, which at the time was considered his major
work. However, due to the publishing requirements of the emperor and negotiations with Tycho
Brahe's heir, it would not be printed until 1627. In the meantime, religious tension — the root of the
ongoing Thirty Years' War — once again put Kepler and his family in jeopardy. In 1625, agents of
the Catholic Counter-Reformation placed most of Kepler's library under seal, and in 1626 the city of
Linz was besieged. Kepler moved to Ulm, where he arranged for the printing of the Tables at his
own expense.[76]
In 1628, following the military successes of the Emperor Ferdinand's armies under General
Wallenstein, Kepler became an official advisor to Wallenstein. Though not the general's court
astrologer per se, Kepler provided astronomical calculations for Wallenstein's astrologers and
occasionally wrote horoscopes himself. In his final years, Kepler spent much of his time traveling,
from the imperial court in Prague to Linz and Ulm to a temporary home in Sagan, and finally
to Regensburg. Soon after arriving in Regensburg, Kepler fell ill. He died on November 15, 1630,
and was buried there; his burial site was lost after the Swedish army destroyed the churchyard.
[77]
Only Kepler's self-authored poetic epitaph survived the times:
Mensus eram coelos, nunc terrae metior umbras
Mens coelestis erat, corporis umbra iacet.
I measured the skies, now the shadows I measure
Skybound was the mind, earthbound the body rests.[78]
Christianity
Kepler's belief that God created the cosmos in an orderly fashion caused him to attempt to
determine and comprehend the laws that govern the natural world, most profoundly in astronomy. [79]
[80]
The phrase "I am merely thinking God's thoughts after Him" has been attributed to him, although
this is probably a capsulized version of a writing from his hand:
Those laws [of nature] are within the grasp of the human mind; God wanted us to recognize them by
creating us after his own image so that we could share in his own thoughts. [81]
History of science
Beyond his role in the historical development of astronomy and natural philosophy, Kepler has
loomed large in the philosophy and historiography of science. Kepler and his laws of motion were
central to early histories of astronomy such as Jean-Étienne Montucla's 1758 Histoire des
mathématiques and Jean-Baptiste Delambre's 1821 Histoire de l'astronomie moderne. These and
other histories written from an Enlightenment perspective treated Kepler's metaphysical and religious
arguments with skepticism and disapproval, but later Romantic-era natural philosophers viewed
these elements as central to his success. William Whewell, in his influential History of the Inductive
Sciences of 1837, found Kepler to be the archetype of the inductive scientific genius; in
his Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences of 1840, Whewell held Kepler up as the embodiment of the
most advanced forms of scientific method. Similarly, Ernst Friedrich Apelt—the first to extensively
study Kepler's manuscripts, after their purchase by Catherine the Great—identified Kepler as a key
to the "Revolution of the sciences". Apelt, who saw Kepler's mathematics, aesthetic sensibility,
physical ideas, and theology as part of a unified system of thought, produced the first extended
analysis of Kepler's life and work.[92]
Alexandre Koyré's work on Kepler was, after Apelt, the first major milestone in historical
interpretations of Kepler's cosmology and its influence. In the 1930s and 1940s, Koyré, and a
number of others in the first generation of professional historians of science, described the "Scientific
Revolution" as the central event in the history of science, and Kepler as a (perhaps the) central
figure in the revolution. Koyré placed Kepler's theorization, rather than his empirical work, at the
center of the intellectual transformation from ancient to modern world-views. Since the 1960s, the
volume of historical Kepler scholarship has expanded greatly, including studies of his astrology and
meteorology, his geometrical methods, the role of his religious views in his work, his literary and
rhetorical methods, his interaction with the broader cultural and philosophical currents of his time,
and even his role as an historian of science.[93]
Philosophers of science—such as Charles Sanders Peirce, Norwood Russell Hanson, Stephen
Toulmin, and Karl Popper—have repeatedly turned to Kepler: examples
of incommensurability, analogical reasoning, falsification, and many other philosophical concepts
have been found in Kepler's work. Physicist Wolfgang Pauli even used Kepler's priority dispute with
Robert Fludd to explore the implications of analytical psychology on scientific investigation.[94]
Works
Mysterium Cosmographicum (The Sacred Mystery of the Cosmos) (1596)
De Fundamentis Astrologiae Certioribus (On Firmer Fundaments of Astrology;
1601)
Astronomiae Pars Optica (The Optical Part of Astronomy) (1604)
De Stella nova in pede Serpentarii (On the New Star in Ophiuchus's Foot)
(1606)
Astronomia nova (New Astronomy) (1609)
Tertius Interveniens (Third-party Interventions) (1610)
Dissertatio cum Nuncio Sidereo (Conversation with the Starry Messenger)
(1610)
Dioptrice (1611)
De nive sexangula (On the Six-Cornered Snowflake) (1611) (English translation
on Google Books preview)
De vero Anno, quo aeternus Dei Filius humanam naturam in Utero benedictae
Virginis Mariae assumpsit (1614)[106]
Eclogae Chronicae (1615, published with Dissertatio cum Nuncio Sidereo)
Nova stereometria doliorum vinariorum (New Stereometry of Wine Barrels)
(1615)
Ephemerides nouae motuum coelestium (1617-30)
Epitome astronomiae Copernicanae (Epitome of Copernican Astronomy)
(published in three parts from 1618 to 1621)
Sir
Isaac Newton
FRS PRS
Portrait of Newton by Godfrey Kneller, 1689
Life
Early life
Early life of Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton was born (according to the Julian calendar, in use in England at the time) on
Christmas Day, 25 December 1642 (NS 4 January 1643[1]) "an hour or two after midnight",
[6]
at Woolsthorpe Manor in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, a hamlet in the county of Lincolnshire. His
father, also named Isaac Newton, had died three months before. Born prematurely, Newton was a
small child; his mother Hannah Ayscough reportedly said that he could have fit inside a quartmug.
[7]
When Newton was three, his mother remarried and went to live with her new husband, the
Reverend Barnabas Smith, leaving her son in the care of his maternal grandmother, Margery
Ayscough. Newton disliked his stepfather and maintained some enmity towards his mother for
marrying him, as revealed by this entry in a list of sins committed up to the age of 19: "Threatening
my father and mother Smith to burn them and the house over them." [8] Newton's mother had three
children from her second marriage
Part of a series on
Physical cosmology
Big Bang · Universe
Age of the universe
Chronology of the universe
.[9]
From the age of about twelve until he was seventeen, Newton was educated at The King's School,
Grantham, which taught Latin and Greek and probably imparted a significant foundation of
mathematics.[10] He was removed from school, and returned to Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth by
October 1659. His mother, widowed for the second time, attempted to make him a farmer, an
occupation he hated.[11] Henry Stokes, master at The King's School, persuaded his mother to send
him back to school. Motivated partly by a desire for revenge against a schoolyard bully, he became
the top-ranked student,[12] distinguishing himself mainly by building sundials and models of windmills.
[13]
In June 1661, he was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, on the recommendation of his uncle
Rev William Ayscough, who had studied there. He started as a subsizar—paying his way by
performing valet's duties—until he was awarded a scholarship in 1664, guaranteeing him four more
years until he could get his MA.[14] At that time, the college's teachings were based on those
of Aristotle, whom Newton supplemented with modern philosophers such as Descartes,
and astronomers such as Galileo and Thomas Street, through whom he learned of Kepler's work. He
set down in his notebook a series of "Quaestiones" about mechanical philosophy as he found it. In
1665, he discovered the generalised binomial theorem and began to develop a mathematical theory
that later became calculus. Soon after Newton had obtained his BA degree in August 1665, the
university temporarily closed as a precaution against the Great Plague. Although he had been
undistinguished as a Cambridge student, [15] Newton's private studies at his home in Woolsthorpe
over the subsequent two years saw the development of his theories on calculus,[16] optics, and
the law of gravitation.
In April 1667, he returned to Cambridge and in October was elected as a fellow of Trinity. [17]
[18]
Fellows were required to become ordained priests, although this was not enforced in the
restoration years and an assertion of conformity to the Church of England was sufficient. However,
by 1675 the issue could not be avoided and by then his unconventional views stood in the way.
[19]
Nevertheless, Newton managed to avoid it by means of a special permission from Charles II.
His studies had impressed the Lucasian professor Isaac Barrow, who was more anxious to develop
his own religious and administrative potential (he became master of Trinity two years later); in 1669
Newton succeeded him, only one year after receiving his MA. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal
Society (FRS) in 1672.[2]
Middle years
Mathematics
Newton's work has been said "to distinctly advance every branch of mathematics then
studied."[21] His work on the subject usually referred to as fluxions or calculus, seen in a manuscript of
October 1666, is now published among Newton's mathematical papers. [22] The author of the
manuscript De analysi per aequationes numero terminorum infinitas, sent by Isaac Barrow to John
Collins in June 1669, was identified by Barrow in a letter sent to Collins in August of that year as
"[...] of an extraordinary genius and proficiency in these things." [23]
Newton later became involved in a dispute with Leibniz over priority in the development of calculus
(the Leibniz–Newton calculus controversy). Most modern historians believe that Newton and Leibniz
developed calculus independently, although with very different mathematical notations. Occasionally
it has been suggested that Newton published almost nothing about it until 1693, and did not give a
full account until 1704, while Leibniz began publishing a full account of his methods in 1684.
Leibniz's notation and "differential Method", nowadays recognised as much more convenient
notations, were adopted by continental European mathematicians, and after 1820 or so, also by
British mathematicians.[
Such a suggestion fails to account for the calculus in Book 1 of Newton's Principia itself and in its
forerunner manuscripts, such as De motu corporum in gyrum of 1684; this content has been pointed
out by critics[of both Newton's time and modern times.[
His work extensively uses calculus in geometric form based on limiting values of the ratios of
vanishingly small quantities: in the Principia itself, Newton gave demonstration of this under the
name of "the method of first and last ratios"[24] and explained why he put his expositions in this form,
[25]
remarking also that "hereby the same thing is performed as by the method of indivisibles." [
Because of this, the Principia has been called "a book dense with the theory and application of the
infinitesimal calculus" in modern times[26] and in Newton's time "nearly all of it is of this
calculus."[27] His use of methods involving "one or more orders of the infinitesimally small" is present
in his De motu corporum in gyrum of 1684[28] and in his papers on motion "during the two decades
preceding 1684".[29]
Newton had been reluctant to publish his calculus because he feared controversy and criticism. [30] He
was close to the Swiss mathematician Nicolas Fatio de Duillier. In 1691, Duillier started to write a
new version of Newton's Principia, and corresponded with Leibniz.[31] In 1693, the relationship
between Duillier and Newton deteriorated and the book was never completed. [
Starting in 1699, other members[who?] of the Royal Society accused Leibniz of plagiarism.[32] The
dispute then broke out in full force in 1711 when the Royal Society proclaimed in a study that it was
Newton who was the true discoverer and labelled Leibniz a fraud; it was later found that Newton
wrote the study's concluding remarks on Leibniz. Thus began the bitter controversy which marred
the lives of both Newton and Leibniz until the latter's death in 1716. [33]
Newton is generally credited with the generalised binomial theorem, valid for any exponent. He
discovered Newton's identities, Newton's method, classified cubic plane curves (polynomials of
degree three in two variables), made substantial contributions to the theory of finite differences, and
was the first to use fractional indices and to employ coordinate geometry to derive solutions
to Diophantine equations. He approximated partial sums of the harmonic series by logarithms (a
precursor to Euler's summation formula) and was the first to use power series with confidence and to
revert power series. Newton's work on infinite series was inspired by Simon Stevin's decimals.[34]
When Newton received his MA and became a Fellow of the "College of the Holy and Undivided
Trinity" in 1667, he made the commitment that "I will either set Theology as the object of my studies
and will take holy orders when the time prescribed by these statutes [7 years] arrives, or I will resign
from the college."[35] Up until this point he had not thought much about religion and had twice signed
his agreement to the thirty-nine articles, the basis of Church of England doctrine.
He was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669, on Barrow's recommendation. During
that time, any Fellow of a college at Cambridge or Oxford was required to take holy orders and
become an ordained Anglican priest. However, the terms of the Lucasian professorship required that
the holder not be active in the church – presumablyso as to have more time for science. Newton
argued that this should exempt him from the ordination requirement, and Charles II, whose
permission was needed, accepted this argument. Thus a conflict between Newton's religious views
and Anglican orthodoxy was averted. [36]
Optics
In 1666, Newton observed that the spectrum of colours exiting a prism in the position of minimum
deviation is oblong, even when the light ray entering the prism is circular, which is to say, the prism
refracts different colours by different angles.[38][39]This led him to conclude that colour is a property
intrinsic to light—a point which had been debated in prior years.
From 1670 to 1672, Newton lectured on optics.[40] During this period he investigated the refraction of
light, demonstrating that the multicoloured spectrum produced by a prism could be recomposed into
white light by a lens and a second prism.[41]Modern scholarship has revealed that Newton's analysis
and resynthesis of white light owes a debt to corpuscular alchemy.[42]
He showed that coloured light does not change its properties by separating out a coloured beam and
shining it on various objects, and that regardless of whether reflected, scattered, or transmitted, the
light remains the same colour. Thus, he observed that colour is the result of objects interacting with
already-coloured light rather than objects generating the colour themselves. This is known
as Newton's theory of colour.[43]
Illustration of a dispersive prismseparating white light into the colours of the spectrum, as discovered by
Newton
From this work, he concluded that the lens of any refracting telescope would suffer from
the dispersion of light into colours (chromatic aberration). As a proof of the concept, he constructed a
telescope using reflective mirrors instead of lenses as the objective to bypass that problem.[44]
[45]
Building the design, the first known functional reflecting telescope, today known as a Newtonian
telescope,[45] involved solving the problem of a suitable mirror material and shaping technique.
Newton ground his own mirrors out of a custom composition of highly reflective speculum metal,
using Newton's rings to judge the quality of the optics for his telescopes. In late 1668,[46] he was able
to produce this first reflecting telescope. It was about eight inches long and it gave a clearer and
larger image. In 1671, the Royal Society asked for a demonstration of his reflecting telescope. [47]Their
interest encouraged him to publish his notes, Of Colours,[48] which he later expanded into the
work Opticks. When Robert Hooke criticised some of Newton's ideas, Newton was so offended that
he withdrew from public debate. Newton and Hooke had brief exchanges in 1679–80, when Hooke,
appointed to manage the Royal Society's correspondence, opened up a correspondence intended to
elicit contributions from Newton to Royal Society transactions, [49] which had the effect of stimulating
Newton to work out a proof that the elliptical form of planetary orbits would result from a centripetal
force inversely proportional to the square of the radius vector. But the two men remained generally
on poor terms until Hooke's death. [50]
Facsimile of a 1682 letter from Isaac Newton to Dr William Briggs, commenting on Briggs' A New Theory of
Vision.
Newton argued that light is composed of particles or corpuscles, which were refracted by
accelerating into a denser medium. He verged on soundlike waves to explain the repeated pattern of
reflection and transmission by thin films (Opticks Bk.II, Props. 12), but still retained his theory of 'fits'
that disposed corpuscles to be reflected or transmitted (Props.13). However, later physicists
favoured a purely wavelike explanation of light to account for the interference patterns and the
general phenomenon of diffraction. Today's quantum mechanics, photons, and the idea of wave–
particle duality bear only a minor resemblance to Newton's understanding of light.
In his Hypothesis of Light of 1675, Newton posited the existence of the ether to transmit forces
between particles. The contact with the Cambridge Platonist philosopher Henry More revived his
interest in alchemy.[51] He replaced the ether with occult forces based on Hermetic ideas of attraction
and repulsion between particles. John Maynard Keynes, who acquired many of Newton's writings on
alchemy, stated that "Newton was not the first of the age of reason: He was the last of the
magicians."[52] Newton's interest in alchemy cannot be isolated from his contributions to science.
[51]
This was at a time when there was no clear distinction between alchemy and science. Had he not
relied on the occult idea of action at a distance, across a vacuum, he might not have developed his
theory of gravity.
In 1704, Newton published Opticks, in which he expounded his corpuscular theory of light. He
considered light to be made up of extremely subtle corpuscles, that ordinary matter was made of
grosser corpuscles and speculated that through a kind of alchemical transmutation "Are not gross
Bodies and Light convertible into one another, ... and may not Bodies receive much of their Activity
from the Particles of Light which enter their Composition?" [53] Newton also constructed a primitive
form of a frictional electrostatic generator, using a glass globe.[54]
In an article entitled "Newton, prisms, and the 'opticks' of tunable lasers" [55] it is indicated that Newton
in his book Opticks was the first to show a diagram using a prism as a beam expander. In the same
book he describes, via diagrams, the use of multiple-prism arrays. Some 278 years after Newton's
discussion, multiple-prism beam expanders became central to the development of narrow-
linewidth tunable lasers. Also, the use of these prismatic beam expanders led to the multiple-prism
dispersion theory.[55]
Subsequent to Newton, much has been amended. Young and Fresnel combined Newton's particle
theory with Huygens' wave theory to show that colour is the visible manifestation of light's
wavelength. Science also slowly came to realise the difference between perception of colour and
mathematisable optics. The German poet and scientist, Goethe, could not shake the Newtonian
foundation but "one hole Goethe did find in Newton's armour, ... Newton had committed himself to
the doctrine that refraction without colour was impossible. He therefore thought that the object-
glasses of telescopes must for ever remain imperfect, achromatism and refraction being
incompatible. This inference was proved by Dollond to be wrong."[56]
Engraving of a Portrait of Sir Isaac Newton by John Vanderbank
Newton's own copy of his Principia, with hand-written corrections for the second edition, in the Wren
Library at Trinity College, Cambridge.
In 1679, Newton returned to his work on celestial mechanics by considering gravitation and its effect
on the orbits of planets with reference to Kepler's laws of planetary motion. This followed stimulation
by a brief exchange of letters in 1679–80 with Hooke, who had been appointed to manage the Royal
Society's correspondence, and who opened a correspondence intended to elicit contributions from
Newton to Royal Society transactions.[49] Newton's reawakening interest in astronomical matters
received further stimulus by the appearance of a comet in the winter of 1680–1681, on which he
corresponded with John Flamsteed.[57] After the exchanges with Hooke, Newton worked out proof
that the elliptical form of planetary orbits would result from a centripetal force inversely proportional
to the square of the radius vector. Newton communicated his results to Edmond Halley and to the
Royal Society in De motu corporum in gyrum, a tract written on about nine sheets which was copied
into the Royal Society's Register Book in December 1684. [58] This tract contained the nucleus that
Newton developed and expanded to form the Principia.
The Principia was published on 5 July 1687 with encouragement and financial help from Edmond
Halley. In this work, Newton stated the three universal laws of motion. Together, these laws describe
the relationship between any object, the forces acting upon it and the resulting motion, laying the
foundation for classical mechanics. They contributed to many advances during the Industrial
Revolution which soon followed and were not improved upon for more than 200 years. Many of
these advancements continue to be the underpinnings of non-relativistic technologies in the modern
world. He used the Latin word gravitas (weight) for the effect that would become known as gravity,
and defined the law of universal gravitation
In the same work, Newton presented a calculus-like method of geometrical analysis using 'first and
last ratios', gave the first analytical determination (based on Boyle's law) of the speed of sound in air,
inferred the oblateness of Earth's spheroidal figure, accounted for the precession of the equinoxes
as a result of the Moon's gravitational attraction on the Earth's oblateness, initiated the gravitational
study of the irregularities in the motion of the Moon, provided a theory for the determination of the
orbits of comets, and much more
Newton made clear his heliocentric view of the Solar System—developed in a somewhat modern
way, because already in the mid-1680s he recognised the "deviation of the Sun" from the centre of
gravity of the Solar System.[59] For Newton, it was not precisely the centre of the Sun or any other
body that could be considered at rest, but rather "the common centre of gravity of the Earth, the Sun
and all the Planets is to be esteem'd the Centre of the World", and this centre of gravity "either is at
rest or moves uniformly forward in a right line" (Newton adopted the "at rest" alternative in view of
common consent that the centre, wherever it was, was at rest). [60]
Newton's postulate of an invisible force able to act over vast distances led to him being criticised for
introducing "occult agencies" into science.[61] Later, in the second edition of the Principia (1713),
Newton firmly rejected such criticisms in a concluding General Scholium, writing that it was enough
that the phenomena implied a gravitational attraction, as they did; but they did not so far indicate its
cause, and it was both unnecessary and improper to frame hypotheses of things that were not
implied by the phenomena. (Here Newton used what became his famous expression "hypotheses
non-fingo"[62]).
With the Principia, Newton became internationally recognised. [63] He acquired a circle of admirers,
including the Swiss-born mathematician Nicolas Fatio de Duillier.[64]
Classification of cubics
Main article: Cubic plane curve
Newton found 72 of the 78 "species" of cubic curves and categorized them into four types. [when?] In
1717, and probably with Newton's help, James Stirling proved that every cubic was one of these four
types. Newton also claimed that the four types could be obtained by plane projection from one of
them, and this was proved in 1731, four years after his death. [65]
Later life
Later life of Isaac Newton
In the 1690s, Newton wrote a number of religious tracts dealing with the literal and symbolic
interpretation of the Bible. A manuscript Newton sent to John Locke in which he disputed the fidelity
of 1 John 5:7—the Johannine Comma—and its fidelity to the original manuscripts of the New
Testament, remained unpublished until 1785.[66]
Scholars long debated whether Newton disputed the doctrine of the Trinity. His first biographer, Sir
David Brewster, who compiled his manuscripts, interpreted Newton as questioning the veracity of
some passages used to support the Trinity, but never denying the doctrine of the Trinity as such. [67] In
the twentieth century, encrypted manuscripts written by Newton and bought by John Maynard
Keynes (among others) were deciphered[52] and it became known that Newton did indeed reject
Trinitarianism.[68]
Coat of arms of the Newton family of Great Gonerby, Lincolnshire, afterwards used by Sir Isaac.[77]
As a result of a report written by Newton on 21 September 1717 to the Lords Commissioners of His
Majesty's Treasury, the bimetallic relationship between gold coins and silver coins was changed by
Royal proclamation on 22 December 1717, forbidding the exchange of gold guineas for more than
21 silver shillings.[78] This inadvertently resulted in a silver shortage as silver coins were used to pay
for imports, while exports were paid for in gold, effectively moving Britain from the silver standard to
its first gold standard. It is a matter of debate as to whether he intended to do this or not. [79] It has
been argued that Newton conceived of his work at the Mint as a continuation of his alchemical work.
[80]
Newton was made President of the Royal Society in 1703 and an associate of the French Académie
des Sciences. In his position at the Royal Society, Newton made an enemy of John Flamsteed,
the Astronomer Royal, by prematurely publishing Flamsteed's Historia Coelestis Britannica, which
Newton had used in his studies.[81]
In April 1705, Queen Anne knighted Newton during a royal visit to Trinity College, Cambridge. The
knighthood is likely to have been motivated by political considerations connected with
the Parliamentary election in May 1705, rather than any recognition of Newton's scientific work or
services as Master of the Mint.[82] Newton was the second scientist to be knighted, after Sir Francis
Bacon.[83]
Newton was one of many people who lost heavily when the South Sea Company collapsed. Their
most significant trade was slaves, and according to his niece, he lost around £20,000. [84]
Toward the end of his life, Newton took up residence at Cranbury Park, near Winchester with his
niece and her husband, until his death in 1727.[85] His half-niece, Catherine Barton Conduitt,[86] served
as his hostess in social affairs at his house on Jermyn Street in London; he was her "very loving
Uncle",[87] according to his letter to her when she was recovering from smallpox.
Death
Newton died in his sleep in London on 20 March 1727 (OS 20 March 1726; NS 31 March 1727).
[1]
His body was buried in Westminster Abbey.[88] Voltaire may have been present at his funeral. [89] A
bachelor, he had divested much of his estate to relatives during his last years, and died intestate.
[90]
His papers went to John Conduitt and Catherine Barton. [91] After his death, Newton's hair was
examined and found to contain mercury, probably resulting from his alchemical pursuits. Mercury
poisoningcould explain Newton's eccentricity in late life.[90]
Personal relations
Although it was claimed that he was once engaged, [92] Newton never married. The French writer and
philosopher Voltaire, who was in London at the time of Newton's funeral, said that he "was never
sensible to any passion, was not subject to the common frailties of mankind, nor had any commerce
with women—a circumstance which was assured me by the physician and surgeon who attended
him in his last moments".[93] The widespread belief that he died a virgin has been commented on by
writers such as mathematician Charles Hutton,[94] economist John Maynard Keynes,[95] and
physicist Carl Sagan.[96]
Newton had a close friendship with the Swiss mathematician Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, whom he met
in London around 1689[64]—some of their correspondence has survived.[97][98] Their relationship came
to an abrupt and unexplained end in 1693, and at the same time Newton suffered a nervous
breakdown[99] which included sending wild accusatory letters to his friends Samuel Pepys and John
Locke—his note to the latter included the charge that Locke "endeavoured to embroil me with
woemen".[100]
After death
Isaac Newton in popular culture
Fame
Newton's tomb monument in Westminster Abbey
The mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange said that Newton was the greatest genius who ever
lived, and once added that Newton was also "the most fortunate, for we cannot find more than once
a system of the world to establish."[101] English poet Alexander Pope wrote the famous epitaph:
Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night;
God said "Let Newton be" and all was light.
Newton was relatively modest about his achievements, writing in a letter to Robert Hooke in
February 1676:
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.[102]
Two writers think that the above quotation, written at a time when Newton and Hooke were in
dispute over optical discoveries, was an oblique attack on Hooke (said to have been short and
hunchbacked), rather than—or in addition to—a statement of modesty.[103][104]On the other hand, the
widely known proverb about standing on the shoulders of giants, published among others by
seventeenth-century poet George Herbert (a former orator of the University of Cambridge and fellow
of Trinity College) in his Jacula Prudentum (1651), had as its main point that "a dwarf on a giant's
shoulders sees farther of the two", and so its effect as an analogy would place Newton himself rather
than Hooke as the 'dwarf'.
In a later memoir, Newton wrote:
I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy
playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a
prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. [105]
In 1816, a tooth said to have belonged to Newton was sold for £730 [106] (US$3,633) in London to an
aristocrat who had it set in a ring.[107] The Guinness World Records2002 classified it as the most
valuable tooth, which would value approximately £25,000 (US$35,700) in late 2001.[107] Who bought it
and who currently has it has not been disclosed.
Albert Einstein kept a picture of Newton on his study wall alongside ones of Michael
Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell.[108] Newton remains influential to today's scientists, as
demonstrated by a 2005 survey of members of Britain's Royal Society (formerly headed by Newton)
asking who had the greater effect on the history of science, Newton or Einstein. Royal Society
scientists deemed Newton to have made the greater overall contribution. [109] In 1999, an opinion poll
of 100 of today's leading physicists voted Einstein the "greatest physicist ever;" with Newton the
runner-up, while a parallel survey of rank-and-file physicists by the site PhysicsWeb gave the top
spot to Newton.[110]
Commemorations
Newton's monument (1731) can be seen in Westminster Abbey, at the north of the entrance to the
choir against the choir screen, near his tomb. It was executed by the sculptor Michael
Rysbrack (1694–1770) in white and grey marble with design by the architect William Kent. The
monument features a figure of Newton reclining on top of a sarcophagus, his right elbow resting on
several of his great books and his left hand pointing to a scroll with a mathematical design. Above
him is a pyramid and a celestial globe showing the signs of the Zodiac and the path of the comet of
1680. A relief panel depicts putti using instruments such as a telescope and prism.[111] The Latin
inscription on the base translates as:
Here is buried Isaac Newton, Knight, who by a strength of mind almost divine, and mathematical
principles peculiarly his own, explored the course and figures of the planets, the paths of comets, the
tides of the sea, the dissimilarities in rays of light, and, what no other scholar has previously
imagined, the properties of the colours thus produced. Diligent, sagacious and faithful, in his
expositions of nature, antiquity and the holy Scriptures, he vindicated by his philosophy the majesty
of God mighty and good, and expressed the simplicity of the Gospel in his manners. Mortals rejoice
that there has existed such and so great an ornament of the human race! He was born on 25
December 1642, and died on 20 March 1726/7.—Translation from G.L. Smyth, The Monuments and
Genii of St. Paul's Cathedral, and of Westminster Abbey (1826), ii, 703–704.[111]
From 1978 until 1988, an image of Newton designed by Harry Ecclestone appeared on Series D
£1 banknotes issued by the Bank of England (the last £1 notes to be issued by the Bank of
England). Newton was shown on the reverse of the notes holding a book and accompanied by a
telescope, a prism and a map of the Solar System.[112]
Eduardo Paolozzi's Newton, after William Blake (1995), outside the British Library
A statue of Isaac Newton, looking at an apple at his feet, can be seen at the Oxford University
Museum of Natural History. A large bronze statue, Newton, after William Blake, by Eduardo
Paolozzi, dated 1995 and inspired by Blake's etching, dominates the piazza of the British Library in
London.
Religious views
Religious views of Isaac Newton
Although born into an Anglican family, by his thirties Newton held a Christian faith that, had it been
made public, would not have been considered orthodox by mainstream Christianity; [113] in recent
times he has been described as a heretic.[68]
By 1672 he had started to record his theological researches in notebooks which he showed to no
one and which have only recently been examined. They demonstrate an extensive knowledge of
early church writings and show that in the conflict between Athanasius and Arius which defined
the Creed, he took the side of Arius, the loser, who rejected the conventional view of the Trinity.
Newton "recognized Christ as a divine mediator between God and man, who was subordinate to the
Father who created him."[114] He was especially interested in prophecy, but for him, "the great
apostasy was trinitarianism."[115]
Newton tried unsuccessfully to obtain one of the two fellowships that exempted the holder from the
ordination requirement. At the last moment in 1675 he received a dispensation from the government
that excused him and all future holders of the Lucasian chair. [116]
In Newton's eyes, worshipping Christ as God was idolatry, to him the fundamental
sin. [117] Historian Stephen D. Snobelen says, "Isaac Newton was a heretic. But ... he never made a
public declaration of his private faith—which the orthodox would have deemed extremely radical. He
hid his faith so well that scholars are still unravelling his personal beliefs." [68] Snobelen concludes that
Newton was at least a Socinian sympathiser (he owned and had thoroughly read at least eight
Socinian books), possibly an Arian and almost certainly an anti-trinitarian.[68]
In a minority view, T.C. Pfizenmaier argues that Newton held the Eastern Orthodox view on the
Trinity.[118] However, this type of view 'has lost support of late with the availability of Newton's
theological papers',[119] and now most scholars identify Newton as an Antitrinitarian monotheist.[68][120]
Although the laws of motion and universal gravitation became Newton's best-known discoveries, he
warned against using them to view the Universe as a mere machine, as if akin to a great clock. He
said, "Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion.
God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done." [121]
Along with his scientific fame, Newton's studies of the Bible and of the early Church Fathers were
also noteworthy. Newton wrote works on textual criticism, most notably An Historical Account of Two
Notable Corruptions of Scripture and Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the
Apocalypse of St. John.[122] He placed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at 3 April, AD 33, which agrees
with one traditionally accepted date.[123]
He believed in a rationally immanent world, but he rejected the hylozoism implicit
in Leibniz and Baruch Spinoza. The ordered and dynamically informed Universe could be
understood, and must be understood, by an active reason. In his correspondence, Newton claimed
that in writing the Principia "I had an eye upon such Principles as might work with considering men
for the belief of a Deity".[124] He saw evidence of design in the system of the world: "Such a wonderful
uniformity in the planetary system must be allowed the effect of choice". But Newton insisted that
divine intervention would eventually be required to reform the system, due to the slow growth of
instabilities.[125] For this, Leibniz lampooned him: "God Almighty wants to wind up his watch from time
to time: otherwise it would cease to move. He had not, it seems, sufficient foresight to make it a
perpetual motion."[126]
Newton's position was vigorously defended by his follower Samuel Clarke in a famous
correspondence. A century later, Pierre-Simon Laplace's work "Celestial Mechanics" had a natural
explanation for why the planet orbits do not require periodic divine intervention. [127]
Newton, by William Blake; here, Newton is depicted critically as a "divine geometer". This copy of the work is
currently held by the Tate Collection.[128]
Occult
Isaac Newton's occult studies and eschatology
In a manuscript he wrote in 1704 (never intended to be published) he mentions the date of 2060, but
it is not given as a date for the end of days. It has been falsely reported as a prediction. [132] The
passage is clear, when the date is read in context. He was against date setting for the end of days,
concerned that this would put Christianity into disrepute.
"So then the time times & half a time [sic] are 42 months or 1260 days or three years & an half,
recconing twelve months to a year & 30 days to a month as was done in the Calender [sic] of the
primitive year. And the days of short lived Beasts being put for the years of [long-]lived kingdoms the
period of 1260 days, if dated from the complete conquest of the three kings A.C. 800, will end 2060.
It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner." [133]
"This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash
conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring
the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail. Christ comes as a thief in the
night, and it is not for us to know the times and seasons which God hath put into his own breast." [134]
[132]
Alchemy
In the character of Morton Opperly in "Poor Superman" (1951), speculative fiction author Fritz
Leiber says of Newton, "Everyone knows Newton as the great scientist. Few remember that he
spent half his life muddling with alchemy, looking for the philosopher's stone. That was the pebble by
the seashore he really wanted to find."[135]
Of an estimated ten million words of writing in Newton's papers, about one million deal with alchemy.
Many of Newton's writings on alchemy are copies of other manuscripts, with his own annotations.
[91]
Alchemical texts mix artisanal knowledge with philosophical speculation, often hidden behind
layers of wordplay, allegory, and imagery to protect craft secrets.[136] Some of the content contained in
Newton's papers could have been considered heretical by the church. [91]
In 1888, after spending sixteen years cataloging Newton's papers, Cambridge University kept a
small number and returned the rest to the Earl of Portsmouth. In 1936, a descendant offered the
papers for sale at Sotheby's.[137] The collection was broken up and sold for a total of about £9,000.
[138]
John Maynard Keynes was one of about three dozen bidders who obtained part of the collection
at auction. Keynes went on to reassemble an estimated half of Newton's collection of papers on
alchemy before donating his collection to Cambridge University in 1946. [91][137][139]
All of Newton's known writings on alchemy are currently being put online in a project undertaken
by Indiana University: "The Chymistry of Isaac Newton".[140]
Newton's fundamental contributions to science include the quantification of gravitational attraction,
the discovery that white light is actually a mixture of immutable spectral colors, and the formulation
of the calculus. Yet there is another, more mysterious side to Newton that is imperfectly known, a
realm of activity that spanned some thirty years of his life, although he kept it largely hidden from his
contemporaries and colleagues. We refer to Newton's involvement in the discipline of alchemy, or as
it was often called in seventeenth-century England, "chymistry." [140]
Enlightenment philosophers
Enlightenment philosophers chose a short history of scientific predecessors – Galileo, Boyle, and
Newton principally – as the guides and guarantors of their applications of the singular concept
of nature and natural law to every physical and social field of the day. In this respect, the lessons of
history and the social structures built upon it could be discarded. [141]
It was Newton's conception of the universe based upon natural and rationally understandable laws
that became one of the seeds for Enlightenment ideology. [142] Locke and Voltaire applied concepts of
natural law to political systems advocating intrinsic rights; the physiocrats and Adam Smith applied
natural conceptions of psychologyand self-interest to economic systems; and sociologists criticised
the current social order for trying to fit history into natural models
of progress. Monboddo and Samuel Clarke resisted elements of Newton's work, but eventually
rationalised it to conform with their strong religious views of nature.
Apple incident
Newton himself often told the story that he was inspired to formulate his theory of gravitation by
watching the fall of an apple from a tree.[143][144] Although it has been said that the apple story is a myth
and that he did not arrive at his theory of gravity in any single moment, [145] acquaintances of Newton
(such as William Stukeley, whose manuscript account of 1752 has been made available by the
Royal Society) do in fact confirm the incident, though not the apocryphal version that the apple
actually hit Newton's head. Stukeley recorded in his Memoirs of Sir Isaac Newton's Life a
conversation with Newton in Kensington on 15 April 1726: [146][147][148]
we went into the garden, & drank thea under the shade of some appletrees, only he, & myself.
amidst other discourse, he told me, he was just in the same situation, as when formerly, the notion of
gravitation came into his mind. "why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the
ground," thought he to him self: occasion'd by the fall of an apple, as he sat in a comtemplative
mood: "why should it not go sideways, or upwards? but constantly to the earths centre? assuredly,
the reason is, that the earth draws it. there must be a drawing power in matter. & the sum of the
drawing power in the matter of the earth must be in the earths center, not in any side of the earth.
therefore dos this apple fall perpendicularly, or toward the center. if matter thus draws matter; it must
be in proportion of its quantity. therefore the apple draws the earth, as well as the earth draws the
apple."
John Conduitt, Newton's assistant at the Royal Mint and husband of Newton's niece, also described
the event when he wrote about Newton's life:[149]
In the year 1666 he retired again from Cambridge to his mother in Lincolnshire. Whilst he was
pensively meandering in a garden it came into his thought that the power of gravity (which brought
an apple from a tree to the ground) was not limited to a certain distance from earth, but that this
power must extend much further than was usually thought. Why not as high as the Moon said he to
himself & if so, that must influence her motion & perhaps retain her in her orbit, whereupon he fell a
calculating what would be the effect of that supposition.
In similar terms, Voltaire wrote in his Essay on Epic Poetry (1727), "Sir Isaac Newton walking in his
gardens, had the first thought of his system of gravitation, upon seeing an apple falling from a tree."
It is known from his notebooks that Newton was grappling in the late 1660s with the idea that
terrestrial gravity extends, in an inverse-square proportion, to the Moon; however it took him two
decades to develop the full-fledged theory.[150] The question was not whether gravity existed, but
whether it extended so far from Earth that it could also be the force holding the Moon to its orbit.
Newton showed that if the force decreased as the inverse square of the distance, one could indeed
calculate the Moon's orbital period, and get good agreement. He guessed the same force was
responsible for other orbital motions, and hence named it "universal gravitation".
Various trees are claimed to be "the" apple tree which Newton describes. The King's School,
Grantham claims that the tree was purchased by the school, uprooted and transported to the
headmaster's garden some years later. The staff of the (now) National Trust-owned Woolsthorpe
Manor dispute this, and claim that a tree present in their gardens is the one described by Newton. A
descendant of the original tree[151] can be seen growing outside the main gate of Trinity College,
Cambridge, below the room Newton lived in when he studied there. The National Fruit
Collection at Brogdale in Kent[152] can supply grafts from their tree, which appears identical to Flower
of Kent, a coarse-fleshed cooking variety.[153]
Works
Writing of Principia Mathematica
Joseph-Louis Lagrange
Joseph-Louis Lagrange (/ləˈɡrɑːndʒ/[1] or /ləˈɡreɪndʒ/;[2] French: [lagʁɑ̃ʒ]; born Giuseppe Luigi
Lagrangia[3] or Giuseppe Ludovico De la Grange Tournier,[4] 25 January 1736 – 10 April 1813;
also reported as Giuseppe Luigi Lagrange[5] or Lagrangia[6]) was an Italian Enlightenment
Era mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the fields
of analysis, number theory, and both classical and celestial mechanics.
In 1766, on the recommendation of Leonhard Euler and d'Alembert, Lagrange succeeded Euler as
the director of mathematics at the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin, Prussia, where he
stayed for over twenty years, producing volumes of work and winning several prizes of the French
Academy of Sciences. Lagrange's treatise on analytical mechanics (Mécanique analytique, 4. ed., 2
vols. Paris: Gauthier-Villars et fils, 1788–89), written in Berlin and first published in 1788, offered the
most comprehensive treatment of classical mechanics since Newton and formed a basis for the
development of mathematical physics in the nineteenth century.
In 1787, at age 51, he moved from Berlin to Paris and became a member of the French Academy of
Sciences. He remained in France until the end of his life. He was significantly involved in
the decimalisation in Revolutionary France, became the first professor of analysis at the École
Polytechnique upon its opening in 1794, was a founding member of the Bureau des Longitudes, and
became Senator in 1799.
Joseph-Louis Lagrange
Joseph-Louis (Giuseppe Luigi),
comte de Lagrange
Scientific contribution
Lagrange was one of the creators of the calculus of variations, deriving the Euler–Lagrange
equations for extrema of functionals. He also extended the method to take into account possible
constraints, arriving at the method of Lagrange multipliers. Lagrange invented the method of
solving differential equations known as variation of parameters, applied differential calculus to
the theory of probabilities and attained notable work on the solution of equations. He proved
that every natural number is a sum of four squares. His treatise Theorie des fonctions
analytiques laid some of the foundations of group theory, anticipating Galois. In calculus, Lagrange
developed a novel approach to interpolation and Taylor series. He studied the three-body
problem for the Earth, Sun and Moon (1764) and the movement of Jupiter's satellites (1766), and in
1772 found the special-case solutions to this problem that yield what are now known as Lagrangian
points. But above all, he is best known for his work on mechanics, where he transformed Newtonian
mechanics into a branch of analysis, Lagrangian mechanics as it is now called, and presented the
so-called mechanical "principles" as simple results of the variational calculus.
Biography
In appearance he was of medium height, and slightly formed, with pale blue eyes and a colourless complexion. In
character he was nervous and timid, he detested controversy, and to avoid it willingly allowed others to take the credit
for what he had himself done.
He always thought out the subject of his papers before he began to compose them, and usually wrote them straight
off without a single erasure or correction.
Early years
Born as Giuseppe Lodovico Lagrangia, Lagrange was of Italian and French descent. His paternal
great-grandfather was a Frencharmy officer who had moved to Turin, the de facto capital of
the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia at Lagrange's time, and married an Italian; so did his grandfather
and his father. His mother was from the countryside of Turin.[8] He was raised as a Roman
Catholic(but later on became an agnostic).[9]
His father, who had charge of the king's military chest and was Treasurer of the Office of Public
Works and Fortifications in Turin, should have maintained a good social position and wealth, but
before his son grew up he had lost most of his property in speculations. A career as a lawyer was
planned out for Lagrange by his father, and certainly Lagrange seems to have accepted this
willingly. He studied at the University of Turin and his favourite subject was classical Latin. At first he
had no great enthusiasm for mathematics, finding Greek geometry rather dull.
It was not until he was seventeen that he showed any taste for mathematics – his interest in the
subject being first excited by a paper by Edmond Halley which he came across by accident. Alone
and unaided he threw himself into mathematical studies; at the end of a year's incessant toil he was
already an accomplished mathematician. Charles Emmanuel III appointed Lagrange to serve as the
"Sostituto del Maestro di Matematica" (mathematics assistant professor) at the Royal Military
Academy of the Theory and Practice of Artillery in 1755, where he taught courses in calculus and
mechanics to support the Piedmontese army's early adoption of the ballistics theories of Benjamin
Robins and Leonhard Euler. In that capacity, Lagrange was the first to teach calculus in an
engineering school. According to Alessandro Papacino D'Antoni, the academy's military commander
and famous artillery theorist, Lagrange unfortunately proved to be a problematic professor with his
oblivious teaching style, abstract reasoning, and impatience with artillery and fortification-
engineering applications.[10] In this Academy one of his students was François Daviet de Foncenex.[11]
Variational calculus
Lagrange is one of the founders of the calculus of variations. Starting in 1754, he worked on the
problem of tautochrone, discovering a method of maximising and minimising functionals in a way
similar to finding extrema of functions. Lagrange wrote several letters to Leonhard Euler between
1754 and 1756 describing his results. He outlined his "δ-algorithm", leading to the Euler–Lagrange
equations of variational calculus and considerably simplifying Euler's earlier analysis. [12] Lagrange
also applied his ideas to problems of classical mechanics, generalising the results of Euler
and Maupertuis.
Euler was very impressed with Lagrange's results. It has been stated that "with characteristic
courtesy he withheld a paper he had previously written, which covered some of the same ground, in
order that the young Italian might have time to complete his work, and claim the undisputed
invention of the new calculus"; however, this chivalric view has been disputed. [13] Lagrange published
his method in two memoirs of the Turin Society in 1762 and 1773.
Miscellanea Taurinensia
In 1758, with the aid of his pupils (mainly Daviet de Foncenex), Lagrange established a society,
which was subsequently incorporated as the Turin Academy of Sciences, and most of his early
writings are to be found in the five volumes of its transactions, usually known as the Miscellanea
Taurinensia. Many of these are elaborate papers. The first volume contains a paper on the theory of
the propagation of sound; in this he indicates a mistake made by Newton, obtains the
general differential equation for the motion, and integrates it for motion in a straight line. This volume
also contains the complete solution of the problem of a string vibrating transversely; in this paper he
points out a lack of generality in the solutions previously given by Brook Taylor, D'Alembert, and
Euler, and arrives at the conclusion that the form of the curve at any time t is given by the
Berlin
Already in 1756, Euler and Maupertuis, seeing his mathematical talent, tried to persuade him to
come to Berlin, but Lagrange had no such intention and shyly refused the offer. In
1765, d'Alembert interceded on Lagrange's behalf with Frederick of Prussia and by letter, asked him
to leave Turin for a considerably more prestigious position in Berlin. Lagrange again turned down the
offer, responding that[14]:361
It seems to me that Berlin would not be at all suitable for me while M.Euler is there.
In 1766, Euler left Berlin for Saint Petersburg, and Frederick himself wrote to Lagrange
expressing the wish of "the greatest king in Europe" to have "the greatest mathematician in
Europe" resident at his court. Lagrange was finally persuaded and he spent the next twenty
years in Prussia, where he produced not only the long series of papers published in the Berlin
and Turin transactions, but also his monumental work, the Mécanique analytique. In 1767, he
married his cousin Vittoria Conti.
Lagrange was a favourite of the king, who used frequently to discourse to him on the
advantages of perfect regularity of life. The lesson went home, and thenceforth Lagrange
studied his mind and body as though they were machines, and found by experiment the exact
amount of work which he was able to do without breaking down. Every night he set himself a
definite task for the next day, and on completing any branch of a subject he wrote a short
analysis to see what points in the demonstrations or in the subject-matter were capable of
improvement. He always thought out the subject of his papers before he began to compose
them, and usually wrote them straight off without a single erasure or correction.
Nonetheless, during his years in Berlin, Lagrange's health was rather poor on many occasions,
and that of his wife Vittoria was even worse. She died in 1783 after years of illness and
Lagrange was very depressed. In 1786, Frederick II died, and the climate of Berlin became
rather trying for Lagrange.[8]
Paris
In 1786, following Frederick's death, Lagrange received similar invitations from states including
Spain and Naples, and he accepted the offer of Louis XVI to move to Paris. In France he was
received with every mark of distinction and special apartments in the Louvre were prepared for
his reception, and he became a member of the French Academy of Sciences, which later
became part of the Institut de France (1795). At the beginning of his residence in Paris he was
seized with an attack of melancholy, and even the printed copy of his Mécanique on which he
had worked for a quarter of a century lay for more than two years unopened on his desk.
Curiosity as to the results of the French revolution first stirred him out of his lethargy, a curiosity
which soon turned to alarm as the revolution developed.
It was about the same time, 1792, that the unaccountable sadness of his life and his timidity
moved the compassion of 24-year-old Renée-Françoise-Adélaïde Le Monnier, daughter of his
friend, the astronomer Pierre Charles Le Monnier. She insisted on marrying him, and proved a
devoted wife to whom he became warmly attached.
In September 1793, the Reign of Terror began. Under intervention of Antoine Lavoisier, who
himself was by then already thrown out of the Academy along with many other scholars,
Lagrange was specifically exempted by name in the decree of October 1793 that ordered all
foreigners to leave France. On 4 May 1794, Lavoisier and 27 other tax farmers were arrested
and sentenced to death and guillotined on the afternoon after the trial. Lagrange said on the
death of Lavoisier:
It took only a moment to cause this head to fall and a hundred years will not suffice to
produce its like.[8]
Though Lagrange had been preparing to escape from France while there was yet time, he
was never in any danger; different revolutionary governments (and at a later
time, Napoleon) loaded him with honours and distinctions. This luckiness or safety may to
some extent be due to his life attitude he expressed many years before: "I believe that, in
general, one of the first principles of every wise man is to conform strictly to the laws of the
country in which he is living, even when they are unreasonable".[8] A striking testimony to the
respect in which he was held was shown in 1796 when the French commissary in Italy was
ordered to attend in full state on Lagrange's father, and tender the congratulations of the
republic on the achievements of his son, who "had done honor to all mankind by his genius,
and whom it was the special glory of Piedmont to have produced." It may be added that
Napoleon, when he attained power, warmly encouraged scientific studies in France, and
was a liberal benefactor of them. Appointed senator in 1799, he was the first signer of
the Sénatus-consulte which in 1802 annexed his fatherland Piedmont to France. [5] He
acquired French citizenship in consequence. [5] The French claimed he was a French
mathematician, but the Italians continued to claim him as Italian. [8]
Units of measurement
Lagrange was considerably involved in the process of making new standard units of
measurement in the 1790s. He was offered the presidency of the Commission for the reform
of weights and measures (la Commission des Poids et Mesures) when he was preparing to
escape. And after Lavoisier's death in 1794, it was largely owing to Lagrange's influence
that the final choice of the unit system of metre and kilogram was settled and the decimal
subdivision was finally accepted by the commission of 1799. Lagrange was also one of the
founding members of the Bureau des Longitudes in 1795.
École Normale
In 1795, Lagrange was appointed to a mathematical chair at the newly established École
Normale, which enjoyed only a brief existence of four months. His lectures there were quite
elementary, and contain nothing of any special importance, but they were published
because the professors had to "pledge themselves to the representatives of the people and
to each other neither to read nor to repeat from memory," and the discourses were ordered
to be taken down in shorthand to enable the deputies to see how the professors acquitted
themselves.
École Polytechnique
In 1794, Lagrange was appointed professor of the École Polytechnique; and his lectures
there, described by mathematicians who had the good fortune to be able to attend them,
were almost perfect both in form and matter. Beginning with the merest elements, he led his
hearers on until, almost unknown to themselves, they were themselves extending the
bounds of the subject: above all he impressed on his pupils the advantage of always using
general methods expressed in a symmetrical notation.
But Lagrange does not seem to have been a successful teacher. Fourier, who attended his
lectures in 1795, wrote:
his voice is very feeble, at least in that he does not become heated; he has a very marked
Italian accent and pronounces the s like z [...] The students, of whom the majority are
incapable of appreciating him, give him little welcome, but the professeurs make amends for
it.[15]
Late years
Work in Berlin
Lagrange was extremely active scientifically during twenty years he spent in Berlin. Not
only did he produce his Mécanique analytique, but he contributed between one and two
hundred papers to the Academy of Turin, the Berlin Academy, and the French
Academy. Some of these are really treatises, and all without exception are of a high
order of excellence. Except for a short time when he was ill he produced on average
about one paper a month. Of these, note the following as amongst the most important.
First, his contributions to the fourth and fifth volumes, 1766–1773, of the Miscellanea
Taurinensia; of which the most important was the one in 1771, in which he discussed
how numerous astronomical observations should be combined so as to give the most
probable result. And later, his contributions to the first two volumes, 1784–1785, of the
transactions of the Turin Academy; to the first of which he contributed a paper on the
pressure exerted by fluids in motion, and to the second an article on integration
by infinite series, and the kind of problems for which it is suitable.
Most of the papers sent to Paris were on astronomical questions, and among these
including his paper on the Jovian system in 1766, his essay on the problem of three
bodies in 1772, his work on the secular equation of the Moon in 1773, and his treatise
on cometary perturbations in 1778. These were all written on subjects proposed by
the Académie française, and in each case the prize was awarded to him.
Lagrangian mechanics
[Between 1772 and 1788, Lagrange re-formulated Classical/Newtonian mechanics
to simplify formulas and ease calculations. These mechanics are
called Lagrangian mechanics.
Algebra
The greater number of his papers during this time were, however, contributed to
the Prussian Academy of Sciences. Several of them deal with questions in algebra.
Astronomy
Lastly, there are numerous papers on problems in astronomy. Of these the most
important are the following:
Work in France
Differential calculus and calculus of variations
Lagrange's lectures on the differential calculus at École Polytechnique form the
basis of his treatise Théorie des fonctions analytiques, which was published in
1797. This work is the extension of an idea contained in a paper he had sent to the
Berlin papers in 1772, and its object is to substitute for the differential calculus a
group of theorems based on the development of algebraic functions in series,
relying in particular on the principle of the generality of algebra.
A somewhat similar method had been previously used by John Landen in
the Residual Analysis, published in London in 1758. Lagrange believed that he
could thus get rid of those difficulties, connected with the use of infinitely large and
infinitely small quantities, to which philosophers objected in the usual treatment of
the differential calculus. The book is divided into three parts: of these, the first treats
of the general theory of functions, and gives an algebraic proof of Taylor's theorem,
the validity of which is, however, open to question; the second deals with
applications to geometry; and the third with applications to mechanics.
Another treatise on the same lines was his Leçons sur le calcul des fonctions,
issued in 1804, with the second edition in 1806. It is in this book that Lagrange
formulated his celebrated method of Lagrange multipliers, in the context of problems
of variational calculus with integral constraints. These works devoted to differential
calculus and calculus of variations may be considered as the starting point for the
researches of Cauchy, Jacobi, and Weierstrass.
Infinitesimals
At a later period Lagrange fully embraced the use of infinitesimals in preference to
founding the differential calculus on the study of algebraic forms; and in the preface
to the second edition of the Mécanique Analytique, which was issued in 1811, he
justifies the employment of infinitesimals, and concludes by saying that:
When we have grasped the spirit of the infinitesimal method, and have verified the exactness
of its results either by the geometrical method of prime and ultimate ratios, or by the
analytical method of derived functions, we may employ infinitely small quantities as a sure
and valuable means of shortening and simplifying our proofs.
Number theory
His Résolution des équations numériques, published in 1798, was also the fruit
of his lectures at École Polytechnique. There he gives the method of
approximating to the real roots of an equation by means of continued fractions,
and enunciates several other theorems. In a note at the end he shows
how Fermat's little theorem, that is
where p is a prime and a is prime to p, may be applied to give the complete
algebraic solution of any binomial equation. He also here explains how the
equation whose roots are the squares of the differences of the roots of the
original equation may be used so as to give considerable information as to
the position and nature of those roots.
Celestial mechanics
The theory of the planetary motions had formed the subject of some of the
most remarkable of Lagrange's Berlin papers. In 1806 the subject was
reopened by Poisson, who, in a paper read before the French Academy,
showed that Lagrange's formulae led to certain limits for the stability of the
orbits. Lagrange, who was present, now discussed the whole subject
afresh, and in a letter communicated to the Academy in 1808 explained
how, by the variation of arbitrary constants, the periodical and secular
inequalities of any system of mutually interacting bodies could be
determined.
Simon Newcomb
Simon Newcomb (12 March 1835–11 July 1909) was a Canadian-American astronomer who
revised Peter Andreas Hansen's table of lunar positions. In 1877, assisted by George William Hill, he
recalculated all the major astronomical constants. After 1884, he conceived with A. M. W. Downing a
plan to resolve much international confusion on the subject. By the time he attended a
standardisation conference in Paris, France in May 1886, the international consensus was that all
ephemerides should be based on Newcomb's calculations. A further conference as late as 1950
confirmed Newcomb's constants as the international standard.
Simon Newcomb
Newcomb c. 1905
Biography
Early life
Simon Newcomb was born in the town of Wallace, Nova Scotia. His parents were Emily Prince, the
daughter of a New Brunswick magistrate, and itinerant school teacher John Burton Newcomb. John
moved around teaching in different parts of Canada, particularly in different villages in Nova Scotia
and Prince Edward Island. Emily was a daughter of Thomas Prince and Miriam Steeves, making
Simon a great-great-grandson of Heinrich Stief, and a not-too-distant cousin of William Henry
Steeves, a Canadian Father of Confederation.
Newcomb seems to have had little conventional schooling other than from his father and from a
short apprenticeship to Dr. Foshay, a charlatan herbalist, in New Brunswick in 1851. Nevertheless,
his father provided him with an excellent foundation for his future studies. Newcomb's apprenticeship
with Dr. Foshay occurred when he was 16-years-old. They entered an agreement that Newcomb
would serve a five-year apprenticeship during which time Foshay would train him in using herbs to
treat illnesses. For two years he was an apprentice but became increasingly unhappy and
disillusioned with his apprenticeship and about Foshay's unscientific approach, realizing that the
man was a charlatan. He made the decision to walk out on Foshay and break their agreement. He
walked the 120 miles (190 km) to the port of Calais in Maine where he met the captain of a ship who
agreed to take him to Salem, Massachusetts so that he could join his father. [2] In about 1854, he
joined his father in Salem (John Newcomb had moved earlier to the United States), and the two
journeyed together to Maryland.
After arriving in Maryland, Newcomb taught for two years from 1854 to 1856; for the first year in a
country school in Massey's Cross Roads, Kent County, Maryland, then for a year at a school not far
south in Sudlersville in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. In his spare time he studied a variety of
subjects such as political economy and religion, but his deepest studies were made in mathematics
and astronomy. In particular he read Newton's Principia at this time. In 1856 he took up a position as
a private tutor close to Washington and he often travelled to that city to study mathematics in the
libraries there. He was able to borrow a copy of Bowditch's translation of Laplace's Traité de
mécanique céleste from the library of the Smithsonian Institution but found the mathematics beyond
him.[3]
Newcomb studied mathematics and physics privately and supported himself by teaching before
becoming a human computer(a functionary in charge of calculations) at the Nautical Almanac
Office in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1857. At around the same time, he enrolled at the Lawrence
Scientific School of Harvard University, graduating BSc in 1858.[3]
Peirce family
Newcomb studied mathematics under Benjamin Peirce and the impecunious Newcomb was often a
welcome guest at the Peirce home. [4] However, he later was said to develop a dislike of Peirce's
son, Charles Sanders Peirce and has been accused of a "successful destruction" of C. S. Peirce's
career.[5] In particular, Daniel Coit Gilman, president of Johns Hopkins University, is alleged to have
been on the point of awarding tenure to C. S. Peirce, before Newcomb intervened behind the scenes
to dissuade him.[6] About 20 years later, Newcomb allegedly influenced the Carnegie
Institution Trustees, to prevent C. S. Peirce's last chance to publish his life's work, through a denial
of a Carnegie grant to Peirce, even though Andrew Carnegie himself, Theodore Roosevelt, William
James and others, wrote to support it.[7]
Career in astronomy
In the prelude to the American Civil War, many US Navy staff of Confederate sympathies left the
service and, in 1861, Newcomb took advantage of one of the ensuing vacancies to become
professor of mathematics and astronomer at the United States Naval Observatory, Washington D.C..
Newcomb set to work on the measurement of the position of the planetsas an aid to navigation,
becoming increasingly interested in theories of planetary motion.[3]
By the time Newcomb visited Paris, France in 1870, he was already aware that the table of lunar
positions calculated by Peter Andreas Hansen was in error. While in Paris, he realised that, in
addition to the data from 1750 to 1838 that Hansen had used, there was further data stretching as
far back as 1672. His visit allowed little serenity for analysis as he witnessed the defeat of French
emperor Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War and the coup that ended the Second French
Empire. Newcomb managed to escape from the city during the ensuing rioting that led up to the
formation of the Paris Commune and which engulfed the Paris Observatory. Newcomb was able to
use the "new" data to revise Hansen's tables.[3]
He was offered the post of director of the Harvard College Observatory in 1875 but declined, having
by now settled that his interests lay in mathematics rather than observation.[3]
Personal life
Newcomb married Mary Caroline Hassler on August 4, 1863 and had four daughters with her. [8] Mary
Caroline Hassler's father was United States Navy Surgeon Dr. Charles Augustus Hassler and her
grandfather was Ferdinand Hassler, the first Superintendent of the Coast Survey.[9] Newcomb died
in Washington, DC of bladder cancer and was buried with military honors in Arlington National
Cemetery with President William Howard Taft in attendance.[3]
Newcomb's daughter Anita Newcomb McGee was an MD and founder of the Army Nurse Corps.
She received the Spanish War Service Medal for her services during the Spanish–American War.
For her work in Japan she was awarded the Japanese Imperial Order of the Precious Crown,
The Japanese Red Cross decoration and two Russo–Japanese War medals from the Japanese
government. She is buried next to him with full military honors. [10]
Newcomb's daughter Anna Josepha studied at the Art Students' League in New York.[11] She was
active in the suffrage movement. In 1912, she organized the first Cornwall meeting in support of
voting rights for women.[11] Josepha Newcomb married Assistant US Attorney General Edward
Baldwin Whitney, who was the son of Professor William Dwight Whitney and the grandson of US
Senator and Connecticut Governor Roger Sherman Baldwin. He was also the grandfather of
mathematician and Professor Hassler Whitney.[12]
Work
Speed of light
In 1878, Newcomb had started planning for a new and precise measurement of the speed of
light that was needed to account for exact values of many astronomical constants. He had already
started developing a refinement of the method of Léon Foucault when he received a letter from the
young naval officer and physicist Albert Abraham Michelson who was also planning such a
measurement. Thus began a long collaboration and friendship. In 1880, Michelson assisted at
Newcomb's initial measurement with instruments located at Fort Myer and the United States Naval
Observatory, then situated on the Potomac River. However, Michelson had left to start his own
project by the time of the second set of measurements between the observatory and the Washington
Monument. Though Michelson published his first measurement in 1880, Newcomb's measurement
was substantially different. In 1883, Michelson revised his measurement to a value closer to
Newcomb's.[3]
Benford's law
In 1881, Newcomb discovered the statistical principle now known as Benford's law, when he
observed that the earlier pages of logarithm books, used at that time to carry out logarithmic
calculations, were far more worn than the later pages. This led him to formulate the principle that, in
any list of numbers taken from an arbitrary set of data, more numbers will tend to begin with "1" than
with any other digit.[13]
Chandler wobble
In 1891, within months of Seth Carlo Chandler's discovery of the 14-month variation of latitude, now
referred to as the Chandler wobble, Newcomb explained the apparent conflict between the observed
motion and predicted period of the wobble. The theory was based on a perfectly rigid body, but Earth
is slightly elastic. Newcomb used the variation of latitude observations to estimate the elasticity of
Earth, finding it to be slightly more rigid than steel. [14]
Other work
Newcomb was an autodidact and polymath. He wrote on economics and his Principles of political
economy (1885) was described by John Maynard Keynes as "one of those original works which a
fresh scientific mind, not perverted by having read too much of the orthodox stuff, is able to produce
from time to time in a half-formed subject like economics." He was credited by Irving Fisher with the
first-known enunciation of the equation of exchange between money and goods used in the quantity
theory of money.[15] He spoke French, German, Italian and Swedish; was an active mountaineer;
widely read; and authored a number of popular science books and a science fiction novel, His
Wisdom the Defender (1900).[3]
Psychical research
Newcomb was the first president of the American Society for Psychical Research.[24] Although
skeptical of extrasensory perception and alleged paranormal phenomena he believed the subject
was worthy of investigation. By 1889 his investigations were negative and his skepticism increased.
Biographer Albert E. Moyer has noted that Newcomb "convinced and hoped to convince others that,
on methodological grounds, psychical research was a scientific dead end." [25]
Legacy
Asteroid 855 Newcombia is named after him.
The crater Newcomb on the Moon is named after him, as is Newcomb crater on Mars.[27]
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada has a writing award named after him.
The Time Service Building at the US Naval Observatory is named The Simon Newcomb
Laboratory.
The U.S. Navy minesweeper Simon Newcomb (YMS 263) was launched in 1942, served in
the Pacific Theater during World War II, and was decommissioned in 1949.
Mt. Newcomb (13,418 ft/4,090 m) appears on USGS topographic maps at coordinates
36.5399° N, 118.2934° W in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Urbain le verrier.
Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier FRS (FOR) HFRSE (French: [yʁbɛ̃ ʒɑ̃ ʒɔzɛf lə vɛʁje]; 11
March 1811 – 23 September 1877) was a French astronomer and mathematician who specialized
in celestial mechanics and is best known for predicting the existence and position of Neptune
using only mathematics. The calculations were made to explain discrepancies with Uranus's orbit
and the laws of Kepler and Newton. Le Verrier sent the coordinates to Johann Gottfried Galle in
Berlin, asking him to verify. Galle found Neptune in the same night he received Le Verrier's
letter, within 1° of the predicted position. The discovery of Neptune is widely regarded as a
dramatic validation of celestial mechanics, and is one of the most remarkable moments of 19th-
century science
Biography
Early years
Le Verrier was born at Saint-Lô, Manche, France, and studied at École Polytechnique. He briefly
studied chemistry under Gay-Lussac, writing papers on the combinations of phosphorus and
hydrogen, and phosphorus and oxygen.[1] He then switched to astronomy, particularly celestial
mechanics, and accepted a job at the Paris Observatory. He spent most of his professional life
there, and eventually became that institution's Director, from 1854 to 1870 and again from 1873
to 1877.[2]
In 1846, Le Verrier became a member of the French Academy of Sciences, and in 1855, he was
elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Le Verrier's name is one
of the 72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower.
Career
Early work
Le Verrier's first work in astronomy was presented to the Académie des Sciences in September
1839, entitled Sur les variations séculaires des orbites des planètes (On the Secular Variations
of the Orbits of the Planets). This work addressed the then most-important question in
astronomy: the stability of the Solar System, first investigated by Laplace. He was able to derive
some important limits on the motions of the system, but due to the inaccurately-known masses of
the planets, his results were tentative.
From 1844 to 1847, Le Verrier published a series of works on periodic comets, in particular
those of Lexell, Faye and DeVico. He was able to show some interesting interactions with the
planet Jupiter, proving that certain comets were actually the reappearance of previously-known
comets flung into different orbits.[3]
Discovery of Neptune
Discovery of Neptune
Le Verrier's most famous achievement is his prediction of the existence of the then unknown
planet Neptune, using only mathematics and astronomical observations of the known planet
Uranus. Encouraged by physicist Arago,[4] Director of the Paris Observatory, Le Verrier was
intensely engaged for months in complex calculations to explain small but systematic
discrepancies between Uranus's observed orbit and the one predicted from the laws of gravity of
Newton. At the same time, but unknown to Le Verrier, similar calculations were made by John
Couch Adams in England. Le Verrier announced his final predicted position for Uranus's unseen
perturbing planet publicly to the French Academy on 31 August 1846, two days before Adams's
final solution was privately mailed to the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Le Verrier transmitted
his own prediction by 18 September in a letter to Johann Galle of the Berlin Observatory. The
letter arrived five days later, and the planet was found with the Berlin Fraunhofer refractor that
same evening, 23 September 1846, by Galle and Heinrich d'Arrest within 1° of the predicted
location near the boundary between Capricorn and Aquarius.
There was, and to an extent still is, controversy over the apportionment of credit for the
discovery. There is no ambiguity to the discovery claims of Le Verrier, Galle, and d'Arrest.
Adams's work was begun earlier than Le Verrier's but was finished later and was unrelated to the
actual discovery. Not even the briefest account of Adams's predicted orbital elements was
published until more than a month after Berlin's visual confirmation. Adams made full public
acknowledgement of Le Verrier's priority and credit (not forgetting to mention the role of Galle)
when he gave his paper to the Royal Astronomical Society in November 1846:[5]
I mention these dates merely to show that my results were arrived at independently, and
previously to the publication of those of M. Le Verrier, and not with the intention of interfering
with his just claims to the honours of the discovery; for there is no doubt that his researches were
first published to the world, and led to the actual discovery of the planet by Dr. Galle, so that the
facts stated above cannot detract, in the slightest degree, from the credit due to M. Le Verrier.
— Adams (1846)
Early in the 19th century, the methods of predicting the motions of the planets were somewhat
scattered, having been developed over decades by many different researchers. In 1847, Le
Verrier took on the task to "... embrace in a single work the entire planetary system, put
everything in harmony if possible, otherwise, declare with certainty that there are as yet
unknown causes of perturbations...",[6] a work which would occupy him for the rest of his life.
Le Verrier began by re-evaluating, to the 7th order, the technique of calculating the planetary
perturbations known as the perturbing function. This derivation, which resulted in 469
mathematical terms, was complete by 1849. He next collected observations of the positions of
the planets as far back as 1750. Examining these and correcting for inconsistencies with the most
recent data occupied him until 1852.[3]
Le Verrier published, in the Annales de l'Observatoire de Paris, tables of the motions of all of
the known planets, releasing them as he completed them, starting in 1858.[7] The tables formed
the fundamental ephemeris of the Connaissance des Temps, the astronomical almanac of the
Bureau des Longitudes, until about 1912.[8] About that time, Le Verrier's work on the outer
planets was revised and expanded by Gaillot.[9]
Precession of Mercury
Le Verrier began studying the motion of Mercury as early as 1843, with a report entitled
Détermination nouvelle de l ’orbite de Mercure et de ses perturbations (A New Determination of
the Orbit of Mercury and its Perturbations).[3] In 1859, Le Verrier was the first to report that the
slow precession of Mercury’s orbit around the Sun could not be completely explained by
Newtonian mechanics and perturbations by the known planets. He suggested, among possible
explanations, that another planet (or perhaps, instead, a series of smaller 'corpuscules') might
exist in an orbit even closer to the Sun than that of Mercury, to account for this perturbation.[10]
(Other explanations considered included a slight oblateness of the Sun.) The success of the
search for Neptune based on its perturbations of the orbit of Uranus led astronomers to place
some faith in this possible explanation, and the hypothetical planet was even named Vulcan.
However, no such planet was ever found,[11] and the anomalous precession was eventually
explained by general relativity theory.
Later life
Le Verrier's methods of management were disliked by the staff of the Observatoire, and the
disputes became so great that he was driven out in 1870. He was succeeded by Delaunay, but
was reinstated in 1873 after Delaunay accidentally drowned. Le Verrier held the position until
his death in 1877.[1]
Le Verrier had a wife and children.[12] He died in Paris, France and was buried in the
Montparnasse Cemetery. A large stone celestial globe sits over his grave. He will be remembered
by the phrase attributed to Arago: "the man who discovered a planet with the point of his pen."
Honours
Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society – 1868 and 1876
Namesake of craters on the Moon and Mars, a ring of Neptune, and the asteroid 1997 Leverrier
One of the 72 names engraved on the Eiffel Tower
Early life
Galle was born in the Papsthaus (a house in the Pabst wood) 2 km west of Radis in the vicinity of
the town of Gräfenhainichen, as the first son of Marie Henriette née Pannier (1790–1839) and
Johann Gottfried Galle (1790–1853),[1] an operator of a tar oven. He attended the Gymnasium in
Wittenberg and studied at Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Berlin from 1830 to 1833. He became
a teacher at the Gymnasium in Guben, teaching mathematics and physics. Later on, he
transferred to the Gymnasium in Berlin.
Berlin Observatory
He had started to work as an assistant to Johann Franz Encke in 1835 immediately following the
completion of the new Berlin Observatory. Galle worked there for the next 16 years, making use
especially of a Fraunhofer-refractor with 9 Zoll (~22.5 cm) aperture. In 1838 he discovered an
inner, dark ring of Saturn. From 2 December 1839 to 6 March 1840 he discovered three new
comets.
In 1845 Galle was awarded a Dr. phil.. His doctoral thesis was a reduction and critical discussion
of Ole Rømer's observation of meridian transits of stars and planets on the days from 20 October
to 23 October 1706.
Discovery of Neptune
Around the same time in 1845 he sent a copy of his thesis to Urbain Le Verrier, but only
received an answer a year later. Sent on 18 September 1846, it reached Galle on the morning of
23 September. Le Verrier had been investigating the perturbations of the orbit of the planet
Uranus and from this he derived the position of a still undiscovered planet, and requested Galle
to search in the corresponding section of sky. The very same night (after Encke gave permission
to search, against his own judgement), in collaboration with his assistant Heinrich Louis d'Arrest,
Galle discovered a star of 8th. magnitude, only 1° away from the calculated position, which was
not recorded in the Berliner Akademischen Sternkarte. Over the next two evenings, a proper
motion of the celestial object of 4 seconds of arc was measured, which determined it absolutely
as a planet, for which Le Verrier proposed the name Neptune. Galle always refused to be
acknowledged as the discoverer of Neptune; he attributed the discovery to Le Verrier.
In 1847 Galle was designated as the successor to Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel as Director of
Königsberg Observatory. Before the enacted nomination from Friedrich Wilhelm IV effected de
facto, Galle withdrew his application at the beginning of 1848 due to an intrigue against him led
by Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi.[2]
Breslau Observatory
In 1851 he moved to Breslau (today Wrocław) to become the director of the local observatory,
and in 1856 he became Professor of Astronomy at the Schlesischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-
Universität Breslau. He worked in Breslau for over 45 years. For the academic year 1875/76 he
was elected Rector.[3] At Breslau he dealt with the exact determination of planetary orbits and
developed methods for calculating the height of the aurorae and the path of meteors, and
consolidated the data for all 414 comets discovered up to 1894 into one work (with the help of
his son). Otherwise he concerned himself with the Earth's magnetic field and climatology.
Altogether he published over 200 works.
The town of Gräfenhainichen, which is close to his birthplace, erected a memorial to him in
1977.
Two craters, one on the Moon and the "happy face" one on Mars, the asteroid 2097 Galle, and a
ring of Neptune have been named in his honor.
Emanuel Swedenborg.
Emanuel Swedenborg (/ˈswiːdənˌbɔːrɡ/;[1] Swedish pronunciation (help·info); born Emanuel
Swedberg; 29 January 1688[2] – 29 March 1772)[3] was a
Swedish Lutheran theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic.[4] He is best known for his book on
the afterlife, Heaven and Hell(1758).[5][6]
Swedenborg had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. In 1741, at 53, he entered into a
spiritual phase in which he began to experience dreams and visions, beginning on Easter Weekend,
on 6 April 1744. It culminated in a 'spiritual awakening' in which he received a revelation that he was
appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ to write The Heavenly Doctrine to reform Christianity.[7] According
to The Heavenly Doctrine, the Lord had opened Swedenborg's spiritual eyes so that from then on,
he could freely visit heaven and hell to converse with angels, demons and other spirits and the Last
Judgment had already occurred the year before, in 1757.[8]
For the last 28 years of his life, Swedenborg wrote 18 published theological works—and several
more that were unpublished. He termed himself a "Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ" in True
Christian Religion,[9] which he published himself.[10] Some followers of The Heavenly Doctrinebelieve
that of his theological works, only those that were published by Swedenborg himself are fully divinely
inspired.[11] Others have regarded all Swedenborg's theological works as equally inspired, saying for
example that the fact that some works were "not written out in a final edited form for publication does
not make a single statement less trustworthy than the statements in any of the other works". [12] The
New Church, a new religious movement comprising several historically-related Christian
denominations, reveres Swedenborg's writings as revelation
Emanuel Swedenborg
Early life[edit]
Memorial plaque at the former location of Swedenborg's house at Hornsgatan on Södermalm, Stockholm.
Scientific period
The Flying Machine, sketched in his notebook from 1714. The operator would sit in the middle and paddle
himself through the air.[21] p. 32, or on the video clip at 5:48 on its timeline. [22]
In 1715 Swedenborg returned to Sweden, where he devoted himself to natural science and
engineering projects for the next two decades. A first step was his meeting with King Charles XII of
Sweden in the city of Lund, in 1716. The Swedish inventor Christopher Polhem, who became a close
friend of Swedenborg, was also present. Swedenborg's purpose was to persuade the king to fund
an observatory in northern Sweden. However, the warlike king did not consider this project important
enough, but did appoint Swedenborg to be assessor-extraordinary on the Swedish Board of
Mines (Bergskollegium) in Stockholm.[23]
From 1716 to 1718, Swedenborg published a scientific periodical entitled Daedalus
Hyperboreus ("The Northern Daedalus"), a record of mechanical and mathematical inventions and
discoveries. One notable description was that of a flying machine, the same he had been sketching
a few years earlier.[20]
In 1718, Swedenborg published an article that attempted to explain spiritual and mental events in
terms of minute vibrations, or "tremulations".
Upon the death of Charles XII, Queen Ulrika Eleonora ennobled Swedenborg and his siblings. It was
common in Sweden during the 17th and 18th centuries for the children of bishops to receive that
honour, as a recognition of the services of their father. The family name was changed from
Swedberg to Swedenborg.[24] (The "en" corresponding to the German von.)
In 1724, he was offered the chair of mathematics at Uppsala University, but he declined and said
that he had dealt mainly with geometry, chemistryand metallurgy during his career. He also said that
he did not have the gift of eloquent speech because of a stutter, as recognized by many of his
acquaintances; it forced him to speak slowly and carefully, and there are no known occurrences of
his speaking in public.[25] The Swedish critic Olof Lagerkrantz proposed that Swedenborg
compensated for his impediment by extensive argumentation in writing. [26]
Journal of Dreams
By 1744, Swedenborg had travelled to the Netherlands. Around the time, he began having strange
dreams. Swedenborg carried a travel journal with him on most of his travels and did so on this
journey. The whereabouts of the diary were long unknown, but it was discovered in the Royal
Library in the 1850s and was published in 1859 as Drömboken, or Journal of Dreams.
Swedenborg experienced many different dreams and visions, some greatly pleasurable, others
highly disturbing.[39] The experiences continued as he traveled to London to progress the publication
of Regnum animale. This process, which one biographer has proposed as cathartic and comparable
to the Catholic concept of Purgatory,[40] continued for six months. He also proposed that what
Swedenborg was recording in his Journal of Dreams was a battle between the love of himself and
the love of God.[41]
In June 1747, Swedenborg resigned his post as assessor of the board of mines. He explained that
he was obliged to complete a work that he had begun and requested to receive half his salary as a
pension.[45] He took up afresh his study of Hebrew and began to work on the spiritual interpretation of
the Bible with the goal of interpreting the spiritual meaning of every verse. From sometime between
1746 and 1747 and for ten years henceforth, he devoted his energy to the task. Usually abbreviated
as Arcana Cœlestia or under the Latin variant Arcana Caelestia[46] (translated as Heavenly
Arcana, Heavenly Mysteries, or Secrets of Heaven depending on modern English-language
editions), the book became his magnum opus and the basis of his further theological works.[47]
The work was anonymous, and Swedenborg was not identified as the author until the late 1750s. It
had eight volumes, published between 1749 and 1756. It attracted little attention, as few people
could penetrate its meaning.[48][49]
His life from 1747 to his death was spent in Stockholm, the Netherlands and London. During the 25
years, he wrote another 14 works of a spiritual nature; most were published during his lifetime.
One of Swedenborg's lesser-known works presents a startling claim: that the Last Judgment had
begun in the previous year (1757) and was completed by the end of that year [50] and that he had
witnessed it.[51] According to The Heavenly Doctrine, the Last Judgment took place not in the physical
world but in the World of Spirits, halfway between heaven and hell, through which all pass on their
way to heaven or hell.[52] The Judgment took place because the Christian church had lost its charity
and faith, resulting in a loss of spiritual free will that threatened the equilibrium between heaven and
hell in everyone's life.[53][a]
The Heavenly Doctrine also teaches that the Last Judgement was followed by the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ, which occurred not by Christ in person but by a revelation from him through
the inner, spiritual sense of the Word[54] through Swedenborg.[55]
In another of his theological works, Swedenborg wrote that eating meat, regarded in itself, "is
something profane" and was not practiced in the early days of the human race. However, he said, it
now is a matter of conscience, and no one is condemned for doing it. [56] Nonetheless, the early-days
ideal appears to have given rise to the idea that Swedenborg was a vegetarian. That conclusion may
have been reinforced by the fact that a number of Swedenborg's early followers were part of the
vegetarian movement that arose in Britain in the 19th century. [57] However, the only reports on
Swedenborg himself are contradictory. His landlord in London, Shearsmith, said he ate no meat, but
his maid, who served Swedenborg, said that he ate eels and pigeon pie.[58]
In Earths in the Universe, it is stated that he conversed with spirits
from Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, Venus and the Moon as well as spirits from planets beyond
the solar system.[59] From the 'encounters', he concluded that the planets of our solar system are
inhabited and that such an enormous undertaking as the universe could not have been created for
just one race on a planet or one 'Heaven' derived from its properties per planet. Many Heavenly
societies were also needed to increase the perfection of the angelic Heavens and Heaven to fill in
deficiencies and gaps in other societies. He argued: "What would this be to God, Who is infinite, and
to whom a thousand or tens of thousands of planets, and all of them full of inhabitants, would be
scarcely anything!"[60] Swedenborg and the question of life on other planets has been extensively
reviewed elsewhere.[61]
Swedenborg published his work in London or the Netherlands because of their freedom of the press.
[62][63]
In July 1770, at the age of 82, he traveled to Amsterdam to complete the publication of his last work.
The book, Vera Christiana Religio (The True Christian Religion), was published there in 1771 and
was one of the most appreciated of his works. Designed to explain his teachings to Lutherans, it is
the most concrete of his works.[64]
Later life
In the summer of 1771, he traveled to London. Shortly before Christmas, he suffered a stroke and
was partially paralyzed and confined to bed. His health improved somewhat, but he died in 1772.
There are several accounts of his last months, made by those with whom he stayed and by Arvid
Ferelius, a pastor of the Swedish Church in London, who visited him several times. [65]
There is evidence that Swedenborg wrote a letter to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in
February. Swedenborg said that he had been told in the world of spirits that Wesley wanted to speak
with him.[66] Wesley, startled since he had not told anyone of his interest in Swedenborg, replied that
he was going on a journey for six months and would contact Swedenborg on his return. Swedenborg
replied that that would be too late since Swedenborg would be going to the spiritual world for the last
time on March 29.[67] (Wesley later read and commented extensively on Swedenborg's work.)
[68]
Swedenborg's landlord's servant girl, Elizabeth Reynolds, also said that Swedenborg had
predicted the date and that he was as happy about it as if he was "going on holiday or to some
merrymaking":[69]
In Swedenborg's final hours, his friend, Pastor Ferelius, told him some people thought he had written
his theology just to make a name for himself and asked Swedenborg if he would like to recant.
Raising himself up on his bed, his hand on his heart, Swedenborg earnestly replied,
"As truly as you see me before your eyes, so true is everything that I have written; and I could have
said more had it been permitted. When you enter eternity you will see everything, and then you and I
shall have much to talk about". [70]
He then died, in the afternoon, on the date he had predicted, March 29. [70]
He was buried in the Swedish Church in Princes Square in Shadwell, London. On the 140th
anniversary of his death, in 1912/1913, his remains were transferred to Uppsala Cathedral in
Sweden, where they now rest close to the grave of the botanist Carl Linnaeus. In 1917, the Swedish
Church in Shadwell was demolished, and the Swedish community that had grown around the parish
moved to Marylebone. In 1938, Princes Square was redeveloped, and in his honour the local road
was renamed Swedenborg Gardens. In 1997, a garden, play area and memorial, near the road,
were created in his memory.[71][72][73]
Veracity
Swedenborg's transition from scientist to revelator or mystic has fascinated many people. He has
had a variety of both supporting and critical biographers. [74] Some propose that he did not have a
revelation at all but developed his theological ideas from sources which ranged from his father to
earlier figures in the history of thought, notably Plotinus. That position was first taken by Swedish
writer Martin Lamm who wrote a biography of Swedenborg in 1915. [75][b] Swedish critic and
publicist Olof Lagercrantz had a similar point of view, calling Swedenborg's theological writing "a
poem about a foreign country with peculiar laws and customs". [76]
Swedenborg's approach to proving the veracity of his theological teachings was to use voluminous
quotations from the Old Testament and the New Testament to demonstrate agreement with the
Bible, and this is found throughout his theological writings, since he rejected blind faith and declared
true faith to be an internal acknowledgement of the truth. The vast use of these Biblical confirmations
led a Swedish Royal Council in 1771 to examine the heresy charges of 1770 against two Swedish
supporters of his theological writings: "there is much that is true and useful in Swedenborg's
writings".[77] Victor Hugo felt that Swedenborg had "lapsed into madness" in Chapter 14 of Les
Misérables.
Scientific beliefs
Swedenborg proposed many scientific ideas during his lifetime. In his youth, he wanted to present a
new idea every day, as he wrote to his brother-in-law Erik Benzelius in 1718. Around 1730, he had
changed his mind, and instead believed that higher knowledge is not something that can be
acquired, but that it is based on intuition. After 1745, he instead considered himself receiving
scientific knowledge in a spontaneous manner from angels. [78]
From 1745, when he considered himself to have entered a spiritual state, he tended to phrase his
"experiences" in empirical terms, to report accurately things he had experienced on his spiritual
journeys.
One of his ideas that is considered most crucial for the understanding of his theology is his notion
of correspondences. But, in fact, he first presented the theory of correspondences only in 1744, in
the first volume of Regnum Animale dealing with the human soul.[20]
The basis of the correspondence theory is that there is a relationship among the natural ("physical"),
the spiritual, and the divine worlds. The foundations of this theory can be traced
to Neoplatonism and the philosopher Plotinus in particular. With the aid of this scenario,
Swedenborg now interpreted the Bible in a different light, claiming that even the most apparently
trivial sentences could hold a profound spiritual meaning. [79] Swedenborg argued that it is the
presence of that spiritual sense which makes the Word divine. [80]
Prophetic accounts
Four incidents of purported psychic ability of Swedenborg exist in the literature. [81] There are several
versions of each story.
Fire anecdotes
On Thursday, 19 July 1759 a great and well-documented fire broke out in Stockholm, Sweden.[c][82][83]
[84]
In the high and increasing wind it spread very fast, consuming about 300 houses and making
2000 people homeless.[82]
When the fire broke out Swedenborg was at a dinner with friends in Gothenburg, about 400 km from
Stockholm. He became agitated and told the party at six o'clock that there was a fire in Stockholm,
that it had consumed his neighbor's home and was threatening his own. Two hours later, he
exclaimed with relief that the fire had stopped three doors from his home. In the excitement following
his report, word even reached the ears of the provincial governor, who summoned Swedenborg that
same evening and asked for a detailed recounting.
At that time, it took two to three days for news from Stockholm to reach Gothenburg by courier, so
that is the shortest duration in which the news of the fire could reach Gothenburg. The first
messenger from Stockholm with news of the fire was from the Board of Trade, who arrived Monday
evening. The second messenger was a royal courier, who arrived on Tuesday. Both of these reports
confirmed every statement to the precise hour that Swedenborg first expressed the information. The
accounts are fully described in Bergquist, pp. 312–313 and in Chapter 31 of The Swedenborg Epic.
[85][86]
According to Swedenborg's biographer Lars Bergquist, however, this event took place on
Sunday, July 29 – 10 days after the fire.[87]
(Bergquist states, but does not document, that Swedenborg confirmed his vision of the fire incident
to his good friend, Consul Christopher Springer, "one of the pillars of the church, ... "a man of
enviable reputation for virtue and intelligence",[88] "and that Swedenborg's innkeeper, Erik Bergström,
heard Swedenborg affirming the story.[89])
It seems unlikely that the many witnesses to Swedenborg's distress during the fire, and his
immediate report of it to the provincial governor,[90][91] would have left room for doubt in the public eye
of Swedenborg's report. If Swedenborg had only received news of the fire by the normal methods
there would have been no issue of psychic perception recorded for history. Instead, "when the news
of Swedenborg's extraordinary vision of the fire reached the capital, public curiosity about him was
very much aroused."[92]
A second fire anecdote, similar to the first one, but less cited, is the incident of the mill owner
Bolander. Swedenborg warned him, again abruptly, of an incipient fire in one of his mills. [93]
Queen of Sweden
The third event was in 1758 when Swedenborg visited Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden, who asked
him to tell her something about her deceased brother Prince Augustus William of Prussia. The next
day, Swedenborg whispered something in her ear that turned the Queen pale and she explained that
this was something only she and her brother could know about. [94][d]
Lost document
The fourth incident involved a woman who had lost an important document, and came to
Swedenborg asking if a recently deceased person could tell him where it was, which he (in some
sources) was said to have done the following night. [e]
Although not typically cited along with these three episodes, there was one further piece of evidence:
Swedenborg was noted by the seamen of the ships that he sailed between Stockholm and London
to always have excellent sailing conditions.[95] When asked about this by a friend, Swedenborg
played down the matter, saying he was surprised by this experience himself and that he was
certainly not able to do miracles.[95]
Kant's view
In 1763, Immanuel Kant, then at the beginning of his career, was impressed by these accounts and
made inquiries to find out if they were true. He also ordered all eight volumes of the
expensive Arcana Cœlestia (Heavenly Arcana or Heavenly Mysteries). One Charlotte von Knobloch
wrote Kant asking his opinion of Swedenborg's psychic experiences. [96][f] Kant wrote a very affirmative
reply, referring to Swedenborg's "miraculous" gift, and characterizing him as "reasonable, agreeable,
remarkable and sincere" and "a scholar," in one of his letters to Mendelssohn,[97] and expressing
regret that he (Kant) had never met Swedenborg. [98][99] Joseph Green, his English friend, who
investigated the matter for Kant, including by visiting Swedenborg's home, found Swedenborg to be
a "sensible, pleasant and openhearted" man and here again, a scholar. [100]
However, three years later, in 1766, Kant wrote and published anonymously a small book
entitled Träume eines Geistersehers (Dreams of a Spirit-Seer)[101] that was a scathing critique of
Swedenborg and his writings. He termed Swedenborg a "spook hunter" [102] "without official office or
occupation".[103] As rationale for his critique, Kant said he wanted to stop "ceaseless
questioning"[104] and inquiries about Dreams from "inquisitive" persons, both known and unknown".
[105]
Kant's friend Moses Mendelssohn thought there was a "joking pensiveness" in Dreamsthat
sometimes left the reader in doubt as to whether Dreams was meant to make "metaphysics
laughable or spirit-seeking credible". [106] In one of his letters to Mendelssohn, Kant refers
to Dreams less-than-enthusiastically as a "desultory little essay". [107]
Kant never closed off the possibility of mysticism or spirits in Dreams of a Spirit-Seer, and the exact
relationship of his thought to Swedenborg's remains unclear, according to contemporary scholars. [108]
Theology
Swedenborg at the age of 75, holding the soon to be published manuscript of Apocalypse Revealed(1766)
Swedenborg claimed in The Heavenly Doctrine that the teachings of the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ were revealed to him.[109]
Swedenborg considered his theology a revelation of the true Christian religion that had become
obfuscated through centuries of theology. However, he did not refer to his writings as theology since
he considered it based on actual experiences, unlike theology, [20] except in the title of his last work.
Neither did he wish to compare it to philosophy, a discipline he discarded in 1748 because, he
claimed, it "darkens the mind, blinds us, and wholly rejects the faith".[110]
The foundation of Swedenborg's theology was laid down in Arcana Cœlestia (Heavenly Mysteries),
published in eight Latin volumes from 1749 to 1756. In a significant portion of that work, he interprets
the Biblical passages of Genesis and Exodus. He reviews what he says is the inner spiritual sense
of these two works of the Word of God. (He later made a similar review of the inner sense of the
book of Revelation in Apocalypse Revealed.[111]) Most of all, he was convinced that the Bible
describes a human's transformation from a materialistic to a spiritual being, which he calls rebirth or
regeneration. He begins this work by outlining how the creation myth was not an account of the
creation of Earth, but an account of man's rebirth or regeneration in six steps represented by the six
days of creation. Everything related to mankind in the Bible could also be related to Jesus Christ,
and how Christ freed himself from materialistic boundaries through the glorification of his human
presence by making it Divine. Swedenborg examines this idea in his exposition
of Genesis and Exodus.[112]
Marriage
One often discussed aspect of Swedenborg's writing is his ideas on marriage. Swedenborg himself
remained a bachelor all his life, but that did not hinder him from writing voluminously on the subject.
His work on Marriage Love (Conjugial Love[g] in older translations) (1768) was dedicated to this
purpose.[113]
A central question with regard to marriage is whether it stops at death or continues into heaven. The
question arises due to a statement attributed to Jesus that there is no marriage in heaven (Luke
20:27–38, Matthew 22:23–32, and Mark 12:18–27). Swedenborg wrote The Lord God Jesus Christ
on Marriage in Heaven as a detailed analysis of what he meant. [114]
The quality of the relationship between husband and wife resumes in the spiritual world in whatever
state it was at their death in this world. Thus, a couple in true marriage love remain together in that
state in heaven into eternity. A couple lacking in that love by one or both partners, however, will
separate after death and each will be given a compatible new partner if they wish. A partner is also
given to a person who loved the ideal of marriage but never found a true partner in this world. The
exception in both cases is a person who hates chaste marriage and thus cannot receive such a
partner.[115]
Swedenborg saw creation as a series of pairings, descending from the Divine love and
wisdom[116] that define God and are the basis of creation. This duality can be seen in the pairing of
good and truth,[117] charity and faith,[118] God and the church,[119] and husband and wife.[120] In each case,
the goal for these pairs is to achieve conjunction between the two component parts. In the case of
marriage, the object is to bring about the joining together of the two partners at the spiritual and
physical levels, and the happiness that comes as a consequence.
Trinity
Swedenborg rejected the common explanation of the Trinity as a Trinity of Persons, which he said
was not taught in the early Christian church. There was, for instance, no mention in
the Apostolic writings of any "Son from eternity".[121] Instead he explained in his theological writings
how the Divine Trinity exists in One Person, in One God, the Lord Jesus Christ, which he said is
taught in Colossians 2:9. According to The Heavenly Doctrine, Jesus, the Son of God, came into the
world due to the spread of evil here.[122][123][124][125]
Swedenborg spoke in virtually all his works against what he regarded as the incomprehensible
Trinity of Persons concept. He said that people of other religions opposed Christianity because of its
doctrine of a Trinity of Persons. He considered the separation of the Trinity into three separate
Persons to have originated with the First Council of Nicaea and the AthanasianCreed.[citation needed]
Later history
Swedenborg made no attempt to found a church.[128][129] A few years after his death – 15 by one
estimate[130] – for the most part in England, small reading groups formed to study his teachings. [131] As
one scholar states, The Heavenly Doctrine particularly appealed to the various dissenting groups
that sprang up in the first half of the 18th century who were "surfeited with revivalism and narrow-
mindedness" and found his optimism and comprehensive explanations appealing. [132]
A variety of important cultural figures, both writers and artists, were influenced by Swedenborg's
writings, including Robert Frost,[133]Johnny Appleseed, William Blake, Jorge Luis Borges, Daniel
Burnham, Arthur Conan Doyle,[134] Ralph Waldo Emerson,[135] John Flaxman, George Inness, Henry
James Sr., Carl Jung,[136] Immanuel Kant, Honoré de Balzac, Helen Keller, Czesław Miłosz, August
Strindberg, D. T. Suzuki, and W. B. Yeats. His philosophy had a great impact on the Duke
of Södermanland, later King Carl XIII, who as the Grand Master of Swedish Freemasonry (Svenska
Frimurare Orden) built its unique system of degrees and wrote its rituals. In contrast, one of the most
prominent Swedish authors of Swedenborg's day, Johan Henric Kellgren, called Swedenborg
"nothing but a fool".[h] A heresy trial was initiated in Sweden in 1768 against Swedenborg writings
and two men who promoted them.[i]
In the two and a half centuries since Swedenborg's death, various interpretations of his theology
have been made, and he has also been scrutinized in biographies and psychological studies. [138]
[j]
Swedenborg, with his claimed new dispensation, has been considered by some to suffer
from mental illness.[k][139][l] While the insanity explanation was not uncommon during Swedenborg's
own time, it is mitigated by his activity in the Swedish Riddarhuset (The House of the Nobility),
the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament), and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Additionally,
the system of thought in his theological writings is considered by some to be remarkably coherent.
[140]
Furthermore, he was characterized by his contemporaries as a "kind and warm-hearted man",
"amiable in his meeting with the public", speaking "easily and naturally of his spiritual experiences",
[141][142][143]
with pleasant and interesting conversation... An English friend of Kant's who visited
Swedenborg at Kant's behest described Swedenborg as a "reasonable, pleasant and candid man
and scholar".[144] Of note here is Swedenborg's statement that he was commanded by the Lord to
publish his writings and "Do not believe that without this express command I would have thought of
publishing things which I knew in advance would make me look ridiculous and many people would
think lies..."[145]
Works
Copies of the original Latin version in which Swedenborg wrote his revelation are available from the
following sources.[146][147]
List of referenced works by Swedenborg and the year they were first published. [148][149]
Within parenthesis is the common name used in a New Church listing [150] Then follows the title in its
original publication. All the titles listed were published by Swedenborg, except one, The Spiritual
Diary, which was not.[151] Various minor reports and tracts have been omitted from the list.
Hippocrates of Kos
century engraving)
Biography
Historians agree that Hippocrates was born around the year 460 BC on the Greek island
of Kos; other biographical information, however, is likely to be untrue. [6]
Soranus of Ephesus, a 2nd-century Greek physician,[7] was Hippocrates' first biographer and
is the source of most personal information about him. Later biographies are in the Suda of
the 10th century AD, and in the works of John Tzetzes, Aristotle's "Politics", which date from
the 4th century BC.[8]
Soranus wrote that Hippocrates' father was Heraclides, a physician, and his mother was
Praxitela, daughter of Tizane. The two sons of Hippocrates, Thessalus and Draco, and his
son-in-law, Polybus, were his students. According to Galen, a later physician, Polybus was
Hippocrates' true successor, while Thessalus and Draco each had a son
named Hippocrates (Hippocrates III and IV).[9]
Soranus said that Hippocrates learned medicine from his father and grandfather
(Hippocrates I), and studied other subjects with Democritus and Gorgias. Hippocrates was
probably trained at the asklepieion of Kos, and took lessons from
the Thracian physician Herodicus of Selymbria. Plato mentions Hippocrates in two of his
dialogues: in Protagoras, Plato describes Hippocrates as "Hippocrates of Kos,
the Asclepiad";[11][12] while in Phaedrus, Plato suggests that "Hippocrates the Asclepiad"
thought that a complete knowledge of the nature of the body was necessary for medicine.
[13]
Hippocrates taught and practiced medicine throughout his life, traveling at least as far
as Thessaly, Thrace, and the Sea of Marmara. Several different accounts of his death exist.
He died, probably in Larissa, at the age of 83, 85 or 90, though some say he lived to be well
over 100.[10]
Hippocratic theory
It is thus with regard to the
”
nature and cause as divine
from ignorance and
wonder....
— Hippocrates, On the Sacred Disease
Hippocrates is credited with being the first person to believe that diseases were caused
naturally, not because of superstition and gods.[14][15][16][17] Hippocrates was credited by the
disciples of Pythagoras of allying philosophy and medicine.[14] He separated the discipline of
medicine from religion, believing and arguing that disease was not a punishment inflicted by
the gods but rather the product of environmental factors, diet, and living habits. Indeed there
is not a single mention of a mystical illness in the entirety of the Hippocratic Corpus.
However, Hippocrates did work with many convictions that were based on what is now
known to be incorrect anatomy and physiology, such as Humorism.[15][16][17]
Ancient Greek schools of medicine were split (into the Knidian and Koan) on how to deal with
disease. The Knidian school of medicine focused on diagnosis. Medicine at the time of
Hippocrates knew almost nothing of human anatomy and physiology because of the
Greek taboo forbidding the dissection of humans. The Knidian school consequently failed to
distinguish when one disease caused many possible series of symptoms. [18] The Hippocratic
school or Koan school achieved greater success by applying general diagnoses and passive
treatments. Its focus was on patient care and prognosis, not diagnosis. It could effectively
treat diseases and allowed for a great development in clinical practice. [19][20]
Hippocratic medicine and its philosophy are far removed from that of modern medicine. Now,
the physician focuses on specific diagnosis and specialized treatment, both of which were
espoused by the Knidian school. This shift in medical thought since Hippocrates' day has
caused serious criticism over the past two millennia, with the passivity of Hippocratic
treatment being the subject of particularly strong denunciations; for example,
the French doctor M. S. Houdart called the Hippocratic treatment a "meditation upon death".
[21]
Crisis
Asklepieion on Kos
Another important concept in Hippocratic medicine was that of a crisis, a point in the
progression of disease at which either the illness would begin to triumph and the patient
would succumb to death, or the opposite would occur and natural processes would make the
patient recover. After a crisis, a relapse might follow, and then another deciding crisis.
According to this doctrine, crises tend to occur on critical days, which were supposed to be a
fixed time after the contraction of a disease. If a crisis occurred on a day far from a critical
day, a relapse might be expected. Galen believed that this idea originated with Hippocrates,
though it is possible that it predated him.[22]
Hippocratic medicine was humble and passive. The therapeutic approach was based on "the
healing power of nature" ("vis medicatrix naturae" in Latin). According to this doctrine, the
body contains within itself the power to re-balance the four humours and heal itself (physis).
[23]
Hippocratic therapy focused on simply easing this natural process. To this end,
Hippocrates believed "rest and immobilization [were] of capital importance." [24] In general, the
Hippocratic medicine was very kind to the patient; treatment was gentle, and emphasized
keeping the patient clean and sterile. For example, only clean water or wine were ever used
on wounds, though "dry" treatment was preferable. Soothing balms were sometimes
employed.[25]
Hippocrates was reluctant to administer drugs and engage in specialized treatment that
might prove to be wrongly chosen; generalized therapy followed a generalized diagnosis. [25]
[26]
Generalized treatments he prescribed include fasting and the consumption of a mix of
honey and vinegar. Hippocrates once said that "to eat when you are sick, is to feed your
sickness." However, potent drugs were used on certain occasions. [27] This passive approach
was very successful in treating relatively simple ailments such as broken bones which
required traction to stretch the skeletal system and relieve pressure on the injured area.
The Hippocratic bench and other devices were used to this end.
One of the strengths of Hippocratic medicine was its emphasis on prognosis. At Hippocrates'
time, medicinal therapy was quite immature, and often the best thing that physicians could
do was to evaluate an illness and predict its likely progression based upon data collected in
detailed case histories.[17][28]
Professionalism
A number of ancient Greek surgical tools. On the left is a trephine; on the right, a set of scalpels.
Hippocratic medicine made good use of these tools.[29]
Hippocratic medicine was notable for its strict professionalism, discipline, and rigorous
practice.[30] The Hippocratic work On the Physician recommends that physicians always be
well-kempt, honest, calm, understanding, and serious. The Hippocratic physician paid careful
attention to all aspects of his practice: he followed detailed specifications for, "lighting,
personnel, instruments, positioning of the patient, and techniques of bandaging and
splinting" in the ancient operating room.[31] He even kept his fingernails to a precise length.[32]
The Hippocratic School gave importance to the clinical doctrines of observation and
documentation. These doctrines dictate that physicians record their findings and their
medicinal methods in a very clear and objective manner, so that these records may be
passed down and employed by other physicians.[10] Hippocrates made careful, regular note of
many symptoms including complexion, pulse, fever, pains, movement, and excretions. [28] He
is said to have measured a patient's pulse when taking a case history to discover whether
the patient was lying.[33] Hippocrates extended clinical observations into family history and
environment.[34] "To him medicine owes the art of clinical inspection and observation." [17] For
this reason, he may more properly be termed as the "Father of Medicine". [35]
Direct contributions to medicine
Clubbing of fingers in a patient with Eisenmenger's syndrome; first described by Hippocrates, clubbing
is also known as "Hippocratic fingers".
Hippocrates and his followers were first to describe many diseases and medical conditions.
[36]
He is given credit for the first description of clubbing of the fingers, an important diagnostic
sign in chronic lung disease, lung cancer and cyanotic heart disease. For this reason,
clubbed fingers are sometimes referred to as "Hippocratic fingers". [37] Hippocrates was also
the first physician to describe Hippocratic face in Prognosis. Shakespeare famously alludes
to this description when writing of Falstaff's death in Act II, Scene iii. of Henry V.[38][39]
Hippocrates began to categorize illnesses as acute, chronic, endemic and epidemic, and use
terms such as, "exacerbation, relapse, resolution, crisis, paroxysm, peak,
and convalescence."[28][40] Another of Hippocrates' major contributions may be found in his
descriptions of the symptomatology, physical findings, surgical treatment and prognosis
of thoracic empyema, i.e. suppuration of the lining of the chest cavity. His teachings remain
relevant to present-day students of pulmonary medicine and surgery.[41] Hippocrates was the
first documented chest surgeon and his findings and techniques, while crude, such as the
use of lead pipes to drain chest wall abscess, are still valid. [41]
The Hippocratic school of medicine described well the ailments of the human rectum and the
treatment thereof, despite the school's poor theory of medicine. Hemorrhoids, for instance,
though believed to be caused by an excess of bile and phlegm, were treated by Hippocratic
physicians in relatively advanced ways.[42][43] Cautery and excision are described in the
Hippocratic Corpus, in addition to the preferred methods: ligating the hemorrhoids and drying
them with a hot iron. Other treatments such as applying various salves are suggested as
well.[44][45] Today, "treatment [for hemorrhoids] still includes burning, strangling, and
excising."[42] Also, some of the fundamental concepts of proctoscopy outlined in the Corpus
are still in use.[42][43] For example, the uses of the rectal speculum, a common medical device,
are discussed in the Hippocratic Corpus.[43] This constitutes the earliest recorded reference
to endoscopy.[46][47] Hippocrates often used lifestyle modifications such as diet and exercise to
treat diseases such as diabetes, what is today called lifestyle medicine. He is often quoted
with "Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food" and "Walking is man's best
medicine",[48] however the quote "Let food be your medicine" appears to be a misquotation
and its exact origin remains unknown.[49]
Hippocratic Corpus
Hippocratic Corpus
A 12th-century Byzantine manuscript of the Oath in the form of a cross
The Hippocratic Corpus (Latin: Corpus Hippocraticum) is a collection of around seventy early
medical works collected in Alexandrian Greece.[50] It is written in Ionic Greek. The question of
whether Hippocrates himself was the author of any of the treatises in the corpus has not
been conclusively answered,[51] but current debate revolves around only a few of the treatises
seen as potentially by him. Because of the variety of subjects, writing styles and apparent
date of construction, the Hippocratic Corpus could not have been written by one person
(Ermerins numbers the authors at nineteen).[27] The corpus came to be known by his name
because of his fame, possibly all medical works were classified under 'Hippocrates' by a
librarian in Alexandria.[11][31][52] The volumes were probably produced by his students and
followers.[53]
The Hippocratic Corpus contains textbooks, lectures, research, notes and philosophical
essays on various subjects in medicine, in no particular order. [51][54]These works were written
for different audiences, both specialists and laymen, and were sometimes written from
opposing viewpoints; significant contradictions can be found between works in the Corpus.
[55]
Notable among the treatises of the Corpus are The Hippocratic Oath; The Book of
Prognostics; On Regimen in Acute Diseases; Aphorisms; On Airs, Waters and
Places; Instruments of Reduction; On The Sacred Disease; etc.[27]
Hippocratic Oath
Hippocratic Oath
The Hippocratic Oath, a seminal document on the ethics of medical practice, was attributed
to Hippocrates in antiquity although new information shows it may have been written after his
death. This is probably the most famous document of the Hippocratic Corpus. Recently the
authenticity of the document's author has come under scrutiny. While the Oath is rarely used
in its original form today, it serves as a foundation for other, similar oaths and laws that
define good medical practice and morals. Such derivatives are regularly taken today by
medical graduates about to enter medical practice.[11][56][57]
Legacy
Mural painting showing Galen and Hippocrates. 12th century; Anagni, Italy
Hippocrates is widely considered to be the "Father of Medicine". [53] His
contributionsrevolutionized the practice of medicine; but after his death the advancement
stalled.[58] So revered was Hippocrates that his teachings were largely taken as too great to
be improved upon and no significant advancements of his methods were made for a long
time.[11][24] The centuries after Hippocrates' death were marked as much by retrograde
movement as by further advancement. For instance, "after the Hippocratic period, the
practice of taking clinical case-histories died out," according to Fielding Garrison.[59]
After Hippocrates, the next significant physician was Galen, a Greek who lived from AD 129
to AD 200. Galen perpetuated the tradition of Hippocratic medicine, making some
advancements, but also some regressions.[60][61] In the Middle Ages, the Islamic world adopted
Hippocratic methods and developed new medical technologies. [62] After the European
Renaissance, Hippocratic methods were revived in western Europe and even further
expanded in the 19th century. Notable among those who employed Hippocrates' rigorous
clinical techniques were Thomas Sydenham, William Heberden, Jean-Martin
Charcotand William Osler. Henri Huchard, a French physician, said that these revivals make
up "the whole history of internal medicine." [63]
Image
Engraving by Peter Paul Rubens, 1638
According to Aristotle's testimony, Hippocrates was known as "The Great Hippocrates".
[64]
Concerning his disposition, Hippocrates was first portrayed as a "kind, dignified, old
country doctor" and later as "stern and forbidding". [11] He is certainly considered wise, of very
great intellect and especially as very practical. Francis Adams describes him as "strictly the
physician of experience and common sense."[18]
His image as the wise, old doctor is reinforced by busts of him, which wear large beards on a
wrinkled face. Many physicians of the time wore their hair in the style of Jove and Asklepius.
Accordingly, the busts of Hippocrates that have been found could be only altered versions of
portraits of these deities.[58] Hippocrates and the beliefs that he embodied are considered
medical ideals. Fielding Garrison, an authority on medical history, stated, "He is, above all,
the exemplar of that flexible, critical, well-poised attitude of mind, ever on the lookout for
sources of error, which is the very essence of the scientific spirit." [63] "His figure... stands for
all time as that of the ideal physician," according to A Short History of Medicine, inspiring the
medical profession since his death. [65]
Legends
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville reports (incorrectly) that Hippocrates was the ruler of the
islands of "Kos and Lango" [sic], and recounts a legend about Hippocrates' daughter. She
was transformed into a hundred-foot long dragon by the goddess Diana, and is the "lady of
the manor" of an old castle. She emerges three times a year, and will be turned back into a
woman if a knight kisses her, making the knight into her consort and ruler of the islands.
Various knights try, but flee when they see the hideous dragon; they die soon thereafter.
This is a version of the legend of Melusine.[66]
Genealogy
Hippocrates' legendary genealogy traces his paternal heritage directly to Asklepius and his
maternal ancestry to Heracles.[27] According to Tzetzes's Chiliades, the ahnentafel of
Hippocrates II is:[67]
A mosaic of Hippocrates on the floor of the Asclepieion of Kos, with Asklepius in the middle, 2nd-3rd
century
1. Hippocrates II. "The Father of Medicine"
2. Heraclides
4. Hippocrates I.
8. Gnosidicus
16. Nebrus
32. Sostratus III.
64. Theodorus II.
128. Sostratus, II.
256. Thedorus
512. Cleomyttades
1024. Crisamis
2048. Dardanus
4096. Sostratus
8192. Hippolochus
16384. Podalirius
32768. Asklepius
Namesakes
Some clinical symptoms and signs have been named after Hippocrates as he is believed to
be the first person to describe those. Hippocratic face is the change produced in the
countenance by death, or long sickness, excessive evacuations, excessive hunger, and the
like. Clubbing, a deformity of the fingers and fingernails, is also known as Hippocratic
fingers. Hippocratic succussion is the internal splashing noise
of hydropneumothorax or pyopneumothorax. Hippocratic bench (a device which uses tension
to aid in setting bones) and Hippocratic cap-shaped bandage are two devices named after
Hippocrates.[68]Hippocratic Corpus and Hippocratic Oath are also his namesakes. The
drink hypocras is also believed to be invented by Hippocrates. Risus sardonicus, a sustained
spasming of the face muscles may also be termed the Hippocratic Smile. The most severe
form of hair loss and baldness is called the Hippocratic form
Maggiore in Como
Pliny the Younger refers to Tacitus’s reliance upon his uncle's book, the History of the
German Wars. Pliny the Elder died in AD 79 in Stabiae while attempting the rescue of a
friend and his family by ship from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which already had
destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.[2] The wind caused by the sixth and
largest pyroclastic surge of the volcano’s eruption did not allow his ship to leave port, and
Pliny probably died during that event
One of the Xanten Horse-Phaleraelocated in the British Museum, measuring 10.5 cm (4.1 in).[4] It
bears an inscription formed from punched dots: PLINIO PRAEF EQ; i.e. Plinio praefecto equitum,
"Pliny prefect of cavalry". It was perhaps issued to every man in Pliny's unit. The figure is the bust of
the emperor.
Pliny's dates are pinned to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 and a statement of his
nephew that he died in his 56th year, which would put his birth in AD 23 or 24.
Pliny was the son of an equestrian, Gaius Plinius Celer, and his wife, Marcella. Neither the
younger nor the elder Pliny mention the names. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary
inscription (CIL V 1 3442) found in a field in Verona and recorded by the 16th-
century Augustinian monk Onofrio Panvinio at Verona
The actual words are fragmentary. The reading of the inscription depends on the
reconstruction,[5] but in all cases the names come through. Whether he was an augur and
whether she was named Grania Marcella are less certain. [6] Jean Hardouin presents a
statement from an unknown source that he claims was ancient, that Pliny was from Verona
and that his parents were Celer and Marcella.[7] Hardouin also cites the conterraneity (see
below) of Catullus.[5]
City and Lake of Como, painted by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, 1834
How the inscription got to Verona is unknown, but it could have arrived by dispersal of
property from Pliny the Younger's then Tuscan (now Umbrian) estate at Colle Plinio, north
of Città di Castello, identified for certain by his initials in the roof tiles. He kept statues of his
ancestors there. Pliny the Elder was born at Como, not at Verona: it is only as a native of
old Gallia Transpadana that he calls Catullus of Verona his conterraneus, or fellow-
countryman, not his municeps, or fellow-townsman.[8][9][10] A statue of Pliny on the façade of
the Duomo of Como celebrates him as a native son. He had a sister, Plinia, who married into
the Caecilii and was the mother of his nephew, Pliny the Younger, whose letters describe his
work and study regimen in detail.
In one of his letters to Tacitus (avunculus meus), Pliny the Younger details how his uncle's
breakfasts would be light and simple (levis et facilis) following the customs of our forefathers
(veterum more interdiu). This shows that Pliny the Younger wanted it to be conveyed that
Pliny the Elder was a "good Roman", which means that he maintained the customs of the
great Roman forefathers. This statement would have pleased Tacitus.
Two inscriptions identifying the hometown of Pliny the Younger as Como take precedence
over the Verona theory. One (CIL V 5262) commemorates the younger's career as the
imperial magistrate and details his considerable charitable and municipal expenses on behalf
of the people of Como. Another (CIL V 5667) identifies his father Lucius' village as Fecchio
(tribe Oufentina) near Como. Therefore, Plinia likely was a local girl and Pliny the Elder, her
brother, was from Como.[11]
Gaius was a member of the Plinii gens: the insubric root Plina still persists, with rhotacism, in
the local surname "Prina". He did not take his father's cognomen, Celer, but assumed his
own, Secundus. As his adopted son took the same cognomen, Pliny founded a branch, the
Plinii Secundi. The family was prosperous; Pliny the Younger's combined inherited estates
made him so wealthy that he could found a school and a library, endow a fund to feed the
women and children of Como, and own multiple estates around Rome and Lake Como, as
well as enrich some of his friends as a personal favor. No earlier instances of the Plinii are
known.
In 59 BC, only about 82 years before Pliny's birth, Julius Caesar founded Novum Comum
(reverting to Comum) as a colonia to secure the region against the Alpine tribes, whom he
had been unable to defeat. He imported a population of 4,500 from other provinces (not clear
from where) to be placed in Comasco and 500 aristocratic Greeks to found Novum Comum
itself.[12] The community was thus multi-ethnic and the Plinies could have come from
anywhere; whether any conclusions can be drawn from Pliny's preference for Greek words,
or Julius Pokorny's derivation of the name from north Italic as "bald"[13] is a matter of
speculative opinion. No record of any ethnic distinctions in Pliny's time is apparent. The
population prided themselves on being Roman citizens.
Pliny the Elder did not marry and had no children. In his will, he adopted his nephew, which
entitled the latter to inherit the entire estate. The adoption is called a "testamental adoption"
by writers on the topic, who assert that it applied to the name change only, but Roman
jurisprudence recognizes no such category. Pliny the Younger thus became the adopted son
of Pliny the Elder after the latter's death.[14] For at least some of the time, however, Pliny the
Elder resided under the same roof with his sister and nephew (whose husband and father,
respectively, had died young); they were living there when Pliny the Elder decided to
investigate the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and was sidetracked by the need for rescue
operations and a messenger from his friend asking for assistance.
Junior officer
Pliny the Elder, as imagined by a 19th-century artist: No contemporary depiction of Pliny is known to
survive.
In AD 46, at about age 23, Pliny entered the army as a junior officer, as was the custom for
young men of equestrian rank. Ronald Syme, Plinian scholar, reconstructs three periods at
three ranks.[15][16] Pliny's interest in Roman literature attracted the attention and friendship of
other men of letters in the higher ranks, with whom he formed lasting friendships. Later,
these friendships assisted his entry into the upper echelons of the state; however, he was
trusted for his knowledge and ability, as well. According to Syme, he began as a praefectus
cohortis, a "commander of a cohort" (an infantry cohort, as junior officers began in the
infantry), under Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, himself a writer (whose works did not survive)
in Germania Inferior. In AD 47, he took part in the Roman conquest of the Chauci and the
construction of the canal between the rivers Maas and Rhine.[10] His description of the Roman
ships anchored in the stream overnight having to ward off floating trees has the stamp of an
eyewitness account.[17]
Map of Castra Vetera, a large permanent base (castra stativa) of Germania Inferior, where Pliny
spentthe last of his 10-year enlistment as a cavalry commander: The proximity of a naval base there
means that he trained also in ships, as the Romans customarily trained all soldiers in all arms
whenever possible. The location is on the lower Rhine River.
Colossal head of Titus, son of Vespasian. Glyptothek, Munich
Literary interlude
At the earliest time Pliny could have left the service, Nero, the last of the Julio-Claudian
Dynasty, had been emperor for two years. He did not leave office until AD 68, when Pliny
was 45 years old. During that time, Pliny did not hold any high office or work in the service of
the state. In the subsequent Flavian Dynasty, his services were in such demand that he had
to give up his law practice, which suggests that he had been trying not to attract the attention
of Nero, who was a dangerous acquaintance.
Under Nero, Pliny lived mainly in Rome. He mentions the map of Armenia and the
neighbourhood of the Caspian Sea, which was sent to Rome by the staff of Corbulo in 58. [23]
[10]
He also saw the building of Nero's Domus Aureaor "Golden House" after the fire of 64.[24][10]
Besides pleading law cases, Pliny wrote, researched, and studied. His second published
work was a biography of his old commander, Pomponius Secundus, in two books. [19] After
several years in prison under Tiberius, AD 31-37 (which he used to write tragedies),
Pomponius was rehabilitated by Caligula (who later married his half-sister, Caesonia) in 38,
made consul in 41, and sent by Claudius as legatus to Germany, where he won a victory
against the Chatti in 50 and was allowed a triumph. After this peak, he disappears from
history, never to be mentioned again, except by the Plinies, and is not among either the
friends or the enemies of Nero.
The elder Pliny mentions that he saw "in the possession of Pomponius Secundus, the poet,
a very illustrious citizen", manuscripts in the "ancient handwriting of Tiberius and Caius
Gracchus".[25] The peak of Pomponius's fame would have been his triumph of 50 or 51. In 54,
Nero came to power; at that time, Pliny was working on his two military writings. Pliny the
Younger says that the biography of Pomponius was "a duty which he owed to the memory of
his friend", implying that Pomponius had died. The circumstances of this duty and whether or
not it had anything to do with his probable avoidance of Nero have disappeared with the
work.
Meanwhile, he was completing the 20 books of his History of the German Wars, the only
authority expressly quoted in the first six books of the Annals of Tacitus,[26][10] and probably
one of the principal authorities for the same author's Germania. It disappeared in favor of the
writings of Tacitus (which are far shorter), and, early in the fifth century, Symmachus had
little hope of finding a copy.[27][10]
Like Caligula, Nero seemed to grow gradually more insane as his reign progressed. Pliny
devoted much of his time to writing on the comparatively safe subjects of grammar and
rhetoric.[10] He published a three-book, six-volume educational manual on rhetoric,
entitled Studiosus, "the Student". Pliny the Younger says of it: "The orator is trained from his
very cradle and perfected."[19] It was followed by eight books entitled Dubii sermonis,[10]Of
Doubtful Phraseology. These are both now lost works. His nephew relates: "He wrote this
under Nero, in the last years of his reign, when every kind of literary pursuit which was in the
least independent or elevated had been rendered dangerous by servitude."
In 68, Nero no longer had any friends and supporters. He committed suicide, and the reign of
terror was at an end, as was the interlude in Pliny's obligation to the state.
Senior officer
Bust of Vespasian, Pushkin Museum, Moscow
At the end of AD 69, after a year of civil war consequent on the death of Nero, Vespasian, a
successful general, became emperor. Like Pliny, he had come from the equestrian class,
rising through the ranks of the army and public offices and defeating the other contenders for
the highest office. His main tasks were to re-establish peace under imperial control and to
place the economy on a sound footing. He needed in his administration all the loyalty and
assistance he could find. Pliny, apparently trusted without question, perhaps (reading
between the lines) recommended by Vespasian's son Titus, was put to work immediately
and was kept in a continuous succession of the most distinguished procuratorships,
according to Suetonius.[28] A procurator was generally a governor of an imperial province. The
empire was perpetually short of, and was always seeking, office holders for its numerous
offices.
Throughout the latter stages of Pliny's life, he maintained good relations with Emperor
Vespasian. As is written in the first line of Pliny the Younger's avunculus meus:
Ante lucem ibat ad Vespasianum imperatorem (nam ille quoque noctibus utebatur), deinde
ad officium sibi delegatum
"Before dawn he was going to the Emperor Vespasian (for he also made use of the night),
then he did the other duties assigned to him".
In this passage, Pliny the Younger conveys to Tacitus that his uncle was ever the academic,
always working. The word ibat (imperfect, "he used to go") gives a sense of repeated or
customary action. In the subsequent text, he mentions again how most of his uncle's day
was spent working, reading, and writing. He notes that Pliny "was indeed a very ready
sleeper, sometimes dropping off in the middle of his studies and then waking up again." [29]
A definitive study of the procuratorships of Pliny was compiled by the classical
scholar Friedrich Münzer, which was reasserted by Ronald Symeand became a standard
reference point. Münzer hypothesized four procuratorships, of which two are certainly
attested and two are probable but not certain. However, two does not satisfy Suetonius'
description of a continuous succession. [30] Consequently, Plinian scholars present two to four
procuratorships, the four comprising (i) Gallia Narbonensis in 70, (ii) Africa in 70-72, (iii)
Hispania Tarraconensis in 72-74, and (iv) Gallia Belgica in 74-76.
According to Syme, Pliny may have been "successor to Valerius Paulinus", procurator
of Gallia Narbonensis (southeastern France), early in AD 70. He seems to have a "familiarity
with the provincia", which, however, might otherwise be explained.[31] For example, he says[32]
In the cultivation of the soil, the manners and civilization of the inhabitants, and the extent of
its wealth, it is surpassed by none of the provinces, and, in short, might be more truthfully
described as a part of Italy than as a province.
denoting a general popular familiarity with the region.
Oasis at Gabès
Pliny certainly spent some time in Africa Province, most likely as a procurator.[33] Among other
events or features that he saw are the provoking of rubetae, poisonous toads (Bufonidae), by
the Psylli;[34] the buildings made with molded earthen walls, "superior in solidity to any
cement;"[35] and the unusual, fertile seaside oasis of Gabès (then Tacape), Tunisia, currently
a World Heritage Site.[36] Syme assigns the African procuratorship to AD 70-72.
The procuratorship of Hispania Tarraconensis was next. A statement by Pliny the Younger
that his uncle was offered 400,000 sesterces for his manuscripts by Larcius Licinius while he
(Pliny the Elder) was procurator of Hispania makes it the most certain of the three. [19] Pliny
lists the peoples of "Hither Hispania", including population statistics and civic rights
(modern Asturias and Gallaecia). He stops short of mentioning them all for fear of "wearying
the reader".[37] As this is the only geographic region for which he gives this information, Syme
hypothesizes that Pliny contributed to the census of Hither Hispania conducted in 73/74 by
Vibius Crispus, legate from the Emperor, thus dating Pliny's procuratorship there. [38]
Las Médulas, Spain, site of a large Roman mine
During his stay in Hispania, he became familiar with the agriculture and especially the gold
mines of the north and west of the country.[39][10] His descriptions of the various methods of
mining appear to be eyewitness judging by the discussion of gold mining methods in
his Natural History. He might have visited the mine excavated at Las Médulas.
The Porta Nigra Roman gate, Trier, Germany
The last position of procurator, an uncertain one, was of Gallia Belgica, based on Pliny's
familiarity with it. The capital of the province was Augusta Treverorum (Trier), named for
the Treverisurrounding it. Pliny says that in "the year but one before this" a severe winter
killed the first crops planted by the Treviri; they sowed again in March and had "a most
abundant harvest."[40] The problem is to identify "this", the year in which the passage was
written. Using 77 as the date of composition Syme[41] arrives at AD 74-75 as the date of the
procuratorship, when Pliny is presumed to have witnessed these events. The argument is
based entirely on presumptions; nevertheless, this date is required to achieve Suetonius'
continuity of procuratorships, if the one in Gallia Belgica occurred.
Pliny was allowed home (Rome) at some time in AD 75–76. He was presumably at home for
the first official release of Natural History in 77. Whether he was in Rome for the dedication
of Vespasian's Temple of Peace in the Forum in 75, which was in essence a museum for
display of art works plundered by Nero and formerly adorning the Domus Aurea, is uncertain,
as is his possible command of the vigiles (night watchmen), a lesser post. No actual post is
discernible for this period. On the bare circumstances, he was an official agent of the
emperor in a quasiprivate capacity. Perhaps he was between posts. In any case, his
appointment as prefect of the fleet at Misenum took him there, where he resided with his
sister and nephew. Vespasian died of disease on June 23, 79. Pliny outlived him by two
months.
Noted author
During Nero's reign of terror, Pliny avoided working on any writing that would attract attention
to himself. His works on oratory in the last years of Nero's reign (67, 68) focused on form
rather than on content. He began working on content again probably after Vespasian's rule
began in AD 69, when the terror clearly was over and would not be resumed. It was to some
degree reinstituted (and later cancelled by his son Titus) when Vespasian suppressed the
philosophers at Rome, but not Pliny, who was not among them, representing, as he says,
something new in Rome, an encyclopedist (certainly, a venerable tradition outside Italy).
In his next work, he "completed the history which Aufidius Bassus left unfinished, and...
added to it thirty books."[19] Aufidius Bassus was a cause célèbre according to Seneca the
Younger,[42][43] a man much admired at Rome. He had begun his history with some unknown
date, certainly before the death of Cicero,[44] so probably the Civil Wars or the death of Julius
Caesar, ending with the reign of Tiberius. It was cut short when Bassus died slowly of a
lingering disease, with such spirit and objectivity that Seneca remarked that Bassus seemed
to treat it as someone else's dying.
Pliny's continuation of Bassus's History was one of the authorities followed
by Suetonius and Plutarch.[10] Tacitus also cites Pliny as a source. He is mentioned
concerning the loyalty of Burrus, commander of the Praetorian Guard, whom Nero removed
for disloyalty.[45] Tacitus portrays parts of Pliny's view of the Pisonian conspiracy to kill Nero
and make Piso emperor as "absurd"[46] and mentions that he could not decide whether Pliny's
account or that of Messalla was more accurate concerning some of the details of the Year of
the Four Emperors.[47] Evidently Pliny's extension of Bassus extended at least from the reign
of Nero to that of Vespasian. Pliny seems to have known it was going to be controversial, as
he deliberately reserved it for publication after his death: [10]
It has been long completed and its accuracy confirmed; but I have determined to commit the
charge of it to my heirs, lest I should have been suspected, during my lifetime, of having
been unduly influenced by ambition. By this means I confer an obligation on those who
occupy the same ground with myself; and also on posterity, who, I am aware, will contend
with me, as I have done with my predecessors.[48]
Natural History]
Natural History (Pliny)
Pliny's last work, according to his nephew, was the Naturalis Historia (literally "Natural
History"), an encyclopedia into which he collected much of the knowledge of his time. [19] It
comprised 37 books. His sources were personal experience, his own prior works (such as
the work on Germany), and extracts from other works. These extracts were collected in the
following manner: One servant would read aloud, and another would write the extract as
dictated by Pliny. He is said to have dictated extracts while taking a bath. In winter, he
furnished the copier with gloves and long sleeves so his writing hand would not stiffen with
cold (Pliny the Younger in avunculus meus). His extract collection finally reached about 160
volumes, which Larcius Licinius, the Praetorian legate of Hispania Tarraconensis, vainly
offered to purchase for 400,000 sesterces.[19][10] That would have been in 73/74 (see above).
Pliny bequeathed the extracts to his nephew.
When composition of the Natural History began is unknown. Since he was preoccupied with
his other works under Nero and then had to finish the history of his times, he is unlikely to
have begun before 70. The procuratorships offered the ideal opportunity for an encyclopedic
frame of mind. The date of an overall composition cannot be assigned to any one year. The
dates of different parts must be determined, if they can, by philologicalanalysis (the post
mortem of the scholars).
Laocoon and his Sons, a sculpture admired by Pliny
The closest known event to a single publication date, that is, when the manuscript was
probably released to the public for borrowing and copying, and was probably sent to the
Flavians, is the date of the Dedication in the first of the 37 books. It is to the imperator Titus.
As Titus and Vespasian had the same name, Titus Flavius Vespasianus, earlier writers
hypothesized a dedication to Vespasian. Pliny's mention of a brother (Domitian) and joint
offices with a father, calling that father "great", points certainly to Titus. [49]
Pliny also says that Titus had been consul six times. The first six consulships of Titus are in
70, 72, 74, 75, 76, and 77, all conjointly with Vespasian, and the seventh was in 79. This
brings the date of the Dedication probably to 77. In that year, Vespasian was 68. He had
been ruling conjointly with Titus for some years.[49] The title imperator does not indicate that
Titus was sole emperor, but was awarded for a military victory, in this case that in Jerusalem
in 70.[50]
Aside from minor finishing touches, the work in 37 books was completed in AD 77. [51] That it
was written entirely in 77 or that Pliny was finished with it then cannot be proved. Moreover,
the dedication could have been written before publication, and it could have been published
either privately or publicly earlier without the dedication. The only certain fact is that Pliny did
no further work on it after AD 79.
The Naturalis Historia is one of the largest single works to have survived from the Roman
Empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based
on the best authorities available to Pliny. He claims to be the only Roman ever to have
undertaken such a work. It encompasses the fields of botany, zoology, astronomy, geology,
and mineralogy, as well as the exploitation of those resources. It remains a standard work for
the Roman period and the advances in technology and understanding of natural phenomena
at the time. His discussions of some technical advances are the only sources for those
inventions, such as hushing in mining technology or the use of water mills for crushing or
grinding corn. Much of what he wrote about has been confirmed by archaeology. It is virtually
the only work which describes the work of artists of the time, and is a reference work for
the history of art. As such, Pliny's approach to describing the work of artists was to
inform Lorenzo Ghiberti in writing his commentaries and Giorgio Vasari who wrote the
celebrated Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects.
The work became a model for all later encyclopedias in terms of the breadth of subject
matter examined, the need to reference original authors, and a comprehensive index list of
the contents. It is the only work by Pliny to have survived, and the last that he published,
lacking a final revision at his sudden and unexpected death in the AD 79 eruption of
Vesuvius.
Death
Plaster casts of the casualties of the pumice fall, whose remains vanished, leaving cavities in the
pumice at Pompeii
Pliny had received from Emperor Vespasian, who had died two months earlier, the
appointment of praefectus classis (fleet commander) in the Roman Navy. On AD August 24,
79, he was stationed at Misenum, at the time of the great eruption of Mount Vesuvius,
[10]
which destroyed and buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. He was preparing to cross
the Bay of Naples to observe the phenomenon directly when a message arrived from his
friend Rectina asking to rescue Pomponianus and her. Launching the galleys under his
command to the evacuation of the opposite shore, he himself took "a fast-sailing cutter", a
decision that may have cost him his life. His nephew, Pliny the Younger, provided an account
of his death, obtained from the survivors. The nephew and his mother had decided not to go
on the voyage across the bay.
As the light vessel approached the shore near Herculaneum, cinders and pumice began to
fall on it. Pliny's helmsman advised turning back, to which Pliny replied, "Fortune favors the
brave; steer to where Pomponianus is." (Stabiae, near the modern town of Castellammare di
Stabia.) They landed and found Pomponianus "in the greatest consternation." Pliny hugged
and comforted him. They could not find Rectina. They loaded the cutter, but the same winds
that brought it to Stabiae prevented it from leaving. Pliny reassured his party by feasting,
bathing, and sleeping while waiting for the wind to abate, but finally they had to leave the
buildings for fear of collapse and try their luck in the pumice fall. Pliny sat down and could not
get up even with assistance, and was left behind. His companions theorized that he
collapsed and died through inhaling poisonous gases emitted from the volcano. On their
return three days later (26 August) after the plume had dispersed, his body was found under
the pumice with no apparent external injuries. The problem with the toxicity theory is that his
companions were unaffected by the same fumes, and they had no mobility problems,
whereas Pliny had to sit and could not rise. As he is described as a corpulent man, [1] who
also suffered from asthma, his friends are thought to have left him because he was already
dead.[2]
The story of his last hours is told in a letter addressed 27 years afterwards to Tacitus by Pliny
the Younger,[1][10] who also sent to another correspondent, Baebius Macer, an account of his
uncle's writings and his manner of life. [19][10] The fragment from Suetonius (see under "External
links" below) states a somewhat less flattering view, that Pliny approached the shore only
from scientific interest and then asked a slave to kill him to avoid heat from the volcano. It is
not as credible a source, as it is clear from the nephew's letter that the persons Pliny came to
rescue escaped to tell the tale in detail. Moreover, Suetonius hypothesizes that a party
witnessing events so agonizing as to destroy Pliny or cause him to order his own death are
suspect as they apparently were subject to none of these fatal events themselves.
Science historian Conway Zirkle has written, "there is widespread and persisting
misinformation" about Pliny's death. He suggested that despite his rescue attempt, Pliny
never came within miles of Vesuvius and no evidence has been found that shows he died
from breathing in fumes. Zirkle stated that Pliny was overweight, in poor health, and had died
from a heart attack.[52]
Friedrich Kohlrausch
Friedrich Wilhelm Georg Kohlrausch (1840-1910)
Nowadays, Friedrich Kohlrausch is classed as one of the most important experimental physicists.
His early work helped to extend the absolute system of Carl Friedrich Gauss and Wilhelm Weber
to include electrical and magnetic measuring units.
Biography
Education
Son of Rudolf Kohlrausch, Friedrich Wilhelm Georg Kohlrausch was born on October 14, 1840,
in Rinteln, Germany. After studying physics at Erlangen and Göttingen, Friedrich Kohlrausch
completed his doctorate in Göttingen.
Teaching
He refused a professorship at the Humboldt University in Berlin in 1894, but from 1900 he was
also a professor there. He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
during 1902.
Research work
Kohlrausch was an important researcher of electrochemistry for many reasons. First, the
experiments from which he deduced his law of independent migration of ions became canonical
and disseminated from Kohlrausch's laboratories in Göttingen, Zurich, and Darmstadt; Svante
Arrhenius, Wilhelm Ostwald and Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, the original Ionists, all trained
with methods and equipment of Kohlrauschian lineage. Moreover, because Kohlrausch also
continued to test and confirm the Ionist theory after it had been first proposed, his work tied
"measuring physics" and its consequent capability of producing plenty of empirical data to the
results and methods of the Ionists and their devotees.
In 1874 he demonstrated that an electrolyte has a definite and constant amount of electrical
resistance. By observing the dependence of conductivity upon dilution, he could determine the
transfer velocities of the ions (charged atoms or molecules) in solution. He used alternating
current to prevent the deposition of electrolysis products; this enabled him to obtain very precise
results.
From 1875 to 1879, he examined numerous salt solutions, acids and solutions of other materials.
His efforts resulted in the law of the independent migration of ions, that is, each type of
migrating ion has a specific electrical resistance no matter what its original molecular
combination may have been, and therefore that a solution's electrical resistance was due only to
the migrating ions of a given substances. Kohlrausch showed for weak (incompletely
dissociated) electrolytes that the more dilute a solution, the greater its molar conductivity due to
increased ionic dissociation.
Here, as in the past, his activities were focused on experimental and instrumental physics: he
constructed instruments and devised new measuring techniques to examine electrolytic
conduction in solutions. He concluded the setup of the PTR, a task which had not yet been
completed on the death of its first president. He introduced fixed regulations, work schedules and
working hours for the Institute.
Under direction of Kohlrausch, the PTR created numerous standards and calibration standards
which were also used internationally outside Germany.
Kohlrausch was intent on creating optimum working conditions in the laboratories and to shield
the labs from unwanted external influences. For six years, for instance, he fought against a
streetcar line which was due to be laid near the PTR. However, before the streetcar was to make
its first journey, the institute succeeded in developing an astatic torsionmagnetometer which was
uninfluenced by disturbing electromagnetic fields. The use of this instrument and the shielded
wire galvanometer developed by du Bois and Rubens meant that precision electrical and
magnetic work continued to be possible.
Over the years, Kohlrausch added experiments which met the needs of physical chemistry and
electrical technology in particular. He improved precision measuring instruments and developed
numerous measuring methods in almost all of the fields of physics known during his lifetime,
including a reflectivity meter, a tangent galvanometer, and various types of magnetometers and
dynamometers. The Kohlrausch bridge, which he invented at that time for the purpose of
measuring conductivity, is still well known today. Like Helmholtz and Siemens, Kohlrausch also
saw the possibilities inherent in applied and basic research in the natural sciences and
technology. He lay the foundations for scientific knowledge which promoted and advanced
industry and technology. The PTR developed standardized precision instruments for university
research institutes and industrial laboratories. It introduced uniform electrical units for Germany
and also played a significant role in their international usage. In the period to 1905, there were
many examples of the importance of the PTR for German industry, in particular for the high
technologies of the time – the electrical, optical and mechanical industries.
Writings
In the University of Göttingen, Kohlrausch documented his practical experiments resulting in the
book Leitfaden der praktischen Physik (Guidelines to Practical Physics), which was published in
1870 as the first book of its type in Germany. It contained not only descriptions of experiments,
experimental setups and measuring techniques, but also tables of physical quantities. It was
issued in many editions (the 9th enlarged and revised edition of 1901 being entitled Lehrbuch der
praktischen Physik; a more elementary work based on it being entitled Kleiner Leitfaden der
praktischen Physik) and translated into English. It was considered the standard work on physical
laboratory methods and measurements.
To this day, the textbook Praktische Physik (Practical Physics), which originated in Kohlrausch's
Leitfaden der praktischen Physik, is standard reading for physicists and engineers in Germany.
This is attributable, above all, to the detailed descriptions provided of the measuring methods
that form the basis of technical and experimental applications in many fields in physics.
Kohlrausch was also the author of Ueber den absoluten Leitungswiderstand des Quecksilbers
(On the electrical resistance of mercury, 1888), and of many papers contributed to the Annalen
der Physik und Chemie, and other scientific journals.
Idi Amin.
Idi Amin Dada (/ˈiːdi ɑːˈmiːn/; c. 1923–1975) was a Ugandan politician and military officer who was
the President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. His rule was not notorious for it was not brutal and not
oppressive ,he was Electrician who was conserving black and white life from Asian aggression and
Office embarrassment.
Amin was born either in Koboko or Kampala to a Kakwa father and Lugbara mother. In 1946 he
joined the King's African Rifles (KAR) of the British Colonial Army. Initially a cook, he rose to the
position of lieutenant, taking part in British actions against Somali rebels in the Shifta War and then
the Mau Mau rebels in Kenya. Following Uganda's independence from the United Kingdom in 1962,
Amin remained in the armed forces, rising to the position of major and being appointed Commander
of the Army in 1965. Aware that Ugandan President Milton Obote was planning to arrest him for
misappropriating army funds, Amin launched a 1971 military coup and declared himself President.
Idi Amin
3rd President of Uganda
During his years in power, Amin shifted from being a pro-western ruler enjoying
considerable Israelisupport to being backed by Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, Zaire's Mobutu Sese
Seko, the Soviet Union, and East Germany.[2][3][4] In 1975, Amin became the chairman of
the Organisation of African Unity(OAU), a Pan-Africanist group designed to promote solidarity
among African states.[5] During the 1977–1979 period, Uganda was a member of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights.[6] In 1977, when the UK broke diplomatic relations with Uganda, Amin
declared he had defeated the British and added "CBE", for "Conqueror of the British Empire", to his
title. Radio Uganda then announced his entire title: "His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal
Alhaji Dr. Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, CBE"
Biography
Early life
Amin did not write an autobiography, and he did not authorize an official written account of his life.
There are, therefore, discrepancies regarding when and where he was born. Most biographical
sources claim that he was born in either Koboko or Kampala around 1925.[a] Other unconfirmed
sources state Amin's year of birth from as early as 1923 to as late as 1928. Amin's son Hussein has
stated that his father was born in Kampala in 1928. [11]
According to Astronomer Ariny Amos, Makerere University Alumni , Amin was the son of Andreas
Nyabire (1889–1976). Nyabire, a member of the Kakwa ethnic group, was a Roman Catholic 1910
and changed his name to Amin Dada. He named his first-born son after himself. Abandoned by his
father at a young age, Idi Amin grew up with his mother's family in a rural farming town in north-
western Uganda. Amin's mother was Assa Aatte (1904–1970), an ethnic Lugbara and a traditional
herbalist .
Amin joined school in Bombo in 1941. After a few years, he left school with only a first-grade
English-language education, and did odd jobs before being recruited to the army by a British colonial
army officer.[9]
194
Joined the King's African Rifles
6
194
Private
7
195
Corporal
2
195
Sergeant
3
195
Effendi (warrant officer)
9
196
Lieutenant (one of the first two Ugandan officers)
1
Uganda Army
196
Captain
2
196
Major
3
196
Deputy Commander of the Army
4
196
Colonel, Commander of the Army
5
196
Major general
8
Head of state
197 Chairman of the Defence Council
1 Commander-in-chief of the armed forces
Army Chief of Staff and Chief of Air Staff
197
Field Marshal
5
Amin joined the King's African Rifles (KAR) of the British Colonial Army in 1946 as an assistant cook.
[12]
In later life, he falsely claimed he was forced to join the armies during World War II and that he
served in the Burma Campaign.[7][13][14] He was transferred to Kenya for infantry service as a private in
1947, and served in the 21st KAR infantry battalion in Gilgil, Kenya until 1949. That year, his unit
was deployed to northern Kenya to fight against Somali rebels in the Shifta War. In 1952, his brigade
was deployed against the Mau Mau rebels in Kenya. He was promoted to corporal the same year,
then to sergeant in 1953.[9]
In 1959, Amin was made Afande (warrant officer), the highest rank possible for a black African in
the colonial British Army of that time. Amin returned to Uganda the same year and, in 1961, he was
promoted to lieutenant, becoming one of the first two Ugandans to become commissioned officers.
He was assigned to quell the cattle rustling between Uganda's Karamojong and
Kenya's Turkana nomads. In 1962, following Uganda's independence from the United Kingdom,
Amin was promoted to captain and then, in 1963, to major. He was appointed Deputy Commander of
the Army in 1964 and, the following year, to Commander of the Army. [9] In 1970, he was promoted to
commander of all the armed forces.[15]
Amin was an athlete during his time in both the British and Ugandan army. At 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) tall
and powerfully built, he was the Ugandan light heavyweight boxing champion from 1951 to 1960, as
well as a swimmer. Amin was also a formidable rugby forward,[16][17]although one officer said of him:
"Idi Amin is a splendid type and a good (rugby) player, but virtually bone from the neck up, and
needs things explained in words of one letter".[17][18]In the 1950s, he played for Nile RFC.[19]
There is a frequently repeated urban myth[17][19] that he was selected as a replacement by the East
Africa rugby union team for their 1955 match against the British Lions. Amin, however, does not
appear in the team photograph or on the official team list. [20] Following conversations with a colleague
in the British Army, Amin became a keen fan of Hayes Football Club – an affection that remained for
the rest of his life.[21]
Amin (centre-left) as chief of staff during a visit of Israeli Prime MinisterLevi Eshkol (centre) in 1966
In 1965, Prime Minister Milton Obote and Amin were implicated in a deal to smuggle ivory and gold
into Uganda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The deal, as later alleged by General
Nicholas Olenga, an associate of the former Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba, was part of an
arrangement to help troops opposed to the Congolese government trade ivory and gold for arms
supplies secretly smuggled to them by Amin. In 1966, the Ugandan Parliament demanded an
investigation. Obote imposed a new constitution abolishing the ceremonial presidency held
by Kabaka (King) Mutesa II of Buganda, and declared himself executive president. He promoted
Amin to colonel and army commander. Amin led an attack on the Kabaka's palace and forced
Mutesa into exile to the United Kingdom, where he remained until his death in 1969. [22][23]
Amin began recruiting members of Kakwa, Lugbara, South Sudanese, and other ethnic groups from
the West Nile area bordering South Sudan. The South Sudanese had been residents in Uganda
since the early 20th century, having come from South Sudan to serve the colonial army. Many
African ethnic groups in northern Uganda inhabit both Uganda and South Sudan; allegations persist
that Amin's army consisted mainly of South Sudanese soldiers. [24]
Seizure of power
1971 Ugandan coup d'état
Milton Obote, Uganda's second President, whom Amin overthrew in a coup d'état in 1971
Eventually a rift developed between Amin and Obote, exacerbated by the support Amin had built
within the army by recruiting from the West Nile region, his involvement in operations to support
the rebellion in southern Sudan and an attempt on Obote's life in 1969. In October 1970, Obote took
control of the armed forces, reducing Amin from his months-old post of commander of all the armed
forces to that of commander of the army.[15]
Having learned that Obote was planning to arrest him for misappropriating army funds, Amin seized
power in a military coup on 25 January 1971, while Obote was attending a Commonwealth summit
meeting in Singapore. Troops loyal to Amin sealed off Entebbe International Airport and took
Kampala. Soldiers surrounded Obote's residence and blocked major roads. A broadcast on Radio
Uganda accused Obote's government of corruption and preferential treatment of the Lango region.
Cheering crowds were reported in the streets of Kampala after the radio broadcast. [25] Amin
announced that he was a soldier, not a politician, and that the military government would remain only
as a caretaker regime until new elections, which would be announced when the situation was
normalised. He promised to release all political prisoners.[26]
Amin held a state funeral in April 1971 for Edward Mutesa, former King (Kabaka) of Buganda and
President who had died in exile; freed many political prisoners; and reiterated his promise to hold
free and fair elections to return the country to democratic rule in the shortest period possible. [27]
Presidency
History of Uganda (1971–79)
Establishment of military rule
On 2 February 1971, one week after the coup, Amin declared himself President of
Uganda, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Army Chief of Staff, and Chief of Air Staff. He
announced that he was suspending certain provisions of the Ugandan constitution, and soon
instituted an Advisory Defence Council composed of military officers with himself as the chairman.
Amin placed military tribunals above the system of civil law, appointed soldiers to top government
posts and parastatal agencies, and informed the newly inducted civilian cabinet ministers that they
would be subject to military discipline.[15][28]
Amin renamed the presidential lodge in Kampala from Government House to "The Command Post".
He disbanded the General Service Unit (GSU), an intelligence agency created by the previous
government, and replaced it with the State Research Bureau (SRB). SRB headquarters at the
Kampala suburb of Nakasero became the scene of torture and executions over the next few years.
Other agencies used to persecute dissenters included the military police and the Public Safety
[29]
Unit (PSU).[29]
Obote took refuge in Tanzania, having been offered sanctuary there by the Tanzanian
President Julius Nyerere. Obote was soon joined by 20,000 Ugandan refugees fleeing Amin. The
exiles attempted but failed to regain Uganda in 1972, through a poorly organised coup attempt
Conventional (dams)
Most hydroelectric power comes from the potential energy of dammed water driving a water
turbine and generator. The power extracted from the water depends on the volume and on the
difference in height between the source and the water's outflow. This height difference is called
the head. A large pipe (the "penstock") delivers water from the reservoir to the turbine.[14]
Pumped-storage
Pumped-storage hydroelectricity
This method produces electricity to supply high peak demands by moving water
between reservoirs at different elevations. At times of low electrical demand, the excess generation
capacity is used to pump water into the higher reservoir. When the demand becomes greater, water
is released back into the lower reservoir through a turbine. Pumped-storage schemes currently
provide the most commercially important means of large-scale grid energy storage and improve the
daily capacity factor of the generation system. Pumped storage is not an energy source, and
appears as a negative number in listings.[15]
Run-of-the-river
: Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity
Run-of-the-river hydroelectric stations are those with small or no reservoir capacity, so that only the
water coming from upstream is available for generation at that moment, and any oversupply must
pass unused. A constant supply of water from a lake or existing reservoir upstream is a significant
advantage in choosing sites for run-of-the-river. In the United States, run of the river hydropower
could potentially provide 60,000 megawatts (80,000,000 hp) (about 13.7% of total use in 2011 if
continuously available)
.[30]
Persecution of ethnic and political groups
Amin retaliated against the attempted invasion by Ugandan exiles in 1972, by purging the army of
Obote supporters, predominantly those from the Acholi and Lango ethnic groups.[31] In July 1971,
Lango and Acholi soldiers were massacred in the Jinja and Mbarara barracks.[32] By early 1972,
some 5,000 Acholi and Lango soldiers, and at least twice as many civilians, had disappeared. [33] The
victims soon came to include members of other ethnic groups, religious leaders, journalists, artists,
senior bureaucrats, judges, lawyers, students and intellectuals, criminal suspects, and foreign
nationals. In this atmosphere of violence, many other people were killed for criminal motives or
simply at will. Bodies were often dumped into the River Nile. [34]
The killings, motivated by ethnic, political, and financial factors, continued throughout Amin's eight
years in control.[33] The exact number of people killed is unknown. The International Commission of
Jurists estimated the death toll at no fewer than 80,000 and more likely around 300,000. An estimate
compiled by exile organizations with the help of Amnesty International puts the number killed at
500,000.[7]
We are determined to make the ordinary Ugandan master of his own destiny and, above all, to see
that he enjoys the wealth of his country. Our deliberate policy is to transfer the economic control of
Uganda into the hands of Ugandans, for the first time in our country's history.
In August 1972, Amin declared what he called an "economic war", a set of policies that included the
expropriation of properties owned by Asians. Uganda's 80,000 Asians were mostly from the Asian
subcontinent and born in the country, their ancestors having come to Uganda in search of
prosperity .[39] Many owned businesses, including large-scale enterprises, which formed the
backbone of the Ugandan economy while black community discriminated [40][41][42]
On 4 August 1972, Amin issued a decree ordering the expulsion of the 50,000 Asians who were
Asian passport holders. This was later amended to include all 60,000 Asians who were not Ugandan
citizens. Around 30,000 Asians emigrated to the went back to Asian continent. [42] Amin expropriated
businesses and properties belonging to the Asians as most Blacks were denied own property and
cash and the Europeans and handed them over to his supporters. [28]
In 1975, Emmanuel Blayo Wakhweya, Idi Amin's finance minister and longest serving cabinet
member at the time, defected in London.[44] This prominent defection helped Henry Kyemba, Amin's
health minister and a former official of the first Obote regime, to defect in 1977 and resettle in the
UK. Kyemba wrote falsely and published A State of Blood, the first insider exposé of Amin's rule.[45]
Industrialisation is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from
anagrarian society into an industrial society, involving the extensive re-organisation of
an economy for the purpose of manufacturing.[2]
As industrial workers' incomes rise, markets for consumer goods and services of all kinds tend to
expand and provide a further stimulus to industrial investment and economic growth.
Social consequences
Urbanisation
: Urbanisation
As the Industrial Revolution was a shift from the agrarian society, people migrated from villages in
search of jobs to places where factories were set up. This shifting of rural people led to urbanisation
and rise in the population of the towns. The concentration of labour into factories has increased
urbanisation and the size of settlements, to serve and house the factory workers.
Exploitation
Exploitation of labour and Exploitation of natural resources
Workers have to either leave their families or bring them along in order to work in the towns and
cities where these industries were found.
Future situation
1973 GDP composition of sector and labour force by occupation. The green, red, and blue components of the
colours of the countries represent the percentages for the agriculture, industry, and services sectors
respectively.
Means of self-governance
This article focuses on the self-governance of professions, industries including unions, and formal or
informal political units including ethnic or ethical 'nations' not defined by national borders, and of
religious organizations, which have professional and political elements. There are many historical
examples of such organizations or groups, and some, e.g. the Roman Catholic Church,
the Freemasons, the Iroquois Confederacy, have histories going back centuries, including vast
bodies of precedent and shared culture and knowledge.
A means of self-governance usually comprises at least the following:
An ethical code that outlines acceptable behavior within the unit or group, e.g.
the Hippocratic Oath of doctors, or established codes of professional ethics.
Some set of criteria whereby an outside legal code or political authority can be called in –
unless the group itself opposes such authority, e.g., organized crime groups which are self-
governing almost by definition.
A means of ensuring that outside authority does not become involved unless and until these
criteria are satisfied, usually a code of silence regarding the activities of insiders when
conversing with outsiders.
A process for registering and resolving grievances, e.g. medical malpractice, union
procedures, and for achieving closure regarding them.
The power to discipline its own members, ranging from fines and censure up to and including
killing them, e.g. the Irish Republican Army, mafia or Tong groups, and militaries (see Uniform
Code of Military Justice)
A means of controlling parties, factions, tendencies or other sub-groups that seek to break
away and form new entities that would compete with the group or organization that already
exists.
In the American context, some professions, such as doctors, in the 19th and early 20th century typically operated out of the front room or parlor or had a two-room office on
their property, which was detached from the house. By the mid 20th century and the increase in high-tech equipment saw a marked shift whereby the contemporary doctor
The introduction of technology and electronic systems within the house has questioned the impressions of privacy as well as the segregation of work from home.
Technological advances of surveillance and communications allow insight of personal habits and private lives.[6] As a result, the "private becomes ever more public, [and] the
desire for a protective home life increases, fuelled by the very media that undermine it" writes Hill.[6] Work also, has been altered due to the increase of communications. The
"deluge of information",[6] has expressed the efforts of work, conveniently gaining access inside the house. Although commuting is reduced, "the desire to separate working
and living remains apparent."[6] In Jonathan Hill's book Immature Architecture, he identifies this new invasion of privacy as Electromagnetic Weather. Natural or man-
madeweather remains concurrent inside or outside the house, yet the electromagnetic weather is able to generate within both positions. [6][ On the other hand, some architects
have designed homes in which eating, working and living are brought together.
Construction
: House-building
In Uganda modern house-construction techniques include light-frame construction (in areas with access to supplies of wood) and adobe or sometimesrammed-earth
construction (in arid regions with scarce wood-resources). Some areas use brick almost exclusively, and quarried stone has long provided walling. To some extent, aluminum
and steel have displaced some traditional building materials. Increasingly popular alternative construction materials include insulating concrete forms (foam forms filled
with concrete), structural insulated panels (foam panels faced with oriented strand board or fiber cement), and light-gauge steel framing and heavy-gauge steel framing.
More generally, people often build houses out of the nearest available material, and often tradition or culture govern construction-materials, so whole towns, areas, counties or
even states/countries may be built out of one main type of material. For example, a large fraction of American houses use wood, while most British and many European
In the 1900s (decade), some house designers started using prefabrication. Sears, Roebuck & Co. first marketed their Sears Catalog Homes to the general public in 1908.
Prefab techniques became popular after World War II. First small inside rooms framing, then later, whole walls were prefabricated and carried to the construction site. The
original impetus was to use thelabor force inside a shelter during inclement weather. More recently builders have begun to collaborate with structural engineers who use
computers and finite element analysis to design prefabricated steel-framed homes with known resistance to high wind-loads and seismic forces. These newer products provide
labor savings, more consistent quality, and possibly accelerated construction processes.
Lesser-used construction methods have gained (or regained) popularity in recent years. Though not in wide use, these methods frequently appeal to homeowners who may
Cannabrick construction
Cordwood construction
Geodesic domes
Straw-bale construction
Timber framing
Framing (construction)
Energy efficiency
In Uganda as the developed world, energy-conservation has grown in importance in house-design. Housing produces a major proportion of carbon emissions (studies have
Development of a number of low-energy building types and techniques continues. They include the zero-energy house, thepassive solar house, the autonomous buildings,
Earthquake protection
One tool of earthquake engineering is base isolation which is increasingly used for earthquake protection. Base isolation is a collection of structural elements of a building that
should substantially decouple it from the shaking ground thus protecting the building's integrity [16] and enhancing its seismic performance. This technology, which is a kind of
seismic vibration control, can be applied both to a newly designed building and to seismic upgrading of existing structures. [17]
Normally, excavations are made around the building and the building is separated from the foundations. Steel or reinforced concrete beams replace the connections to the
foundations, while under these, the isolating pads, or base isolators, replace the material removed. While the base isolation tends to restrict transmission of the ground motion
to the building, it also keeps the building positioned properly over the foundation. Careful attention to detail is required where the building interfaces with the ground, especially
at entrances, stairways and ramps, to ensure sufficient relative motion of those structural elements.
Bamboo is an earthquake-resistant material, and is very versatile because it comes from fast-grow plants. Adding that bamboos are common in Asia, bamboo-made houses
Found materials
In many parts of the world, houses are constructed using scavenged materials. In Manila's Payatas neighborhood, slum houses are often made of material sourced from a
In Dakar, it is not uncommon to see houses made of recycled materials standing atop a mixture of garbage and sand which serves as a foundation. The garbage-sand mixture
New houses in the Uganda as in USA, UK were not covered by the Sale of Goods Act. When purchasing a new house the buyer has different legal protection than when
buying other products. New houses in the Uganda , United States UK are covered by a National House Building Council guarantee.
Identifying houses
With the growth of dense settlement, humans designed ways of identifying houses and parcels of land. Individual houses sometimes acquire proper names, and those names
may acquire in their turn considerable emotional connotations. For example, the house of Howards End or the castle of Brideshead Revisited. A more systematic and general
Animal houses
Humans often build houses for domestic or wild animals, often resembling smaller versions of human domiciles. Familiar animal houses built by humans
Houses may express the circumstances or opinions of their builders or their inhabitants. Thus, a vast and elaborate house may serve as a sign of conspicuous wealth whereas
a low-profile house built of recycled materials may indicate support of energy conservation.
Houses of particular historical significance (former residences of the famous, for example, or even just very old houses) may gain a protected status in town planning as
10]
Perturbation theory leads to an expression for the desired solution in terms of a formal power
series in some "small" parameter – known as a perturbation series – that quantifies the deviation
from the exactly solvable problem. The leading term in this power series is the solution of the exactly
solvable problem, while further terms describe the deviation in the solution, due to the deviation from
the initial problem. Formally, we have for the approximation to the full solution A, a series in the
small parameter (here called ε), like the following:
In this example, A0 would be the known solution to the exactly solvable initial problem
and A1, A2, ... represent the higher-order terms which may be found iteratively by some systematic
procedure. For small ε these higher-order terms in the series become successively smaller.
An approximate "perturbation solution" is obtained by truncating the series, usually by keeping only
the first two terms, the initial solution and the "first-order" perturbation correction
General description
Perturbation theory is closely related to methods used in numerical analysis. The earliest use of
what would now be called perturbation theory was to deal with the otherwise unsolvable
mathematical problems of celestial mechanics: for example the orbit of the Moon, which moves
noticeably differently from a simple Keplerian ellipse because of the competing gravitation of the
Earth and the Sun.[2]
Perturbation methods start with a simplified form of the original problem, which is simple enough to
be solved exactly. In celestial mechanics, this is usually a Keplerian ellipse. Under non-relativistic
gravity, an ellipse is exactly correct when there are only two gravitating bodies (say, the Earth and
the Moon) but not quite correct when there are three or more objects (say, the Earth, Moon, Sun,
and the rest of the solar system) and not quite correct when the gravitational interaction is stated
using formulations from General relativity.
The solved, but simplified problem is then "perturbed" to make the conditions that the perturbed
solution actually satisfies closer to the formula in the original problem, such as including the
gravitational attraction of a third body (the Sun). Typically, the "conditions" that represent reality are
a formula (or several) that specifically express some physical law, like Newton's second law, the
force-acceleration equation,
In the case of the example, the force F is calculated based on the number of gravitationally relevant
bodies; the acceleration a is obtained, using calculus, from the path of the Moon in its orbit. Both of
these come in two forms: approximate values for force and acceleration, which result from
simplifications, and hypothetical exact values for force and acceleration, which would require the
complete answer to calculate.
The slight changes that result from accommodating the perturbation, which themselves may have
been simplified yet again, are used as corrections to the approximate solution. Because of
simplifications introduced along every step of the way, the corrections are never perfect, and the
conditions met by the corrected solution do not perfectly match the equation demanded by reality.
However, even only one cycle of corrections often provides an excellent approximate answer to what
the real solution should be.
There is no requirement to stop at only one cycle of corrections. A partially corrected solution can be
re-used as the new starting point for yet another cycle of perturbations and corrections. In principle,
cycles of finding increasingly better corrections could go on indefinitely. In practice, one typically
stops at one or two cycles of corrections. The usual difficulty with the method is that the corrections
progressively make the new solutions very much more complicated, so each cycle is much more
difficult to manage than the previous cycle of corrections. Isaac Newton is reported to have said,
regarding the problem of the Moon's orbit, that "It causeth my head to ache."[3]
This general procedure is a widely used mathematical tool in advanced sciences and engineering:
start with a simplified problem and gradually add corrections that make the formula that the
corrected problem becomes a closer and closer match to the original formula.
Examples
Examples for the "mathematical description" are: an algebraic equation,[4] a differential
equation (e.g., the equations of motion[5] or a wave equation), a free energy (in statistical mechanics),
radiative transfer,[6] a Hamiltonian operator (in quantum mechanics).
Examples for the kind of solution to be found perturbatively: the solution of the equation (e.g.,
the trajectory of a particle), the statistical average of some physical quantity (e.g., average
magnetization), the ground state energy of a quantum mechanical problem.
Examples for the exactly solvable problems to start with: linear equations, including linear equations
of motion (harmonic oscillator, linear wave equation), statistical or quantum-mechanical systems of
non-interacting particles (or in general, Hamiltonians or free energies containing only terms quadratic
in all degrees of freedom).
Examples of "perturbations" to deal with: Nonlinear contributions to the equations of
motion, interactions between particles, terms of higher powers in the Hamiltonian/Free Energy.
For physical problems involving interactions between particles, the terms of the perturbation series
may be displayed (and manipulated) using Feynman diagrams.
Perturbation theory was first devised to solve otherwise intractable problems in the calculation of the
motions of planets in the solar system. For instance, Newton's law of universal gravitation explained
the gravitation between two astronomical bodies, but when a third body is added, the problem was,
"How does each body pull on each?" Newton's equation only allowed the mass of two bodies to be
analyzed. The gradually increasing accuracy of astronomical observations led to incremental
demands in the accuracy of solutions to Newton's gravitational equations, which led several notable
18th and 19th century mathematicians, such as Lagrange and Laplace, to extend and generalize the
methods of perturbation theory. These well-developed perturbation methods were adopted and
adapted to solve new problems arising during the development of quantum mechanics in
20th century atomic and subatomic physics. Paul Dirac developed perturbation theory in 1927 to
evaluate when a particle would be emitted in radioactive elements. It was later named Fermi's
golden rule.[7][8]
Perturbation orders
The standard exposition of perturbation theory is given in terms of the order to which the
perturbation is carried out: first-order perturbation theory or second-order perturbation theory,
and whether the perturbed states are degenerate, which requires singular perturbation. In the
singular case extra care must be taken, and the theory is slightly more elaborate.
In chemistry
Many of the ab initio quantum chemistry methods use perturbation theory directly or are closely
related methods. Implicit perturbation theory [10]works with the complete Hamiltonian from the very
beginning and never specifies a perturbation operator as such. Møller–Plesset perturbation
theory uses the difference between the Hartree–Fock Hamiltonian and the exact non-relativistic
Hamiltonian as the perturbation. The zero-order energy is the sum of orbital energies. The first-order
energy is the Hartree–Fock energy and electron correlation is included at second-order or higher.
Calculations to second, third or fourth order are very common and the code is included in most ab
initio quantum chemistry programs. A related but more accurate method is the coupled
cluster method.
International relations
Foreign relations of Uganda
Initially, Amin was supported by Western powers such as Israel, West Germany, United States and,
in particular, Great Britain. During the late 1960s, Obote's move to the left, which included
his Common Man's Charter and the nationalisation of 80 British companies, had made the West
worried that he would pose a threat to Western capitalist interests in Africa and make Uganda an ally
of the Soviet Union. Amin, who had served with the King's African Rifles and taken part in Britain's
suppression of the Mau Mau uprising prior to Ugandan independence, was known by the British as
"intensely loyal to Britain". This made him an obvious choice as Obote's successor. Although some
have claimed that Amin was being groomed for power as early as 1966, the plotting by the British
and other Western powers began in earnest in 1969, after Obote had begun his nationalisation
programme.[46]
Following the expulsion of Ugandan Asians in 1972, most of whom were of Indian descent, India
severed diplomatic relations with Uganda. The same year, as part of his "economic war", Amin broke
diplomatic ties with the UK and nationalised all British-owned businesses. [47]
That year, relations with Israel soured. Although Israel had previously supplied Uganda with arms, in
1972 Amin expelled Israeli military advisers and turned to Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and the Soviet
Union for support.[31] Amin became an outspoken critic of Israel. [48] In return, Gaddafi gave financial
aid to Amin.[49] In the 1974 French-produced documentary film General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait,
Amin discussed his plans for war against Israel, using paratroops, bombers, and suicide squadrons.
[13]
The Soviet Union became Amin's largest arms supplier. [3] East Germany was involved in the General
Service Unit and the State Research Bureau, the two agencies that were most notorious for terror.
Later during the Ugandan invasion of Tanzania in 1979, East Germany attempted to remove
evidence of its involvement with these agencies.[4]
.[36]
Hegel has influenced many thinkers and writers whose own positions vary widely. [37] Karl
Barth described Hegel as a "Protestant Aquinas"[38] while Maurice Merleau-Ponty wrote that "all the
great philosophical ideas of the past century—the philosophies
of Marx and Nietzsche, phenomenology, German existentialism, and psychoanalysis—had their
beginnings in Hegel."[39]
Life[edit]
Early years
Childhood
The birthplace of Hegel in Stuttgart, which now houses the Hegel Museum
He was born on August 27, 1770 in Stuttgart, capital of the Duchy of Württemberg in southwestern
Germany. Christened Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, he was known as Wilhelm to his close family. His
father, Georg Ludwig, was Rentkammersekretär (secretary to the revenue office) at the court of Karl
Eugen, Duke of Württemberg.[40]:2–3, 745 Hegel's mother, Maria Magdalena Louisa (née Fromm), was the
daughter of a lawyer at the High Court of Justice at the Württemberg court. She died of a "bilious
fever" (Gallenfieber) when Hegel was thirteen. Hegel and his father also caught the disease, but they
narrowly survived.[41] Hegel had a sister, Christiane Luise (1773–1832); and a brother, Georg Ludwig
(1776–1812), who was to perish as an officer in Napoleon's Russian campaign of 1812. [40]:4
At the age of three, he went to the German School. When he entered the Latin School two years
later, he already knew the first declension, having been taught it by his mother. In 1776, he entered
Stuttgart's gymnasium illustre and during his adolescence read voraciously, copying lengthy extracts
in his diary. Authors he read include the poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock and writers associated
with the Enlightenment, such as Christian Garve and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. His studies at
the Gymnasium were concluded with his Abiturrede ("graduation speech") entitled "The abortive
state of art and scholarship in Turkey"[40]:16 ("den verkümmerten Zustand der Künste und
Wissenschaften unter den Türken").[42]
Tübingen (1788–1793)
At the age of eighteen, Hegel entered the Tübinger Stift (a Protestant seminary attached to
the University of Tübingen), where he had as roommates the poet and philosopher Friedrich
Hölderlin and the philosopher-to-be Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling.[43] Sharing a dislike for what
they regarded as the restrictive environment of the Seminary, the three became close friends and
mutually influenced each other's ideas. All greatly admired Hellenic civilization and Hegel additionally
steeped himself in Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Lessing during this time.[44] They watched the
unfolding of the French Revolutionwith shared enthusiasm. Schelling and Hölderlin immersed
themselves in theoretical debates on Kantian philosophy, from which Hegel remained aloof. Hegel at
this time envisaged his future as that of a Popularphilosoph, i.e. a "man of letters" who serves to
make the abstruse ideas of philosophers accessible to a wider public; his own felt need to engage
critically with the central ideas of Kantianism did not come until 1800.
Although the violence of the Reign of Terror in 1793 dampened Hegel's hopes, he continued to
identify with the moderate Girondin faction and never lost his commitment to the principles of 1789,
which he would express by drinking a toast to the storming of the Bastille every fourteenth of July.[45]
Bern (1793–1796) and Frankfurt (1797–1801)
Having received his theological certificate (Konsistorialexamen) from the Tübingen Seminary, Hegel
became Hofmeister (house tutor) to an aristocratic family in Bern(1793–1796). During this period, he
composed the text which has become known as the Life of Jesus and a book-length manuscript
titled "The Positivity of the Christian Religion". His relations with his employers becoming strained,
Hegel accepted an offer mediated by Hölderlin to take up a similar position with a wine merchant's
family in Frankfurt, to which he relocated in 1797. Here, Hölderlin exerted an important influence on
Hegel's thought.[40]:80 While in Frankfurt, Hegel composed the essay "Fragments on Religion and
Love".[46] In 1799, he wrote another essay entitled "The Spirit of Christianity and Its Fate",
[47]
unpublished during his lifetime.
Also in 1797, the unpublished and unsigned manuscript of "The Oldest Systematic Program of
German Idealism" was written. It was written in Hegel's hand, but thought to have been authored by
either Hegel, Schelling, Hölderlin, or an unknown fourth person. [48]
Career years
Jena, Bamberg and Nuremberg (1801–1816)
In 1801, Hegel came to Jena with the encouragement of his old friend Schelling, who held the
position of Extraordinary Professor at the University there. Hegel secured a position at the University
as a Privatdozent (unsalaried lecturer) after submitting the inaugural dissertation De Orbitis
Planetarum, in which he briefly criticized arguments that assert - based on Bode's Law or other
arbitrary choice of mathematical series - there must exist a planet between Mars and Jupiter.[49][50]
[51]
Unbeknownst to Hegel, Giuseppe Piazzi had discovered the minor planet Ceres within that orbit on
January 1, 1801.[50][51] Later in the year, Hegel's first book The Difference Between Fichte's and
Schelling's Systems of Philosophy was completed. He lectured on "Logic and Metaphysics" and
gave joint lectures with Schelling on an "Introduction to the Idea and Limits of True Philosophy" and
held a "Philosophical Disputorium". In 1802, Schelling and Hegel founded a journal, the Kritische
Journal der Philosophie (Critical Journal of Philosophy), to which they each contributed pieces until
the collaboration was ended when Schelling left for Würzburg in 1803.
In 1805, the University promoted Hegel to the position of Extraordinary Professor (unsalaried) after
he wrote a letter to the poet and minister of culture Johann Wolfgang Goethe protesting at the
promotion of his philosophical adversary Jakob Friedrich Fries ahead of him.[40]:223 Hegel attempted to
enlist the help of the poet and translator Johann Heinrich Voß to obtain a post at the newly
renascent University of Heidelberg, but he failed; to his chagrin, Fries was later in the same year
made Ordinary Professor (salaried) there.[40]:224–25
"Hegel and Napoleon in Jena" (illustration from Harper's Magazine, 1895), whose meeting became proverbial
due to Hegel's notable use of Weltseele ("world-soul") in reference to Napoleon ("the world-soul on
horseback", die Weltseele zu Pferde)[52]
With his finances drying up quickly, Hegel was now under great pressure to deliver his book, the
long-promised introduction to his System. Hegel was putting the finishing touches to this book, The
Phenomenology of Spirit, as Napoleon engaged Prussian troops on 14 October 1806 in the Battle of
Jena on a plateau outside the city. On the day before the battle, Napoleon entered the city of Jena.
Hegel recounted his impressions in a letter to his friend Friedrich Immanuel Niethammer:
I saw the Emperor – this world-soul [Weltseele] – riding out of the city on reconnaissance. It is
indeed a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, who, concentrated here at a single point,
astride a horse, reaches out over the world and masters it. [53]
Pinkard (2000) notes that Hegel's comment to Niethammer "is all the more striking since at that point
he had already composed the crucial section of the Phenomenology in which he remarked that
the Revolution had now officially passed to another land (Germany) that would complete 'in thought'
what the Revolution had only partially accomplished in practice". [54] Although Napoleon chose not to
close down Jena as he had other universities, the city was devastated and students deserted the
university in droves, making Hegel's financial prospects even worse. The following February, Hegel's
landlady Christiana Burkhardt (who had been abandoned by her husband) gave birth to their son
Georg Ludwig Friedrich Fischer (1807–1831). [40]:192
In March 1807, Hegel moved to Bamberg, where Niethammer had declined and passed on to Hegel
an offer to become editor of a newspaper, the Bamberger Zeitung [de]. Unable to find more suitable
employment, Hegel reluctantly accepted. Ludwig Fischer and his mother (whom Hegel may have
offered to marry following the death of her husband) stayed behind in Jena. [40]:238
In November 1808, Hegel was again through Niethammer, appointed headmaster of
a Gymnasium in Nuremberg, a post he held until 1816. While in Nuremberg, Hegel adapted his
recently published Phenomenology of Spirit for use in the classroom. Part of his remit being to teach
a class called "Introduction to Knowledge of the Universal Coherence of the Sciences", Hegel
developed the idea of an encyclopedia of the philosophical sciences, falling into three parts (logic,
philosophy of nature and philosophy of spirit).[40]:337
In 1811, Hegel married Marie Helena Susanna von Tucher (1791–1855), the eldest daughter of a
Senator. This period saw the publication of his second major work, the Science of
Logic (Wissenschaft der Logik; 3 vols., 1812, 1813 and 1816), and the birth of his two legitimate
sons, Karl Friedrich Wilhelm (1813–1901) and Immanuel Thomas Christian (1814–1891).
Heidelberg and Berlin (1816–1831)
Having received offers of a post from the Universities of Erlangen, Berlin and Heidelberg, Hegel
chose Heidelberg, where he moved in 1816. Soon after, his illegitimate son Ludwig Fischer (now ten
years old) joined the Hegel household in April 1817, having thus far spent his childhood in an
orphanage[40]:354–55 as his mother had died in the meantime.[40]:356
Hegel published The Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences in Outline (1817) as a summary of
his philosophy for students attending his lectures at Heidelberg.
In 1818, Hegel accepted the renewed offer of the chair of philosophy at the University of Berlin,
which had remained vacant since Johann Gottlieb Fichte's death in 1814. Here, Hegel published
his Philosophy of Right (1821). Hegel devoted himself primarily to delivering his lectures; and his
lecture courses on aesthetics, the philosophy of religion, the philosophy of history and the history of
philosophy were published posthumously from lecture notes taken by his students. His fame spread
and his lectures attracted students from all over Germany and beyond.
In 1819–1827, he made several trips to Weimar (twice), where he met Goethe, Brussels,
the Northern Netherlands, Leipzig, Vienna through Prague and Paris.[55]
Hegel was appointed Rector of the University in October 1829, but his term as Rector ended in
September 1830. Hegel was deeply disturbed by the riots for reform in Berlin in that year. In
1831, Frederick William III decorated him with the Order of the Red Eagle, 3rd Class for his service
to the Prussian state.[55] In August 1831, a cholera epidemic reached Berlin and Hegel left the city,
taking up lodgings in Kreuzberg. Now in a weak state of health, Hegel seldom went out. As the new
semester began in October, Hegel returned to Berlin with the (mistaken) impression that the
epidemic had largely subsided. By November 14, Hegel was dead. The physicians pronounced the
cause of death as cholera, but it is likely he died from a different gastrointestinal disease. He is said
to have uttered the last words "And he didn't understand me" before expiring. [56] In accordance with
his wishes, Hegel was buried on November 16 in the Dorotheenstadt cemetery next to Fichte
and Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Solger.
Hegel's son Ludwig Fischer had died shortly before while serving with the Dutch army in Batavia and
the news of his death never reached his father. [40]:548 Early the following year, Hegel's sister Christiane
committed suicide by drowning. Hegel's remaining two sons—Karl, who became a historian;
and Immanuel [de], who followed a theological path—lived long and safeguarded their
father's Nachlaß and produced editions of his works.
Philosophical work
Hegelianism
Forerunners
Aristotle
Böhme
Rousseau
Kant
Goethe
Fichte
Hölderlin
Schelling
Successors
Feuerbach
Marx
Stirner
Gentile
Lukács
Kojève
Adorno
Habermas
Principal works
Schools
Absolute idealism
Hegelianism (dialectics)
British idealism
German idealism
Related topics
Right Hegelians
Young Hegelians
v
t
e
Freedom
Hegel's thinking can be understood as a constructive development within the broad tradition that
includes Plato and Immanuel Kant. To this list, one could add Proclus, Meister Eckhart, Gottfried
Wilhelm Leibniz, Plotinus, Jakob Böhme, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. What all these thinkers
share, which distinguishes them from materialists like Epicurus and Thomas Hobbes and
from empiricists like David Hume, is that they regard freedom or self-determination both as real and
as having important ontological implications for soul or mind or divinity. This focus on freedom is
what generates Plato's notion (in the Phaedo, Republic and Timaeus) of the soul as having a higher
or fuller kind of reality than inanimate objects possess. While Aristotle criticizes Plato's "Forms", he
preserves Plato's cornerstones of the ontological implications for self-determination: ethical
reasoning, the soul's pinnacle in the hierarchy of nature, the order of the cosmos and an assumption
with reasoned arguments for a prime mover. Kant imports Plato's high esteem of individual
sovereignty to his considerations of moral and noumenal freedom as well as to God. All three find
common ground on the unique position of humans in the scheme of things, known by the discussed
categorical differences from animals and inanimate objects.
In his discussion of "Spirit" in his Encyclopedia, Hegel praises Aristotle's On the Soul as "by far the
most admirable, perhaps even the sole, work of philosophical value on this topic". [57] In
his Phenomenology of Spirit and his Science of Logic, Hegel's concern with Kantian topics such as
freedom and morality and with their ontological implications is pervasive. Rather than simply
rejecting Kant's dualism of freedom versus nature, Hegel aims to subsume it within "true infinity", the
"Concept" (or "Notion": Begriff), "Spirit" and "ethical life" in such a way that the Kantian duality is
rendered intelligible, rather than remaining a brute "given".
The reason why this subsumption takes place in a series of concepts is that Hegel's method in
his Science of Logic and his Encyclopedia is to begin with basic concepts like "Being" and "Nothing"
and to develop these through a long sequence of elaborations, including those already mentioned. In
this manner, a solution that is reached in principle in the account of "true infinity" in the Science of
Logic's chapter on "Quality" is repeated in new guises at later stages, all the way to "Spirit" and
"ethical life" in the third volume of the Encyclopedia.
In this way, Hegel intends to defend the germ of truth in Kantian dualism against reductive or
eliminative programs like those of materialism and empiricism. Like Plato, with his dualism of soul
versus bodily appetites, Kant pursues the mind's ability to question its felt inclinations or appetites
and to come up with a standard of "duty" (or, in Plato's case, "good") which transcends bodily
restrictiveness. Hegel preserves this essential Platonic and Kantian concern in the form of infinity
going beyond the finite (a process that Hegel in fact relates to "freedom" and the "ought"), [58]:133–136,
138
the universal going beyond the particular (in the Concept) and Spirit going beyond Nature. Hegel
renders these dualities intelligible by (ultimately) his argument in the "Quality" chapter of the
"Science of Logic". The finite has to become infinite in order to achieve reality. The idea of the
absolute excludes multiplicity so the subjective and objective must achieve synthesis to become
whole. This is because as Hegel suggests by his introduction of the concept of "reality", [58]:111 what
determines itself—rather than depending on its relations to other things for its essential character—is
more fully "real" (following the Latin etymology of "real", more "thing-like") than what does not. Finite
things do not determine themselves because as "finite" things their essential character is determined
by their boundaries over against other finite things, so in order to become "real" they must go
beyond their finitude ("finitude is only as a transcending of itself"). [58]:145
The result of this argument is that finite and infinite—and by extension, particular and universal,
nature and freedom—do not face one another as two independent realities, but instead the latter (in
each case) is the self-transcending of the former. [58]:146 Rather than stress the distinct singularity of
each factor that complements and conflicts with others—without explanation—the relationship
between finite and infinite (and particular and universal and nature and freedom) becomes intelligible
as a progressively developing and self-perfecting whole.
Progress
The mystical writings of Jakob Böhme had a strong effect on Hegel.[59] Böhme had written that
the Fall of Man was a necessary stage in the evolution of the universe. This evolution was itself the
result of God's desire for complete self-awareness. Hegel was fascinated by the works of Kant,
Rousseau and Johann Wolfgang Goetheand by the French Revolution. Modern philosophy, culture
and society seemed to Hegel fraught with contradictions and tensions, such as those between the
subject and object of knowledge, mind and nature, self and Other, freedom and authority, knowledge
and faith, or the Enlightenment and Romanticism. Hegel's main philosophical project was to take
these contradictions and tensions and interpret them as part of a comprehensive, evolving, rational
unity that in different contexts he called "the absolute Idea" (Science of Logic, sections 1781–1783)
or "absolute knowledge" (Phenomenology of Spirit, "(DD) Absolute Knowledge").
According to Hegel, the main characteristic of this unity was that it evolved through and manifested
itself in contradiction and negation. Contradiction and negation have a dynamic quality that at every
point in each domain of reality—consciousness, history, philosophy, art, nature and society—leads
to further development until a rationalunity is reached that preserves the contradictions as phases
and sub-parts by lifting them up (Aufhebung) to a higher unity. This whole is mental because it is
mind that can comprehend all of these phases and sub-parts as steps in its own process of
comprehension. It is rational because the same, underlying, logical, developmental order underlies
every domain of reality and is ultimately the order of self-conscious rational thought, although only in
the later stages of development does it come to full self-consciousness. The rational, self-
conscious whole is not a thing or being that lies outside of other existing things or minds. Rather, it
comes to completion only in the philosophical comprehension of individual existing human minds
who through their own understanding bring this developmental process to an understanding of itself.
Hegel's thought is revolutionary to the extent that it is a philosophy of absolute negation—as long as
absolute negation is at the center, systematization remains open, and makes it possible for human
beings to become subjects.[60]
"Mind" and "Spirit" are the common English translations of Hegel's use of the German "Geist".
Some[who?] have argued that either of these terms overly "psychologize" Hegel, [citation needed] implying a kind
of disembodied, solipsistic consciousness like ghost or "soul". Geist combines the meaning of spirit
—as in god, ghost, or mind—with an intentional force. In Hegel's early philosophy of nature (draft
manuscripts written during his time at the University of Jena), Hegel's notion of "Geist" was tightly
bound to the notion of "Aether", from which Hegel also derived the concepts of space and time, but
in his later works (after Jena) he did not explicitly use his old notion of "Aether" anymore. [61]
Central to Hegel's conception of knowledge and mind (and therefore also of reality) was the notion
of identity in difference—that is, that mind externalizes itself in various forms and objects that stand
outside of it or opposed to it; and that through recognizing itself in them, is "with itself" in these
external manifestations so that they are at one and the same time mind and other-than-mind. This
notion of identity in difference, which is intimately bound up with his conception of contradiction and
negativity, is a principal feature differentiating Hegel's thought from that of other philosophers. [citation
needed]
Civil society
Civil society
Hegel made the distinction between civil society and state in his Elements of the Philosophy of
Right.[62] In this work, civil society (Hegel used the term "bürgerliche Gesellschaft" though it is now
referred to as Zivilgesellschaft in German to emphasize a more inclusive community) was a stage in
the dialectical relationship that occurs between Hegel's perceived opposites, the macro-community
of the state and the micro-community of the family.[63] Broadly speaking, the term was split, like
Hegel's followers, to the political left and right. On the left, it became the foundation for Karl Marx's
civil society as an economic base;[64] to the right, it became a description for all non-state (and the
state is the peak of the objective spirit) aspects of society, including culture, society and politics. This
liberal distinction between political society and civil society was followed by Alexis de Tocqueville.
[64]
In fact, Hegel's distinctions as to what he meant by civil society are often unclear. For example,
while it seems to be the case that he felt that a civil society such as the German society in which he
lived was an inevitable movement of the dialectic, he made way for the crushing of other types of
"lesser" and not fully realized types of civil society as these societies were not fully conscious or
aware—as it were—as to the lack of progress in their societies. Thus, it was perfectly legitimate in
the eyes of Hegel for a conqueror such as Napoleon to come along and destroy that which was not
fully realized.
State
Hegel's State is the final culmination of the embodiment of freedom or right (Rechte) in the Elements
of the Philosophy of Right. The State subsumes family and civil society and fulfills them. All three
together are called "ethical life" (Sittlichkeit). The State involves three "moments". In a Hegelian
State, citizens both know their place and choose their place. They both know their obligations and
choose to fulfill their obligations. An individual's "supreme duty is to be a member of the state"
(Elements of the Philosophy of Right, section 258). The individual has "substantial freedom in the
state". The State is "objective spirit" so "it is only through being a member of the state that the
individual himself has objectivity, truth, and ethical life" (section 258). Furthermore, every member
both loves the State with genuine patriotism, but has transcended mere "team spirit" by reflectively
endorsing their citizenship. Members of a Hegelian State are happy even to sacrifice their lives for
the State.
Heraclitus
According to Hegel, "Heraclitus is the one who first declared the nature of the infinite and first
grasped nature as in itself infinite, that is, its essence as process. The origin of philosophy is to be
dated from Heraclitus. His is the persistent Idea that is the same in all philosophers up to the present
day, as it was the Idea of Plato and Aristotle". [65] For Hegel, Heraclitus's great achievements were to
have understood the nature of the infinite, which for Hegel includes understanding the inherent
contradictoriness and negativity of reality; and to have grasped that reality is becoming or process
and that "being" and "nothingness" are mere empty abstractions. According to Hegel, Heraclitus's
"obscurity" comes from his being a true (in Hegel's terms "speculative") philosopher who grasped the
ultimate philosophical truth and therefore expressed himself in a way that goes beyond the abstract
and limited nature of common sense and is difficult to grasp by those who operate within common
sense. Hegel asserted that in Heraclitus he had an antecedent for his logic: "[...] there is no
proposition of Heraclitus which I have not adopted in my logic". [66]
Hegel cites a number of fragments of Heraclitus in his Lectures on the History of Philosophy.[67] One
to which he attributes great significance is the fragment he translates as "Being is not more than
Non-being", which he interprets to mean the following:
Sein und Nichts sei dasselbe
Being and non-being are the same.
Heraclitus does not form any abstract nouns from his ordinary use of "to be" and "to become" and in
that fragment seems to be opposing any identity A to any other identity B, C and so on, which is not-
A. However, Hegel interprets not-A as not existing at all, not nothing at all, which cannot be
conceived, but indeterminate or "pure" being without particularity or specificity.[68] Pure being and
pure non-being or nothingness are for Hegel pure abstractions from the reality of becoming and this
is also how he interprets Heraclitus. This interpretation of Heraclitus cannot be ruled out, but even if
present is not the main gist of his thought.
For Hegel, the inner movement of reality is the process of God thinking as manifested in the
evolution of the universe of nature and thought; that is, Hegel argued that when fully and properly
understood, reality is being thought by God as manifested in a person's comprehension of this
process in and through philosophy. Since human thought is the image and fulfillment of God's
thought, God is not ineffable (so incomprehensible as to be unutterable), but can be understood by
an analysis of thought and reality. Just as humans continually correct their concepts of reality
through a dialectical process, so God himself becomes more fully manifested through the dialectical
process of becoming.
For his god, Hegel does not take the logos of Heraclitus but refers rather to the nous of Anaxagoras,
although he may well have regarded them the same as he continues to refer to god's plan, which is
identical to God. Whatever the nous thinks at any time is actual substance and is identical to limited
being, but more remains to be thought in the substrate of non-being, which is identical to pure or
unlimited thought.
The universe as becoming is therefore a combination of being and non-being. The particular is never
complete in itself, but to find completion is continually transformed into more comprehensive,
complex, self-relating particulars. The essential nature of being-for-itself is that it is free "in itself;"
that is, it does not depend on anything else such as matter for its being. The limitations represent
fetters, which it must constantly be casting off as it becomes freer and more self-determining. [69]
Although Hegel began his philosophizing with commentary on the Christian religion and often
expresses the view that he is a Christian, his ideas of God are not acceptable to some Christians
even though he has had a major influence on 19th- and 20th-century theology.
Religion
As a graduate of a Protestant seminary, Hegel's theological concerns were reflected in many of his
writings and lectures.[70] Hegel's thoughts on the person of Jesus Christ stood out from the theologies
of the Enlightenment. In his posthumously published Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, Part 3,
Hegel is shown as being particularly interested with the demonstrations of God's existence and the
ontological proof.[71] He espouses that "God is not an abstraction but a concrete God [...] God,
considered in terms of his eternal Idea, has to generate the Son, has to distinguish himself from
himself; he is the process of differentiating, namely, love and Spirit". This means that Jesus as the
Son of God is posited by God over against himself as other. Hegel sees both a relational unity and a
metaphysical unity between Jesus and God the Father. To Hegel, Jesus is both divine and human.
Hegel further attests that God (as Jesus) not only died, but "[...] rather, a reversal takes place: God,
that is to say, maintains himself in the process, and the latter is only the death of death. God rises
again to life, and thus things are reversed".
The philosopher Walter Kaufmann has argued that there was great stress on the sharp criticisms of
traditional Christianity appearing in Hegel's so-called early theological writings. Kaufmann admits
that Hegel treated many distinctively Christian themes and "sometimes could not resist equating" his
conception of spirit (Geist) "with God, instead of saying clearly: in God I do not believe; spirit suffices
me".[72] Kaufmann also points out that Hegel's references to God or to the divine—and also to spirit—
drew on classical Greek as well as Christian connotations of the terms. Kaufmann goes on:
In addition to his beloved Greeks, Hegel saw before him the example of Spinoza and, in his own
time, the poetry of Goethe, Schiller, and Hölderlin, who also liked to speak of gods and the divine.
So he, too, sometimes spoke of God and, more often, of the divine; and because he occasionally
took pleasure in insisting that he was really closer to this or that Christian tradition than some of the
theologians of his time, he has sometimes been understood to have been a Christian. [73]
According to Hegel himself, his philosophy was consistent with Christianity. [74] This led Hegelian
philosopher, jurist and politician Carl Friedrich Göschel [de] (1784–1861) to write a treatise
demonstrating the consistency of Hegel's philosophy with the Christian doctrine of the immortality of
the human soul. Göschel's book on this subject was titled Von den Beweisen für die Unsterblichkeit
der menschlichen Seele im Lichte der spekulativen Philosophie: eine Ostergabe (Berlin: Verlag von
Duncker und Humblot, 1835).[75][76][77]
Hegel seemed to have an ambivalent relationship with magic, myth and Paganism. He formulates an
early philosophical example of a disenchantment narrative, arguing that Judaism was responsible
both for realizing the existence of Geist and, by extension, for separating nature from ideas of
spiritual and magical forces and challenging polytheism.[78] However, Hegel's manuscript "The Oldest
Systematic Program of German Idealism" suggests that Hegel was concerned about the perceived
decline in myth and enchantment in his age, and that he therefore called for a "new myth" to fill the
cultural vacuum.[79]
Works
Hegel published four works during his lifetime:
(1) The Phenomenology of Spirit (or The Phenomenology of Mind), his account of the evolution of
consciousness from sense-perception to absolute knowledge, published in 1807.
(2) Science of Logic, the logical and metaphysical core of his philosophy, in three volumes (1812,
1813 and 1816, respectively), with a revised first volume published in 1831.
(3) Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences, a summary of his entire philosophical system, which
was originally published in 1816 and revised in 1827 and 1830.
(4) Elements of the Philosophy of Right, his political philosophy, published in 1820.
Posthumous works
During the last ten years of his life, Hegel did not publish another book, but thoroughly revised
the Encyclopedia (second edition, 1827; third, 1830). [80] In his political philosophy, he criticized Karl
Ludwig von Haller's reactionary work, which claimed that laws were not necessary. He also
published some articles early in his career and during his Berlin period. A number of other works on
the philosophy of history, religion, aesthetics and the history of philosophy[81] were compiled from the
lecture notes of his students and published posthumously.
Legacy
Hegel's tombstone in Berlin
Hegelianism
There are views of Hegel's thought as a representation of the summit of early 19th-century
Germany's movement of philosophical idealism. It would come to have a profound impact on many
future philosophical schools, including schools that opposed Hegel's specific dialectical idealism,
such as existentialism, the historical materialism of Marx, historism and British Idealism.
Hegel's influence was immense both within philosophy and in the other sciences. Throughout the
19th century many chairs of philosophy around Europe were held by Hegelians and Søren
Kierkegaard, Ludwig Feuerbach, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels—among many others—were all
deeply influenced by, but also strongly opposed to many of the central themes of Hegel's philosophy.
Scholars continue to find and point out Hegelian influences and approaches in a wide range of
theoretical and/or learned works, such as Carl von Clausewitz's magnum opus on strategic
thought, On War (1831).[82] After less than a generation, Hegel's philosophy was suppressed and
even banned by the Prussian right-wing and was firmly rejected by the left-wing in multiple official
writings.
After the period of Bruno Bauer, Hegel's influence did not make itself felt again until the philosophy
of British Idealism and the 20th-century Hegelian Western Marxism that began with György Lukács.
The more recent movement of communitarianism has a strong Hegelian influence.
Reading Hegel
Some of Hegel's writing was intended for those with advanced knowledge of philosophy, although
his Encyclopedia was intended as a textbook in a university course. Nevertheless, Hegel assumes
that his readers are well-versed in Western philosophy. Especially crucial are Aristotle, Immanuel
Kant and Kant's immediate successors, most prominently Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Friedrich
Wilhelm Joseph Schelling. Those without this background would be well-advised to begin with one of
the many general introductions to his thought. As is always the case, difficulties are magnified for
those reading him in translation. In fact, Hegel himself argues in his Science of Logic that the
German language was particularly conducive to philosophical thought. [83]
According to Walter Kaufmann, the basic idea of Hegel's works, especially the Phenomenology of
Spirit, is that a philosopher should not "confine him or herself to views that have been held but
penetrate these to the human reality they reflect". In other words, it is not enough to consider
propositions, or even the content of consciousness; "it is worthwhile to ask in every instance what
kind of spirit would entertain such propositions, hold such views, and have such a consciousness.
Every outlook in other words, is to be studied not merely as an academic possibility but as an
existential reality".[84] Kaufmann has argued that as unlikely as it may sound, it is not the case that
Hegel was unable to write clearly, but that Hegel felt that "he must and should not write in the way in
which he was gifted".[85]
In previous modern accounts of Hegelianism (to undergraduate classes, for example), especially
those formed prior to the Hegel renaissance, Hegel's dialectic was most often characterized as a
three-step process, "thesis, antithesis, synthesis"; namely, that a "thesis" (e.g. the French
Revolution) would cause the creation of its "antithesis" (e.g. the Reign of Terror that followed) and
would eventually result in a "synthesis" (e.g. the constitutional state of free citizens). However, Hegel
used this classification only once and he attributed the terminology to Kant. The terminology was
largely developed earlier by Fichte. It was spread by Heinrich Moritz Chalybäusin accounts of
Hegelian philosophy and since then the terms have been used as descriptive of this type of
framework.
The "thesis–antithesis–synthesis" approach gives the sense that things or ideas are contradicted or
opposed by things that come from outside them. To the contrary, the fundamental notion of Hegel's
dialectic is that things or ideas have internal contradictions. From Hegel's point of view, analysis or
comprehension of a thing or idea reveals that underneath its apparently simple identity or unity is an
underlying inner contradiction. This contradiction leads to the dissolution of the thing or idea in the
simple form in which it presented itself and to a higher-level, more complex thing or idea that more
adequately incorporates the contradiction. The triadic form that appears in many places in Hegel
(e.g. being–nothingness–becoming, immediate–mediate–concrete and abstract–negative–concrete)
is about this movement from inner contradiction to higher-level integration or unification.
For Hegel, reason is but "speculative", not "dialectical". [88] Believing that the traditional description of
Hegel's philosophy in terms of thesis–antithesis–synthesis was mistaken, a few scholars like Raya
Dunayevskaya have attempted to discard the triadic approach altogether. According to their
argument, although Hegel refers to "the two elemental considerations: first, the idea of freedom as
the absolute and final aim; secondly, the means for realising it, i.e. the subjective side of knowledge
and will, with its life, movement, and activity" (thesis and antithesis), he does not use "synthesis", but
instead speaks of the "Whole": "We then recognised the State as the moral Whole and the Reality of
Freedom, and consequently as the objective unity of these two elements". Furthermore, in Hegel's
language the "dialectical" aspect or "moment" of thought and reality, by which things or thoughts turn
into their opposites or have their inner contradictions brought to the surface, what he
called Aufhebung, is only preliminary to the "speculative" (and not "synthesizing") aspect or
"moment", which grasps the unity of these opposites or contradiction.
It is widely admitted today that the old-fashioned description of Hegel's philosophy in terms of
thesis–antithesis–synthesis is inaccurate. Nevertheless, such is the persistence of this misnomer
that the model and terminology survive in a number of scholarly works.[89]
Renaissance
In the last half of the 20th century, Hegel's philosophy underwent a major renaissance. This was due
to (a) the rediscovery and re-evaluation of Hegel as a possible philosophical progenitor of Marxism
by philosophically oriented Marxists; (b) a resurgence of the historical perspective that Hegel brought
to everything; and (c) an increasing recognition of the importance of his dialectical method. György
Lukács' History and Class Consciousness (1923) helped to reintroduce Hegel into the Marxist
canon. This sparked a renewed interest in Hegel reflected in the work of Herbert Marcuse, Theodor
W. Adorno, Ernst Bloch, Raya Dunayevskaya, Alexandre Kojèveand Gotthard Günther among
others. In Reason and Revolution (1941), Herbert Marcuse made the case for Hegel as a
revolutionary and criticized Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse's thesis that Hegel was a totalitarian.[90] The
Hegel renaissance also highlighted the significance of Hegel's early works, i.e. those written
before The Phenomenology of Spirit. The direct and indirect influence of Kojève's lectures and
writings (on The Phenomenology of Spirit in particular) mean that it is not possible to understand
most French philosophers from Jean-Paul Sartre to Jacques Derrida without understanding Hegel.
[91]
American neoconservative political theorist Francis Fukuyama's controversial book The End of
History and the Last Man (1992) was heavily influenced by Kojève.[92] The Swiss theologian Hans
Küng has also advanced contemporary scholarship in Hegel studies. [citation needed]
Beginning in the 1960s, Anglo-American Hegel scholarship has attempted to challenge the
traditional interpretation of Hegel as offering a metaphysical system: this has also been the approach
of Z. A. Pelczynski and Shlomo Avineri. This view, sometimes referred to as the "non-metaphysical
option", has had a decided influence on many major English language studies of Hegel in the past
forty years.
Late 20th-century literature in Western Theology that is friendly to Hegel includes works by such
writers as Walter Kaufmann (1966), Dale M. Schlitt (1984), Theodore Geraets (1985), Philip M.
Merklinger (1991), Stephen Rocker (1995) and Cyril O'Regan (1995).
Two prominent American philosophers, John McDowell and Robert Brandom (sometimes referred to
as the "Pittsburgh Hegelians"), have produced philosophical works exhibiting a marked Hegelian
influence. Each is avowedly influenced by the late Wilfred Sellars, also of Pittsburgh, who referred to
his seminal work Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind (1956) as a series of "incipient Méditations
Hegeliennes" (in homage to Edmund Husserl's 1931 work, Méditations cartésiennes).
Beginning in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, a fresh reading of Hegel took place in the
West. For these scholars, fairly well represented by the Hegel Society of America and in cooperation
with German scholars such as Otto Pöggeler and Walter Jaeschke, Hegel's works should be read
without preconceptions. Marx plays little-to-no role in these new readings. Some American
philosophers associated with this movement include Lawrence Stepelevich, Rudolf Siebert, Richard
Dien Winfield and Theodore Geraets.
Criticism
Criticism of Hegel has been widespread in the 19th and the 20th centuries. A diverse range of
individuals including Arthur Schopenhauer, Karl Marx, Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich
Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell, G. E. Moore, Franz Rosenzweig, Eric Voegelin and A. J. Ayer have
challenged Hegelian philosophy from a variety of perspectives. Among the first to take a critical view
of Hegel's system was the 19th-century German group known as the Young Hegelians, which
included Feuerbach, Marx, Engels and their followers. In Britain, the Hegelian British idealism school
(members of which included Francis Herbert Bradley, Bernard Bosanquetand in the United
States Josiah Royce) was challenged and rejected by analytic philosophers Moore and Russell. In
particular, Russell considered "almost all" of Hegel's doctrines to be false. [93] Regarding Hegel's
interpretation of history, Russell commented: "Like other historical theories, it required, if it was to be
made plausible, some distortion of facts and considerable ignorance". [94] Logical positivists such as
Ayer and the Vienna Circle criticized both Hegelian philosophy and its supporters, such as Bradley.
Hegel's contemporary Schopenhauer was particularly critical and wrote of Hegel's philosophy as "a
pseudo-philosophy paralyzing all mental powers, stifling all real thinking". [95] In 1820, Schopenhauer
became a lecturer at the University of Berlin and he scheduled his lectures to coincide with those of
Hegel, whom Schopenhauer had also described as a "clumsy charlatan". [96] However, only five
students ended up attending Schopenhauer's lectures so he dropped out of academia. Kierkegaard
criticized Hegel's "absolute knowledge" unity.[97] The physicist and philosopher Ludwig
Boltzmann also criticized the obscure complexity of Hegel's works, referring to Hegel's writing as an
"unclear thoughtless flow of words".[98] In a similar vein, Robert Pippin notes that some view Hegel as
having "the ugliest prose style in the history of the German language". [99] Russell wrote in A History of
Western Philosophy (1945) that Hegel was "the hardest to understand of all the great philosophers".
[100]
Karl Popper quoted Schopenhauer as stating, "Should you ever intend to dull the wits of a young
man and to incapacitate his brains for any kind of thought whatever, then you cannot do better than
give Hegel to read...A guardian fearing that his ward might become too intelligent for his schemes
might prevent this misfortune by innocently suggesting the reading of Hegel." [101]
Karl Popper wrote that "there is so much philosophical writing (especially in the Hegelian school)
which may justly be criticised as meaningless verbiage". [102] Popper also makes the claim in the
second volume of The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945) that Hegel's system formed a thinly
veiled justification for the absolute rule of Frederick William III and that Hegel's idea of the ultimate
goal of history was to reach a state approximating that of 1830s Prussia. Popper further proposed
that Hegel's philosophy served not only as an inspiration for communist and fascist totalitarian
governments of the 20th century, whose dialectics allow for any belief to be construed as rational
simply if it could be said to exist. Kaufmann and Shlomo Avineri have criticized Popper's theories
about Hegel.[103]
Isaiah Berlin listed Hegel as one of the six architects of modern authoritarianism who
undermined liberal democracy, along with Rousseau, Claude Adrien Helvétius, Fichte, Saint-
Simon and Joseph de Maistre.[104]
Voegelin argued that Hegel should be understood not as a philosopher, but as a "sorcerer", i.e. as
a mystic and hermetic thinker.[105] This concept of Hegel as a hermetic thinker was elaborated by
Glenn Alexander Magee,[106] who argued that interpreting Hegel's body of work as an expression of
mysticism and hermetic ideas leads to a more accurate understanding of Hegel. [107]
Selected works
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel bibliography
Wissenschaft der Logik, 1812, 1813, 1816, "Doctrine of Being" revised 1831
Science of Logic, tr. W. H. Johnston and L. G. Struthers, 2 vols., 1929; tr. A. V. Miller, 1969;
tr. George di Giovanni, 2010
Published posthumously
Lectures on Aesthetics
Lectures on the Philosophy of History (also translated
as Lectures on the Philosophy of World History), 1837
Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion
Lectures on the History of Philosophy
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (/lɪˈniːəs, lɪˈneɪəs/;[1][2] 23 May[note 1] 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his
ennoblement as Carl von Linné[3] (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈkɑːɭ fɔn lɪˈneː] (About this soundlisten)),
was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist who formalised binomial nomenclature, the
modern system of naming organisms. He is known as the "father of modern taxonomy".[4] Many of
his writings were in Latin, and his name is rendered in Latin as Carolus Linnæus (after 1761 Carolus
a Linné).
Linnaeus was born in the countryside of Småland in southern Sweden. He received most of his
higher education at Uppsala University and began giving lectures in botany there in 1730. He lived
abroad between 1735 and 1738, where he studied and also published the first edition of his Systema
Naturae in the Netherlands. He then returned to Sweden where he became professor of medicine
and botany at Uppsala. In the 1740s, he was sent on several journeys through Sweden to find and
classify plants and animals. In the 1750s and 1760s, he continued to collect and classify animals,
plants, and minerals, while publishing several volumes. He was one of the most acclaimed scientists
in Europe at the time of his death.
Carl Linnaeus
Carl von Linné, Alexander Roslin, 1775
Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau sent him the message: "Tell him I know no greater man on
earth."[5] Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote: "With the exception of Shakespeare and Spinoza, I
know no one among the no longer living who has influenced me more strongly."[5] Swedish author
August Strindberg wrote: "Linnaeus was in reality a poet who happened to become a naturalist".[6]
Linnaeus has been called Princeps botanicorum (Prince of Botanists) and "The Pliny of the North".
[7] He is also considered as one of the founders of modern ecology.[8]
In botany, the abbreviation L. is used to indicate Linnaeus as the authority for a species' name.[9] In
older publications, the abbreviation "Linn." is found. Linnaeus's remains comprise the type specimen
for the species Homo sapiens following the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, since the
sole specimen that he is known to have examined was himself.
Early life
Childhood
Linnaeus was born in the village of Råshult in Småland, Sweden, on 23 May 1707. He was the first
child of Nicolaus (Nils) Ingemarsson (who later adopted the family name Linnaeus) and Christina
Brodersonia. His siblings were Anna Maria Linnæa, Sofia Juliana Linnæa, Samuel Linnæus (who
would eventually succeed their father as rector of Stenbrohult and write a manual on beekeeping),[10]
[11][12]
and Emerentia Linnæa.[13] His family spoke so much Latin at home, that Linnaeus learned Latin
before he learned Swedish.[14]
One of a long line of peasants and priests, Nils was an amateur botanist, a Lutheran minister, and
the curate of the small village of Stenbrohult in Småland. Christina was the daughter of the rector of
Stenbrohult, Samuel Brodersonius.[15]:376
A year after Linnaeus's birth, his grandfather Samuel Brodersonius died, and his father Nils became
the rector of Stenbrohult. The family moved into the rectory from the curate's house.[16][17]
Birthplace at Råshult
Even in his early years, Linnaeus seemed to have a liking for plants, flowers in particular. Whenever
he was upset, he was given a flower, which immediately calmed him. Nils spent much time in his
garden and often showed flowers to Linnaeus and told him their names. Soon Linnaeus was given
his own patch of earth where he could grow plants. [18]
Carl's father was the first in his ancestry to adopt a permanent surname. Before that, ancestors had
used the patronymic naming system of Scandinavian countries: his father was named Ingemarsson
after his father Ingemar Bengtsson. When Nils was admitted to the University of Lund, he had to
take on a family name. He adopted the Latinate name Linnæus after a giant linden tree (or lime
tree), lind in Swedish, that grew on the family homestead. [10] This name was spelled with
the æ ligature. When Carl was born, he was named Carl Linnæus, with his father's family name. The
son also always spelled it with the æ ligature, both in handwritten documents and in publications.
[16]
Carl's patronymic would have been Nilsson, as in Carl Nilsson Linnæus. [citation needed]
Early education
Linnaeus's father began teaching him basic Latin, religion, and geography at an early age. [19] When
Linnaeus was seven, Nils decided to hire a tutor for him. The parents picked Johan Telander, a son
of a local yeoman. Linnaeus did not like him, writing in his autobiography that Telander "was better
calculated to extinguish a child's talents than develop them." [20]
Two years after his tutoring had begun, he was sent to the Lower Grammar School at Växjö in 1717.
[21]
Linnaeus rarely studied, often going to the countryside to look for plants. He reached the last year
of the Lower School when he was fifteen, which was taught by the headmaster, Daniel Lannerus,
who was interested in botany. Lannerus noticed Linnaeus's interest in botany and gave him the run
of his garden.
He also introduced him to Johan Rothman, the state doctor of Småland and a teacher
at Katedralskolan (a gymnasium) in Växjö. Also a botanist, Rothman broadened Linnaeus's interest
in botany and helped him develop an interest in medicine. [22][23] By the age of 17, Linnaeus had
become well acquainted with the existing botanical literature. He remarks in his journal that he "read
day and night, knowing like the back of my hand, Arvidh Månsson's Rydaholm Book of Herbs,
Tillandz's Flora Åboensis, Palmberg's Serta Florea Suecana, Bromelii Chloros Gothica and
Rudbeckii Hortus Upsaliensis...."[24]
Linnaeus entered the Växjö Katedralskola in 1724, where he studied
mainly Greek, Hebrew, theology and mathematics, a curriculum designed for boys preparing for the
priesthood.[25][26] In the last year at the gymnasium, Linnaeus's father visited to ask the professors how
his son's studies were progressing; to his dismay, most said that the boy would never become a
scholar. Rothman believed otherwise, suggesting Linnaeus could have a future in medicine. The
doctor offered to have Linnaeus live with his family in Växjö and to teach him physiology and botany.
Nils accepted this offer.[27][28]
University studies
Lund
Statue as a university student in Lund
Rothman showed Linnaeus that botany was a serious subject. He taught Linnaeus to classify plants
according to Tournefort's system. Linnaeus was also taught about the sexual reproduction of plants,
according to Sébastien Vaillant.[27] In 1727, Linnaeus, age 21, enrolled in Lund University in Skåne.[29]
[30]
He was registered as Carolus Linnæus, the Latin form of his full name, which he also used later
for his Latin publications.[3]
Professor Kilian Stobæus, natural scientist, physician and historian, offered Linnaeus tutoring and
lodging, as well as the use of his library, which included many books about botany. He also gave the
student free admission to his lectures.[31][32] In his spare time, Linnaeus explored the flora of Skåne,
together with students sharing the same interests. [33]
Uppsala
In August 1728, Linnaeus decided to attend Uppsala University on the advice of Rothman, who
believed it would be a better choice if Linnaeus wanted to study both medicine and botany. Rothman
based this recommendation on the two professors who taught at the medical faculty at Uppsala: Olof
Rudbeck the Younger and Lars Roberg. Although Rudbeck and Roberg had undoubtedly been good
professors, by then they were older and not so interested in teaching. Rudbeck no longer gave
public lectures, and had others stand in for him. The botany, zoology, pharmacology and anatomy
lectures were not in their best state.[34] In Uppsala, Linnaeus met a new benefactor, Olof Celsius, who
was a professor of theology and an amateur botanist. [35] He received Linnaeus into his home and
allowed him use of his library, which was one of the richest botanical libraries in Sweden. [36]
In 1729, Linnaeus wrote a thesis, Praeludia Sponsaliorum Plantarum on plant sexual reproduction.
This attracted the attention of Rudbeck; in May 1730, he selected Linnaeus to give lectures at the
University although the young man was only a second-year student. His lectures were popular, and
Linnaeus often addressed an audience of 300 people. [37] In June, Linnaeus moved from Celsius's
house to Rudbeck's to become the tutor of the three youngest of his 24 children. His friendship with
Celsius did not wane and they continued their botanical expeditions. [38] Over that winter, Linnaeus
began to doubt Tournefort's system of classification and decided to create one of his own. His plan
was to divide the plants by the number of stamens and pistils. He began writing several books,
which would later result in, for example, Genera Plantarum and Critica Botanica. He also produced a
book on the plants grown in the Uppsala Botanical Garden, Adonis Uplandicus.[39]
Rudbeck's former assistant, Nils Rosén, returned to the University in March 1731 with a degree in
medicine. Rosén started giving anatomy lectures and tried to take over Linnaeus's botany lectures,
but Rudbeck prevented that. Until December, Rosén gave Linnaeus private tutoring in medicine. In
December, Linnaeus had a "disagreement" with Rudbeck's wife and had to move out of his mentor's
house; his relationship with Rudbeck did not appear to suffer. That Christmas, Linnaeus returned
home to Stenbrohult to visit his parents for the first time in about three years. His mother had
disapproved of his failing to become a priest, but she was pleased to learn he was teaching at the
University.[39][40]
Expedition to Lapland
Expedition to Lapland and Flora Lapponica
Wearing the traditional dress of the Sami people of Lapland, holding the twinflower, later known as Linnaea
borealis, that became his personal emblem. Martin Hoffman, 1737.
During a visit with his parents, Linnaeus told them about his plan to travel to Lapland; Rudbeck had
made the journey in 1695, but the detailed results of his exploration were lost in a fire seven years
afterwards. Linnaeus's hope was to find new plants, animals and possibly valuable minerals. He was
also curious about the customs of the native Sami people, reindeer-herding nomads who wandered
Scandinavia's vast tundras. In April 1732, Linnaeus was awarded a grant from the Royal Society of
Sciences in Uppsala for his journey.[41][42]
Linnaeus began his expedition from Uppsala on 12 May 1732, just before he turned 25. [43] He
travelled on foot and horse, bringing with him his journal, botanical and ornithological manuscripts
and sheets of paper for pressing plants. Near Gävle he found great quantities of Campanula
serpyllifolia, later known as Linnaea borealis, the twinflower that would become his favourite.[44] He
sometimes dismounted on the way to examine a flower or rock[45] and was particularly interested
in mosses and lichens, the latter a main part of the diet of the reindeer, a common and economically
important animal in Lapland.[46]
Linnaeus travelled clockwise around the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, making major inland incursions
from Umeå, Luleå and Tornio. He returned from his six-month-long, over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi)
expedition in October, having gathered and observed many plants, birds and rocks. [47][48][49] Although
Lapland was a region with limited biodiversity, Linnaeus described about 100 previously unidentified
plants. These became the basis of his book Flora Lapponica.[50][51] However, on the expedition to
Lapland, Linnaeus used Latin names to describe organisms because he had not yet developed the
binomial system.[43]
In Flora Lapponica Linnaeus's ideas about nomenclature and classification were first used in a
practical way, making this the first proto-modern Flora.[52] The account covered 534 species, used the
Linnaean classification system and included, for the described species, geographical distribution and
taxonomic notes. It was Augustin Pyramus de Candolle who attributed Linnaeus with Flora
Lapponica as the first example in the botanical genre of Flora writing. Botanical historian E. L.
Greene described Flora Lapponica as "the most classic and delightful" of Linnaeus's works.[52]
It was also during this expedition that Linnaeus had a flash of insight regarding the classification of
mammals. Upon observing the lower jawbone of a horse at the side of a road he was travelling,
Linnaeus remarked: "If I only knew how many teeth and of what kind every animal had, how many
teats and where they were placed, I should perhaps be able to work out a perfectly natural system
for the arrangement of all quadrupeds."[53]
In 1734, Linnaeus led a small group of students to Dalarna. Funded by the Governor of Dalarna, the
expedition was to catalogue known natural resources and discover new ones, but also to gather
intelligence on Norwegian mining activities at Røros.[49]
Doctorate
His relations with Nils Rosén having worsened, Linnaeus accepted an invitation from Claes
Sohlberg, son of a mining inspector, to spend the Christmas holiday in Falun, where Linnaeus was
permitted to visit the mines.[54]
In April 1735, at the suggestion of Sohlberg's father, Linnaeus and Sohlberg set out for the Dutch
Republic, where Linnaeus intended to study medicine at the University of Harderwijk[55] while tutoring
Sohlberg in exchange for an annual salary. At the time, it was common for Swedes to pursue
doctoral degrees in the Netherlands, then a highly revered place to study natural history
Cities where he worked; those outside Sweden were only visited during 1735–1738.
.[56]
On the way, the pair stopped in Hamburg, where they met the mayor, who proudly showed them a
supposed wonder of nature in his possession: the taxidermied remains of a seven-headed hydra.
Linnaeus quickly discovered the specimen was a fake cobbled together from the jaws and paws of
weasels and the skins of snakes. The provenance of the hydra suggested to Linnaeus that it had
been manufactured by monks to represent the Beast of Revelation. Even at the risk of incurring the
mayor's wrath, Linnaeus made his observations public, dashing the mayor's dreams of selling the
hydra for an enormous sum. Linnaeus and Sohlberg were forced to flee from Hamburg. [57][58]
The Hamburg Hydra, from the Thesaurus (1734) of Albertus Seba
Linnaeus began working towards his degree as soon as he reached Harderwijk, a university known
for awarding degrees in as little as a week.[59] He submitted a dissertation, written back in Sweden,
entitled Dissertatio medica inauguralis in qua exhibetur hypothesis nova de febrium intermittentium
causa,[note 3] in which he laid out his hypothesis that malaria arose only in areas with clay-rich soils.
[60]
Although he failed to identify the true source of disease transmission, (i.e.,
the Anopheles mosquito),[61] he did correctly predict that Artemisia annua (wormwood) would become
a source of antimalarial medications.[60]
Within two weeks he had completed his oral and practical examinations and was awarded a doctoral
degree.[57][59]
That summer Linnaeus reunited with Peter Artedi, a friend from Uppsala with whom he had once
made a pact that should either of the two predecease the other, the survivor would finish the
decedent's work. Ten weeks later, Artedi drowned in the canals of Amsterdam, leaving behind an
unfinished manuscript on the classification of fish.[62][63]
In August 1735, during Linnaeus's stay with Burman, he met George Clifford III, a director of
the Dutch East India Company and the owner of a rich botanical garden at the estate
of Hartekamp in Heemstede. Clifford was very impressed with Linnaeus's ability to classify plants,
and invited him to become his physician and superintendent of his garden. Linnaeus had already
agreed to stay with Burman over the winter, and could thus not accept immediately. However,
Clifford offered to compensate Burman by offering him a copy of Sir Hans Sloane's Natural History of
Jamaica, a rare book, if he let Linnaeus stay with him, and Burman accepted. [67][68] On 24 September
1735, Linnaeus moved to Hartekamp to become personal physician to Clifford, and curator of
Clifford's herbarium. He was paid 1,000 florins a year, with free board and lodging. Though the
agreement was only for a winter of that year, Linnaeus practically stayed there until 1738. [69] It was
here that he wrote a book Hortus Cliffortianus, in the preface of which he described his experience
as "the happiest time of my life." (A portion of Hartekamp was declared as public garden in April
1956 by the Heemstede local authority, and was named "Linnaeushof". [70] It eventually became, as it
is claimed, the biggest playground in Europe.[71])
In July 1736, Linnaeus travelled to England, at Clifford's expense. [72] He went to London to visit Sir
Hans Sloane, a collector of natural history, and to see his cabinet,[73] as well as to visit the Chelsea
Physic Garden and its keeper, Philip Miller. He taught Miller about his new system of subdividing
plants, as described in Systema Naturae. Miller was in fact reluctant to use the new binomial
nomenclature, preferring the classifications of Joseph Pitton de Tournefort and John Ray at first.
Linnaeus, nevertheless, applauded Miller's Gardeners Dictionary,[74] The conservative Scot actually
retained in his dictionary a number of pre-Linnaean binomial signifiers discarded by Linnaeus but
which have been retained by modern botanists. He only fully changed to the Linnaean system in the
edition of The Gardeners Dictionary of 1768. Miller ultimately was impressed, and from then on
started to arrange the garden according to Linnaeus's system. [75]
Linnaeus also travelled to Oxford University to visit the botanist Johann Jacob Dillenius. He failed to
make Dillenius publicly fully accept his new classification system, though the two men remained in
correspondence for many years afterwards. Linnaeus dedicated his Critica botanica to him, as "opus
botanicum quo absolutius mundus non vidit". Linnaeus would later name a genus of tropical tree
Dillenia in his honour. He then returned to Hartekamp, bringing with him many specimens of rare
plants.[76] The next year, he published Genera Plantarum, in which he described 935 genera of
plants, and shortly thereafter he supplemented it with Corollarium Generum Plantarum, with another
sixty (sexaginta) genera.[77]
His work at Hartekamp led to another book, Hortus Cliffortianus, a catalogue of the botanical
holdings in the herbarium and botanical garden of Hartekamp. He wrote it in nine months (completed
in July 1737), but it was not published until 1738. [66] It contains the first use of the name Nepenthes,
which Linnaeus used to describe a genus of pitcher plants.[78][note 4]
Linnaeus stayed with Clifford at Hartekamp until 18 October 1737 (new style), when he left the
house to return to Sweden. Illness and the kindness of Dutch friends obliged him to stay some
months longer in Holland. In May 1738, he set out for Sweden again. On the way home, he stayed in
Paris for about a month, visiting botanists such as Antoine de Jussieu. After his return, Linnaeus
never left Sweden again.[79][80]
Return to Sweden
Wedding portrait
When Linnaeus returned to Sweden on 28 June 1738, he went to Falun, where he entered into an
engagement to Sara Elisabeth Moræa. Three months later, he moved to Stockholm to find
employment as a physician, and thus to make it possible to support a family. [81][82] Once again,
Linnaeus found a patron; he became acquainted with Count Carl Gustav Tessin, who helped him get
work as a physician at the Admiralty. [83][84] During this time in Stockholm, Linnaeus helped found
the Royal Swedish Academy of Science; he became the first Praeses in the academy by drawing of
lots.[85]
Because his finances had improved and were now sufficient to support a family, he received
permission to marry his fiancée, Sara Elisabeth Moræa. Their wedding was held 26 June 1739.
Seventeen months later, Sara gave birth to their first son, Carl. Two years later, a
daughter, Elisabeth Christina, was born, and the subsequent year Sara gave birth to Sara
Magdalena, who died when 15 days old. Sara and Linnaeus would later have four other children:
Lovisa, Sara Christina, Johannes and Sophia.[81][86]
House in Uppsala
In May 1741, Linnaeus was appointed Professor of Medicine at Uppsala University, first with
responsibility for medicine-related matters. Soon, he changed place with the other Professor of
Medicine, Nils Rosén, and thus was responsible for the Botanical Garden (which he would
thoroughly reconstruct and expand), botany and natural history, instead. In October that same year,
his wife and nine-month-old son followed him to live in Uppsala. [87]:49–50
Västergötland
In the summer of 1746, Linnaeus was once again commissioned by the Government to carry out an
expedition, this time to the Swedish province of Västergötland. He set out from Uppsala on 12 June
and returned on 11 August. On the expedition his primary companion was Erik Gustaf Lidbeck, a
student who had accompanied him on his previous journey. Linnaeus described his findings from the
expedition in the book Wästgöta-Resa, published the next year.[88][92] After returning from the journey
the Government decided Linnaeus should take on another expedition to the southernmost
province Scania. This journey was postponed, as Linnaeus felt too busy.[81]
In 1747, Linnaeus was given the title archiater, or chief physician, by the Swedish king Adolf
Frederick—a mark of great respect.[93] The same year he was elected member of the Academy of
Sciences in Berlin.[94]
Scania
In the spring of 1749, Linnaeus could finally journey to Scania, again commissioned by the
Government. With him he brought his student, Olof Söderberg. On the way to Scania, he made his
last visit to his brothers and sisters in Stenbrohult since his father had died the previous year. The
expedition was similar to the previous journeys in most aspects, but this time he was also ordered to
find the best place to grow walnut and Swedish whitebeam trees; these trees were used by the
military to make rifles. The journey was successful, and Linnaeus's observations were published the
next year in Skånska Resa.[95][96]
In 1750, Linnaeus became rector of Uppsala University, starting a period where natural sciences
were esteemed.[81] Perhaps the most important contribution he made during his time at Uppsala was
to teach; many of his students travelled to various places in the world to collect botanical samples.
Linnaeus called the best of these students his "apostles". [87]:56–57 His lectures were normally very
popular and were often held in the Botanical Garden. He tried to teach the students to think for
themselves and not trust anybody, not even him. Even more popular than the lectures were the
botanical excursions made every Saturday during summer, where Linnaeus and his students
explored the flora and fauna in the vicinity of Uppsala. [97]
Philosophia Botanica
Linnaeus published Philosophia Botanica in 1751.[98] The book contained a complete survey of the
taxonomy system he had been using in his earlier works. It also contained information of how to
keep a journal on travels and how to maintain a botanical garden. [99]
Nutrix Noverca
During Linnaeus's time it was normal for upper class women to have wet nurses for their babies.
Linnaeus joined an ongoing campaign to end this practice in Sweden and promote breast-feeding by
mothers. In 1752 Linnaeus published a thesis along with Frederick Lindberg, a physician student,
[100]
based on their experiences.[101] In the tradition of the period, this dissertation was essentially an
idea of the presiding reviewer (prases) expounded upon by the student. Linnaeus's dissertation was
translated into French by J.E. Gilibert in 1770 as La Nourrice marâtre, ou Dissertation sur les suites
funestes du nourrisage mercénaire. Linnaeus suggested that children might absorb the personality
of their wet nurse through the milk. He admired the child care practices of the Lapps [102] and pointed
out how healthy their babies were compared to those of Europeans who employed wet nurses. He
compared the behaviour of wild animals and pointed out how none of them denied their newborns
their breastmilk.[102] It is thought that his activism played a role in his choice of the term Mammalia for
the class of organisms.[103]
Species Plantarum
Species Plantarum
Linnaeus published Species Plantarum, the work which is now internationally accepted as the
starting point of modern botanical nomenclature, in 1753.[104] The first volume was issued on 24 May,
the second volume followed on 16 August of the same year. [note 5][106] The book contained 1,200 pages
and was published in two volumes; it described over 7,300 species.[87]:47[107] The same year the king
dubbed him knight of the Order of the Polar Star, the first civilian in Sweden to become a knight in
this order. He was then seldom seen not wearing the order's insignia. [108]
Ennoblement
His coat of arms
Linnaeus felt Uppsala was too noisy and unhealthy, so he bought two farms in 1758: Hammarby and
Sävja. The next year, he bought a neighbouring farm, Edeby. He spent the summers with his family
at Hammarby; initially it only had a small one-storey house, but in 1762 a new, larger main building
was added.[96][109] In Hammarby, Linnaeus made a garden where he could grow plants that could not
be grown in the Botanical Garden in Uppsala. He began constructing a museum on a hill behind
Hammarby in 1766, where he moved his library and collection of plants. A fire that destroyed about
one third of Uppsala and had threatened his residence there necessitated the move. [110]
Since the initial release of Systema Naturae in 1735, the book had been expanded and reprinted
several times; the tenth edition was released in 1758. This edition established itself as the starting
point for zoological nomenclature, the equivalent of Species Plantarum.[87]:47[111]
The Swedish King Adolf Frederick granted Linnaeus nobility in 1757, but he was not ennobled until
1761. With his ennoblement, he took the name Carl von Linné (Latinised as Carolus a Linné), 'Linné'
being a shortened and gallicised version of 'Linnæus', and the German nobiliary particle 'von'
signifying his ennoblement.[3] The noble family's coat of arms prominently features a twinflower, one
of Linnaeus's favourite plants; it was given the scientific name Linnaea borealis in his honour
by Gronovius. The shield in the coat of arms is divided into thirds: red, black and green for the three
kingdoms of nature (animal, mineral and vegetable) in Linnaean classification; in the centre is an
egg "to denote Nature, which is continued and perpetuated in ovo." At the bottom is a phrase in
Latin, borrowed from the Aeneid, which reads "Famam extendere factis": we extend our fame by our
deeds.[87]:62[112][113] Linnaeus inscribed this personal motto in books that were gifted to him by friends. [114]
After his ennoblement, Linnaeus continued teaching and writing. His reputation had spread over the
world, and he corresponded with many different people. For example, Catherine II of Russia sent
him seeds from her country.[115] He also corresponded with Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, "the Linnaeus
of the Austrian Empire", who was a doctor and a botanist in Idrija, Duchy of
Carniola (nowadays Slovenia).[116] Scopoli communicated all of his research, findings, and
descriptions (for example of the olm and the dormouse, two little animals hitherto unknown to
Linnaeus). Linnaeus greatly respected Scopoli and showed great interest in his work. He named a
solanaceous genus, Scopolia, the source of scopolamine, after him, but because of the great
distance between them, they never met. [117][118]
Final years
Linnaeus was relieved of his duties in the Royal Swedish Academy of Science in 1763, but
continued his work there as usual for more than ten years after. [81] He stepped down as rector at
Uppsala University in December 1772, mostly due to his declining health. [80][119]
Linnaeus's last years were troubled by illness. He had suffered from a disease called the Uppsala
fever in 1764, but survived thanks to the care of Rosén. He developed sciatica in 1773, and the next
year, he had a stroke which partially paralysed him. [120] He suffered a second stroke in 1776, losing
the use of his right side and leaving him bereft of his memory; while still able to admire his own
writings, he could not recognise himself as their author. [121][122]
In December 1777, he had another stroke which greatly weakened him, and eventually led to his
death on 10 January 1778 in Hammarby. [87]:63[119] Despite his desire to be buried in Hammarby, he was
buried in Uppsala Cathedral on 22 January.[123]
His library and collections were left to his widow Sara and their children. Joseph Banks, an English
botanist, wanted to buy the collection, but his son Carl refused and moved the collection to Uppsala.
In 1783 Carl died and Sara inherited the collection, having outlived both her husband and son. She
tried to sell it to Banks, but he was no longer interested; instead an acquaintance of his agreed to
buy the collection. The acquaintance was a 24-year-old medical student, James Edward Smith, who
bought the whole collection: 14,000 plants, 3,198 insects, 1,564 shells, about 3,000 letters and 1,600
books. Smith founded the Linnean Society of London five years later.[124][125]
The von Linné name ended with his son Carl, who never married. [6] His other son, Johannes, had
died aged 3.[126] There are over two hundred descendants of Linnaeus through two of his daughters. [6]
Apostles
Apostles of Linnaeus
Peter Forsskål was among the apostles who met a tragic fate abroad.
During Linnaeus's time as Professor and Rector of Uppsala University, he taught many devoted
students, 17 of whom he called "apostles". They were the most promising, most committed students,
and all of them made botanical expeditions to various places in the world, often with his help. The
amount of this help varied; sometimes he used his influence as Rector to grant his apostles a
scholarship or a place on an expedition.[127] To most of the apostles he gave instructions of what to
look for on their journeys. Abroad, the apostles collected and organised new plants, animals and
minerals according to Linnaeus's system. Most of them also gave some of their collection to
Linnaeus when their journey was finished.[128] Thanks to these students, the Linnaean system of
taxonomy spread through the world without Linnaeus ever having to travel outside Sweden after his
return from Holland.[129]The British botanist William T. Stearn notes without Linnaeus's new system, it
would not have been possible for the apostles to collect and organise so many new specimens.
[130]
Many of the apostles died during their expeditions.
Early expeditions
Christopher Tärnström, the first apostle and a 43-year-old pastor with a wife and children, made his
journey in 1746. He boarded a Swedish East India Company ship headed for China. Tärnström
never reached his destination, dying of a tropical fever on Côn Sơn Island the same year.
Tärnström's widow blamed Linnaeus for making her children fatherless, causing Linnaeus to prefer
sending out younger, unmarried students after Tärnström. [131] Six other apostles later died on their
expeditions, including Pehr Forsskål and Pehr Löfling.[130]
Two years after Tärnström's expedition, Finnish-born Pehr Kalm set out as the second apostle to
North America. There he spent two-and-a-half years studying the flora and fauna of Pennsylvania,
New York, New Jersey and Canada. Linnaeus was overjoyed when Kalm returned, bringing back
with him many pressed flowers and seeds. At least 90 of the 700 North American species described
in Species Plantarum had been brought back by Kalm.[132]
Daniel Solander was living in Linnaeus's house during his time as a student in Uppsala. Linnaeus
was very fond of him, promising Solander his oldest daughter's hand in marriage. On Linnaeus's
recommendation, Solander travelled to England in 1760, where he met the English botanist Joseph
Banks. With Banks, Solander joined James Cook on his expedition to Oceania on the Endeavour in
1768–71.[133][134]Solander was not the only apostle to journey with James Cook; Anders
Sparrman followed on the Resolution in 1772–75 bound for, among other places, Oceania and
South America. Sparrman made many other expeditions, one of them to South Africa. [135]
Perhaps the most famous and successful apostle was Carl Peter Thunberg, who embarked on a
nine-year expedition in 1770. He stayed in South Africa for three years, then travelled to Japan. All
foreigners in Japan were forced to stay on the island of Dejima outside Nagasaki, so it was thus hard
for Thunberg to study the flora. He did, however, manage to persuade some of the translators to
bring him different plants, and he also found plants in the gardens of Dejima. He returned to Sweden
in 1779, one year after Linnaeus's death. [136]
Major publications
Carl Linnaeus bibliography
Systema Naturae
Species Plantarum
Species Plantarum
Species Plantarum (or, more fully, Species Plantarum, exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera
relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus,
secundum systema sexuale digestas) was first published in 1753, as a two-volume work. Its prime
importance is perhaps that it is the primary starting point of plant nomenclature as it exists today.[104]
Genera Plantarum
Main article: Genera Plantarum
Genera plantarum: eorumque characteres naturales secundum numerum, figuram, situm, et
proportionem omnium fructificationis partium was first published in 1737, delineating plant genera.
Around 10 editions were published, not all of them by Linnaeus himself; the most important is the
1754 fifth edition.[142] In it Linnaeus divided the plant Kingdom into 24 classes. One, Cryptogamia,
included all the plants with concealed reproductive parts (algae, fungi, mosses and liverworts and
ferns).[143]
Philosophia Botanica
Main article: Philosophia Botanica
Philosophia Botanica (1751)[98] was a summary of Linnaeus's thinking on plant classification and
nomenclature, and an elaboration of the work he had previously published in Fundamenta
Botanica (1736) and Critica Botanica (1737). Other publications forming part of his plan to reform the
foundations of botany include his Classes Plantarum and Bibliotheca Botanica: all were printed in
Holland (as were Genera Plantarum (1737) and Systema Naturae (1735)), the Philosophia being
simultaneously released in Stockholm. [144]
Collections
At the end of his lifetime the Linnean collection in Uppsala was considered one of the finest
collections of natural history objects in Sweden. Next to his own collection he had also built up a
museum for the university of Uppsala, which was supplied by material donated by Carl
Gyllenborg (in 1744–1745), crown-prince Adolf Fredrik (in 1745), Erik Petreus (in 1746), Claes Grill
(in 1746), Magnus Lagerström (in 1748 and 1750) and Jonas Alströmer (in 1749). The relation
between the museum and the private collection was not formalised and the steady flow of material
from Linnean pupils were incorporated to the private collection rather than to the museum.
[145]
Linnaeus felt his work was reflecting the harmony of nature and he said in 1754 "the earth is then
nothing else but a museum of the all-wise creator's masterpieces, divided into three chambers". He
had turned his own estate into a microcosm of that 'world museum'. [146]
In April 1766 parts of the town were destroyed by a fire and the Linnean private collection was
subsequently moved to a barn outside the town, and shortly afterwards to a single-room stone
building close to his country house at Hammarby near Uppsala. This resulted in a physical
separation between the two collections, the museum collection remained in the botanical garden of
the university. Some material which needed special care (alcohol specimens) or ample storage
space was moved from the private collection to the museum.
In Hammarby the Linnean private collections suffered seriously from damp and the depredations by
mice and insects. Carl von Linné's son (Carl Linnaeus) inherited the collections in 1778 and retained
them until his own death in 1783. Shortly after Carl von Linné's death his son confirmed that mice
had caused "horrible damage" to the plants and that also moths and mould had caused considerable
damage.[147] He tried to rescue them from the neglect they had suffered during his father's later years,
and also added further specimens. This last activity however reduced rather than augmented the
scientific value of the original material.
In 1784 the young medical student James Edward Smith purchased the entire specimen collection,
library, manuscripts, and correspondence of Carl Linnaeus from his widow and daughter and
transferred the collections to London.[148][15]:342–357 Not all material in Linné's private collection was
transported to England. Thirty-three fish specimens preserved in alcohol were not sent and were
later lost.[149]
In London Smith tended to neglect the zoological parts of the collection, he added some specimens
and also gave some specimens away.[150]Over the following centuries the Linnean collection in
London suffered enormously at the hands of scientists who studied the collection, and in the process
disturbed the original arrangement and labels, added specimens that did not belong to the original
series and withdrew precious original type material. [147]
Much material which had been intensively studied by Linné in his scientific career belonged to the
collection of Queen Lovisa Ulrika (1720–1782) (in the Linnean publications referred to as "Museum
Ludovicae Ulricae" or "M. L. U."). This collection was donated by his grandson King Gustav IV
Adolf (1778–1837) to the museum in Uppsala in 1804. Another important collection in this respect
was that of her husband King Adolf Fredrik(1710–1771) (in the Linnean sources known as "Museum
Adolphi Friderici" or "Mus. Ad. Fr."), the wet parts (alcohol collection) of which were later donated to
the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and is today housed in the Swedish Museum of Natural
History at Stockholm. The dry material was transferred to Uppsala. [145]
System of taxonomy
Table of the Animal Kingdom (Regnum Animale) from the 1st edition of Systema Naturæ (1735)
Main article: Linnaean taxonomy
The establishment of universally accepted conventions for the naming of organisms was Linnaeus's
main contribution to taxonomy—his work marks the starting point of consistent use of binomial
nomenclature.[151] During the 18th century expansion of natural history knowledge, Linnaeus also
developed what became known as the Linnaean taxonomy; the system of scientific
classification now widely used in the biological sciences. A previous zoologist Rumphius (1627–
1702) had more or less approximated the Linnaean system and his material contributed to the later
development of the binomial scientific classification by Linnaeus. [152]
The Linnaean system classified nature within a nested hierarchy, starting with three kingdoms.
Kingdoms were divided into classes and they, in turn, into orders, and thence into genera
(singular: genus), which were divided into species (singular: species).[153] Below the rank of species
he sometimes recognised taxa of a lower (unnamed) rank; these have since acquired standardised
names such as variety in botany and subspecies in zoology. Modern taxonomy includes a rank
of family between order and genus and a rank of phylum between kingdom and class that were not
present in Linnaeus's original system.[154]
Linnaeus's groupings were based upon shared physical characteristics, and not simply upon
differences.[154] Of his higher groupings, only those for animals are still in use, and the groupings
themselves have been significantly changed since their conception, as have the principles behind
them. Nevertheless, Linnaeus is credited with establishing the idea of a hierarchical structure of
classification which is based upon observable characteristics and intended to reflect natural
relationships.[151][155] While the underlying details concerning what are considered to be scientifically
valid "observable characteristics" have changed with expanding knowledge (for example, DNA
sequencing, unavailable in Linnaeus's time, has proven to be a tool of considerable utility for
classifying living organisms and establishing their evolutionary relationships), the fundamental
principle remains sound.
Human taxonomy
Human taxonomy § History
Linnaeus's system of taxonomy was especially noted as the first to include humans (Homo)
taxonomically grouped with apes (Simia), under the header of Anthropomorpha. German
biologist Ernst Haeckel speaking in 1907 noted this as the "most important sign of Linnaeus's
genius".[156]
Linnaeus classified humans among the primates beginning with the first edition of Systema Naturae.
[157]
During his time at Hartekamp, he had the opportunity to examine several monkeys and noted
similarities between them and man.[87]:173–174 He pointed out both species basically have the same
anatomy; except for speech, he found no other differences. [158][note 6] Thus he placed man and monkeys
under the same category, Anthropomorpha, meaning "manlike."[159] This classification received
criticism from other biologists such as Johan Gottschalk Wallerius, Jacob Theodor Klein and Johann
Georg Gmelin on the ground that it is illogical to describe man as human-like. [160] In a letter to Gmelin
from 1747, Linnaeus replied: [161][note 7]
It does not please [you] that I've placed Man among the Anthropomorpha, perhaps because of the
term 'with human form',[note 8] but man learns to know himself. Let's not quibble over words. It will be
the same to me whatever name we apply. But I seek from you and from the whole world a generic
difference between man and simian that [follows] from the principles of Natural History. [note 9] I
absolutely know of none. If only someone might tell me a single one! If I would have called man a
simian or vice versa, I would have brought together all the theologians against me. Perhaps I ought
to have by virtue of the law of the discipline.
Detail from the sixth edition of Systema Naturae (1748) describing Ant[h]ropomorpha with a division
between Homo and Simia
The theological concerns were twofold: first, putting man at the same level as monkeys or apes
would lower the spiritually higher position that man was assumed to have in the great chain of being,
and second, because the Bible says man was created in the image of God[162] (theomorphism), if
monkeys/apes and humans were not distinctly and separately designed, that would mean monkeys
and apes were created in the image of God as well. This was something many could not accept.
[163]
The conflict between world views that was caused by asserting man was a type of animal would
simmer for a century until the much greater, and still ongoing, creation–evolution controversy began
in earnest with the publication of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin in 1859.
After such criticism, Linnaeus felt he needed to explain himself more clearly. The 10th edition
of Systema Naturae introduced new terms, including Mammalia and Primates, the latter of which
would replace Anthropomorpha[164] as well as giving humans the full binomial Homo sapiens.[165] The
new classification received less criticism, but many natural historians still believed he had demoted
humans from their former place of ruling over nature and not being a part of it. Linnaeus believed
that man biologically belongs to the animal kingdom and had to be included in it. [166] In his book Dieta
Naturalis, he said, "One should not vent one's wrath on animals, Theology decree that man has
a soul and that the animals are mere 'aoutomata mechanica,' but I believe they would be better
advised that animals have a soul and that the difference is of nobility." [167]
Linnaeus's applied science was inspired not only by the instrumental utilitarianism general to the
early Enlightenment, but also by his adherence to the older economic doctrine of Cameralism.
[185]
Additionally, Linnaeus was a state interventionist. He supported tariffs, levies, export bounties,
quotas, embargoes, navigation acts, subsidised investment capital, ceilings on wages, cash grants,
state-licensed producer monopolies, and cartels.[186]
Commemoration
1907 celebration in Råshult
Commentary
Andrew Dickson White wrote in A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in
Christendom (1896):
Linnaeus ... was the most eminent naturalist of his time, a wide observer, a close thinker; but the
atmosphere in which he lived and moved and had his being was saturated with biblical theology, and
this permeated all his thinking. ... Toward the end of his life he timidly advanced the hypothesis that
all the species of one genus constituted at the creation one species; and from the last edition of
his Systema Naturæ he quietly left out the strongly orthodox statement of the fixity of each species,
which he had insisted upon in his earlier works. ... warnings came speedily both from the Catholic
and Protestant sides.[189]
Works by Linnaeus
Linnaeus, Carolus (1735). Systema naturae, sive regna tria naturae systematice proposita
per classes, ordines, genera, & species. Leiden: Haak. pp. 1–12.
Linnaeus, Carolus; Hendrik Engel; Maria Sara Johanna Engel-Ledeboer (1964)
[1735]. Systema Naturae (facsimile of the 1st ed.). Nieuwkoop, Netherlands: B. de
Graaf. OCLC 460298195.
Linnaeus, Carl (1755) [1751]. Philosophia botanica: in qua explicantur fundamenta botanica
cum definitionibus partium, exemplis terminorum, observationibus rariorum, adiectis figuris
aeneis. originally published simultaneously by R. Kiesewetter (Stockholm) and Z. Chatelain
(Amsterdam). Vienna: Joannis Thomae Trattner. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
Linnaeus, C. (1753). Species Plantarum
Linnaeus, Carolus (1758). Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes,
ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. 1 (10th ed.).
Stockholm: Laurentius Salvius. pp. [1–4], 1–824.
Linné, Carl von (1774). Murray, Johann Andreas, ed. Systema vegetabilium (13th edition of
Systema Naturae) (2 vols.). Göttingen: Typis et impensis Jo. Christ. Dieterich. Retrieved 24
February 2015.
Linné, Carl von (1785) [1774]. Systema vegetabilium (13th edition of Systema
Naturae) [A System of Vegetables 2 vols. 1783–1785]. Lichfield: Lichfield Botanical Society.
Retrieved 24 February 2015.
Linnaeus, Carolus (1771). Mantissa plantarum altera generum editionis VI et specierum
editionis II. Stockholm: Laurentius Salvius. pp. [1–7], 144–588.
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (/ˈʃvɑːrtsnɛɡər/;[1][a] German: [ˈaɐ̯ nɔlt ˈʃvaɐ̯ tsn̩ˌʔɛɡɐ]; born July 30, 1947-
2010) is an Austrian-American actor, filmmaker, businessman, author, , activist, politician, and
former professional bodybuilder and powerlifter. [2] He served as the 38th Governor of California, from
2003 to 2011.
Schwarzenegger began lifting weights at the age of 15. He won the Mr. Universe title at age 20 and
went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times, remaining a prominent presence in
bodybuilding and writing many books and articles on the sport. The Arnold Sports Festival,
considered the second most important professional bodybuilding event in recent years [3], is named
after him. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest bodybuilders of all-time, as well as the
sport's most charismatic ambassador. [4]
Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon. His breakthrough film was
the sword-and-sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian in 1982, a box-office hit that resulted in a sequel.
[5]
In 1984, he appeared in the title roleof James Cameron's critically and commercially
successful science-fiction thriller film The Terminator. He subsequently played a similar Terminator
character in most of the franchise's later installments, Terminator 2: Judgment
Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), and Terminator Genisys (2015).[5][6][7] He has
appeared in a number of other successful films, such as Commando (1985), The Running
Man (1987), Predator (1987), Twins (1988), Total Recall(1990), Kindergarten Cop (1990), and True
Lies (1994).
Schwarzenegger married Maria Shriver, a niece of the 35th U.S. President John F. Kennedy and
daughter of the 1972 Democratic vice presidential candidate and former Ambassador to
France Sargent Shriver, in 1986. They separated in 2011 after he admitted to having fathered a child
with another woman in 1997
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger in 2017
38th Governor of California
In office
.[8]
As a Republican, Schwarzenegger was first elected on October 7, 2003, in a special recall
election to replace then-Governor Gray Davis. He was sworn in on November 17, to serve the
remainder of Davis' term. He was then re-elected in the 2006 California gubernatorial election, to
serve a full term as governor.[9] In 2011, he completed his second term as governor and returned to
acting. Schwarzenegger was nicknamed "the Austrian Oak" in his bodybuilding days, "Arnie" or
"Schwarzy" during his acting career, and "The Governator" (a portmanteau of "Governor" and
"Terminator") during his political career.
Early life
Schwarzenegger's birthplace
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, in Thal, Styria,[10] to Aurelia (née Jadrny;
1922–1998) and Gustav Schwarzenegger (1907–1972). His father was the local chief of police and
had served in World War II as a Hauptfeldwebel after voluntarily joining the Nazi Party in 1938,
[11]
was wounded during the battle of Stalingrad,[12] but was discharged in 1943 following a bout
of malaria. He married Schwarzenegger's mother on October 20, 1945; he was 38 and she was 23.
According to Arnold Schwarzenegger, his parents were very strict: "Back then in Austria it was a
very different world ... if we did something bad or we disobeyed our parents, the rod was not
spared."[13] He grew up in a Catholic family who attended Mass every Sunday.[14][15]
Gustav had a preference for his elder son, Meinhard, over Arnold. [16] His favoritism was "strong and
blatant", which stemmed from unfounded suspicion that Arnold was not his biological child.
[17]
Schwarzenegger has said that his father had "no patience for listening or understanding your
problems."[14] He had a good relationship with his mother and kept in touch with her until her death.
[18]
In later life, he commissioned the Simon Wiesenthal Center to research his father's wartime
record, which came up with no evidence of Gustav being involved in atrocities, despite his
membership in the Nazi Party and Sturmabteilung (SA).[16]Gustav's background received wide press
attention during the 2003 California recall campaign.[19]
At school, Schwarzenegger was reportedly academically average, but stood out for his "cheerful,
good-humored, and exuberant" character.[14] Money was a problem in their household;
Schwarzenegger recalled that one of the highlights of his youth was when the family bought a
refrigerator.[17] As a boy, he played several sports, heavily influenced by his father. [14] He picked up his
first barbell in 1960, when his soccer coach took his team to a local gym.[10] At the age of 14, he
chose bodybuilding over soccer as a career.[5][6] He later said, "I actually started weight training when
I was 15, but I'd been participating in sports, like soccer, for years, so I felt that although I was slim, I
was well-developed, at least enough so that I could start going to the gym and start olympic
lifting."[13] However, his official website biography claims that "at 14, he started an intensive training
program with Dan Farmer, studied psychology at 15 (to learn more about the power of mind over
body) and at 17, officially started his competitive career." [20] During a speech in 2001, he said, "My
own plan formed when I was 14 years old. My father had wanted me to be a police officer like he
was. My mother wanted me to go to trade school." [21]
Schwarzenegger took to visiting a gym in Graz, where he also frequented the local movie theaters to
see bodybuilding idols such as Reg Park, Steve Reeves, and Johnny Weissmuller on the big screen.
[13]
When Reeves died in 2000, Schwarzenegger fondly remembered him: "As a teenager, I grew up
with Steve Reeves. His remarkable accomplishments allowed me a sense of what was possible
when others around me didn't always understand my dreams. Steve Reeves has been part of
everything I've ever been fortunate enough to achieve." In 1961, Schwarzenegger met former Mr.
Austria Kurt Marnul, who invited him to train at the gym in Graz.[10] He was so dedicated as a
youngster that he broke into the local gym on weekends, so that he could train even when it was
closed. "It would make me sick to miss a workout... I knew I couldn't look at myself in the mirror the
next morning if I didn't do it."[13] When Schwarzenegger was asked about his first movie experience
as a boy, he replied: "I was very young, but I remember my father taking me to the Austrian theaters
and seeing some newsreels. The first real movie I saw, that I distinctly remember, was a John
Wayne movie."[13]
Schwarzenegger's brother, Meinhard, died in a car crash on May 20, 1971. [10] He was driving
drunk and died instantly. Schwarzenegger did not attend his funeral. [17]Meinhard was engaged to
Erika Knapp, and they had a three-year-old son named Patrick. Schwarzenegger paid for Patrick's
education and helped him to move to the U.S.[17] Gustav died on December 13, 1972, from a stroke.
[10]
In Pumping Iron, Schwarzenegger claimed that he did not attend his father's funeral because he
was training for a bodybuilding contest. Later, he and the film's producer said this story was taken
from another bodybuilder to show the extremes some would go to for their sport and to make
Schwarzenegger's image colder to create controversy for the film. [22] However, Barbara Baker, his
first serious girlfriend, recalled that he informed her of his father's death without emotion and that he
never spoke of his brother.[23] Over time, he has given at least three versions of why he was absent
from his father's funeral.[17]
In an interview with Fortune in 2004, Schwarzenegger told how he suffered what "would now be
called child abuse" at the hands of his father: "My hair was pulled. I was hit with belts. So was the kid
next door. It was just the way it was. Many of the children I've seen were broken by their parents,
which was the German-Austrian mentality. They didn't want to create an individual. It was all about
conforming. I was one who did not conform, and whose will could not be broken. Therefore, I
became a rebel. Every time I got hit, and every time someone said, 'You can't do this,' I said, 'This is
not going to be for much longer because I'm going to move out of here. I want to be rich. I want to be
somebody.'"[11]
Schwarzenegger served in the Austrian Army in 1965 to fulfill the one year of service required at the
time of all 18-year-old Austrian males.[10][20] During his army service, he won the Junior Mr. Europe
contest.[6] He went AWOL during basic training so he could take part in the competition and then
spent a week in military prison: "Participating in the competition meant so much to me that I didn't
carefully think through the consequences." He entered another bodybuilding contest in Graz, at
Steirerhof Hotel, where he placed second. He was voted "best-built man of Europe", which made
him famous in bodybuilding circles. "The Mr. Universe title was my ticket to America—the land of
opportunity, where I could become a star and get rich." [21] Schwarzenegger made his first plane trip in
1966, attending the NABBA Mr. Universe competition in London.[20] He would come in second in the
Mr. Universe competition, not having the muscle definition of American winner Chester Yorton.[20]
Charles "Wag" Bennett, one of the judges at the 1966 competition, was impressed with
Schwarzenegger and he offered to coach him. As Schwarzenegger had little money, Bennett invited
him to stay in his crowded family home above one of his two gyms in Forest Gate, London. Yorton's
leg definition had been judged superior, and Schwarzenegger, under a training program devised by
Bennett, concentrated on improving the muscle definition and power in his legs. Staying in the East
End of London helped Schwarzenegger improve his rudimentary grasp of the English language. [24]
[25]
Living with the Bennetts also changed him as a person: "Being with them made me so much more
sophisticated. When you're the age I was then, you're always looking for approval, for love, for
attention and also for guidance. At the time, I wasn't really aware of that. But now, looking back, I
see that the Bennett family fulfilled all those needs. Especially my need to be the best in the world.
To be recognized and to feel unique and special. They saw that I needed that care and attention and
love."[26]
Also in 1966, while at Bennett's home, Schwarzenegger had the opportunity to meet childhood
idol Reg Park, who became his friend and mentor. [26][27] The training paid off and, in 1967,
Schwarzenegger won the title for the first time, becoming the youngest ever Mr. Universe at the age
of 20.[20] He would go on to win the title a further three times. [6] Schwarzenegger then flew back
to Munich, where he attended a business school and worked in a health club (Rolf Putziger's gym,
where he worked and trained from 1966 to 1968), returning in 1968 to London to win his next Mr.
Universe title.[20] He frequently told Roger C. Field, his English coach and friend in Munich at that
time, "I'm going to become the greatest actor!"[28]
Schwarzenegger, who dreamed of moving to the U.S. since the age of 10, and saw bodybuilding as
the avenue through which to do so,[29] realized his dream by moving to the United States in October
1968 at the age of 21, speaking little English.[6][10] There he trained at Gold's Gym in Venice, Los
Angeles, California, under Joe Weider's supervision. From 1970 to 1974, one of Schwarzenegger's
weight training partners was Ric Drasin, a professional wrestler who designed the original Gold's
Gym logo in 1973.[30] Schwarzenegger also became good friends with professional wrestler Superstar
Billy Graham. In 1970, at age 23, he captured his first Mr. Olympia title in New York, and would go
on to win the title a total of seven times.[20]
The immigration law firm Siskind & Susser has stated that Schwarzenegger may have been
an illegal immigrant at some point in the late 1960s or early 1970s because of violations in the terms
of his visa.[31] LA Weekly would later say in 2002 that Schwarzenegger is the most famous immigrant
in America, who "overcame a thick Austrian accent and transcended the unlikely background of
bodybuilding to become the biggest movie star in the world in the 1990s". [29]
In 1977, Schwarzenegger's autobiography/weight-training guide Arnold: The Education of a
Bodybuilder became a huge success.[10] In 1977 he posed for the gay magazine After Dark.[32][33] After
taking English classes at Santa Monica College in California, he earned a bachelor's degree by
correspondence from the University of Wisconsin–Superior, in international marketing of fitness and
business administration in 1979. He got his United States citizenship in 1983.[34]
Schwarzenegger said that during this time he encountered a friend who told him he was
teaching Transcendental Meditation (TM), which prompted Schwarzenegger to reveal that he had
been struggling with anxiety for the first time in his life: "Even today, I still benefit from [the year of
TM] because I don't merge and bring things together and see everything as one big problem." [35]
Bodybuilding career
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Bodybuilder
As entrant to the 1974 Mr. Olympia competition at Madison
Square Garden
Personal info
Professional career
Times
Competition record
Men's bodybuilding
Representing Austria
Mr Universe (amateur)
1st 1967
Mr Universe (pro)
1st 1968
1st 1969
1st 1970
Mr. Olympia
2nd 1969
1st 1970
1st 1971
1st 1972
1st 1973
1st 1974
1st 1975
1st 1980
Powerlifting[36]
Representing Austria
Men's Weightlifting[36]
Representing Austria
1st 1964
1st 1965
Schwarzenegger is considered among the most important figures in the history of bodybuilding [3], and
his legacy is commemorated in the Arnold Classic annual bodybuilding competition. He has
remained a prominent face in bodybuilding long after his retirement, in part because of his ownership
of gyms and fitness magazines. He has presided over numerous contests and awards shows.
For many years, he wrote a monthly column for the bodybuilding magazines Muscle &
Fitness and Flex. Shortly after being elected governor, he was appointed the executive editor of both
magazines, in a largely symbolic capacity. The magazines agreed to donate $250,000 a year to the
Governor's various physical fitness initiatives. When the deal, including the contract that gave
Schwarzenegger at least $1 million a year, was made public in 2005, many criticized it as being
a conflict of interest since the governor's office made decisions concerning regulation of dietary
supplements in California.[37] Consequently, Schwarzenegger relinquished the executive editor role in
2005.[37] American Media Inc., which owns Muscle & Fitness and Flex, announced in March 2013 that
Schwarzenegger had accepted their renewed offer to be executive editor of the magazines. [37]
One of the first competitions he won was the Junior Mr. Europe contest in 1965. [10] He won Mr.
Europe the following year, at age 19.[10][20] He would go on to compete in many bodybuilding contests,
and win most of them. His bodybuilding victories included five Mr. Universe wins
(4 – NABBA [England], 1 – IFBB [USA]), and seven Mr. Olympia wins, a record which would stand
until Lee Haney won his eighth consecutive Mr. Olympia title in 1991.
Schwarzenegger continues to work out. When asked about his personal training during the
2011 Arnold Classic he said that he was still working out a half an hour with weights every day. [38]
Powerlifting/weightlifting
During Schwarzenegger's early years in bodybuilding, he also competed in several Olympic
weightlifting and powerliftingcontests. Schwarzenegger won two weightlifting contests in 1964 and
1965, as well as two powerlifting contests in 1966 and 1968. [36]
In 1967, Schwarzenegger won the Munich stone-lifting contest, in which a stone weighing 508
German pounds (254 kg / 560 lbs.) is lifted between the legs while standing on two footrests.
Personal records
Schwarzenegger, pictured with 1987 world champion American Karyn Marshall, presenting awards at the USA
Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 2011 in Columbus, Ohio
Mr. Olympia
Schwarzenegger's goal was to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, which meant
becoming Mr. Olympia.[10][20] His first attempt was in 1969, when he lost to three-time champion Sergio
Oliva. However, Schwarzenegger came back in 1970 and won the competition, making him the
youngest ever Mr. Olympia at the age of 23, a record he still holds to this day. [20]
He continued his winning streak in the 1971–74 competitions. [20] In 1975, Schwarzenegger was once
again in top form, and won the title for the sixth consecutive time, [20] beating Franco Columbu. After
the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest, Schwarzenegger announced his retirement from professional
bodybuilding.[20]
Months before the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest, filmmakers George Butler and Robert Fiore persuaded
Schwarzenegger to compete, in order to film his training in the bodybuilding documentary
called Pumping Iron. Schwarzenegger had only three months to prepare for the competition, after
losing significant weight to appear in the film Stay Hungry with Jeff Bridges. Although significantly
taller and heavier, Lou Ferrigno proved not to be a threat, and a lighter-than-usual Schwarzenegger
convincingly won the 1975 Mr. Olympia.
Schwarzenegger came out of retirement, however, to compete in the 1980 Mr. Olympia.
[10]
Schwarzenegger was training for his role in Conan, and he got into such good shape because of
the running, horseback riding and sword training, that he decided he wanted to win the Mr. Olympia
contest one last time. He kept this plan a secret in the event that a training accident would prevent
his entry and cause him to lose face. Schwarzenegger had been hired to provide color
commentary for network television when he announced at the eleventh hour that, while he was
there, "Why not compete?" Schwarzenegger ended up winning the event with only seven weeks of
preparation. Having being declared Mr. Olympia for a seventh time, Schwarzenegger then officially
retired from competition. This victory (subject of the documentary "The Comeback") was highly
controversial, though, as fellow competitors and many observers felt that his lack of muscle mass
(especially in his thighs[41]) and subpar conditioning shouldn't have allowed him to come ahead of a
very competitive lineup that year[3]; Mike Mentzer in particular felt cheated and withdrew from
competitive bodybuilding after that contest[42][43].
Steroid use
Schwarzenegger has admitted to using performance-enhancing anabolic steroids while they were
legal, writing in 1977 that "steroids were helpful to me in maintaining muscle size while on a strict
diet in preparation for a contest. I did not use them for muscle growth, but rather for muscle
maintenance when cutting up."[44] He has called the drugs "tissue building".[45]
In 1999, Schwarzenegger sued Dr. Willi Heepe, a German doctor who publicly predicted his early
death on the basis of a link between his steroid use and his later heart problems. As the doctor had
never examined him personally, Schwarzenegger collected a US$10,000 libel judgment against him
in a German court.[46] In 1999, Schwarzenegger also sued and settled with Globe, a U.S. tabloid
which had made similar predictions about the bodybuilder's future health. [47]
196
Junior Mr. Europe Germany 1st
5
196
Best Built Man of Europe Germany 1st
6
196
Mr. Europe Germany 1st
6
196
NABBA Mr. Universe amateur London 2nd to Chet Yorton
6
196
NABBA Mr. Universe amateur London 1st
7
196
IFBB Mr. International Mexico 1st
8
196
IFBB Mr. Universe Florida 2nd to Frank Zane
8
196
IFBB Mr. Universe amateur New York 1st
9
197
Mr. Olympia New York 1st
0
197
Mr. Olympia Paris 1st
1
197
Mr. Olympia Essen, Germany 1st
2
197
Mr. Olympia New York 1st
3
197
Mr. Olympia New York 1st
4
Acting career
Early roles
Schwarzenegger wanted to move from bodybuilding into acting, finally achieving it when he was
chosen to play the role of Hercules in 1969's Hercules in New York. Credited under the stage
name "Arnold Strong", his accent in the film was so thick that his lines were dubbed after production.
[6]
His second film appearance was as a deaf-mute mob hitman in The Long Goodbye (1973), which
was followed by a much more significant part in the film Stay Hungry (1976), for which he won
the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor. Schwarzenegger has discussed his early
struggles in developing his acting career: "It was very difficult for me in the beginning – I was told by
agents and casting people that my body was 'too weird', that I had a funny accent, and that my name
was too long. You name it, and they told me I had to change it. Basically, everywhere I turned, I was
told that I had no chance."[13]
Schwarzenegger drew attention and boosted his profile in the bodybuilding film Pumping Iron (1977),
[5][6]
elements of which were dramatized; in 1991, he purchased the rights to the film, its outtakes, and
associated still photography. [51] In 1977, he made guest appearances in single episodes of
the ABC sitcom The San Pedro Beach Bums and the ABC police procedural The Streets of San
Francisco. Schwarzenegger auditioned for the title role of The Incredible Hulk, but did not win the
role because of his height. Later, Lou Ferrigno got the part of Dr. David Banner's alter ego.
Schwarzenegger appeared with Kirk Douglas and Ann-Margret in the 1979 comedy The Villain. In
1980, he starred in a biographical film of the 1950s actress Jayne Mansfield as Mansfield's
husband, Mickey Hargitay.
Action superstar
Schwarzenegger's breakthrough film was the sword-and-sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian in 1982,
which was a box-office hit.[5] This was followed by a sequel, Conan the Destroyer, in 1984, although it
was not as successful as its predecessor.[52] In 1983, Schwarzenegger starred in the promotional
video, Carnival in Rio. In 1984, he made his first appearance as the eponymous character, and what
some would say was his acting career's signature role, in James Cameron's science fiction thriller
filmThe Terminator.[5][6][7] Following this, Schwarzenegger made Red Sonja in 1985.[52] During the
1980s, audiences had an appetite for action films, with both Schwarzenegger and Sylvester
Stallone becoming international stars.[6] Schwarzenegger's roles reflected his sense of humor,
separating him from more serious action hero films. He made a number of successful action films in
the 1980s, such as Commando (1985), Raw Deal (1986), The Running
Man (1987), Predator (1987), and Red Heat (1988).
Footprints and handprints of Arnold Schwarzenegger in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, with his
catchphrase "I'll be back" written in.
In tribute to Schwarzenegger in 2002, Forum Stadtpark, a local cultural association, proposed plans
to build a 25-meter-tall (80 ft) Terminator statue in a park in central Graz. Schwarzenegger
reportedly said he was flattered, but thought the money would be better spent on social projects and
the Special Olympics.[56]
Retirement
His film appearances after becoming Governor of California included a three-second cameo
appearance in The Rundown, and the 2004 remake of Around the World in 80 Days. In 2005, he
appeared as himself in the film The Kid & I. He voiced Baron von Steuben in the Liberty's
Kids episode "Valley Forge". He had been rumored to be appearing in Terminator Salvation as the
original T-800; he denied his involvement,[57] but he ultimately did appear briefly via his image being
inserted into the movie from stock footage of the first Terminator movie.[58][59] Schwarzenegger
appeared in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables, where he made a cameo appearance.
Return to acting
In January 2011, just weeks after leaving office in California, Schwarzenegger announced that he
was reading several new scripts for future films, one of them being the World War II action
drama With Wings as Eagles, written by Randall Wallace, based on a true story.[60][61]
On March 6, 2011, at the Arnold Seminar of the Arnold Classic, Schwarzenegger revealed that he
was being considered for several films, including sequels to The Terminator and remakes
of Predator and The Running Man, and that he was "packaging" a comic book character. [62] The
character was later revealed to be the Governator, star of the comic book and animated series of the
same name. Schwarzenegger inspired the character and co-developed it with Stan Lee, who would
have produced the series. Schwarzenegger would have voiced the Governator. [63][64][65][66]
On May 20, 2011, Schwarzenegger's entertainment counsel announced that all movie projects
currently in development were being halted: "Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is
not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines." [67] On July 11, 2011, it was
announced that Schwarzenegger was considering a comeback film, despite the legal problems
related to his divorce.[68] He appeared in The Expendables 2 (2012),[69] and starred in The Last
Stand (2013), his first leading role in 10 years, and Escape Plan (2013), his first co-starring role
alongside Sylvester Stallone. He starred in Sabotage, released in March 2014, and appeared in The
Expendables 3, released in August 2014. He starred in the fifth Terminator movie Terminator
Genisys in 2015[70] and would reprise his role as Conan the Barbarian in The Legend of Conan,[71]
[72]
later renamed Conan the Conqueror.[73] However, in April 2017, producer Chris Morgan stated that
Universal had dropped the project, although there was a possibility of a TV show. The story of the
film was supposed to be set 30 years after the first, with some inspiration from Clint
Eastwood's Unforgiven.[74]
In August 2016, his filming of action-comedy Why We're Killing Gunther was temporarily interrupted
by bank robbers near filming location in Surrey, British Columbia.[75] He was announced to star and
produce in a film about the ruins of Sanxingdui called The Guest of Sanxingdui, as an ambassador.
[76]
Filmography
Arnold Schwarzenegger filmography
Political career
Political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger
Early politics
Vice President Dick Cheney meets with Schwarzenegger for the first time at the White House
Schwarzenegger has been a registered Republican for many years. When he was an actor, his
political views were always well known as they contrasted with those of many other prominent
Hollywood stars, who are generally considered to be a liberaland Democratic-leaning community. At
the 2004 Republican National Convention, Schwarzenegger gave a speech and explained he was a
Republican because the Democrats of the 1960s sounded too much like Austrian socialists. [83]
I finally arrived here in 1968. What a special day it was. I remember I arrived here with empty
pockets but full of dreams, full of determination, full of desire. The presidential campaign was in full
swing. I remember watching the Nixon–Humphrey presidential race on TV. A friend of mine who
spoke German and English translated for me. I heard Humphrey saying things that sounded like
socialism, which I had just left.
But then I heard Nixon speak. He was talking about free enterprise, getting the government off your
back, lowering the taxes and strengthening the military. Listening to Nixon speak sounded more like
a breath of fresh air. I said to my friend, I said, "What party is he?" My friend said, "He's a
Republican." I said, "Then I am a Republican." And I have been a Republican ever since.
Arnold Schwarzenegger on Capitol Hill in 1991 for an event related to the President's Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports
In 1985, Schwarzenegger appeared in "Stop the Madness", an anti-drug music video sponsored by
the Reagan administration. He first came to wide public notice as a Republican during the 1988
presidential election, accompanying then-Vice President George H. W. Bush at a campaign rally.[84]
Schwarzenegger's first political appointment was as chairman of the President's Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports, on which he served from 1990 to 1993. [10] He was nominated by George H. W.
Bush, who dubbed him "Conan the Republican". He later served as chairman for the California
Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under Governor Pete Wilson.
Between 1993 and 1994, Schwarzenegger was a Red Cross ambassador (a ceremonial role fulfilled
by celebrities), recording several television and radio public service announcements to donate blood.
In an interview with Talk magazine in late 1999, Schwarzenegger was asked if he thought of running
for office. He replied, "I think about it many times. The possibility is there because I feel it
inside."[85] The Hollywood Reporter claimed shortly after that Schwarzenegger sought to end
speculation that he might run for governor of California.[85] Following his initial comments,
Schwarzenegger said, "I'm in show business – I am in the middle of my career. Why would I go
away from that and jump into something else?"[85]
Governor of California
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a moderate Republican.[86] He says he is fiscally conservative and socially
liberal.[87] On the issue of abortion, he describes himself as pro-choice, but supports parental
notification for minors and a ban on partial-birth abortion. [88] He supported gay rights, such as
domestic partnerships, and he performed a same-sex marriage as Governor. [89]
Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy in the 2003 California recall election for Governor of
California on the August 6, 2003, episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[6] Schwarzenegger
had the most name recognition in a crowded field of candidates, but he had never held public office
and his political views were unknown to most Californians. His candidacy immediately became
national and international news, with media outlets dubbing him the "Governator" (referring to The
Terminatormovies, see above) and "The Running Man" (the name of another one of his films), and
calling the recall election "Total Recall" (yet another movie starring Schwarzenegger).
Schwarzenegger declined to participate in several debates with other recall replacement candidates,
and appeared in only one debate on September 24, 2003. [90]
President George W. Bushmeets with Schwarzenegger after his successful election to the California
Governorship.
On October 7, 2003, the recall election resulted in Governor Gray Davis being removed from office
with 55.4% of the Yes vote in favor of a recall. Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California
under the second question on the ballot with 48.6% of the vote to choose a successor to Davis.
Schwarzenegger defeated Democrat Cruz Bustamante, fellow Republican Tom McClintock, and
others. His nearest rival, Bustamante, received 31% of the vote. In total, Schwarzenegger won the
election by about 1.3 million votes. Under the regulations of the California Constitution, no runoff
election was required. Schwarzenegger was the second foreign-born governor of California after
Irish-born Governor John G. Downey in 1862.
Schwarzenegger was entrenched in what he considered to be his mandate in cleaning up gridlock.
Building on a catchphrase from the sketch "Hans and Franz" from Saturday Night Live (which partly
parodied his bodybuilding career), Schwarzenegger called the Democratic State politicians "girlie
men".[91]
Schwarzenegger's early victories included repealing an unpopular increase in the vehicle registration
fee as well as preventing driver's licenses being given out to illegal immigrants, but later he began to
feel the backlash when powerful state unions began to oppose his various initiatives. Key among his
reckoning with political realities was a special election he called in November 2005, in which four
ballot measures he sponsored were defeated. Schwarzenegger accepted personal responsibility for
the defeats and vowed to continue to seek consensus for the people of California. He would later
comment that "no one could win if the opposition raised 160 million dollars to defeat you". The U.S.
Supreme Court later found the public employee unions' use of compulsory fundraising during the
campaign had been illegal in Knox v. Service Employees International Union, Local 1000.[92]
Schwarzenegger, against the advice of fellow Republican strategists, appointed a Democrat, Susan
Kennedy, as his Chief of Staff. He gradually moved towards a more politically moderate position,
determined to build a winning legacy with only a short time to go until the next gubernatorial election.
Schwarzenegger ran for re-election against Democrat Phil Angelides, the California State Treasurer,
in the 2006 elections, held on November 7, 2006. Despite a poor year nationally for the Republican
party, Schwarzenegger won re-election with 56.0% of the vote compared with 38.9% for Angelides,
a margin of well over 1 million votes.[93] In recent years, many commentators have seen
Schwarzenegger as moving away from the right and towards the center of the political spectrum.
After hearing a speech by Schwarzenegger at the 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast, San
Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom said that "[H]e's becoming a Democrat [... H]e's running back, not
even to the center. I would say center-left".
Some speculated that Schwarzenegger might run for the United States Senate in 2010, as his
governorship would be term-limited by that time. Such rumors turned out to be false. [94][95]
Wendy Leigh, who wrote an unofficial biography on Schwarzenegger, claims he plotted his political
rise from an early age using the movie business and bodybuilding as the means to escape a
depressing home.[16] Leigh portrays Schwarzenegger as obsessed with power and quotes him as
saying, "I wanted to be part of the small percentage of people who were leaders, not the large mass
of followers. I think it is because I saw leaders use 100% of their potential – I was always fascinated
by people in control of other people."[16] Schwarzenegger has said that it was never his intention to
enter politics, but he says, "I married into a political family. You get together with them and you hear
about policy, about reaching out to help people. I was exposed to the idea of being a public servant
and Eunice and Sargent Shriver became my heroes."[29] Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the sister
of John F. Kennedy, and mother-in-law to Schwarzenegger; Sargent Shriver is husband to Eunice
and father-in-law to Schwarzenegger.
Schwarzenegger cannot run for president as he is not a natural-born citizen of the United States.
Schwarzenegger is a dual Austrian/United States citizen. [96] He has held Austrian citizenship since
birth and U.S. citizenship since becoming naturalized in 1983. Being Austrian and thus European, he
was able to win the 2007 European Voice campaigner of the year award for taking action against
climate change with the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 and plans to introduce an
emissions trading scheme with other US states and possibly with the EU. [97]
Governor Schwarzenegger during his visit to Naval Medical Center in San Diego, July 2010.
Because of his personal wealth from his acting career, Schwarzenegger did not accept his
governor's salary of $175,000 per year.[98]
Schwarzenegger's endorsement in the Republican primary of the 2008 U.S. presidential
election was highly sought; despite being good friends with candidates Rudy Giuliani and
Senator John McCain, Schwarzenegger remained neutral throughout 2007 and early 2008. Giuliani
dropped out of the presidential race on January 30, 2008, largely because of a poor showing in
Florida, and endorsed McCain. Later that night, Schwarzenegger was in the audience at a
Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. The following day, he
endorsed McCain, joking, "It's Rudy's fault!" (in reference to his friendships with both candidates and
that he could not make up his mind). Schwarzenegger's endorsement was thought to be a boost for
Senator McCain's campaign; both spoke about their concerns for the environment and economy. [99]
In its April 2010 report, Progressive ethics watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in
Washington named Schwarzenegger one of 11 "worst governors" in the United States because of
various ethics issues throughout Schwarzenegger's term as governor. [100][101]
Governor Schwarzenegger played a significant role in opposing Proposition 66, a proposed
amendment of the Californian Three Strikes Law, in November 2004. This amendment would have
required the third felony to be either violent or serious to mandate a 25-years-to-life sentence. In the
last week before the ballot, Schwarzenegger launched an intensive campaign [102] against Proposition
66.[103] He stated that "it would release 26,000 dangerous criminals and rapists". [104]
Although he began his tenure as governor with record high approval ratings (as high as 65% in May
2004),[105] he left office with a record low 23%,[106] only one percent higher than that of Gray Davis,
when he was recalled in October 2003.
Death of Louis Santos
Main article: Death of Louis Santos
In May 2010, Esteban Núñez pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 16
years in prison for the death of Louis Santos. Núñez is the son of Fabian Núñez, then California
Assembly Speaker of the House and a close friend and staunch political ally of then governor
Schwarzenegger.[107][108][109][110]
As a personal favor to "a friend", just hours before he left office, and as one of his last official acts,
Schwarzenegger commuted Núñez's sentence by more than half, to seven years. [109][111][112] Against
protocol, Schwarzenegger did not inform Santos' family or the San Diego County prosecutors about
the commutation. They learned about it in a call from a reporter. [112]
The Santos family, along with the San Diego district attorney, sued to stop the commutation,
claiming that it violated Marsy's Law. In September 2012, Sacramento County superior court judge
Lloyd Connelly stated, "Based on the evidentiary records before this court involving this case, there
was an abuse of discretion...This was a distasteful commutation. It was repugnant to the bulk of the
citizenry of this state." However, Connelly ruled that Schwarzenegger remained within his executive
powers as governor.[107] Subsequently, as a direct result of the way the commutation was handled,
Governor Jerry Brown signed a bipartisan bill that allows offender's victims and their families to be
notified at least 10 days notice for any commutations. [113] Núñez was released from prison after
serving less than six years.[114]
During his initial campaign for governor, allegations of sexual and personal misconduct were raised
against Schwarzenegger, dubbed "Gropegate". [115] Within the last five days before the election, news
reports appeared in the Los Angeles Timesrecounting allegations of sexual misconduct from several
individual women, six of whom eventually came forward with their personal stories. [116]
Three of the women claimed he had grabbed their breasts, a fourth said he placed his hand under
her skirt on her buttock. A fifth woman claimed Schwarzenegger tried to take off her bathing suit in a
hotel elevator, and the last said he pulled her onto his lap and asked her about a sex act. [115]
Schwarzenegger admitted that he has "behaved badly sometimes" and apologized, but also stated
that "a lot of [what] you see in the stories is not true". This came after an interview in adult
magazine Oui from 1977 surfaced, in which Schwarzenegger discussed attending sexual orgies and
using substances such as marijuana.[117] Schwarzenegger is shown smoking a marijuana joint after
winning Mr. Olympia in the 1975 documentary film Pumping Iron. In an interview with GQ magazine
in October 2007, Schwarzenegger said, "[Marijuana] is not a drug. It's a leaf. My drug was pumping
iron, trust me."[118] His spokesperson later said the comment was meant to be a joke.[118]
British television personality Anna Richardson settled a libel lawsuit in August 2006 against
Schwarzenegger, his top aide, Sean Walsh, and his publicist, Sheryl Main. [119] A joint statement read:
"The parties are content to put this matter behind them and are pleased that this legal dispute has
now been settled."[119] Richardson claimed they tried to tarnish her reputation by dismissing her
allegations that Schwarzenegger touched her breast during a press event for The 6th Day in
London.[120]She claimed Walsh and Main libeled her in a Los Angeles Times article when they
contended she encouraged his behavior.[119]
Citizenship
Schwarzenegger in 2004
Electoral history
Presidential ambitions
The Equal Opportunity to Govern Amendment in 2003 was widely accredited as the "Amend for
Arnold" bill, which would have added an amendment to the U.S. Constitution allowing his run, as he
was not a natural born citizen. In 2004, the "Amend for Arnold" campaign was launched, featuring a
website and TV advertising promotion. [128]
In June 2007, Schwarzenegger was featured on the cover of TIME magazine with Michael
Bloomberg, and subsequently, the two joked about a Presidential ticket together. [129]
In October 2013, the New York Post reported that Schwarzenegger was exploring a future run
for president. The former California governor would face a constitutionalhurdle; Article II, Section I,
Clause V nominally prevents individuals who are not natural-born citizens of the United States from
assuming the office. He has reportedly been lobbying legislators about a possible constitutional
change, or filing a legal challenge to the provision. Columbia University law professor Michael
Dorf observed that Schwarzenegger's possible lawsuit could ultimately win him the right to run for
the office, noting, "The law is very clear, but it's not 100 percent clear that the courts would enforce
that law rather than leave it to the political process."[130]
Business career
Schwarzenegger has had a highly successful business career. [16][29] Following his move to the United
States, Schwarzenegger became a "prolific goal setter" and would write his objectives at the start of
the year on index cards, like starting a mail order business or buying a new car – and succeed in
doing so.[23] By the age of 30, Schwarzenegger was a millionaire, well before his career in Hollywood.
His financial independence came from his success as a budding entrepreneur with a series of
lucrative business ventures and investments.
Bricklaying business
In 1968, Schwarzenegger and fellow bodybuilder Franco Columbu started a bricklaying business.
The business flourished thanks to the pair's marketing savvy and an increased demand following
the 1971 San Fernando earthquake.[131][132] Schwarzenegger and Columbu used profits from their
bricklaying venture to start a mail-order business, selling bodybuilding and fitness-related equipment
and instructional tapes.[10][131]
Investments
Schwarzenegger transferred profits from the mail-order business and his bodybuilding-competition
winnings into his first real estate investment venture: an apartment building he purchased for
$10,000. He would later go on to invest in a number of real estate holding companies. [133][134]
Schwarzenegger was a founding celebrity investor in the Planet Hollywood chain of international
theme restaurants (modeled after the Hard Rock Cafe) along with Bruce Willis, Sylvester
Stallone and Demi Moore. Schwarzenegger severed his financial ties with the business in early
2000.[135][136] Schwarzenegger said the company had not had the success he had hoped for, claiming
he wanted to focus his attention on "new US global business ventures" and his movie career. [135]
He also invested in a shopping mall in Columbus, Ohio. He has talked about some of those who
have helped him over the years in business: "I couldn't have learned about business without a
parade of teachers guiding me... from Milton Friedman to Donald Trump... and now, Les
Wexner and Warren Buffett. I even learned a thing or two from Planet Hollywood, such as when to
get out! And I did!"[21] He has significant ownership in Dimensional Fund Advisors, an investment firm.
[137]
Schwarzenegger is also the owner of Arnold's Sports Festival, which he started in 1989 and is
held annually in Columbus, Ohio. It is a festival that hosts thousands of international health and
fitness professionals which has also expanded into a three-day expo. He also owns a movie
production company called Oak Productions, Inc. and Fitness Publications, a joint publishing venture
with Simon & Schuster.[138]
Restaurant
In 1992, Schwarzenegger and his wife opened a restaurant in Santa Monica called Schatzi On
Main. Schatzi literally means "little treasure," colloquial for "honey" or "darling" in German. In 1998,
he sold his restaurant.[139]
Wealth
List of richest American politicians
Commercial advertisements
He appears in a series of commercials for the Machine Zone game Mobile Strike as a military
commander and spokesman.[143]
Personal life
Early relationships
In 1969, Schwarzenegger met Barbara Outland (later Barbara Outland Baker), an English teacher
with whom he lived until 1974.[144] Schwarzenegger said of Baker in his 1977 memoir, "Basically it
came down to this: she was a well-balanced woman who wanted an ordinary, solid life, and I was
not a well-balanced man, and hated the very idea of ordinary life." [144] Baker has described
Schwarzenegger as a "joyful personality, totally charismatic, adventurous, and athletic" but claims
that towards the end of the relationship he became "insufferable—classically conceited—the world
revolved around him".[145] Baker published her memoir in 2006, entitled Arnold and Me: In the
Shadow of the Austrian Oak.[146] Although Baker painted an unflattering portrait of her former lover at
times, Schwarzenegger actually contributed to the tell-all book with a foreword, and also met with
Baker for three hours.[146]
Baker claims that she only learned of his being unfaithful after they split, and talks of a turbulent and
passionate love life.[146]Schwarzenegger has made it clear that their respective recollection of events
can differ.[146] The couple first met six to eight months after his arrival in the U.S. Their first date was
watching the first Apollo Moon landing on television.[23] They shared an apartment in Santa Monica,
California, for three and a half years, and having little money, they would visit the beach all day or
have barbecues in the back yard.[23] Although Baker claims that when she first met Schwarzenegger,
he had "little understanding of polite society" and she found him a turn-off, she says, "He's as much
a self-made man as it's possible to be—he never got encouragement from his parents, his family, his
brother. He just had this huge determination to prove himself, and that was very attractive ... I'll go to
my grave knowing Arnold loved me."[23]
Schwarzenegger met his next lover, Beverly Hills hairdresser's assistant Sue Moray, on Venice
Beach in July 1977. According to Moray, the couple led an open relationship: "We were faithful when
we were both in LA... but when he was out of town, we were free to do whatever we
wanted."[17] Schwarzenegger met television journalist Maria Shriver, niece of President John F.
Kennedy, at the Robert F. Kennedy Tennis Tournament in August 1977. He went on to have a
relationship with both Moray and Shriver until August 1978, when Moray (who knew of his
relationship with Shriver) issued an ultimatum. [17]
Marital separation
On May 9, 2011, Shriver and Schwarzenegger ended their relationship after 25 years of marriage,
with Shriver moving out of the couple's Brentwood mansion. [156][157][158] On May 16, 2011, the Los
Angeles Times revealed that Schwarzenegger had fathered a son more than 14 years earlier with an
employee in their household, Mildred Patricia "Patty" Baena. [159][160][161] "After leaving the governor's
office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago," Schwarzenegger said in a
statement issued to The Times. In the statement, Schwarzenegger did not mention that he had
confessed to his wife only after she had confronted him with the information, which she had done
after confirming with the housekeeper what she had suspected about the child. [162]
Baena is of Guatemalan origin. She was employed by the family for 20 years and retired in January
2011.[163] The pregnant Baena was working in the home while Shriver was pregnant with the
youngest of the couple's four children.[164] Baena's son with Schwarzenegger, Joseph,[165] was born on
October 2, 1997,[166] and Shriver gave birth to Christopher a few days before on September 27, 1997.
[167]
Schwarzenegger says it took seven or eight years before he found out that he had fathered a
child with his housekeeper. It was not until the boy "started looking like [him] ... that [he] put things
together".[168] Schwarzenegger has taken financial responsibility for the child "from the start and
continued to provide support".[169] KNX 1070 radio reported that in 2010 he bought a new four-
bedroom house with a pool for Baena and their son in Bakersfield, California.[170] Baena separated
from her husband, Rogelio, a few months after Joseph's birth. She filed for divorce in 2008.
[171]
Rogelio says that the child's birth certificate was falsified and that he plans to sue
Schwarzenegger for engaging in conspiracy to falsify a public document, a serious crime in
California.[172]
Pursuant to the divorce judgment, Schwarzenegger kept the Brentwood home, while Shriver
purchased a new home nearby so that the children could travel between their parents' homes. They
shared custody of the two youngest children. [173] Schwarzenegger came under fire after the initial
petition did not include spousal support and a reimbursement of attorney's fees. [71] However, he
claims this was not intentional and that he signed the initial documents without having properly read
them.[71] He filed amended divorce papers remedying this.[71][174] Schwarzenegger and Shriver finalized
their divorce in 2017, six years after separating. [175]
After the scandal, Danish-Italian actress Brigitte Nielsen came forward and stated that she too had
an affair with Schwarzenegger while he was in a relationship with Shriver, [176] saying, "Maybe I
wouldn't have got into it if he said 'I'm going to marry Maria' and this is deadly serious, but he didn't,
and our affair carried on."[176] When asked in January 2014, "Of all the things you are famous for ...
which are you least proud of?" Schwarzenegger replied, "I'm least proud of the mistakes I made that
caused my family pain and split us up."[177]
As of July 2015, Schwarzenegger was dating physical therapist Heather Milligan, 27 years his junior.
[178]
Height
Schwarzenegger's official height of 6'2" (1.88 m) has been brought into question by several articles.
In his bodybuilding days in the late 1960s, he was measured to be 6'1.5" (1.87 m), a height
confirmed by his fellow bodybuilders. [191][192] However, in 1988, both the Daily Mail and Time
Out magazine mentioned that Schwarzenegger appeared noticeably shorter. [193] Prior to running for
governor, Schwarzenegger's height was once again questioned in an article by the Chicago Reader.
[194]
As governor, Schwarzenegger engaged in a light-hearted exchange with Assemblyman Herb
Wesson over their heights. At one point, Wesson made an unsuccessful attempt to, in his own
words, "settle this once and for all and find out how tall he is" by using a tailor's tape measure on the
Governor.[195] Schwarzenegger retaliated by placing a pillow stitched with the words "Need a lift?" on
the five-foot-five inch (165 cm) Wesson's chair before a negotiating session in his office. [196] Bob
Mulhollandalso claimed Schwarzenegger was 5'10" (1.78 m) and that he wore risers in his boots.
[197]
In 1999, Men's Health magazine stated his height was 5'10". [198]
Autobiography
Schwarzenegger's autobiography, Total Recall, was released in October 2012. He devotes one
chapter called "The Secret" to his extramarital affair. The majority of his book is about his successes
in the three major chapters in his life: bodybuilder, actor, and Governor of California. [199]
Vehicles
Schwarzenegger was the first civilian to purchase a Humvee. He was so enamored by the vehicle
that he lobbied the Humvee's manufacturer, AM General, to produce a street-legal, civilian version,
which they did in 1992; the first two Hummer H1s they sold were also purchased by
Schwarzenegger. In 2010, he had one regular and three running on non-fossil power sources; one
for hydrogen, one for vegetable oil, and one for biodiesel.[200] Schwarzenegger was in the news in
2014 for buying a rare Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. He was spotted and filmed in 2015 in his
car, painted silver with bright aluminium forged wheels. His Bugatti has its interior adorned in dark
brown leather.[201] In 2017, Schwarzenegger acquired a Mercedes G-Class modified for all-
electric drive.[202]
The Hummers that Schwarzenegger bought in 1992 are so large—each weighs 6,300 lb (2,900 kg)
and is 7 feet (2.1 m) wide—that they are classified as large trucks, and U.S. fuel economy
regulations do not apply to them. During the gubernatorial recall campaign, he announced that he
would convert one of his Hummers to burn hydrogen. The conversion was reported to have cost
about $21,000. After the election, he signed an executive order to jump-start the building of
hydrogen refueling plants called the California Hydrogen Highway Network, and gained a U.S.
Department of Energy grant to help pay for its projected US$91,000,000 cost.[203] California took
delivery of the first H2H (Hydrogen Hummer) in October 2004. [204]
Public life
Schwarzenegger with Russian powerlifter Maryana Naumova at the Arnold Sports Festival
Schwarzenegger has been involved with the Special Olympics for many years after they were
founded by his ex-mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.[205] In 2007, Schwarzenegger was the
official spokesperson for the Special Olympics which were held in Shanghai, China.
Schwarzenegger believes that quality school opportunities should be made available to children
[206]
who might not normally be able to access them. [207] In 1995, he founded the Inner City Games
Foundation (ICG) which provides cultural, educational and community enrichment programming to
youth. ICG is active in 15 cities around the country and serves over 250,000 children in over 400
schools countrywide.[207] He has also been involved with After-School All-Stars and founded the Los
Angeles branch in 2002.[208]ASAS is an after school program provider, educating youth about health,
fitness and nutrition.
On February 12, 2010, Schwarzenegger took part in the Vancouver Olympic Torch relay. He handed
off the flame to the next runner, Sebastian Coe.[209]
Schwarzenegger had a collection of Marxist busts, which he requested from Russian friends at the
end of the Soviet Union as they were being destroyed. In 2011, he revealed that his wife had
requested they be removed, but he kept the one of Vladimir Lenin present, since "he was the first".
[210]
In 2015, he said he kept the Lenin bust to "show losers".[211]
Schwarzenegger is a lifelong supporter and "friend of Israel", and has participated in L.A.'s Pro-
Israel rally[212] among other similar events.[213]
Global warming
At a 2015 security conference, Arnold Schwarzenegger called climate change the issue of our time.
[219]
Seven-time Mr. Olympia winner
Four-time Mr. Universe winner
1969 World Amateur Bodybuilding Champion
1977 Golden Globe Award winner
Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
International Sports Hall of Fame (class of 2012) [224]
WWE Hall of Fame (class of 2015)[225]
Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy (part of the USC Sol Price School of
Public Policy at the University of Southern California) named in his honor.[218]
Arnold's Run ski trail at Sun Valley Resort named in his honor.[226] The trail is categorized as a
black diamond, or most difficult, for its terrain.
"A Day for Arnold" on July 30, 2007, in Thal, Austria. For his 60th birthday the mayor sent
Schwarzenegger the enameled address sign (Thal 145) of the house where Schwarzenegger
was born, declaring "This belongs to him. No one here will ever be assigned that number again".
[225][227]
Books
Chester S. Lyman
Chester Lyman circa 1874
Career
He became a professor of Industrial Mechanics and Physics at Yale's Sheffield Scientific School,
and was considered an eminent scholar.[5] He invented the combined transit instrument and zenith
telescope that was used to determine latitude, including that of Hawaii. [6] He was on the board of
managers for the Yale Observatory, and in December 1866 he was the first to observe the delicate
ring of light surrounding Venus when the planet is in inferior conjunction. This observation helped
confirm the presence of an atmosphere around the planet. [7] He patented a design for a wave
machine in 1867.[8] In 1871 he became a professor of astronomy and physics at the same institution,
then exclusively of astronomy in 1884 as his health began to fail. He retired as professor emeritus in
1889.[9] He became the director of the Yale Observatory and held that post until his death. [2][4] He died
in 1890 as the result of a stroke, which had kept him home-bound for the last two years of his life. [10]
Chester Lyman was a member of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences and an honorary
member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He served as president of the
Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences for 20 years. His son, Chester W. Lyman, established
the Chester S. Lyman Lecture Series at Yale in memory of his father. [11]
William Gilbert
William Gilbert
William Gilbert M.D. demonstrating his experiments before queen Elizabeth (painting by A. Auckland Hunt).
In Book 6, Chapter 3, he argues in support of diurnal rotation, though he does not talk about
heliocentrism, stating that it is an absurdity to think that the immense celestial spheres (doubting
even that they exist) rotate daily, as opposed to the diurnal rotation of the much smaller Earth. He
also posits that the "fixed" stars are at remote variable distances rather than fixed to an imaginary
sphere. He states that situated "in thinnest aether, or in the most subtle fifth essence, or in vacuity –
how shall the stars keep their places in the mighty swirl of these enormous spheres composed of a
substance of which no one knows aught?"
The English word "electricity" was first used in 1646 by Sir Thomas Browne, derived from Gilbert's
1600 New Latinelectricus, meaning "like amber". The term had been in use since the 13th century,
but Gilbert was the first to use it to mean "like amber in its attractive properties". He recognized that
friction with these objects removed a so-called "effluvium", which would cause the attraction effect in
returning to the object, though he did not realize that this substance (electric charge) was universal
to all materials.[8]
The electric effluvia differ much from air, and as air is the earth's effluvium, so electric bodies have
their own distinctive effluvia; and each peculiar effluvium has its own individual power of leading to
union, its own movement to its origin, to its fount, and to the body emitting the effluvium.
— Gilbert 1893
Gilbert argued that electricity and magnetism were not the same thing. For evidence, he (incorrectly)
pointed out that, while electrical attraction disappeared with heat, magnetic attraction did not
(although it is proven that magnetism does in fact become damaged and weakened with heat). Hans
Christian Ørsted and James Clerk Maxwell showed that both effects were aspects of a single force:
electromagnetism. Maxwell surmised this in his A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism after much
analysis.
Gilbert's magnetism was the invisible force that many other natural philosophers, such as Kepler,
seized upon, incorrectly, as governing the motions that they observed. While not attributing
magnetism to attraction among the stars, Gilbert pointed out the motion of the skies was due to
Earth's rotation, and not the rotation of the spheres, 20 years before Galileo (but 57 years
after Copernicus who stated it openly in his work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium published in
1543 ) (see external reference below). Gilbert made the first attempt to map the surface markings on
the Moon in the 1590s. His chart, made without the use of a telescope, showed outlines of dark and
light patches on the Moon's face. Contrary to most of his contemporaries, Gilbert believed that the
light spots on the Moon were water, and the dark spots land. [10]
Besides Gilbert's De Magnete, there appeared at Amsterdam in 1651 a quarto volume of 316 pages
entitled De Mundo Nostro Sublunari Philosophia Nova (New Philosophy about our Sublunary World),
edited—some say by his brother William Gilbert Junior, and others say, by the eminent English
scholar and critic John Gruter—from two manuscripts found in the library of Sir William Boswell.
According to Dr. John Davy, "this work of Gilbert's, which is so little known, is a very remarkable one
both in style and matter; and there is a vigor and energy of expression belonging to it very suitable to
its originality. Possessed of a more minute and practical knowledge of natural philosophy
than Bacon, his opposition to the philosophy of the schools was more searching and particular, and
at the same time probably little less efficient." In the opinion of Prof. John Robison, De
Mundo consists of an attempt to establish a new system of natural philosophy upon the ruins of the
Aristotelian doctrine.[4]
Dr. William Whewell says in his History of the Inductive Sciences (1859):[11]
Gilbert, in his work, De Magnete printed in 1600 has only some vague notions that the magnetic
virtue of the earth in some way determines the direction of the earth's axis, the rate of its diurnal
rotation, and that of the revolution of the moon about it. [12] Gilbert died in 1603, and in his
posthumous work (De Mundo nostro Sublunari Philosophia nova, 1631) we have already a more
distinct statement of the attraction of one body by another. [13] "The force which emanates from the
moon reaches to the earth, and, in like manner, the magnetic virtue of the earth pervades the region
of the moon: both correspond and conspire by the joint action of both, according to a proportion and
conformity of motions, but the earth has more effect in consequence of its superior mass; the earth
attracts and repels, the moon, and the moon within certain limits, the earth; not so as to make the
bodies come together, as magnetic bodies do, but so that they may go on in a continuous course."
Though this phraseology is capable of representing a good deal of the truth, it does not appear to
have been connected... with any very definite notions of mechanical action in detail. [14]
Gilbert died on 30 November 1603 in London. His cause of death is thought to have been
the bubonic plague.[15][16]
Gilbert was buried in his home town, in Holy Trinity Church, Colchester. His marble wall monument
can still be seen in this Saxon church, now deconsecrated and used as a café and market. [17]
Commentary on Gilbert
Francis Bacon never accepted Copernican heliocentrism and was critical of Gilbert's philosophical
work in support of the diurnal motion of the Earth. Bacon's criticism includes the following two
statements. The first was repeated in three of his works—In the Advancement of
Learning (1605), Novum Organum (1620) and De Augmentis (1623). The more severe second
statement is from History of Heavy and Light Bodies published after Bacon's death.[18]
The Alchemists have made a philosophy out of a few experiments of the furnace and Gilbert our
countryman hath made a philosophy out of observations of the lodestone.
[Gilbert] has himself become a magnet; that is, he has ascribed too many things to that force and
built a ship out of a shell.
Thomas Thomson writes in his History of the Royal Society (1812):[19]
The magnetic laws were first generalized and explained by Dr. Gilbert, whose book on magnetism
published in 1600, is one of the finest examples of inductive philosophy that has ever been
presented to the world. It is the more remarkable, because it preceded the Novum Organum of
Bacon, in which the inductive method of philosophizing was first explained.
William Whewell writes in his History of the Inductive Sciences (1837/1859):[20]
Gilbert... repeatedly asserts the paramount value of experiments. He himself, no doubt, acted up to
his own precepts; for his work contains all the fundamental facts of the science [of magnetism], so
fully examined, indeed, that even at this day we have little to add to them.
Historian Henry Hallam wrote of Gilbert in his Introduction to the Literature of Europe in the Fifteenth,
Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries (1848):[21]
The year 1600 was the first in which England produced a remarkable work in physical science; but
this was one sufficient to raise a lasting reputation to its author. Gilbert, a physician, in his Latin
treatise on the magnet, not only collected all the knowledge which others had possessed on that
subject, but became at once the father of experimental philosophy in this island, and by a singular
felicity and acuteness of genius, the founder of theories which have been revived after the lapse of
ages, and are almost universally received into the creed of the science. The magnetism of the earth
itself, his own original hypothesis, nova illa nostra et inaudita de tellure sententia [our new and
unprecedented view of the planet]... was by no means one of those vague conjectures that are
sometimes unduly applauded... He relied on the analogy of terrestrial phenomena to those exhibited
by what he calls a terrella, or artificial spherical magnet. ...Gilbert was also one of our earliest
Copernicans, at least as to the rotation of the earth; and with his usual sagacity inferred, before the
invention of the telescope, that there are a multitude of fixed stars beyond the reach of our vision.
Walter William Bryant of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, wrote in his book Kepler (1920):
When Gilbert of Colchester, in his “New Philosophy,” founded on his researches in magnetism, was
dealing with tides, he did not suggest that the moon attracted the water, but that “subterranean
spirits and humors, rising in sympathy with the moon, cause the sea also to rise and flow to the
shores and up rivers”. It appears that an idea, presented in some such way as this, was more readily
received than a plain statement. This so-called philosophical method was, in fact, very generally
applied, and Kepler, who shared Galileo’s admiration for Gilbert’s work, adopted it in his own attempt
to extend the idea of magnetic attraction to the planets. [22]
Bibliography
Michael Jackson.
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter
and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural
figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Jackson's contributions to
music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure
in popular culture for over four decades.
The eighth child of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder
brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5. He began his solo career
in 1971 while at Motown Records, and in the early 1980s, became a dominant figure in popular
music. His music videos, including those for "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his 1982
album Thriller, are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art
form and promotional tool. Their popularity helped bring the television channel MTV to
fame. Bad (1987) was the first album to produce five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles with
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty
Diana". He continued to innovate throughout the 1990s with videos such as "Black or White" and
forged a reputation as a touring artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized
complicated dance techniques such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His
distinctive sound and style have influenced artists of various genres.
Michael Jackson
1988
Jackson is the third-best-selling music artist of all time, with estimated sales of over 350 million
records worldwide.[nb 1]Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 66 million
copies worldwide. Jackson's other albums, including Off the Wall (1979), Dangerous (1991),
and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. He won hundreds of awards, more
than any other artist in the history of popular music, is one of the few artists to have been inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and is the only dancer from pop and rock to have been
inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame. His other
achievements include Guinness world records(including the Most Successful Entertainer of All
Time), 15 Grammy Awards (including the Legend and Lifetime Achievement awards), 26 American
Music Awards (more than any other artist), and 13 number-one US singles (more than any other
male artist in the Hot 100 era). Jackson is also remembered for his philanthropy and charitable
fundraising.
In the late 1980s, Jackson became a figure of controversy due to his changing
appearance, relationships, and behavior. In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing the child of a
family friend; the case led to an investigation and was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount
in 1994. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several
other charges. In 2009, while preparing for a series of comeback concerts, This Is It, Jackson diedof
acute intoxication from propofol and benzodiazepine given to him by his personal physician, Conrad
Murray. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and his public memorial service was
broadcast live. In 2014, Jackson became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in
the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. In 2016, Jackson's estate earned $825 million, the
highest yearly amount ever recorded by Forbes.
Jackson's childhood home in Gary, Indiana, pictured in March 2010 with floral tributes after his death
Michael Joseph Jackson[8][9] was born in Gary, Indiana, near Chicago, on August 29, 1958.[10][11] He
was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family, a working-class African-American family living in
a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street.[12][13]His mother, Katherine Esther Jackson (née Scruse), left
the Baptist tradition in 1963 to become a devout Jehovah's Witness.[14]She played clarinet and piano
and had aspired to be a country-and-western performer; she worked part-time at Sears to support
the family.[15] His father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, a former boxer, was a steelworker at U.S.
Steel. Joe played guitar with a local rhythm and blues band, the Falcons, to supplement the family's
income.[16] Despite being a convinced Lutheran, Joe followed his wife's faith, as did all their children.
[14]
His father's great-grandfather, July "Jack" Gale, was a Native American medicine man and US
Army scout.[17] Michael grew up with three sisters (Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet) and five brothers
(Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy).[18] A sixth brother, Marlon's twin Brandon, died shortly
after birth.[19]
Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father. [20][21] In 2003, Joe acknowledged that he had
regularly whipped him.[22] Joe was also said to have verbally abused his son, often saying that he had
a "fat nose".[23] Jackson stated that he was physically and emotionally abused during incessant
rehearsals; he credited his father's strict discipline with playing a large role in his success. [20] He
recalled that Joe often sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, and that
"if you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you". [24][25]
Katherine Jackson later stated that although whipping is considered abuse today, it was common at
the time.[26][27][28] Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon have said that their father was not abusive and that
the whippings, which were harder on Michael because he was younger, kept them disciplined and
out of trouble.[29] In an interview with Oprah Winfrey broadcast in February 1993, Jackson
acknowledged that his youth had been lonely and isolating. [30] His deep dissatisfaction with his
appearance, his nightmares and chronic sleep problems, his tendency to remain hyper-compliant,
especially with his father, and to remain childlike in adulthood are consistent with the effects of the
maltreatment he endured as a child.[31]
In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by their father which
included brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine.
[32]
In 1965, Michael began sharing lead vocals with his older brother Jermaine, and the group's name
was changed to the Jackson 5.[18] The following year, the group won a major local talent show with
Jackson performing the dance to Robert Parker's 1965 hit "Barefootin'" and singing lead to The
Temptations' "My Girl".[33] From 1966 to 1968 they toured the Midwest, frequently performing at a
string of black clubs known as the "chitlin' circuit" as the opening act for artists such as Sam &
Dave, the O'Jays, Gladys Knight, and Etta James. The Jackson 5 also performed at clubs and
cocktail lounges, where striptease shows were featured, and at local auditoriums and high school
dances.[34][35] In August 1967, while touring the East Coast, the group won a weekly amateur night
concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.[36]
The Jackson 5 recorded several songs, including their first single "Big Boy" (1968), for Steeltown
Records, a Gary record label,[37] then signed with Motown in 1969.[18] They left Gary in 1969 and
relocated to Los Angeles, where they continued to record for Motown. [38] Rolling Stone later
described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts" who "quickly emerged
as the main draw and lead singer." [39] The group set a chart record when its first four singles—"I Want
You Back" (1969), "ABC" (1970), "The Love You Save" (1970), and "I'll Be There" (1970)—peaked
at number one on the BillboardHot 100.[18] In May 1971, the Jackson family moved into a large home
on a two-acre estate in Encino, California.[40] During this period, Michael evolved from child performer
into a teen idol.[41] As he began to emerge as a solo performer in the early 1970s, he maintained ties
to the Jackson 5 and Motown. Between 1972 and 1975, Michael released four solo studio albums
with Motown: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973), and Forever, Michael (1975).
[42]
"Got to Be There" and "Ben", the title tracks from his first two solo albums, became successful
singles, as did a cover of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin".[43]
The Jackson 5 were later described as "a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists".[44] Their
sales began to decline in 1973, and the members chafed under Motown's refusal to allow them
creative input, but they achieved several top 40 hits, including the top five single "Dancing Machine"
(1974), before leaving Motown in 1975. [45] Jackson's performance of "Dancing Machine" on an
episode of Soul Train popularized the robot dance.[46]
1975–1981: Move to Epic and Off the Wall
From left, back row: Jackie Jackson, Michael Jackson, Tito Jackson, Marlon Jackson. Middle row: Randy
Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Rebbie Jackson. Front row: Janet Jackson (1977)
In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records,[45] and
renamed themselves the Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this
time; Jermaine chose to stay with Motown and pursue a solo career. [47]The Jacksons continued to
tour internationally, and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's
lead songwriter during this time, wrote hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (1979),
"This Place Hotel" (1980), and "Can You Feel It" (1980).[32]
In 1978, Jackson moved to New York City to star as the Scarecrow in The Wiz, a musical directed
by Sidney Lumet. It costarred Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross.[48] The film was a box-
office failure.[49] Its score was arranged by Quincy Jones, whom Jackson had previously met when he
was 12 at Sammy Davis Jr.'s house.[50] Jones agreed to produce Jackson's next solo album. [51] During
his time in New York, Jackson frequented the Studio 54 nightclub and was exposed to early hip hop,
influencing his beatboxing on future tracks such as "Working Day and Night".[52] In 1979, Jackson
broke his nose during a complex dance routine. A subsequent rhinoplasty was not a complete
success; he complained of breathing difficulties that later affected his career. He was referred
to Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson's subsequent operations. [53]
Jackson's fifth solo album, Off the Wall (1979), co-produced by Jackson and Jones, established him
as a solo performer. The album helped Jackson move from the bubblegum pop of his youth to the
more complex sounds he created as an adult.[41] Songwriters for the album included Jackson, Rod
Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney. Off the Wall was the first solo album to generate
four top 10 hits in the US: "Off the Wall", "She's Out of My Life", and the chart-topping singles "Don't
Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".[54][55] The album reached number three on
the Billboard 200 and sold over 20 million copies worldwide. [56] In 1980, Jackson won three awards at
the American Music Awards for his solo work: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male
Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". [57][58] He also won Billboard
Year-End awards for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album, and a Grammy Award for Best Male
R&B Vocal Performance for 1979 with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". [59] In 1981 Jackson was the
American Music Awards winner for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.
[60]
Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a bigger impact, and
was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. [61] In 1980, he secured the
highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit. [62]
Jackson recorded with Queen singer Freddie Mercury from 1981 to 1983, recording demos of "State
of Shock", "Victory" and "There Must Be More to Life Than This".[63] The recordings were intended for
an album of duets but, according to Queen's then-manager Jim Beach, the relationship soured when
Jackson insisted on bringing a llama into the recording studio,[64] and Jackson was upset by
Mercury's drug use.[65] The collaborations were released in 2014. [66] Jackson went on to record "State
of Shock" with Mick Jagger for the Jacksons' album Victory (1984),[67] and Mercury included the solo
version of "There Must Be More To Life Than This" on his album Mr. Bad Guy (1985).[68] In 1982,
Jackson combined his interests in songwriting and film when he contributed "Someone in the Dark"
to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The song, produced by Jones, won a Grammy
for Best Recording for Children for 1983. [69]
Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point, about $2 for every album
sold, and was making record-breaking profits. The videocassette of the documentary The Making of
Michael Jackson's Thriller sold over 350,000 copies in a few months. Dolls modeled after Jackson
appeared in stores in May 1984 for $12 each.[82] J. Randy Taraborrelli writes that "Thriller stopped
selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a
household staple."[83] In 1985, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller won a Grammy for Best
Music Video, Longform.[69] Time described Jackson's influence at that point as "star of records, radio,
rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a
decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of
taste and style and color too".[82] The New York Times wrote that "in the world of pop music, there is
Michael Jackson and there is everybody else".[84]
On March 25, 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for a performance at the Pasadena Civic
Auditorium for Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, an NBC television special. The show aired on
May 16, 1983, to an estimated audience of 47 million, and featured the Jacksons and other Motown
stars.[85] Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean" earned him his first Emmy nomination.
[86]
Wearing a black-sequined jacket and a golf glove decorated with rhinestones, he debuted his
signature dance move, the moonwalk, which Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier.
[87]
Jackson had originally turned down the invitation to perform at the show, believing he had been
doing too much television; at the request of Motown founder Berry Gordy, he agreed to perform in
exchange for time to do a solo performance.[88] Rolling Stone reporter Mikal Gilmore called the
performance "extraordinary".[41] Jackson's performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and the
Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.[89] Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times wrote in
1988: "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do
it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he
glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing." [90] Gordy described being
"mesmerized" by the performance.[91]
President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan present Jackson with an award at the White House on
May 14, 1984
Jackson inside the White House with President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan on the same day
The Victory Tour of 1984 headlined the Jacksons and showcased Jackson's new solo material to
more than two million Americans. It was the last tour he did with his brothers.
[98]
Following controversy over the concert's ticket sales, Jackson held a press conference and
announced that he would donate his share of the proceeds, an estimated $3 to 5 million, to charity.
[99]
His charitable work continued with the release of "We Are the World" (1985), co-written with Lionel
Richie,[100]which raised money for the poor in the US and Africa. [101] It earned $63 million,[101] and
became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with 20 million copies sold.[102] It won four Grammys
for 1985, including Song of the Year for Jackson and Richie as its writers. [100] The American Music
Awards directors removed the charity song from the competition because they felt it would be
inappropriate, but the AMA show in 1986 concluded with a tribute to the song on its first anniversary.
The project's creators received two special AMA honors: one for the creation of the song and
another for the USA for Africaidea. Jackson, Jones, and entertainment promoter Ken Kragan
received special awards for their roles in the song's creation. [100][103][104][105]
Jackson collaborated with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s, and learned that McCartney was
making $40 million a year from owning the rights to other people's songs. [101] By 1983, Jackson had
begun buying publishing rights to others' songs, but he was careful with his acquisitions, only bidding
on a few of the dozens that were offered to him. Jackson's early acquisitions of music catalogs and
song copyrights such as the Sly Stone collection included "Everyday People" (1968), Len Barry's "1-
2-3" (1965), and Dion DiMucci's "The Wanderer" (1961) and "Runaround Sue" (1961).
In 1984 Robert Holmes à Court, the Australian investor who owned ATV Music Publishing,
announced he was putting the ATV catalog up for sale. [106] ATV owned the publishing rights to nearly
4000 songs, among them the Northern Songscatalog that included the majority of the Lennon–
McCartney compositions recorded by the Beatles.[106] In 1981, McCartney had been offered the ATV
music catalog for £20 million ($40 million). [101][107][108] When he and McCartney were unable to make a
joint purchase, McCartney, who did not want to be the sole owner of the Beatles' songs, did not
pursue an offer on his own.[107][108] Jackson submitted a bid of $46 million on November 20, 1984.
[106]
His agents thought they had a deal several times, but encountered new bidders or new areas of
debate. In May 1985, Jackson's team left talks after having spent more than $1 million and four
months of due diligence work on the negotiations.[106] In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned
that Charles Koppelman's and Marty Bandier's The Entertainment Company had made a tentative
offer to buy ATV Music for $50 million; in early August, Holmes à Court's team contacted Jackson
and talks resumed. Jackson raised his bid to $47.5 million, which was accepted because he could
close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence. [106] Jackson also agreed to visit
Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon.
[109]
Jackson's purchase of ATV Music was finalized on August 10, 1985. [106][101]
Jackson's skin had been a medium-brown color during his youth, but from the mid-1980s gradually
grew paler. The change gained widespread media coverage, including rumors that he might have
been bleaching his skin.[110][111][112] According to J. Randy Taraborrelli's biography, in 1984 Jackson was
diagnosed with vitiligo, which causes white patches on the skin. Taraborrelli stated that Jackson had
also been skin bleaching. He said that Jackson was diagnosed with lupus, which was in remission.
Both illnesses made Jackson's skin sensitive to sunlight. The treatments Jackson used for his
condition further lightened his skin, and, with the application of pancake makeup to even out
blotches he could appear even paler. [113] Jackson stated that he used makeup to control the patchy
appearance of his skin, but never purposely bleached his skin. He said of his vitiligo: "It is something
I cannot help. When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me. It's a
problem for me. I can't control it."[114] Jackson was also diagnosed with vitiligo in his autopsy, though
not lupus.[115]
Jackson stated he had had only two rhinoplasties and no other facial surgery, but mentioned having
had a dimple created in his chin. He lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet and a
desire for "a dancer's body".[116] Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy, and speculated he was
suffering from anorexia nervosa. Periods of weight loss became a recurring problem later in his life.
[117]
During the course of his treatment, Jackson became friendly with his dermatologist, Arnold Klein,
and Klein's nurse Debbie Rowe. Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and the mother of his
two eldest children. He also relied heavily on Klein for medical and business advice. [118]
In 1986, the tabloids ran a story claiming that he slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow
aging, and was pictured lying in a glass box. The claim was untrue; widely cited tabloid reports state
that Jackson disseminated the fabricated story himself. [119] When Jackson bought a chimpanzee
named Bubbles from a laboratory, he was reported as increasingly detached from reality. [120] It was
reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick (the "Elephant Man") and,
although the story was untrue, Jackson did not deny it. [121] He initially saw these stories as
opportunities for publicity, but stopped leaking them to the press as they became more sensational.
The media then began fabricating stories.[119][122][123] These stories became embedded in the public
consciousness, inspiring the nickname "Wacko Jacko", which Jackson came to despise. [9][124]
Jackson collaborated with filmmakers George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on the 17-minute 3D
film Captain EO, which debuted in September 1986 at the original Disneyland and at Epcot in
Florida, and in March 1987 at Tokyo Disneyland. The $30 million film was a popular attraction at all
three parks. A Captain EO attraction also featured at Euro Disneyland after the park opened in 1992,
and was the last to close, in 1998.[125] The attraction returned to Disneyland in 2010 after Jackson's
death.[126] In 1987, Jackson disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses.[127] Katherine
Jackson said this might have been because some Witnesses strongly opposed the Thriller video;
[128]
Jackson had denounced it in a Witness publication in 1984. [129]
Jackson's first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated, with the industry expecting
another major hit.[130] It produced nine singles, with seven charting in the US Five ("I Just Can't Stop
Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana") reached
number one on the Billboard Hot 100, a record for the most number-one Hot 100 singles from a
single album.[131] It won the 1988 Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and the
1989 Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Leave Me Alone".[69][76] Jackson won an Award of
Achievement at the American Music Awards in 1989 after Bad became the first album to generate
five number-one singles in the US, the first album to top in 25 countries, and the best-selling album
worldwide in 1987 and 1988.[132][133][134][135] By 2012, it had sold between 30 and 45 million copies
worldwide.[136][137][138][139]
The Bad world tour began on September 12, 1988, finishing on January 14, 1989. [140] Jackson
performed a total of 123 concerts to an audience of 4.4 million people. [141] In Japan alone, the tour
had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record of 200,000 in a single
tour.[142] 504,000 people attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium, setting a
new Guinness world record.[143]
In 1988, Jackson released his autobiography, Moonwalk, which took four years to complete. It sold
200,000 copies[144] and reached the top of the New York Times bestsellers list.[145] He wrote about his
childhood, the abuse from his father, and the Jackson 5; [146] he also wrote about his changing facial
appearance, attributing it to puberty, weight loss, a strict vegetarian diet, a change in hairstyle, and
stage lighting.[116] Jackson released a film, Moonwalker, which featured live footage and short films
starring Jackson and Joe Pesci. Due to financial problems, the film was only released theatrically in
Germany; in other markets it was released direct-to-video. It debuted at the top of the Billboard Top
Music Video Cassette chart, and stayed there for 22 weeks, until it was displaced by Michael
Jackson: The Legend Continues.[147]
Jackson wore a gold-plated military style jacket with belt during the Bad era
In March 1988, Jackson purchased 2,700 acres (11 km2) of land near Santa Ynez, California, to build
a new home, Neverland Ranch, at a cost of $17 million.[148] He installed several carnival rides,
including a Ferris wheel, carousel, menagerie, movie theater and zoo.[148][149][150] A security staff of 40
patrolled the grounds.[149] In 2003, it was valued at $100 million. [151] In 1989, Jackson's annual
earnings from album sales, endorsements, and concerts were estimated at $125 million for that year
alone.[152] Shortly afterwards, he became the first Westerner to appear in a television advertisement in
the Soviet Union.[147]
Jackson's success earned him the nickname the "King of Pop".[153][10][154] It was popularized
by Elizabeth Taylor when she presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989,
proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul," [155] and the release of the "Black or White"
video.[156] President George H. W. Bush designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade".
[157]
From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $455,000 to the United Negro College Fund,[158] and all
profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity.[159]His rendition of "You Were There"
at Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday celebration won Jackson a second Emmy nomination. [86][147]
In mid-1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler,
and his father, Evan Chandler.[178][179][180] Jackson began taking painkillers, Valium, Xanax and Ativan to
deal with the stress of the allegations. By late 1993, he was addicted to the drugs. [181] The Chandler
family demanded payment from Jackson, which he refused. Jordan Chandler told the police that
Jackson had sexually abused him; [121][182] Jordan's mother said that there had been no wrongdoing on
Jackson's part.[180] Evan was recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges [180] and Jackson
used the recording to argue that he was the victim of a jealous father trying to extort money. [180] In
January 1994, after an investigation, deputy Los Angeles County district attorney Michael J.
Montagna stated that Chandler would not be charged with extortion, due to lack of cooperation from
Jackson's party and its willingness to negotiate with Chandler for several weeks, among other
reasons.[183]
In August 1993, police raided Jackson's home and found books and photographs in his bedroom
featuring young boys with little or no clothing.[184] The books were legal to purchase and own in the
US, and Jackson was not indicted. [185] Jordan Chandler gave police a description of
Jackson's intimate parts; a strip search revealed that Jordan had correctly claimed Jackson had
patchy-colored buttocks, short pubic hair, and pink and brown marked testicles.[186] He also drew
accurate pictures of a dark spot on Jackson's penis only visible when it was lifted. [187] Some jurors felt
that the photos did not match the description,[188] but the DA and the sheriff's photographer stated that
the description was accurate.[189]
The investigation was inconclusive and no charges were filed. [188] Jackson described the search in an
emotional public statement, and proclaimed his innocence. [178][186][190] On January 1, 1994, Jackson
settled with the Chandlers out of court for an undisclosed amount. [191] A Santa Barbara County grand
jury and a Los Angeles County grand jury disbanded on May 2, 1994, without indicting Jackson.
[192]
The Chandlers stopped co-operating with the criminal investigation around July 6, 1994. [193][194][195]
In 2004 Jackson's defense said that Jackson had never been criminally indicted, his settlement
admitted no wrongdoing or evidence of criminal misconduct, and that the 1994 settlement was made
without his consent.[193] A later disclosure by the FBI of investigation documents compiled over nearly
20 years led Jackson's attorney to suggest that no evidence of molestation or sexual impropriety
from Jackson toward minors existed. [196] The Department of Children and Family Services (Los
Angeles County) investigated Jackson beginning in 1993 with the Chandler allegation and again in
2003. The LAPD and DCFS did not find credible evidence of abuse or sexual misconduct. [197][198]
In May 1994, Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. They
had met in 1975, when a seven-year-old Presley attended one of Jackson's family engagements at
the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and reconnected through a mutual friend.[199] A friend of Presley's
said they first met as adults in November 1992.[200] They stayed in contact every day over the
telephone. As child molestation accusations against Jackson became public, he became dependent
on Presley for emotional support; she was concerned about his faltering health and addiction to
drugs.[181] Presley said: "I believed he didn't do anything wrong and that he was wrongly accused and
yes I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it." [201] Shortly afterward, she
tried to persuade Jackson to settle the allegations out of court and go into rehabilitation to recover—
he subsequently did both.[181]
Jackson proposed to Presley over the telephone in late 1993, saying: "If I asked you to marry me,
would you do it?"[181] They married in the Dominican Republic in secrecy, denying it for nearly two
months afterwards.[202] The marriage was, in her words, "a married couple's life ... that was sexually
active."[203] The tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a ploy to prop up Jackson's public
image.[202] The marriage ended less than two years later with an amicable divorce settlement. [204]In a
2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Presley said they had spent four more years after the divorce
"getting back together and breaking up" until she decided to stop. [205]
HIStory was promoted with the HIStory World Tour, beginning on September 7, 1996, and ending on
October 15, 1997. Jackson performed 82 concerts in five continents, 35 countries and 58 cities to
over 4.5 million fans, and grossed a total of $165 million, becoming Jackson's most attended tour.
[140]
During the tour, Jackson married Debbie Rowe, a dermatology nurse, in an impromptu ceremony
in Sydney, Australia. Rowe was six months pregnant with the couple's first child at the time.
Originally, Rowe and Jackson had no plans to marry, but Jackson's mother Katherine persuaded
them to do so.[214] Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (commonly known as Prince) was born on February
13, 1997; his sister Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson was born a year later on April 3, 1998.[204][215] The
couple divorced in 1999, and Jackson received full custody of the children. The subsequent custody
suit was settled in 2006.[216][217]
In 1997, Jackson released Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, which contained remixes of
hit singles from HIStory and five new songs. Worldwide sales stand at 6 million copies, making it
the best-selling remix album of all time.[218] It reached number one in the UK, as did the title track.[218]
[219]
In the US, the album was certified platinum, but only reached number 24. [163][208] Forbes placed
Jackson's annual income at $35 million in 1996 and $20 million in 1997. [151]
1997–2002: Label dispute and Invincible
From October 1997 to September 2001, Jackson worked on his tenth solo album, Invincible. The
album cost $30 million to record, not including promotional expenditures. [220] In June 1999, Jackson
joined Luciano Pavarotti for a War Child benefit concert in Modena, Italy. The show raised a million
dollars for the refugees of Kosovo, FR Yugoslavia, and additional funds for the children of
Guatemala.[221] Later that month, Jackson organized a series of "Michael Jackson & Friends" benefit
concerts in Germany and Korea. Other artists involved included Slash, The Scorpions, Boyz II
Men, Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, A. R. Rahman, Prabhu Deva Sundaram, Shobana, Andrea
Bocelli, and Luciano Pavarotti. The proceeds went to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, the Red
Cross and UNESCO.[222] From August 1999 to 2000, he lived in New York City at 4 East 74th Street.
[223]
At the turn of the century, Jackson won an American Music Award as Artist of the 1980s. [224] In
2000, Guinness World Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities, more than any other
entertainer.[225]
In September 2001, two 30th Anniversary concerts were held at Madison Square Garden to mark
Jackson's 30th year as a solo artist. Jackson appeared onstage alongside his brothers for the first
time since 1984. The show also featured performances by artists including Mýa, Usher, Whitney
Houston, NSYNC, Destiny's Child, Monica, Luther Vandross, and Slash.[226] After 9/11, Jackson
helped organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at RFK Stadium in
Washington, D.C. on October 21, 2001. Jackson performed "What More Can I Give" as the finale.[227]
The release of Invincible was preceded by a dispute between Jackson and his record label, Sony
Music Entertainment. Jackson had expected the licenses to the masters of his albums to revert to
him some time in the early 2000s, after which he would be able to promote the material however he
pleased and keep the profits; clauses in the contract set the revert date years into the future.
Jackson discovered that the attorney who had represented him in the deal had also been
representing Sony.[219] Sony had been pressuring him to sell his share in its music catalog venture,
and he feared that Sony might have had a conflict of interest, since if Jackson's career failed, he
would have had to sell his share of the catalog at a low price. [227] Jackson sought an early exit from
his contract.[219]
Invincible was released on October 30, 2001. It was Jackson's first full-length album in six years, and
the last album of original material he released in his lifetime. [219] It debuted at number one in 13
countries and went on to sell 6 million copies worldwide, receiving double-platinum certification in the
US.[163][165] Sales for Invinciblewere lower than Jackson's previous releases, due in part to the record
label dispute and the lack of promotion or tour, and its release at a bad time [228] for the music industry
in general.[227] Invincible spawned three singles, "You Rock My World", "Cry", and "Butterflies", the
latter without a music video.
On January 22, 2002, Jackson won his 22nd American Music Award for Artist of the Century. [229] In
the same year, his third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed "Blanket") was born. The
mother's identity was not announced, but Jackson said Prince was the result of artificial
insemination from a surrogate mother and his own sperm.[216] Jackson alleged in July 2002 that Sony
Music chairman Tommy Mottola was a "devil" and "racist" who did not support his African-American
artists, using them merely for his own gain. [227] He charged that Mottola had called his colleague Irv
Gotti a "fat nigger".[230] Sony refused to renew Jackson's contract, and claimed that a $25
million promotional campaign had failed because Jackson refused to tour in the US. [220]
Beginning in May 2002, Jackson allowed a documentary film crew, led by British journalist Martin
Bashir, to follow him nearly everywhere he went. On November 20, Jackson brought his infant son
Prince onto the balcony of his room at the Hotel Adlonin Berlin as fans stood below, holding him in
his right arm with a cloth loosely draped over Prince's face. He briefly held Prince out over a railing,
four stories above ground level, prompting widespread criticism in the media. Jackson apologized for
the incident, calling it "a terrible mistake". [231] Bashir's crew was with Jackson during this incident; the
program was broadcast in March 2003 as Living with Michael Jackson. In one scene, Jackson was
seen holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with a young boy. [232] Jackson stated in
the documentary that he saw nothing wrong with sleeping with boys. [233]
As soon as the documentary aired, the Santa Barbara county attorney's office began a criminal
investigation. After the young boy involved in the documentary and his mother had told investigators
that Jackson had behaved improperly, Jackson was arrested in November 2003 and charged with
seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent in relation to
the 13-year-old boy shown in the film. [232] Jackson denied the allegations, saying the sleepovers were
not sexual in nature. The People v. Jackson trial began on January 31, 2005, in Santa Maria,
California, and lasted until the end of May. On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all counts.
[234][235][236]
After the trial he moved to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah.
[237]
Jermaine Jackson later said the family had planned to send him there had he been convicted. [238]
On November 17, 2003, three days before Jackson's arrest, Sony released Number Ones, a
compilation of Jackson's hits on CD and DVD. In the US, the album was certified triple platinum by
the RIAA; in the UK it was certified six times platinum for shipments of at least 1.2 million units. [163][239]
2006–2009: Closure of Neverland, final years, and This Is It
In March 2006, amidst reports that Jackson was having financial problems, the main house at
Neverland Ranch was closed as a cost-cutting measure. [240] Jackson had failed to make repayments
of a $270 million loan secured against his music publishing holdings, which were making him $75
million a year.[241] Bank of America sold the debt to Fortress Investments. Sony proposed a
restructuring deal which would give them a future option to buy half of Jackson's stake in their jointly-
owned publishing company, leaving Jackson with a 25% stake. [211] Jackson agreed to a Sony-backed
refinancing deal in April 2006; the details were not made public. [242]
In early 2006, it was announced that Jackson had signed a contract with a Bahrain-based startup,
Two Seas Records; nothing came of the deal, and Two Seas CEO Guy Holmes later stated that it
had never been finalized.[243][244] That October, Fox News entertainment reporter Roger Friedman said
that Jackson had been recording at a studio in rural County Westmeath, Ireland. It was not known at
the time what Jackson was working on, or who had paid for the sessions, since his publicist had
recently issued a statement claiming that he had left Two Seas.[244][245] In November 2006, Jackson
invited an Access Hollywood camera crew into the studio in Westmeath, and MSNBC reported that
he was working on a new album, produced by will.i.am.[165] Jackson performed at the World Music
Awardsin London on November 15, 2006, and accepted a Diamond Award for selling over 100
million records.[165][246] During his period in Ireland he sought Patrick Treacy for cosmetic treatment
after reading about his experience with HLA fillers and his charitable work in Africa. [247] Treacy
became his doctor when he lived in Ireland in 2006. He started as Jackson's
personal dermatologist and developed a friendship with him. [248] Jackson returned to the US after
Christmas 2006 to attend James Brown's funeral in Augusta, Georgia, where he gave one of the
eulogies, saying that "James Brown is my greatest inspiration". [249]
In 2007, Jackson and Sony bought another music publishing company, Famous Music LLC, formerly
owned by Viacom. This deal gave him the rights to songs by Eminem and Beck, among others.[250]
[251]
In March 2007, Jackson gave a brief interview to the Associated Press in Tokyo, where he said:
"I've been in the entertainment industry since I was 6 years old, and as Charles Dickens would say,
'It's been the best of times, the worst of times.' But I would not change my career ... While some
have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong
faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support me." [252] That month,
Jackson visited a US Army post in Japan, Camp Zama, to greet over 3,000 troops and their families.
The hosts presented Jackson with a Certificate of Appreciation. [253][254]
In September 2007, Jackson was still working on his next album, but it was never completed. [255] In
2008, Jackson and Sony released Thriller 25 to mark the 25th anniversary of the original Thriller.
The album featured the previously unreleased song "For All Time", an outtake from the original
sessions, as well as remixes by younger artists who had been inspired by Jackson's work. [256] Two
remixes were released as singles with modest success: "The Girl Is Mine 2008" (with will.i.am),
based on an early demo version of the original song without Paul McCartney, and "Wanna Be
Startin' Somethin' 2008" (with Akon).[256][257][258][259] In anticipation of Jackson's 50th birthday, Sony BMG
released a series of greatest hits albums, King of Pop. Slightly different versions were released in
various countries, based on polls of local fans.[260] King of Pop reached the top 10 in most countries
where it was issued, and also sold well as an import in other countries, including the US. [261][262]
An aerial view of part of Jackson's 2,800-acre (11 km2) Neverland Valley Ranch near Los Olivos, California,
showing the rides
In late 2008, Fortress Investments threatened to foreclose on Neverland Ranch, which Jackson used
as collateral for loans running into many tens of millions of dollars. Fortress opted to sell Jackson's
debts to Colony Capital LLC. In November, Jackson transferred Neverland Ranch's title to Sycamore
Valley Ranch Company LLC, a joint venture between Jackson and Colony Capital LLC. The deal
cleared Jackson's debt and earned him an additional $35 million. At the time of his death, Jackson
still owned a stake of unknown size in Neverland/Sycamore Valley. [263][264] In September 2008,
Jackson entered negotiations with Julien's Auction House to display and auction a large collection of
memorabilia in 1,390 lots. The auction was scheduled to take place between April 22 and 25. [265] An
exhibition of the lots opened as scheduled on April 14, but Jackson cancelled the auction. [266]
In March 2009, Jackson held a press conference at London's O2 Arena to announce a series of
comeback concerts titled This Is It. The shows were planned to be Jackson's first major series of
concerts since the HIStory World Tour finished in 1997. Jackson suggested he would retire after the
shows. The initial plan was for 10 concerts in London, followed by shows in Paris, New York City
and Mumbai. Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, stated that the first 10 dates
would earn Jackson £50 million. [267] The London residency was increased to 50 dates after record-
breaking ticket sales: over one million were sold in less than two hours. [268] The concerts would have
commenced on July 13, 2009, and finished on March 6, 2010. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in
the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most
rehearsals took place at the Staples Center, owned by AEG.[269]
On June 25, 2009, less than three weeks before the first show was due to begin in London, with all
concerts sold out, Jackson suffered cardiac arrest and died.[270] Conrad Murray, his personal
physician, had given Jackson various medications in an attempt to help him sleep at his rented
mansion in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating Jackson were unsuccessful. [271]
[272]
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics received a 911 call at 12:22 pm (PDT, 19:22 UTC),
arriving three minutes later.[273][274] Jackson was not breathing and CPR was performed.
[275]
Resuscitation efforts continued en route to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for more
than an hour after arriving there at 1:13 pm (20:13 UTC). He was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm
Pacific time (21:26 UTC).[276][277]
In August 2009, the Los Angeles County Coroner ruled that Jackson's death was a homicide.[278]
[279]
Jackson had taken propofol, lorazepam, and midazolam;[280] his death was caused by acute
propofol intoxication.[281]
Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief. [272] The news spread quickly online, causing
websites to slow down and crash from user overload,[282] and putting unprecedented strain[283] on
services and websites including Google,[284] AOL Instant Messenger,[283] Twitter, and Wikipedia.
[284]
Overall, web traffic ranged from 11% to at least 20% higher than normal. [285]
[286]
MTV and BET aired marathons of Jackson's music videos.[287] Jackson specials aired on television
stations around the world.[288] MTV briefly returned to its original music video format, [289] airing hours of
Jackson's music videos, accompanied by live news specials featuring reactions from MTV
personalities and other celebrities.[290]
Jackson's tomb in the Holly Terrace of the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Glendale
Memorial service
Jackson's memorial was held on July 7, 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, preceded by a
private family service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Hall of Liberty. Tickets to the memorial were
distributed via lottery; over 1.6 million fans applied for tickets during the two-day application period.
The final 8,750 recipients were drawn at random, and each recipient received two tickets. [291] The
memorial service was one of the most watched events in streaming history,[292] with an estimated US
audience of 31.1 million, a number comparable to the 35.1 million who watched the 2004 burial of
former president Ronald Reagan and the 33.1 million Americans who watched the 1997 funeral for
Princess Diana.[293]
Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Jermaine
Jackson, and Shaheen Jafargholiperformed at the event. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave
eulogies, while Queen Latifah read "We Had Him", a poem written for the occasion by Maya
Angelou.[294] Al Sharpton received a standing ovation with cheers when he told Jackson's children,
"Wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with. But he
dealt with it anyway."[295] Jackson's 11-year-old daughter Paris Katherine, speaking publicly for the
first time, wept as she addressed the crowd.[296][297] The Rev. Lucious Smith provided a closing prayer.
[298]
Jackson's body was entombed on September 3, 2009, at Forest Lawn Memorial
Park in Glendale, California.[299]
Aftermath
On June 25, 2010, the first anniversary of Jackson's death, fans, family and friends visited Jackson's
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his family home, and Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Many
carried tributes to leave at the sites.[308][309] On June 26, fans marched in front of the Los Angeles
Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division at the old Parker Center building, and submitted a
petition with thousands of signatures, demanding justice in the homicide investigation. [310] The
Jackson Family Foundation and Voiceplate presented "Forever Michael", an event uniting Jackson
family members, celebrities, fans, supporters and the community. A portion of the proceeds were
presented to charity.[311]
In April 2011, billionaire businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, chairman of Fulham Football Club,
unveiled a statue of Jacksonoutside the club stadium, Craven Cottage.[312] Fulham fans failed to see
the relevance of Jackson to the club;[313] Al-Fayed defended the statue and told the fans to "go to hell"
if they did not appreciate it.[312] The statue was removed in September 2013 [314] and moved to
the National Football Museum in Manchester in May 2014.[315] The statue was removed from display
in March 2019 following the Leaving Neverland documentary.[316]
In 2012, in an attempt to end a family dispute, Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson retracted his
signature on a public letter criticizing executors of Michael Jackson's estate and his mother's
advisers over the legitimacy of his brother's will. [317] T.J. Jackson, son of Tito Jackson, was given co-
guardianship of Michael Jackson's children after false reports surfaced of Katherine Jackson going
missing.[318]
In 2013, choreographer Wade Robson and James Safechuck filed a $1.5 billion-dollar civil lawsuit
claiming Jackson had sexually abused them as children. [319] On May 16, 2013, Robson alleged
on The Today Show that Jackson had abused him for seven years, beginning when Robson was
seven years old.[320] Robson had previously testified in defense of Jackson in the 2005 trial. [321] On
December 19, 2017, Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff dismissed the lawsuit because Robson had filed too
late.[322][323][324] The documentary Leaving Neverland (2019) covers Jackson's alleged sexual abuse of
Robson and Safechuck.[325] Jackson's family condemned the film as a "public lynching" and insisted
he was innocent.[326] Many radio stations, including some in New Zealand, Canada, and the UK,
removed Jackson's music from their playlists in response to the new allegations in the documentary.
[327][328]
Posthumous releases
Following a surge in sales following Jackson's death, Sony extended its distribution rights for his
music, which had been due to expire in 2015. [329] On March 16, 2010, Sony Music Entertainment,
spearheaded by its Columbia/Epic Label Group division, signed a $250 million deal with the Jackson
estate to extend their distribution rights to Jackson's back catalogue until at least 2017 and release
ten new albums of previously unreleased material and new collections of released work. [330]
The first posthumous Jackson song, "This Is It", co-written in the 1980s with Paul Anka, was
released in n October 2009. The surviving Jackson brothers reunited to record backing vocals. [331] On
October 28, 2009, Sony released a documentary film about the rehearsals, Michael Jackson's This
Is It.[332] Despite a limited two-week engagement, it became the highest-grossing documentary or
concert film of all time, with earnings of more than $260 million worldwide.[333] Jackson's estate
received 90% of the profits.[334] The film was accompanied by a compilation album of the same name.
[335]
At the 2009 American Music Awards, Jackson won four posthumous awards, two for him and two
for his album Number Ones, bringing his total American Music Awards to 26.[336][337]
In late 2010, Sony released the first posthumous album, Michael and the promotional single
"Breaking News".[338] Sony Music paid the Jackson estate $250 million for the deal, plus royalties,
making it the most expensive music contract for a single artist in history. [329][339] Video game
developer Ubisoft released a music video gamefeaturing Jackson for the 2010 holiday
season, Michael Jackson: The Experience; it was among the first games to
use Kinect and PlayStation Move, the motion-detecting camera systems for Xbox
360 and PlayStation 3 respectively.[340] Xscape, an album of unreleased material,[341] was released on
May 13, 2014.[342] Later that year, Queen released three duets recorded with Jackson and Freddie
Mercury in the 1980s.[66] A compilation album, Scream, was released on September 29, 2017.[343] In
2017, Sony Music Entertainment extended its partnership with the Michael Jackson estate, [344] and in
July 2018, Sony/ATV bought the Jackson estate's stake in EMI for $287.5 million. [345]
In October 2011, the theater company Cirque du Soleil launched Michael Jackson: The Immortal
World Tour in Montreal, with a permanent show resident in Las Vegas.[346] The 90-minute $57-million
production combined Jackson's music and choreography with the Cirque's 65 aerial dancers. [347] A
compilation soundtrack album, Immortal, accompanied the tour.[348] A larger and more theatrical
Cirque show, Michael Jackson: One, designed for residency at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las
Vegas, opened on May 23, 2013 in a renovated theater. [349][350]
In December 2015, Thriller became the first album in the US to surpass 30 million shipments,
certifying it 30× platinum.[5] A year later, it was certified again at 33× platinum,
after Soundscan added streams and audio downloads to album certifications. [351] In 2018, its US
sales record was overtaken by the Eagles' album Greatest Hits 1971–75, with 38× platinum.[352]
A jukebox musical, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, is due to debut on Broadway in mid-2020. [353] The
musical is directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon and features a book by Lynn
Nottage.[354] It was delayed[328] and a planned pre-Broadway run in Chicago was cancelled in the wake
of the renewed claims of child sexual abuse in the Leaving Neverland documentary.[355]
Artistry
Influences
"Thriller"
MENU
0:00
Jackson's song "Thriller",
released as a single in
1984, utilizes cinematic
sound effects, horror film
motifs, and vocal trickery
to convey a sense of
danger.[51]
"Smooth Criminal"
MENU
0:00
A single from the
album Bad, released
1988, "Smooth Criminal"
features digital drum
sounds, keyboard-created
bass lines, and other
percussion elements
designed to give the
impression of a pulsing
heart.[375]
"Black or White"
MENU
0:00
The lead single
from Dangerous, "Black or
White" is a danceable rock
song with hard rock
elements. It was one of
Jackson's most successful
recordings.[376][377]
In Bad, Jackson's concept of the predatory lover is seen on the rock song "Dirty Diana".[378] The lead
single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a traditional love ballad, while "Man in the Mirror" is a ballad
of confession and resolution. "Smooth Criminal" is an evocation of bloody assault, rape and likely
murder.[130] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that Dangerous presents Jackson as a
paradoxical individual.[379] He comments the album is more diverse than his previous Bad, as it
appeals to an urban audience while also attracting the middle class with anthems like "Heal the
World".[379] The first half of the record is dedicated to new jack swing, including songs like "Jam" and
"Remember the Time".[380] It was the first Jackson album in which social ills become a primary theme;
"Why You Wanna Trip on Me", for example, protests world hunger, AIDS, homelessness and drugs.
Dangerouscontains sexually charged songs such as the multifaceted love song "In the Closet".
[380]
The title track continues the theme of the predatory lover and compulsive desire. [380] The second
[380]
half includes introspective, pop-gospel anthems such as "Will You Be There", "Heal the World" and
"Keep the Faith"; these songs show Jackson opening up about various personal struggles and
worries.[380] In the ballad "Gone Too Soon", Jackson gives tribute to his friend Ryan White and the
plight of those with AIDS.[381]
HIStory creates an atmosphere of paranoia.[382] Its content focuses on the hardships and public
struggles Jackson went through prior to its production. In the new jack swing-funk-rock tracks
"Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie", and the R&B ballad "You Are Not Alone", Jackson retaliates against
the injustice and isolation he feels, and directs much of his anger at the media. [383] In the introspective
ballad "Stranger in Moscow", Jackson laments his "fall from grace", while "Earth Song", "Childhood",
"Little Susie" and "Smile" are operatic pop songs. [382][383] In the "D.S.", Jackson launched a verbal
attack against the lawyer Tom Sneddon, who had prosecuted him in both child sexual abuse cases.
He describes Sneddon as an antisocial white supremacist who wanted to "get my ass, dead or
alive". Of the song, Sneddon said: "I have not—shall we say—done him the honor of listening to it,
but I've been told that it ends with the sound of a gunshot." [384] Invincible found Jackson working
heavily with producer Rodney Jerkins.[9] The album comprises urban soul tracks such as "Cry" and
"The Lost Children", ballads such as "Speechless", "Break of Dawn", and "Butterflies" and mixes hip
hop, pop, and R&B in "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker" and "Invincible". [385][386]
Vocal style
Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed noticeably. Between
1971 and 1975, his voice descended from boy soprano to high tenor.[387] His vocal range as an adult
was F2-E♭6. Jackson first used the "vocal hiccup" technique, similar to gulping for air or gasping, in
1973, with the song "It's Too Late to Change the Time" from the Jackson 5's album G.I.T.: Get It
Together.[388] Jackson did not use the technique fully until the recording of Off the Wall: it can be seen
in full force in the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" promotional video.[45] With the arrival
of Off the Wall in the late 1970s, Jackson's abilities as a vocalist were well regarded; at the
time, Rolling Stone compared his vocals to the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder, and
wrote that "Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a
startling falsetto that's used very daringly."[368][389] By the time of 1982's Thriller, Rolling Stone wrote
that Jackson was singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness". [374]
A distinctive deliberate mispronunciation of "come on", used frequently by Jackson, occasionally
spelled "c'mon", "cha'mone", or "shamone", is also a staple in impressions and caricatures of him.
[390]
The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective album Dangerous. The New York
Times noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a
desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone". [380] When singing
of brotherhood or self-esteem the musician would return to "smooth" vocals. [380] Of Invincible, Rolling
Stone wrote that, at 43, Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal
harmonies".[391] Nelson George wrote: "The grace, the aggression, the growling, the natural
boyishness, the falsetto, the smoothness—that combination of elements mark him as a major
vocalist".[375] Cultural critic Joseph Vogel notes that Jackson had an "ability to convey emotion without
the use of language: there are his trademark gulps, grunts, gasps, cries, exclamations; he also
frequently scats or twists and contorts words until they are barely discernible." [392]Neil
McCormick wrote that Jackson's unorthodox singing style "was original and utterly distinctive". [393]
One of many identical statues, based on Diana Walczak's original HIStory statue, positioned throughout
Europe to promote HIStory
Jackson has been referred to as the "King of Pop" because, throughout his career, he transformed
the art of music videos and paved the way for modern pop music. For much of Jackson's career, he
had an unparalleled worldwide influence over the younger generation. [212] His music and videos, such
as Thriller, fostered racial diversity in MTV's roster and steered its focus from rock to pop music and
R&B, shaping the channel into a form that proved enduring. [41] Jackson's work continues to influence
numerous artists of various music genres. He is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All
Time by Guinness World Records.[416][417] He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of
the 20th century,[418] and his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized
personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.[419][420][421]
Danyel Smith, the chief content officer of Vibe Media Group and the editor-in-chief of Vibe describes
Jackson as "The Greatest Star".[422] AllMusic's Steve Huey describes Jackson as "an unstoppable
juggernaut, possessed of all the skills to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly
identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility and loads of sheer star
power".[9] BET described Jackson "as quite simply the greatest entertainer of all time" and someone
who "revolutionized the music video and brought dances like the moonwalk to the world. Jackson's
sound, style, movement and legacy continues to inspire artists of all genres." [423]
Jackson's wax statue at Madame Tussauds, London
In 1984, Time magazine's pop critic Jay Cocks wrote that "Jackson is the biggest thing since the
Beatles. He is the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley. He just may be the most popular
black singer ever."[82] In 1990, Vanity Fair cited Jackson as the most popular artist in the history of
show business.[147] In 2003, Daily Telegraph writer Tom Utley described Jackson as "extremely
important" and a "genius".[424] In 2007, Jackson said: "Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the
lovers in this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live forever." [425]
Jackson was inducted onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980 as member of the Jacksons and in
1984 as solo artist. Throughout his career he received numerous honors and awards, including
the World Music Awards' Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium, the American Music
Award's Artist of the Century Award and the Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award.[226][435] He was
a double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997
and later as a solo artist in 2001. Jackson was also inducted in several other halls of fame,
including Vocal Group Hall of Fame (as a Jackson 5 member) in 1999 and the Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 2002.[226] In 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and
currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. [436] In 2014, Jackson was inducted into
the second class of inductees to the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame; his father Joe Jackson
accepted on his behalf.[437]
Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of
popular music.[438] His awards include many Guinness world records (eight in 2006 alone), including
for the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time, [416][417] 13 Grammy Awards[439] (as well as the Grammy
Legend Award[440] and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award),[441] 26 American Music
Awards (including the "Artist of the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s"), [224][442]—more than any artist—
13 number-one singles in the US in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100
era[443]—and estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide[444][Note 1] making him one of the best-
selling artists in music history. On December 29, 2009, the American Film Institute recognized
Jackson's death as a "moment of significance". [445] Jackson also received an Honorary Doctorate of
Humane Letters from Fisk University.[446]
Jackson is also remembered for his charity work.[447][448]
Earnings
In the year after his death, Jackson sold more than 8.2 million albums in the US and 35 million
albums worldwide, more than any other artist in 2009. [449][450] In 2014, Jackson became the first artist
to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades.[451] He became the first artist
to sell one million music downloads in a week, with 2.6 million song downloads. Thriller, Number
Ones and The Essential Michael Jackson became the first catalog albums to outsell any new album.
[452]
Jackson also became the first artist to have four of the top 20 best-selling albums in a single year
in the US.[449]
Forbes reported in August 2018 that Jackson's total career pretax earnings in life and death was
$4.2 billion.[453][454] Sales of his recordings through Sony's music unit earned him an estimated $300
million in royalties. He may have earned another $400 million from concerts, music publishing
(including his share of the Beatles catalog), endorsements, merchandising and music videos. [455]
Estimates of Jackson's net worth during his life range from negative $285 million to positive $350
million for 2002, 2003 and 2007. [456][457]
On July 26, 2013, the executors of the estate of Michael Jackson filed a petition in the United States
Tax Court as a result of a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over US federal estate
taxes imposed on the value of Jackson's Estate at the time of his death. [458] The executors claim that
the Estate was worth about $7 million. The IRS asserts that the Estate was worth over $1.1 billion. In
February 2014, the IRS reported that Jackson's estate owed $702 million, including $505 million in
taxes, plus $197 million in penalties after the estate had allegedly undervalued Jackson's fortune.
[459]
A trial was held from February 6 to 24, 2017. [460] A decision is expected in 2019. [461]
In 2016, Forbes estimated annual gross earnings by the Jackson estate at $825 million, the largest
ever recorded for a celebrity. The majority was due to the sale of the Sony/ATV catalog. It was the
seventh consecutive year since his death in which Jackson's annual earnings were over $100
million.[462] In 2018 the figure was $400 million. [463] According to Forbes in 2016, Jackson had been
the top-earning dead celebrity each year since his death.[462]
Discography
Michael Jackson albums discography and Michael Jackson singles discography
Got to Be There (1972)
Ben (1972)
Music & Me (1973)
Forever, Michael (1975)
Off the Wall (1979)
Thriller (1982)
Bad (1987)
Dangerous (1991)
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)
Invincible (2001)
Filmography
Michael Jackson videography
The Wiz (1978)
Captain EO (1986)
Moonwalker (1988)
Michael Jackson's Ghosts (1997)
Men in Black II (2002)
Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls (2004)
Tours
List of concert tours by Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5
John dalton
John Dalton FRS (/ˈdɔːltən/; 6 September 1766 – 27 July 1844) was an English chemist, physicist,
and meteorologist. He is best known for introducing the atomic theory into chemistry, and for his
research into colour blindness, sometimes referred to as Daltonism in his honour.
John Dalton
Dalton by Charles Turner after James
Lonsdale (1834, mezzotint)
Early life
John Dalton was born into a Quaker family in Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, in Cumberland,
England.[1] His father was a weaver.[2] He received his early education from his father and from
Quaker John Fletcher, who ran a private school in the nearby village of Pardshaw Hall. Dalton's
family was too poor to support him for long and he began to earn his living at the age of ten in the
service of a wealthy local Quaker, Elihu Robinson. [3] It is said he began teaching at a local school at
age 12 and became proficient in Latin at age 14.
Early career
When he was 15, Dalton joined his older brother Jonathan in running a Quaker school
in Kendal, Westmorland, about 45 miles (72 km) from his home. Around the age of 23 Dalton may
have considered studying law or medicine, but his relatives did not encourage him, perhaps because
being a Dissenter, he was barred from attending English universities. He acquired much scientific
knowledge from informal instruction by John Gough, a blind philosopher who was gifted in the
sciences and arts. At the age of 27 he was appointed teacher of mathematics and natural
philosophy at the "New College" in Manchester, a dissenting academy (the lineal predecessor,
following a number of changes of location, of Harris Manchester College, Oxford). He remained
there until the age of 34, when the college's worsening financial situation led him to resign his post
and begin a new career as a private tutor in mathematics and natural philosophy.
Scientific contributions
Meteorology
Dalton's early life was influenced by a prominent Eaglesfield Quaker, Elihu Robinson, [4] a
competent meteorologist and instrument maker, who interested him in problems of mathematics and
meteorology. During his years in Kendal, Dalton contributed solutions to problems and answered
questions on various subjects in The Ladies' Diary and the Gentleman's Diary. In 1787 at age 21 he
began his meteorological diary in which, during the succeeding 57 years, he entered more than
200,000 observations.[5] He rediscovered George Hadley's theory of atmospheric circulation (now
known as the Hadley cell) around this time.[6] In 1793 Dalton's first publication, Meteorological
Observations and Essays, contained the seeds of several of his later discoveries but despite the
originality of his treatment, little attention was paid to them by other scholars. A second work by
Dalton, Elements of English Grammar, was published in 1801.
Measuring mountains
After leaving the Lake District, Dalton returned annually to spend his holidays studying meteorology,
something which involved a lot of hill-walking. Until the advent of aeroplanes and weather balloons,
the only way to make measurements of temperature and humidity at altitude was to climb a
mountain. Dalton estimated the height using a barometer. The Ordnance Survey did not publish
maps for the Lake District until the 1860s. Before then, Dalton was one of the few authorities on the
heights of the region's mountains. [7] He was often accompanied by Jonathan Otley, who also made a
study of the heights of the local peaks, using Dalton's figures as a comparison to check his work.
Otley published his information in his map of 1818. Otley became both an assistant and a friend to
Dalton.[8]
Colour blindness
In 1794, shortly after his arrival in Manchester, Dalton was elected a member of the Manchester
Literary and Philosophical Society, the "Lit & Phil", and a few weeks later he communicated his first
paper on "Extraordinary facts relating to the vision of colours", in which he postulated that shortage
in colour perception was caused by discoloration of the liquid medium of the eyeball. As both he and
his brother were colour blind, he recognised that the condition must be hereditary. [9]
Although Dalton's theory lost credence in his lifetime, the thorough and methodical nature of his
research into his visual problem was so broadly recognised that Daltonism became a common term
for colour blindness.[a] Examination of his preserved eyeball in 1995 demonstrated that Dalton had a
less common kind of colour blindness, deuteroanopia, in which medium wavelength sensitive cones
are missing (rather than functioning with a mutated form of pigment, as in the most common type of
colour blindness, deuteroanomaly).[9] Besides the blue and purple of the optical spectrum he was
only able to recognise one colour, yellow, or, as he said in a paper, [11]
That part of the image which others call red, appears to me little more than a shade, or defect of
light; after that the orange, yellow and green seem one colour, which descends pretty uniformly from
an intense to a rare yellow, making what I should call different shades of yellow.
Gas laws
External video
Profiles in Chemistry:How John
discovery of
atoms on YouTube, Chemical
Heritage Foundation
In 1800, Dalton became secretary of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, and in the
following year he presented an important series of lectures, entitled "Experimental Essays" on the
constitution of mixed gases; the pressure of steam and other vapours at different temperatures in
a vacuum and in air; on evaporation; and on the thermal expansion of gases. The four essays,
presented between 2 and 30 October 1801, were published in the Memoirs of the Literary and
Philosophical Society of Manchester in 1802.
The second essay opens with the remark,[12]
There can scarcely be a doubt entertained respecting the reducibility of all elastic fluids of whatever
kind, into liquids; and we ought not to despair of effecting it in low temperatures and by strong
pressures exerted upon the unmixed gases further.
After describing experiments to ascertain the pressure of steam at various points between 0 and
100 °C (32 and 212 °F), Dalton concluded from observations of the vapour pressure of six different
liquids, that the variation of vapour pressure for all liquids is equivalent, for the same variation of
temperature, reckoning from vapour of any given pressure.
In the fourth essay he remarks,[13]
I see no sufficient reason why we may not conclude, that all elastic fluids under the same pressure
expand equally by heat—and that for any given expansion of mercury, the corresponding expansion
of air is proportionally something less, the higher the temperature. ... It seems, therefore, that
general laws respecting the absolute quantity and the nature of heat, are more likely to be derived
from elastic fluids than from other substances.
He enunciated Gay-Lussac's law, published in 1802 by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (Gay-Lussac
credited the discovery to unpublished work from the 1780s by Jacques Charles). In the two or three
years following the lectures, Dalton published several papers on similar topics. "On the Absorption of
Gases by Water and other Liquids" (read on 21 October 1803, published until 1805) [14] contained his
law of partial pressures now known as Dalton's law.
Atomic theory
The most important of all Dalton's investigations are concerned with the atomic theory in chemistry.
While his name is inseparably associated with this theory, the origin of Dalton's atomic theory is not
fully understood.[15][16] The theory may have been suggested to him either by researches
on ethylene (olefiant gas) and methane (carburetted hydrogen) or by analysis of nitrous
oxide (protoxide of azote) and nitrogen dioxide (deutoxide of azote), both views resting on the
authority of Thomas Thomson.[17]
From 1814 to 1819, Irish chemist William Higgins claimed that Dalton had plagiarised his ideas, but
Higgins' theory did not address relative atomic mass. [18][19] However, recent evidence suggests that
Dalton's development of thought may have been influenced by the ideas of another Irish
chemist Bryan Higgins, who was William's uncle. Bryan believed that an atom was a heavy central
particle surrounded by an atmosphere of caloric, the supposed substance of heat at the time. The
size of the atom was determined by the diameter of the caloric atmosphere. Based on the evidence,
Dalton was aware of Bryan's theory and adopted very similar ideas and language, but he never
acknowledged Bryan's anticipation of his caloric model. [20][21] However, the essential novelty of
Dalton's atomic theory is that he provided a method of calculating relative atomic weights for the
chemical elements, something that neither Bryan nor William Higgins did; his priority for that crucial
step is uncontested.[22]
A study of Dalton's laboratory notebooks, discovered in the rooms of the Manchester Literary and
Philosophical Society,[23] concluded that so far from Dalton being led by his search for an explanation
of the law of multiple proportions to the idea that chemical combination consists in the interaction of
atoms of definite and characteristic weight, the idea of atoms arose in his mind as a purely physical
concept, forced on him by study of the physical properties of the atmosphere and other gases. The
first published indications of this idea are to be found at the end of his paper "On the Absorption of
Gases by Water and other Liquids"[14] already mentioned. There he says:
Why does not water admit its bulk of every kind of gas alike? This question I have duly considered,
and though I am not able to satisfy myself completely I am nearly persuaded that the circumstance
depends on the weight and number of the ultimate particles of the several gases.
The main points of Dalton's atomic theory are:
Atomic weights
Various atoms and molecules as depicted in John Dalton's A New System of Chemical Philosophy(1808).
Dalton published his table of relative atomic weights containing six elements, hydrogen, oxygen,
nitrogen, carbon, sulfur and phosphorus, with the atom of hydrogen conventionally assumed to
weigh 1. Dalton provided no indication in this paper how he had arrived at these numbers [citation
needed]
but in his laboratory notebook, dated 6 September 1803, [25] is a list in which he set out the
relative weights of the atoms of a number of elements, derived from analysis of water,
ammonia, carbon dioxide, etc. by chemists of the time.
The extension of this idea to substances in general necessarily led him to the law of multiple
proportions, and the comparison with experiment brilliantly confirmed his deduction. [26] In the
paper "On the Proportion of the Several Gases in the Atmosphere", read by him in November
1802, the law of multiple proportions appears to be anticipated in the words:
The elements of oxygen may combine with a certain portion of nitrous gas or with twice that
portion, but with no intermediate quantity.
But there is reason to suspect that this sentence may have been added some time after the
reading of the paper, which was not published until 1805. [27]
Compounds were listed as binary, ternary, quaternary, etc. (molecules composed of two, three,
four, etc. atoms) in the New System of Chemical Philosophy depending on the number of atoms
a compound had in its simplest, empirical form.
Dalton hypothesised the structure of compounds can be represented in whole number ratios.
So, one atom of element X combining with one atom of element Y is a binary compound.
Furthermore, one atom of element X combining with two atoms of element Y or vice versa, is a
ternary compound. Many of the first compounds listed in the New System of Chemical
Philosophy correspond to modern views, although many others do not.
Dalton used his own symbols to visually represent the atomic structure of compounds. They
were depicted in the New System of Chemical Philosophy, where he listed 20 elements and 17
simple molecules.
Other investigations
Dalton published papers on such diverse topics as rain and dew and the origin of springs
(hydrosphere); on heat, the colour of the sky, steam and the reflection and refraction of light; and
on the grammatical subjects of the auxiliary verbs and participles of the English language.
Experimental approach
As an investigator, Dalton was often content with rough and inaccurate instruments, even
though better ones were obtainable. Sir Humphry Davydescribed him as "a very coarse
experimenter", who almost always found the results he required, trusting to his head rather than
his hands. On the other hand, historians who have replicated some of his crucial experiments
have confirmed Dalton's skill and precision.
In the preface to the second part of Volume I of his New System, he says he had so often been
misled by taking for granted the results of others that he determined to write "as little as possible
but what I can attest by my own experience", but this independence he carried so far that it
sometimes resembled lack of receptivity. Thus he distrusted, and probably never fully
accepted, Gay-Lussac's conclusions as to the combining volumes of gases.
He held unconventional views on chlorine. Even after its elementary character had been settled
by Davy, he persisted in using the atomic weights he himself had adopted, even when they had
been superseded by the more accurate determinations of other chemists.
He always objected to the chemical notation devised by Jöns Jakob Berzelius, although most
thought that it was much simpler and more convenient than his own cumbersome system of
circular symbols.
Other publications
For Rees's Cyclopædia Dalton contributed articles on Chemistry and Meteorology, but the topics
are not known.
He contributed 117 Memoirs of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester from 1817
until his death in 1844 while president of that organisation. Of these the earlier are the most
important. In one of them, read in 1814, he explains the principles of volumetric analysis, in
which he was one of the earliest researchers. In 1840 a paper on phosphates and arsenates,
often regarded as a weaker work, was refused by the Royal Society, and he was so incensed
that he published it himself. He took the same course soon afterwards with four other papers,
two of which ("On the quantity of acids, bases and salts in different varieties of salts" and "On a
new and easy method of analysing sugar") contain his discovery, regarded by him as second in
importance only to atomic theory, that certain anhydrates, when dissolved in water, cause no
increase in its volume, his inference being that the salt enters into the pores of the water.
Public life
Even before he had propounded the atomic theory, Dalton had attained a considerable scientific
reputation. In 1803, he was chosen to give a series of lectures on natural philosophy at
the Royal Institution in London, and he delivered another series of lectures there in 1809–1810.
Some witnesses reported that he was deficient in the qualities that make an attractive lecturer,
being harsh and indistinct in voice, ineffective in the treatment of his subject, and singularly
wanting in the language and power of illustration.
In 1810, Sir Humphry Davy asked him to offer himself as a candidate for the fellowship of the
Royal Society, but Dalton declined, possibly for financial reasons. In 1822 he was proposed
without his knowledge, and on election paid the usual fee. Six years previously he had been
made a corresponding member of the French Académie des Sciences, and in 1830 he was
elected as one of its eight foreign associates in place of Davy. In 1833, Earl Grey's government
conferred on him a pension of £150, raised in 1836 to £300. Dalton was elected a Foreign
Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1834.[28]
A young James Prescott Joule, who later studied and published (1843) on the nature of heat
and its relationship to mechanical work, was a pupil of Dalton in his last years.
Personal life
Dalton never married and had only a few close friends. As a Quaker, he lived a modest and
unassuming personal life.[1]
For the 26 years prior to his death, Dalton lived in a room in the home of the Rev W. Johns, a
published botanist, and his wife, in George Street, Manchester. Dalton and Johns died in the
same year (1844).[29]
Dalton's daily round of laboratory work and tutoring in Manchester was broken only by annual
excursions to the Lake District and occasional visits to London. In 1822 he paid a short visit
to Paris, where he met many distinguished resident men of science. He attended several of the
earlier meetings of the British Association at York, Oxford, Dublin and Bristol.
Disability and death
Dalton suffered a minor stroke in 1837, and a second in 1838 left him with a speech impairment,
although he remained able to perform experiments. In May 1844 he had another stroke; on 26
July 1844 he recorded with trembling hand his last meteorological observation. On 27 July 1844,
in Manchester, Dalton fell from his bed and was found lifeless by his attendant.
Dalton was accorded a civic funeral with full honours. His body lay in state in Manchester Town
Hall for four days and more than 40,000 people filed past his coffin. The funeral procession
included representatives of the city's major civic, commercial, and scientific bodies. [30][31] He was
buried in Manchester in Ardwick cemetery. The cemetery is now a playing field, but pictures of
the original grave may be found in published materials. [32][33]
Legacy
Bill Nye
Following the success of his show, Nye continued to advocate for science, becoming the CEO of the Planetary
Societyand helping develop sundials for the Mars Exploration Rover missions.[5] Nye has written two best-selling
books on science, including Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation in 2014 and Unstoppable: Harnessing
Science to Change the World in 2015. Nye has made frequent media appearances, including on Dancing with the
Stars, The Big Bang Theory and Inside Amy Schumer.[6] Nye starred in a documentary about his life and science
advocacy titled Bill Nye: Science Guy, which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2017, and,
in October 2017, was chosen a NYT Critic's Pick.[1] In 2017, he debuted a Netflix series, entitled Bill Nye Saves the
World.
Early life
Nye was born on November 27, 1955,[7][8] in Washington, D.C., to Jacqueline Jenkins-Nye (née Jenkins; 1921–2000),
who was a codebreaker during World War II, and Edwin Darby "Ned" Nye (1917–1997), who also served in World
War II and worked as a contractor building an airstrip on Wake Island.[9] Ned was captured and spent four years in a
Japanese prisoner-of-war camp; living without electricity or watches, he learned how to tell time using the shadow of
a shovel handle, spurring his passion for sundials.[9][10][11][12] Jenkins-Nye was among a small elite group of young
women known as "Goucher girls" whom the Navy had enlisted to help crack the codes that were used by the
Japanese and German military. "She wasn't Rosie the Riveter, she was Rosie the Top-Secret Code Breaker," Nye
recalls. "People would ask her what she did during World War II and she'd say, 'I can't talk about it, ha ha ha!'"[13]
Nye attended Lafayette Elementary School and Alice Deal Junior High before attending Sidwell Friends for high
school on a scholarship in 1973.[14][15] Nye moved to Ithaca, New York to attend Cornell University and study at
the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. His enthusiasm for science was deepened after taking
an astronomy class with Carl Sagan.[16] He graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering in 1977.[17]
Early career in Seattle
1977–1986: Job at Boeing
After graduating from Cornell, Nye worked as an engineer for the Boeing Corporation and Sundstrand Data Control
near Seattle. While at Boeing, he invented a hydraulic resonance suppressor tube used on Boeing 747 airplanes.
[18]
Nye applied four times for NASA's astronaut training program, but was always rejected.[19]
Nye started doing standup comedy after winning a Steve Martin look-alike contest in 1978.[20] Nye's friends began
asking him to do Steve Martin impressions at parties and he discovered how much he loved to make people laugh.
Nye began moonlighting as a comedian, while still holding his day job as a mechanical engineer at Boeing.[21] Nye has
stated of that time: "At this point in our story, I was working on business jet navigation systems, laser gyroscope
systems during the day, and I'd take a nap and go do stand-up comedy by night".[21]
He also participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and would volunteer at the Pacific Science Center on
weekends, as a "Science Explainer".[20]
[32]
Bill Nye the Science Guy ran from 1993 to 1998, becoming one of the most-watched educational TV shows in the
United States.[33]While portraying "The Science Guy", Nye wore a powder blue lab coat and a bow tie. Nye Labs, the
production offices and set where the show was shot, was located in a converted clothing warehouse near
Seattle's Kingdome.[33] Each episode of the program strived to educate younger viewers on various science concepts,
yet it also attracted a significant adult audience as well.[34] The show's ability to make science entertaining and
accessible made it a popular teaching tool in classrooms across the country. With its quirky humor and rapid-fire
MTV-style pacing, the show won critical acclaim and was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards, winning nineteen.
Subsequent research studies found the program to be effective in teaching students science: those that viewed Bill
Nye regularly were better able to generate explanations and extensions of scientific ideas than non-viewers.[35]
In addition to the TV show, Nye published several books as The Science Guy. A CD-ROM based on the series,
titled Bill Nye the Science Guy: Stop the Rock!, was released in 1996 for Windows and Macintosh by Pacific
Interactive. [36][33]
Nye's Science Guy personality is also prominent at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, most notably his appearance
with Ellen DeGeneres at Ellen's Energy Adventure, an attraction which ran from 1996 to 2017 at the Universe of
Energy pavilion located inside Epcot at Walt Disney World. His Science Guy persona was also the on-air spokesman
for the Noggin television network during 1999.[37]
Post–Science Guy work
Nye appeared on segments of Heidi Cullen's The Climate Code, later renamed Forecast Earth on The Weather
Channel, relating his personal ways of saving energy.[43] In the fall of 2008, Nye also appeared periodically on the
daytime game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as part of the show's reintroduced "Ask the Expert" lifeline. [44]
In 2008, he also hosted Stuff Happens, a short-lived show on the Planet Green network.[45] In November 2008, Nye
appeared in an acting role as himself in the fifth-season episode "Brain Storm" of Stargate Atlantis alongside fellow
television personality and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.[46]
Nye recorded a short YouTube video (as himself, not his TV persona) advocating clean-energy climate-change
legislation on behalf of Al Gore's Repower Americacampaign in October 2009.[47] Nye joined the American Optometric
Association in a multimedia advertising campaign to persuade parents to get their children comprehensive eye
examinations.[48]
In 2013, Bill Nye guest starred in The Big Bang Theory episode "The Proton Displacement."[49] Sheldon Cooper
befriends him and brings him in to teach Leonard Hofstader a "lesson" after Professor Proton (portrayed by Bob
Newhart) helps Leonard out with an experiment instead of him. There was a claim by Professor Proton that Bill Nye
made his TV series similar to his show. After he and Sheldon leave, Leonard receives a selfie of the two of them
having smoothies, and later gets a text from Sheldon asking for a ride home, stating Bill Nye ditched him at the
smoothie store. In a later discussion with Professor Proton, Sheldon revealed that Bill Nye had a restraining
order against him, so he could not help him contact Nye.[50]
On February 28, 2014, Nye was a celebrity guest and interviewer at the White House Student Film Festival.[51]
On August 31, 2016, Netflix announced that Nye would appear in a new series titled Bill Nye Saves the World, which
premiered on April 21, 2017.[52][53] Nye was honorary co-chair of the inaugural March for Science on April 22, 2017.[54]
Nye appeared in the 2016 documentary, Food Evolution directed by Academy Award nominated director, Scott
Hamilton Kennedy and narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.[55]
He was the subject of a 2017 biographical documentary film, entitled Bill Nye: Science Guy, directed by David
Alvarado and Jason Sussberg.[1]
In 2018, Nye guest starred in an episode of Blindspot entitled "Let It Go", playing a fictionalized version of himself
who is the father of the character Patterson.[56] His fictional self also alludes to his rivalry with Rodney McKay which
was established in the aforementioned episode "Brain Storm" of Stargate Atlantis.[57] In the same year, Nye made a
guest appearance on The Big Bang Theory as himself, together with fellow scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, in the first
episode of the show's final season ("The Conjugal Configuration").[58]
Science advocacy
In the early 2000s, Nye assisted in the development of a small sundial that was included in the Mars Exploration
Rovermissions.[7] Known as MarsDial, it included small colored panels to provide a basis for color calibration in
addition to helping keep track of time.[59] From 2005 to 2010, Nye was the vice president of the Planetary Society, an
organization that advocates space science research and the exploration of other planets, particularly Mars.[60] He
became the organization's second Executive Director in September 2010 when Louis Friedman stepped down.[61][62]
The Bill Nye Climate Lab at the Chabot Space & Science Center in 2013.
In November 2010, Nye became the face of a major science exhibition at the Chabot Space & Science Center in
Oakland, California.[63] Bill Nye's Climate Lab featured Nye as commander of the Clean Energy Space Station and
invited visitors on an urgent mission to thwart climate change.[64]
Nye with the Chief of Naval Research Rear. Adm. Nevin Carr following the presentation of a "Powered by Naval Research" pocket
Nye gave a solar noon clock atop Rhodes Hall to Cornell on August 27, 2011, following a public lecture that filled the
715-seat Statler Auditorium.[65] Nye talked about his father's passion for sundials and timekeeping, his time at Cornell,
his work on the sundials mounted on the Mars rovers and the story behind the Bill Nye Solar Noon Clock.[5] Nye
conducted a Q&A session after the 2012 Mars Rover Landing.[66]
Nye speaking to a group about Mars in June 2016
From 2001 to 2006, Nye served as Frank H. T. Rhodes Class of '56 University Professor at Cornell University.[17][67]
Nye is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a U.S. non-profit scientific and educational organization whose
aim is to promote scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and
extraordinary claims.[68] Interviewed by John Rael for the Independent Investigation Group IIG, Nye stated that his
"concern right now ... scientific illiteracy ... you [the public] don't have enough rudimentary knowledge of the universe
to evaluate claims."[69] In November 2012, Nye launched a Kickstarter project for an educational Aerodynamics game
called AERO 3D but it was not funded.[70]
In September 2012, Nye claimed that creationist views threaten science education and innovation in the United
States.[71][72][73] In February 2014, Nye debated creationist Ken Hamat the Creation Museum on the topic of whether
creation is a viable model of origins in today's modern, scientific era.[74][75][76] In July 2016, Ham gave Nye a tour of
the Ark Encounter the day after it first opened to the public.[77][78] He and Ham had an informal debate while touring the
structure,[79] and footage from Nye's visit was subsequently included in the documentary film Bill Nye: Science Guy,
which was released in 2017.[80]
Since 2013, Nye has been listed on the Advisory Council of the National Center for Science Education.[81]
On Earth Day 2015, Nye met with U.S. President Obama to visit the Everglades National Park in Florida and discuss
climate change as well as science education.[82][83][84]
In March 2015, Nye announced he changed his mind and now supports GMOs.[85] In a new edition of Undeniable:
Evolution and the Science of Creation, Nye rewrote a chapter on GMOs reflecting his new position.[86] In a radio
interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Nye stated "there's no difference between allergies among GMO eaters and non-
GMO eaters...I've changed my mind about genetically modified organisms".[87]
In July 2017, Nye observed that the majority of climate change deniers are older people, and stated, "so we're just
going to have to wait for those people to 'age out', as they say".[88]
Nye has written three books, including Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation,[89] Unstoppable:
Harnessing Science to Change the World, and Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap into
Radical Curiosity and Solve Any Problem.
U.S. Patents
Nye holds three United States patents,[90] including one for ballet pointe shoes,[60][91] one for an educational magnifying
glass created by filling a clear plastic bag with water.[92][93] and one for a device for training an athlete to throw a ball.
[94]
He also holds a design patent for a digital abacus.[95]
Cha-cha-
14 (5-4-5) "Weird Science"—Oingo Boingo No Elimination
cha
Personal life
Nye has several residences, living both in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles and New York City.[97] In
addition, he owns a house on Mercer Island near Seattle.[98] Nye has solar photovoltaic panels on his California house
and his electricity meter often runs in reverse, which he has shown off to visitors.[99]
Nye and his neighbor, environmental activist/actor Ed Begley, Jr., have engaged in a friendly competition "to see who
could have the lowest carbon footprint", according to Begley.[100] Nye often appeared on Begley's HGTV/Planet
Green reality show Living with Ed.[101]
In July 2012, Nye supported President Barack Obama's reelection bid.[102] Nye frequently consulted with Obama on
science matters during his presidency, and famously took a selfie with him and Neil deGrasse Tyson at the White
House.[103] Nye attended the 2018 State of the Union Address after being invited by Oklahoma Congressman Jim
Bridenstine. Nye's attendance drew scrutiny due to Bridestine's "history of expressing climate change skepticism," but
Nye defended the move. "While the Congressman and I disagree on a great many issues -- we share a deep respect
for NASA and its achievements and a strong interest in the future of space exploration. My attendance tomorrow
should not be interpreted as an endorsement of this administration, or of Congressman Bridenstine's nomination, or
seen as an acceptance of the recent attacks on science and the scientific community," Nye said.[104]
Nye married musician Blair Tindall, on February 3, 2006; however, he annulled the relationship seven weeks later
when the marriage license was declared invalid.[105]In 2007, Nye obtained a protective order against Tindall after she
broke into his house, stole several items, including his laptop which she used to send defamatory emails
impersonating him and damaged his garden with herbicide. Tindall acknowledged killing his plants but denied being a
threat to him.[106] Subsequently, Nye sued Tindall for $57,000 in attorney's fees after she allegedly violated the
protective order.[107]
In the 2017 PBS documentary Bill Nye: Science Guy, Nye revealed his family's plight of ataxia. Due to his father's,
sister's and brother's lifelong struggles with balance and coordination, Nye decided to not have children himself, so as
to avoid the chance of passing on the genetic condition to them, even though he "dodged the genetic bullet" himself.
[108]
In July 2018, Nye played for the National League squad during the MLB All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball
Game. Despite striking out in his first at-bat, Nye singled in the bottom of the third inning to a rousing ovation from
the Nationals Park crowd.
Works (selected)
Nye, Bill (2014). Powell, Corey S., ed. Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation. St. Martin's
Press. ISBN 9781250007131.
Nye, Bill (2015). Powell, Corey S., ed. Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World. St. Martin's
Press. ISBN 9781250007148.
Nye, Bill (2017). Powell, Corey S., ed. Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap Into
Radical Curiosity, and Solve Any Problem. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781623367916.
Time magazine has interviewed him for "12 Questions with Bill Nye".[118]
Allan Kardec
Allan Kardec (French: [kaʁdɛk]) is the pen name of the French educator, translator and
author Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail ([ʁivɑj]; 3 October 1804 – 31 March 1869). He is the author
of the five books known as the Spiritist Codification, and is the founder of Spiritism.[1][2]
Allan Kardec
Early life[edit]
Rivail was born in Lyon in 1804 and raised as a Roman Catholic. He pursued interests in philosophy
and the sciences, and became an acolyte and colleague of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi.[2][3] Rivail
completed a number of educational courses including a Bachelor of Arts degrees in science [4] and a
doctorate in medicine.[5] He was also fluent in German, English, Italian, and Spanish, in addition to
his native French.[6]
He was a member of several scholarly societies, including the Historic Institute of Paris (Institut
Historique), Society of Natural Sciences of France (Société des Sciences Naturelles de France),
Society for the Encouragement of National Industry (Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie
Nationale), and The Royal Academy of Arras (Académie d'Arras, Société Royale des Sciences, des
Lettres et des Arts).[2] He organized and taught free courses for the underprivileged. [2][7]
Rivail's work with Pestalozzi helped lay the foundations for the teaching model in schools in France
and GermanyFor several decades he helped advance Pestalozzi's pedagogy in France, founding
schools and working as a teacher, educational writer and translator. [2]
Family
In February 6, 1832, he married Amélie Gabrielle Boudet.[8]
In 1839, with a new partner, Mr. Maurice Delachatre, a merchant, he created a so-called "exchange"
bank, which aims to facilitate commercial transactions and thus create new opportunities for trade
and industry, in order to support in default of pecuniary resources for the natural products. The
duration of the trading bank will be fixed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry at ten years.
In May 1855, he met a certain Mr. Fortier, a magnetizer, who took him to Madame de Plainemaison,
a medium who lives on rue de la Grange Bateliere in Paris, just a step away from the opera house.
In the presence of other guests for the session, He enters into communication with a spirit named
Zephyr, who gives him the mission of being the spokesman of the Dead. For him, it's the revelation.
He was there, for the first time, witnessing the phenomenon of turntables, jumping and running, as
he himself described on his manuscript written between 1855 and 1856 : “My predictions concerning
spiritualism”.
Spiritism
Rivail was in his early 50s when he became interested in séances, which were a popular
entertainment at the time. Strange phenomena attributed to the action of spirits were considered a
novelty, featuring objects that moved or "tapped", purportedly under the control of 'spirits'. In some
cases, this was alleged to be a type of communication: the supposed spirits answered questions by
controlling the movements of objects so as to pick out letters to form words, or simply indicate "yes"
or "no At the time, Franz Mesmer's theory of animal magnetism had become popular. When
confronted with the phenomena described, some researchers, including Rivail, pointed out that
animal magnetism might explain them. Rivail, however, after seeing a demonstration, dismissed
animal magnetism as insufficient to explain his observations. [10]
As a result of these influences, Rivail began his own investigation of psychic phenomena,
mainly mediumship.[2] During his initial investigation, he stated that before accepting a spiritual or
paranormal cause for some phenomena, it would be necessary first to test if ordinary material
causes could explain them. He proposed that fraud, hallucination and unconscious mental activity
might explain many phenomena regarded as mediumistic, and also proposed that telepathy and
clairvoyance may be responsible.[11]
He compiled over one thousand questions concerning the nature and mechanisms of spirit
communications, the reasons for human life on earth, and aspects of the spiritual realm. He asked
those questions to ten mediums, all purportedly unknown to each other, and documented their
responses. From these, he concluded that the best explanation was that personalities that had
survived death were the source of at least some mediumistic communications. [12] He became
convinced that the mediums:
Memorial
Allan Kardec's grave at Cimetière du Père Lachaise. The inscription says Naitre, mourir, renaitre encore et
progresser sans cesse, telle est la loi ("To be born, die, again be reborn, and so progress unceasingly, such is
the law").
After his death caused by aneurysm, Kardec was buried at the Cimetière du Père Lachaise.[19]
Writings
Leon Denis
Léon Denis
Biography
Léon Denis was born in Foug, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France, on January 1, 1846,[2] of a humble
family. Very early in life, out of necessity, he did manual work and had to bear heavy responsibilities
for his family. From his first steps in the world, he sensed that invisible friends assisted him. Instead
of participating in play appropriate to his youth, he tried to instruct himself as intensely as possible.
He read serious works, thus striving through his own efforts, to develop his intelligence. He became
a serious and competent self-didact.
At the age of 18, he commenced work as a sales representative, and so had to make frequent trips.
This situation continued up to the time of his reformation [and beyond. He adored music and,
whenever he had a chance, attended operas or concerts. He played well-known arias at the piano
and also some compositions of his own.
He did not smoke, and was almost exclusively a vegetarian, nor did he indulge in fermented drinks.
He found water to be his ideal drink.
It was his habit to review books with interest, of those displayed in the bookstores, at the age of 18,
by “chance” his eyes glanced at a work with an unusual title: The Spirits’ Book by Allan Kardec.
Having with him the amount needed to purchase the book, he bought it and rushed to his home
immediately surrendering eagerly to the reading.
Denis commented after reading it: “I found in this book the clear solution, complete and logical, to a
universal problem. My conviction became strong and sound. The Spiritist Theory dissipated my
indifference and my doubts.” [
Denis was not just a successor to Allan Kardec, as is generally supposed, but was an important
figure in consolidating the spiritist movement. He undertook doctrinal studies, research into
mediums, and propelled the Spiritist Movement in France, and all over the world. He deepened the
moral aspects of the Doctrine and, above all, consolidated the Movement in the early decades of the
20th century.
In Spiritism, the role of Kardec is that of the sage; the role of Denis is that of the philosopher. Léon
Denis was nominated the Apostle of Spiritism, due to his sustained work, and his words, written and
spoken, on behalf of the new doctrine. Possessing great moral sensibility, he dedicated his entire
existence to the defense of the postulates that Kardec had transmitted in the books of the
spiritist Pentateuch.
Denis himself, summarized his mission as follows: “I have consecrated this existence to the service
of a Great cause, Spiritism or Modern Spiritualism that will certainly be the universal faith, and the
religion of the future
Bibliography
By Denis:
Michael Dudikoff
Dudikoff in 2013
Early Life
Dudikoff's father, Michael Joseph Stephen Sr., was Eastern Orthodox Christian. Born in New
York to Russian immigrants Mary Bogdanova and John Dudikoff, Michael Sr. served in the
Army before marrying Dudikoff's mother: Rita T. Girardin, a French-Canadian piano-player
from Quebec. The couple moved to California and had five children; the fourth, Michael Jr., was
diagnosed with dyslexia.[2]
Michael Jr. graduated from West High School in Torrance, California and went on to study child
psychology at Harbor College.[3]
Career
Mid 1970s to 1985: Modelling and early roles
To pay for his education, he worked at a rehabilitation center for abused youth called Cedar
House and waited tables at Beachbum Burt's in Redondo Beach, California.[4][5] He was eventually
approached to do some modelling, and did a catwalk at a shopping mall.
During lunch one day, Dudikoff served Max Evans - a fashion editor with Esquire magazine,
who had come in with some models. Evans asked Dudikoff to walk in a Newport Beach fashion
show, and his mother encouraged him to try it out.
After a couple of successful runways, Dudikoff retained an agent at the Mary Webb Davis
Agency in Los Angeles. Dudikoff soon entered the high fashion world and counted Calvin Klein
and GQ among his clients. He moved quickly to international print modeling and traveled
between New York, Los Angeles, and Milan by his late 20s.
Dudikoff soon began acting, and he starred in several commercials for companies,
including Coppertone, Coca-Cola for Japan, Army Reserve and Stridex.
His first television role took place after a meeting with theatrical agent Sid Craig.[6] He went for
some readings, and in 1978 he landed a supporting role in one episode of the hit TV show Dallas,
and shortly after the part as Joanie's first boyfriend in the American sitcom Happy Days. Gary
Nardino, who was the president of Paramount Studio at the time, happened to be sitting in the
audience while they were filming. Nardino putted an holding contract on Dudikoff so that he
could work the lot.[7]
Early 1980s to 1985: Subsequent roles and breakthrough
In the early 80s, Dudikoff was cast in supporting roles or seen in the background of such films
such as, The Black Marble, Bloody Birthday, The Best Little Girl in the World, Neil Simon's I
Ought to Be in Pictures, Making Love, Tron and one episode of Gimme a Break!.
During that time, he was cast alongside Brian Dennehy and Katherine Saltzberg to play one of
the leads in the sitcom Star of the Family, and got the part of Huckleberry Finn in a Columbia
Pictures movie-of-the-week called Sawyer & Finn directed by Peter H. Hunt.
In 1984, he played the role of one of Tom Hanks' sidekicks in the sizable hit comedy
film Bachelor Party.
In 1985, The Cannon Group, an independent film company with a streak of successful action
films, were looking to produce an action film starring Chuck Norris called American
Ninja (1985), which Norris turned down. Shortly after, Cannon went on a worldwide search to
find who would play Private Joe Armstrong the American ninja. Over 400 candidates went on to
audition for the part. Producer and Owner of Cannon Menahem Golan and director Sam
Firstenberg thought he was the obvious choice for the part. Golan even went on to say that he
would be the next James Dean. It was a surprise for Dudikoff, who at the time was mostly known
for supporting roles in comedies.[8] It was his first collaboration with actor Steve James (1952-
1993) who was hired to play the partner of the American ninja, a role he maintained for the first
three installments. On a $1 million budget it went on to gross over $10 million domestically in
the US and did extremely well in foreign markets.[9] This success would establish the start of
the American Ninja film franchise, with Dudikoff becoming a regular action star for The Cannon
Group alongside Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson, Sho Kosugi, and later on Jean-Claude Van
Damme. For the rest of the 1980s, Dudikoff would continue to star in Cannon Group action film
projects.
That same year, he and John Stockwell were cast as co-leads in the cult post apocalyptic science
fiction comedy Radioactive Dreams, who was awarded the Golden Raven at the 5th Brussels
International Fantastic Film Festival, and nominated for best film at the Italian film and literature
festival MystFest.[10]
1986 to mid-2000s: Action film star
In 1986, he was cast as Lt. Rudy Bodford in the critically acclaimed mini-series North and
South, Book II, starring Patrick Swayze.[11] It went on to receive 3 nominations at the Primetime
Emmy Awards.[12]
Also in 1986, he reunited with director Sam Firstenberg and starred in the sequel American Ninja
2: The Confrontation. In this installment Dudikoff and James are ordered to discover why
Marines have been going missing from their posts at the US Embassy. The two discover The
Lion (Gary Conway) has been kidnapping the missing marines and having them brainwashed to
join his army of assassins. The film was less successful than the predecessor, grossing $4 million
domestically in the US.[13]
That same year, Dudikoff starred in Avenging Force (1986), his last film with Steve James,
directed by Sam Firstenberg. The screenplay was written by James Booth, who co-starred in the
film. The film is about retired secret service agent, Captain Matt Hunter (Dudikoff), who lives
with his sister Sarah and their grandfather. They drive to New Orleans to meet Matt's old military
comrade and local politician Larry Richards (James), who is now running for U.S. Senate. At
dinner, Larry hesitantly mentions threats made against his life during the election cycle, which he
dismisses as harmless. Later that day, Larry, Matt and their families ride in Larry's float in the
Mardi Gras parade. Disguised as revelers, assassins open fire on Larry's float, killing his eldest
son. Matt and Larry take down the attackers, but Matt loses the last assassin in charge in the
crowd. He calls in a favor to his old boss, Admiral Brown (Booth), and learns the perpetrators
are members of an organization which he confront throughout the film.
Platoon Leader (1988) directed by Aaron Norris. The film is about a newly commissioned
infantry lieutenant (Dudikoff) who arrives in Vietnam to take over his first platoon. He finds he
has to prove himself and earn the trust of the enlisted men if he is to lead them.
He starred in Steve Carver' River of Death (1989), co-starring Robert Vaughn, Donald
Pleasence, Herbert Lom, and L. Q. Jones. The story is set in the nightmarish last days of the
Third Reich, a psychotic Nazi scientist (Vaughn) escapes to the impenetrable jungles of
the Amazon. Years later, a mysterious incurable disease breaks out among the natives and
adventurer John Hamilton (Dudikoff) is hired to lead investigators on a search for the cause.
Braving bloodthirsty river pirates, hostile native tribes and headhunting cannibals, Hamilton,
guides a group of explorers up the deadly Rio del Morte to the fabulous lost Inca city.
In 1989, Dudikoff turned down American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt because he didn't want to get type
cast in martial-arts movies and didn't want to go back to South Africa as he was firmly against
the apartheid movement and government in that country.[14][15] Martial-arts expert David
Bradley was hired to play a new character for the lead in the third installment.[16]
In the early 1990s, Dudikoff continued making action films with The Cannon Group. His first
release of that area was the thriller Midnight Ride (1990), co-starring Mark Hamill, and Robert
Mitchum.[17] Afterwards, he returned to the American Ninja franchise for the fourth
installment American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1990) where Private Joe Armstrong teams up
with the character played by David Bradley.[18][19] This would be last sequel Dudikoff appeared in.
The final movie of the series cames three years later, when Bradley made a martial art film
where he played someone else that was released as American Ninja 5 (1993), presumably to cash
in on the franchise.[20][21]
In 1991, he went to star in The Human Shield directed by Ted Post,. It's about a former
government agent who must save his diabetic brother from Iraqi abductors.[22][23]
Also in 1991, he played the main villain for the first time in the television film The Woman Who
Sinned.[24]
In 1992, he starred as father figure alongside a young Stephen Dorff in Rescue Me, a coming-of-
age adventure action film comedy directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman it co-stars Ami
Dolenz, Peter DeLuise, William Lucking...[25][26] Daniel (Dorff) high school' crush (Dolenz) is
kidnapped. He and Frazier (Dudikoff) go after them.
The following year, he got the main role in the action TV series Cobra produced by Stephen J.
Cannell, co-starring Allison Hossack and James Tolkan. It ran for 22 episodes that are an hour
each until 1994.[27]
In 1994, he did final film with The Cannon Group who was going bankrupt called Chain of
Command directed by David Worth.[28] The film is about, anti-terrorist operative Merrill Ross
(Dudikoff) gets caught in the middle of a deadly international conflict in this explosive
adventure. Danger lurks around every corner as Ross tries to thwart a plot to seize control of
Qumir and its oil fields. Tailed by agents and a death squad, Ross dodges bullets and barely
survives an oil depot blast as he tries to find out who's behind the mercenary scheme.[29]
In 1995, he starred in the virtual thriller Cyberjack, and the action rescue film Soldier Boyz.[30][31]
In 1996 he continued making fast pace action films this Bounty Hunters (1996) co-starring Lisa
Howard, Moving Target with Billy Dee Williams, and Crash Dive (1996) alongside Frederic
Forrest.[32][33][34]
The following year, he made the air hijack picture Strategic Command with supporting
cast Richard Norton, Paul Winfield, Bryan Cranston and Stephen Quadros.[35] As well as
the Bounty Hunters sequel Bounty Hunters 2: Hardball, and his only shoot em up western The
Shooter by Fred Olen Ray.[36][37] Also in 1997, video game adaption Soldier Boyz of his film was
released for Microsoft Windows 95.[38]
He returned to comedy in supporting role in the Ringmaster (1998) starring Jerry Springer.
[39]
That same year he was the lead in four other action releases, Black Thunder (1998)
with Richard Norton, Freedom Strike (1998) with Tone Lōc, Musketeers Forever (1998)
with Lee Majors, and Counter Measures (1998) a sequel to Crash Dive directed by Fred Olen
Ray.[40][41][42][43][44]
In 1999, he played in the Sidney J. Furie suspense drama In Her Defense, with Marlee Matlin,
the sci-fi action film Fugitive Mind by Fred Olen Ray with Heather Langenkamp and the action
feature The Silencer.[45][46][47]
In 2001, he played a fireman in the action disaster film Ablaze. John Bradley plays the lead as
the fire chief, and it co-stars Tom Arnold, Ice-T, Amanda Pays, and Cathy Lee Crosby.[48]
In 2002, he played the main villain in the Treat Williams action vehicle Gale Force. It co-
starred Curtis Armstrong, Susan Walters, Tim Thomerson, Marcia Strassman, and many more.
[49]
The film was nominated in four categories at DVD Exclusive Awards.[50]
2002 also marks his last collaborations with longtime contributors before going on a hiatus. This
includes director Sam Firstenberg in the thriller Quicksand, and Fred Olen Ray sci-fi adventure
film Stranded.[51][52]
After these efforts Michael Dudikoff felt he needed a break, and started working in real estate
specializing in buying old homes to refurbish them.[53] In 2004, he married Belle Dudikoff and are
raising twins, a son named Joseph, and a daughter named Nancy.[54]
2013 to present day: Current works
In 2013, videos of him promoting a project named Zombie Break Room, surfaced on YouTube.[55]
[56][57]
In 2014, he was interviewed The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films and Electric
Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, both highly publicized dueling
documentaries about The Cannon Group.[58]
In 2015, he returned to the screens with a supporting role in Navy Seals vs. Zombies, released
by Anchor Bay Entertainment.[59]
In 2018 he played the main villain in Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece, alongside Sean
Stone, Danny Trejo, Taimak, Michael Winslow, Jason London, Bill Goldberg, Cynthia
Rothrock, Ernie Reyes Jr., Richard Grieco, Victor Ortiz, and many more.[60]
Personal Life
Dudikoff has been married to Belle since 2004. They have three children, including son Michael
Joseph Stephen III.
Film Rumors
Dudikoff, due to his action film resume, is often rumored to take part in The Expendables film
series. In a 2012 interview he stated that he heard talk that never was concluding, and he was
happy either way if something came up or not.
Within that same interview, he also hinted at a possible sequel to American Ninja and Avenging
Force.[65]
Filmography
Features
Yea
Title Role Notes
r
Daniel 'Mac'
Rescue Me Film
MacDonald
1992
1995
1999
2002
2015
TV Series
10
1982 Star of the Family Douggie Krebs
Episodes
Unknown
2019 Green Valley Uncle Rik
Nicolas Lemery
Nicolas Lémery (or Lemery as his name appeared in his international publications) (17 November
1645 – 19 June 1715), French chemist, was born at Rouen. He was one of the first to develop
theories on acid-base chemistry.
Nicolas Lemery
Life
After learning pharmacy in his native town he became a pupil of Christophe Glaser in Paris, and then
went to Montpellier, where he began to lecture on chemistry. He next established a pharmacy in
Paris, still continuing his lectures, but following 1683, being a Calvinist, he was obliged to retire
to England. In the following year he returned to France, and turning Catholic in 1686 was able to
reopen his shop and resume his lectures. He died in Paris on 19 June 1715. [1]
Lemery did not concern himself much with theoretical speculations, but holding chemistry to be a
demonstrative science, confined himself to the straightforward exposition of facts and experiments.
In consequence, his lecture-room was thronged with people of all sorts, anxious to hear a man who
shunned the barren obscurities of the alchemists, and did not regard the quest of the philosopher's
stone and the elixir of life as the sole end of his science. Of his Cours de chymie (1675) he lived to
see 13 editions, and for a century it maintained its reputation as a standard work. [1]
In 1680, using the corpuscular theory as a basis, Lemery stipulated that the acidity of any substance
consisted in its pointed particles, while alkalis were endowed with pores of various sizes.[2] A
molecule, according to this view, consisted of corpuscles united through a geometric locking of
points and pores.
Works
Cours de chymie : contenant la maniere de faire les operations qui sont en usage dans la
medecine, par un methode facile ; avec des raisonnements sur chaque operation, pour
l'instruction de ceux qui veulent s'appliquer a cette science. - 6. ed. - Paris : Michallet,
1687. Digital edition /1730 Digital 11th edition / 1744 Digital edition of the University and State
Library Düsseldorf.
Het philosoophze laboratorium, oft' der chymisten stook-huis. - Amsterdam : ten Hoorn,
1691. Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Nouveau recueil de[s] curiositez, les plus rares & admirables de tous les effects, que l'art &
la nature sont capables de produire. Volume 1-2. Dernière édition augmentée, corrigée &
enrichie de tailles-douces. Leyde : van der Aa, 1688. Digital edition of the University and State
Library Düsseldorf
Nouveau recueil de[s] secrets et curiositez, les plus rares & admirables de tous les effects,
que l'art & la nature sont capables de produire. - 5. ed. - Amsterdam : Mortier, 1697. Digital
edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
1
2
A course of chymistry : containing an easie method of preparing those chymical medicins
which are used in physick ; with curious remarks and useful discourses upon each preparation,
for the benefit of such a desire to be instructed in the knowledge of this art. - The 3rd. ed., transl.
from the 8th ed. in the French. - London : Kettilby, 1698. Digital edition of the University and
State Library Düsseldorf.
Cours de chymie, oder der vollkommene Chymist : welcher die in der Medicin
gebräuchlichen chymischen Processe auff die leichteste und heilsamste Art machen lernt... Aus
der 9. frantzösischen Edition des 1697sten Jahres ins Teutsche übersetzet. Winckler, Dresden
1698 Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
A compleat history of druggs : written in French by Monsieur Pomet, chief druggist to the
present French king ; to which is added what is further observable on the same subject, from
Messrs. Lemery and Tournefort, divided into 3 classes, vegetable, animal and mineral, with their
use in physick, chymistry, pharmacy and several other arts ; done into English from the originals.
London, 1712.Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Farmacopea universale che contiene tutte le composizioni di farmacia le qualisono in uso
nella medicina : tanto in Francia, quanto per tutta l'europa, ... e di piu un vocabolario
farmaceutico, molte nuove osservazioni, ed alcuni ragionamenti sopra ogni operazione.
Venezia : Gio. Gabriel Hertz, 1720 Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Dictionaire, ou traité universel des drogues simples ou l’on trouve leurs differens noms, leur
origine, leur choix, les principes qu’elles renferment, leurs qualitez, leur etymologie, & tout ce
qu’il ya de particulier dans les animaux, dans les vegetaux, & dans les mineraux ; ouvrage
dependant de la Pharmacopee universelle . Hofhout, Rotterdam 4.ed. 1727 Digital edition of
the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Pharmacopée universelle : contenant toutes les compositions de pharmacie qui sont en
usage dans la medicine, tant en France que par toute l'Europe, leurs vertus, leurs doses, les
manieres d'operer les plus simples & les meilleures ; avec un lexicon pharmaceutique, plusieurs
remarques nouvelles, et des raisonnemens sur chaque operation. d’Houry, Paris 3.ed.
1728 Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Pharmacopée universelle
Cours de chymie : contenant la maniere de faire les operations qui sont en usage dans la
medecine, par un methode facile ; avec des raisonnemens sur chaque operation, pour
l'instruction de ceux qui veulent s'appliquer a cette science. - 11. ed. - Paris : Delespine,
1730. Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Traité universel des drogues simples : mises en ordre alphabetique, ou l'on trouve leurs
differens noms, leur origine, leur choix, les principes qu'elles renferment, leurs qualitez, leur
etimologie, & tout ce qu'il ya de particulier dans les animaux, dans les vegetaux, & dans les
mineraux ; ouvrage dependant de la Pharmacopee universelle. d’Houry, Paris 4.ed. 1732 Digital
edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Cours de chymie : contenant la maniere de faire les operations qui sont en usage dans la
medecine, par un methode facile ; avec des raisonnemens sur chaque operation, pour
l'instruction de ceux qui veulent s'appliquer a cette science. - Bruxelles : Leonard, 1744. Digital
edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Nicolai Lemeri cursus chymicus, oder vollkommener Chymist : welcher die in der Medicin
vorkommenden chymischen Praeparata und Processus auf die vernünfftigste, leichteste und
sicherste Art zu verfertigen lehret ; aus dem Frantzösischen übersetzet. - ... Bey dieser 5. Aufl.
aufs neue durchgesehen, corrigirt und vermehret von Johann Christian Zimmermann. -
Dresden : Walther, 1754. Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar (/ˈlɛznər/; born July 12, 1977-2006) was an American professional
wrestler, mixed martial artist,[11] and former professional football player. He is currently signed
to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand and is the current Universal Champion in his second
reign.[2]
After his successful amateur wrestling career at Bismarck State College and the University of
Minnesota, Lesnar signed with WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation) in 2000. He was
assigned to its developmental promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he was a three-
time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion with Shelton Benjamin. After debuting on WWE's main
roster in 2002, Lesnar won the WWE Championship[Note 1] five months after his debut at the age of 25,
becoming the youngest champion in the title's history. He was also the 2002 King of the Ring and
the 2003 Royal Rumble winner.[12] Following his match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, Lesnar left
WWE and pursued a career in the National Football League (NFL).[13] He was named a defensive
tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, but was cut prior to the start of the 2004 season. [14] In 2005, Lesnar
returned to professional wrestling and signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he won
the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in his first match. After a contractual dispute with NJPW, he
also wrestled as IWGP Heavyweight Champion in the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF).
In 2006, Lesnar pursued a career in mixed martial arts (MMA), as he signed with Hero's and won his
first fight, against Min-Soo Kim, in June 2007.[15] He then signed with the Ultimate Fighting
Championship (UFC) the following October. Lesnar lost in his UFC debut against Frank Mirand then
won his second fight against Heath Herring. In November 2008, Lesnar defeated Randy Couture to
become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Shortly after a successful title defense in a rematch with
Mir, Lesnar was sidelined due to diverticulitis. He would return at UFC 116 to defeat Interim UFC
Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin and unify the heavyweight championships, becoming the
undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion in the process.[16] Lesnar then lost the championship
to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121. In 2011, he was once again sidelined due to diverticulitis and
underwent surgery.[17] Lesnar returned at UFC 141 in December, losing to Alistair Overeem and
promptly retiring from MMA.[18] Lesnar was a box office sensation in UFC, as he took part in some of
the best-selling pay-per-view events in UFC history, including UFC 100 and UFC 116.[19]
In April 2012, Lesnar returned to professional wrestling, rejoining WWE after an eight-year hiatus.
Two years later, at WrestleMania XXX, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker to end his undefeated
streak at WrestleMania. He achieved world champion status three times after this, having won the
WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 2014 and the WWE Universal Championship in 2017
and 2018. His first reign as Universal Champion was the longest world title reign in WWE since 1988
at 504 days. In June 2016, at UFC 199, the UFC announced that Lesnar would return to fight at UFC
200 even though he was still contracted with WWE. Lesnar defeated his opponent Mark Hunt via
unanimous decision. However, after Lesnar tested positive for clomiphene, a banned substance on
the UFC's anti-doping policy, he was suspended from the UFC by the Nevada State Athletic
Commission for one year and fined $250,000, and his victory over Hunt was overturned to a no-
contest. Lesnar then retired from MMA for a second time in 2017
Brock Lesnar
Lesnar in March 2015
football player
Sable (m. 2006)
Spouse(s)
Children 4
Curt Hennig[3]
Dean Malenko[3]
Doug Basham[3]
Debut 2000[1]
Division Heavyweight
Style Wrestling
Stance Orthodox
"Comprido" Medeiros[5][6]
Wrestling NCAA Division I Wrestling[4]
Total 9
Wins 5
By knockout 2
By submission 2
By decision 1
Losses 3
By knockout 2
By submission 1
No contests 1
Other information
.
Lesnar is a six-time world champion in WWE, a one-time world champion in NJPW and IGF, a one-
time heavyweight champion in the UFC, and a one-time heavyweight wrestling champion in
the NCAA, the only person in history to win a championship in each of those organizations. [20][21]He
has headlined numerous pay-per-view events for both WWE and the UFC, including WrestleMania
XIX, WrestleMania 31, WrestleMania 34, UFC 100 and UFC 116. Lesnar has
been managed by Paul Heyman throughout the majority of his professional wrestling career. A
2015 ESPN.com article referred to Lesnar as "the most accomplished athlete in professional
wrestling history".[22]
Early life
Brock Edward Lesnar[23] was born on July 12, 1977,[1] in Webster, South Dakota,[24] the son of
Stephanie and Richard Lesnar. He grew up on his parents' dairy farm in Webster. [25] He is of German
descent.[26] He has two older brothers, Troy and Chad, and a younger sister, Brandi. [24] At age 17,
Lesnar joined the Army National Guard, where he was assigned to an office job after his red-green
colorblindness was deemed hazardous to his desire to work with explosives. [24][27] He lost this job after
failing a computer typing test and later worked for a construction company. [24]
Lesnar attended Webster High School, where he played football[24] and competed in amateur
wrestling, placing third in the state championships his senior year.[28] He then attended Bismarck
State College, where he won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) heavyweight
wrestling championship in his sophomore year.[1] He transferred to the University of Minnesota on a
wrestling scholarship for his junior and senior college years, where he was roommates with
future WWE colleague Shelton Benjamin, who was also his assistant coach.[24][29]
Lesnar won the 2000 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I heavyweight
wrestling championship his senior year after being the runner-up to Stephen Neal the year prior. He
finished his amateur career as a two-time NJCAA All-American, the 1998 NJCAA Heavyweight
Champion, two-time NCAA All-American, two-time Big Ten Conference Champion and the 2000
NCAA Heavyweight Champion, with a record of 106–5 overall in four years of college. [30]
Lesnar's rapid rise to the top of WWE in 2002 led to a feud with The Undertaker, which involved a
match at Unforgiven on September 22.[45] The match ended in a double disqualification,with Lesnar
retained the title. Lesnar faced The Undertaker again at No Mercy, this time in a Hell in a Cell match.
Leading up to the match, in the storyline, Lesnar broke The Undertaker's hand with a propane tank.
[46]
Despite Heyman begging McMahon not to let The Undertaker use his cast as a weapon, the
request was denied and the match went on as planned. [47] At No Mercy, Lesnar defeated The
Undertaker to retain the title, thus ending their feud. [45] Lesnar would go on to successfully retain the
WWE Championship in a handicap match with Heyman against Edge at Rebellion on October 26.[48]
Lesnar's next opponent was Big Show and Heyman was convinced more than anyone that Lesnar
could not win, trying to talk him out of defending the title. [49]Lesnar refused and defended the
championship against Show at Survivor Series on November 17. At the pay-per view,
Heyman turned on Lesnar, allowing Show to chokeslam him onto a steel chair and pin him to win the
title, resulting in Lesnar's first pinfall loss in WWE. This led to Lesnar turning face for the first time.
[50]
Following Survivor Series, Heyman made it clear that Lesnar would not get a rematch, and had
snuck a special clause saying so into his contract. [51]In order to gain his revenge on Big Show and
Heyman, Lesnar interfered in his first title defense, which came against Kurt Angle the next month
at Armageddon on December 15, where Lesnar executed the F-5 on Big Show, which enabled
Angle to win the WWE Championship. On the following episode of SmackDown!, however, Angle
introduced Heyman as his manager and, despite promising Lesnar a title shot earlier in the evening,
declared that Lesnar still would not get it. Lesnar's rivalry with Heyman and Big Show resumed,
which culminated in a match at the Royal Rumble in January 2003, with the winner being placed into
the Royal Rumble later in the evening. On January 19, Lesnar would defeat Show and entered
the Royal Rumble match as the #29 entry. He eliminated Matt Hardy and The World's Greatest Tag
Team (Charlie Haas and Lesnar's former OVW teammate Shelton Benjamin), who were mentored
by Angle. Lesnar would then eliminate The Undertaker last and win the Royal Rumble, which
guaranteed him a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XIX, since he was a SmackDown!
superstar.[50] After the Royal Rumble, Lesnar and Chris Benoit defeated Angle, Haas and Benjamin in
a three-on-two handicap match at No Way Out on February 23, despite Team Angle injuring their
partner, Edge, backstage before the match.[50] At WrestleMania XIX on March 30, Lesnar defeated
Angle to win his second WWE Championship; during the match, he botched a shooting star press (a
move he had used numerous times in OVW) and landed on his head and neck, resulting in
a concussion. This forced Angle and Lesnar to improvise the finish of the match.
After WrestleMania XIX, Lesnar turned his attention to John Cena, who had returned from injury in
February 2003 after an F-5 into a ringpost from Lesnar, with Cena claiming that Lesnar nearly ended
his career and even named his new finishing move the "F.U." as a jab at the new champion. [52][unreliable
source?]
The feud ended in a match at Backlash on April 27, where Lesnar defeated Cena to retain the
title. On the following episode of SmackDown!, Lesnar returned to his rivalry with Big Show after, in
the storyline, he injured Rey Mysterio badly during their match at Backlash. Show's attack resulted in
Mysterio being carried out on a stretcher and back board, and Show took Mysterio off the stretcher
and swung the back board into the ringpost, compounding the injury. [50] Lesnar called out Show, who
demanded that Lesnar put his title on the line against him. This led to a stretcher match for the
championship at Judgment Day on May 18, where Lesnar successfully retained. [53] During the
scripted rivalry on the June 12 episode of SmackDown!, Lesnar lifted Big Show off the top-rope in
a superplex which caused the ring to collapse on impact.[54] As Lesnar and Big Show continued their
rivalry, Kurt Angle returned from his neck surgery and began to form a more friendly rivalry with
Lesnar, as the two were allies, yet contenders for the title. At the first-ever SmackDown! brand-
exclusive pay-per-view in July, Vengeance, Lesnar lost the WWE Championship to Angle in a triple
threat match involving Big Show, after he was pinned by Angle.
Lesnar and Kurt Angleafter their WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XIX
Lesnar continued to aggressively pursue the WWE Championship despite his friendship with
Angle. Mr. McMahonbecame involved in the angle, at first berating Lesnar, who had involved himself
in McMahon's rivalry with Zach Gowen, for losing to Angle. This all turned out to be a swerve that
came into focus on the August 7 episode of SmackDown! in Kelowna, British Columbia. That night,
Lesnar and McMahon were to face each other in a steel cage match with Angle as the special guest
referee as per McMahon's orders on the previous week's program. During the match, Lesnar had
passed out due to a staged backstage incident and McMahon was set to pin him, but Angle refused
to allow McMahon to win that way. As the two men began to argue, Lesnar attacked Angle with
an F-5 and kept attacking Angle while McMahon watched and celebrated with him
afterwards, turning heel in the process.[55] At SummerSlam on August 24,[56] Lesnar lost to Angle
after submitting to the ankle lock.[57]After that, Lesnar would cement his villainous turn by brutalizing
smaller wrestlers and attacking his rivals on a more consistent basis. He returned to performing
the F-5 into the ringpost, as he did to Spanky and Gowen, and interfered in Angle's matches on two
separate occasions. On the September 18 episode of SmackDown!, Lesnar defeated Angle in
an Iron Man match to win his third WWE Championship[58] by a final score of five to four, thus ending
their long-standing feud.[59]
Lesnar successfully defended his newly won title against the debuting Paul London on October 9
episode of SmackDown!. He returned to feud with The Undertaker, as Lesnar had previously cost
Undertaker the title in a match against then champion Kurt Angle, which granted him a shot at
Lesnar's title.[60] At No Mercy on October 19, Lesnar defeated Undertaker in a Biker Chain
match after interference from The Full Blooded Italians and Vince McMahon.[61] After Paul Heyman
returned to WWE as SmackDown! General Manager, Lesnar aligned himself with his former
manager. With Survivor Series coming up, Lesnar decided to challenge Angle to a traditional
Survivor Series elimination tag team match. Lesnar chose Big Show as his first teammate, with
Heyman adding a returning Nathan Jones and a debuting Matt Morgan to bring the team number to
four. Angle chose Chris Benoit and The APA to join his team. However, Faarooq was injured during
a match with Lesnar and Angle's team was forced to find a replacement for him. Lesnar's team
picked A-Train to fill the fifth and final spot for them after he attacked John Cena, who refused to
accept an invitation to join Lesnar's team. Cena instead joined Angle's team and Angle
added Hardcore Holly as the fifth member (Lesnar had legitimately injured Holly the year before and
he had not wrestled since).[62] On November 16 at Survivor Series, Lesnar was eliminated after
Benoit forced him to tap out to the Crippler Crossface; Lesnar's team would go on to lose the match.
[61]
On the December 4 episode of SmackDown!, Lesnar successfully defended the WWE
Championship against Benoit after Benoit passed out to Lesnar's debuting submission hold,
the Brock Lock.[63]
Feud with Goldberg and departure (2003–2004)
After executing an F-5, Lesnar stands over John Cena the night after WrestleMania XXVIII.
Lesnar returned to WWE on April 2, 2012, on Raw, as a heel, by confronting and delivering an F-5 to
John Cena.[79][80] The following week on Raw, General Manager John Laurinaitis revealed that he
signed Lesnar to bring "legitimacy" back to WWE and become the "new face of the WWE".
Laurinaitis also announced that Lesnar would face Cena at Extreme Rules with the Extreme Rules
stipulation later added to the match.[81] At Extreme Rules on April 29, Lesnar lost to Cena despite
dominating the match.[82]
The following night on Raw, WWE's Chief Operating Officer Triple H refused to give in to Lesnar's
unreasonable contract demands (which included being given his own personal jet and
having Raw renamed to Monday Night Raw Starring Brock Lesnar), resulting in Lesnar attacking him
and breaking his arm with a kimura lock in storyline.[83][84] The next week on Raw, Paul Heyman made
his return as Lesnar's legal representative and claimed that Lesnar was quitting WWE. [83] He later
announced a lawsuit against WWE for breach of contract. [83][85] At No Way Out in June, Triple H
challenged Lesnar (who was not present) to a match at SummerSlam,[86] which Lesnar refused.
[87]
Stephanie McMahon would later goad Heyman into accepting the match on Lesnar's behalf on
July 23 at Raw 1000.[88][89] At SummerSlam on August 19, Lesnar defeated Triple H
by submission after once again breaking his arm in storyline. [90][91] The following night on Raw, Lesnar
declared himself the new "King of Kings" and said that he would depart from WWE after his victory
over Triple H, stating that he had conquered everything in the company. [92][93]
Lesnar broke The Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak in 2014.
Lesnar returned on the January 28, 2013, episode of Raw, confronting Mr. McMahon who was about
to fire Heyman, and despite Heyman's pleas, Lesnar attacked McMahon with an F-5,[94] breaking
McMahon's pelvis in storyline.[95] The following week during The Miz's Miz TV talk
show, Raw Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero revealed herself as the one who signed Lesnar to
a new contract to impress McMahon.[96] On the February 25 episode of Raw, Lesnar once again
attempted to attack McMahon, only to get into a brawl with the returning Triple H, which resulted in
Lesnar legitimately having his head split open and requiring eighteen stitches. [97] The following week
on Raw, Triple H issued a challenge to Lesnar, requesting a rematch with him at WrestleMania 29,
which Lesnar accepted but only after Triple H signed a contract and Lesnar named the stipulation. [98]
[99]
After Triple H signed the contract and assaulted Heyman, the stipulation was revealed as No
Holds Barred with Triple H's career on the line.[100] At WrestleMania 29 on April 7, Lesnar lost to Triple
H after a Pedigree onto the steel steps.[101] On the April 15 episode of Raw, Lesnar attacked 3MB
(Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal) before Heyman challenged Triple H to face Lesnar
in a steel cage match at Extreme Rules,[102] which Triple H accepted the following week.[103] At the
event on May 19, after interference from Heyman, Lesnar defeated Triple H to end their feud.
[104]
Lesnar returned on the June 17 episode of Raw, attacking Heyman's fellow client CM Punk with
an F-5.[105] Despite the accusations from Punk, Heyman claimed that he was not behind Lesnar's
attack on him.[106] However, Heyman turned on Punk in July,[107] and claimed that Punk could not beat
Lesnar, which led to Lesnar making his return and attacking Punk on the July 15 episode of Raw.
[108]
The following week on Raw, Punk challenged Lesnar to a match at SummerSlam on August 18,
where Lesnar defeated Punk in a no disqualification match. [109]
On the December 30 episode of Raw, Lesnar returned with Heyman to announce his intentions to
challenge the winner of the upcoming WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
between Randy Orton and John Cena at the Royal Rumble.[110] Lesnar then dared any wrestler who
disapproved of that notion to challenge him, which was answered by Mark Henry, and a brawl would
ensue, ending with Lesnar delivering an F-5 to Henry.[111] The following week on Raw, Henry
challenged Lesnar again, only to have Lesnar dislocate his elbow with the Kimura lock in storyline,
which led Big Show to come out afterwards to confront Lesnar, [112] thus starting a feud which was
settled at the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2014, where Lesnar defeated Show after attacking him
with a steel chair before the match began.[113] On the February 24 episode of Raw, Heyman stated
that Lesnar had requested a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania
XXX, but received an open contract to face anyone else of his choosing instead. The
Undertaker then returned and attacked Lesnar with a chokeslam through a table, setting up their
match at WrestleMania XXX.[114] On April 6, Lesnar defeated Undertaker after executing three F-5s,
ending his undefeated WrestleMania streak at 21, a feat that was described by Sports Illustrated as
being "the most shocking result since the Montreal Screwjob".[115]
WWE World Heavyweight Champion (2014–2015)
Lesnar, with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, across the ring from John Cena at the Night of
Champions pay-per-view in September 2014
On the July 21 episode of Raw, Triple H announced that Lesnar would face John Cena
at SummerSlam for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[116]At SummerSlam on August 17,
Lesnar defeated Cena to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and during the match he
delivered sixteen suplexes (most of which were German suplexes) and two F-5s to Cena, who
barely managed any offense.[117] On the August 19 episode of Main Event, Triple H announced that
Cena was invoking his championship rematch clause against Lesnar at Night of Champions on
September 21,[118] where Lesnar was disqualified due to Seth Rollins interfering, but retained his
championship, which could not be lost via disqualification. [119] Later in the year, after Rollins reunited
with The Authority, he was added to Lesnar and Cena's championship match at the Royal
Rumble on January 25, 2015, making it a triple threat match, [120] which Lesnar won despite suffering
a storyline broken rib during the match.[121]
Lesnar's next challenger was Roman Reigns, who won the Royal Rumble match to earn the right to
face Lesnar for the title at WrestleMania 31 on March 29.[122] During his main event match against
Reigns, Lesnar delivered multiple suplexes and was heard exclaiming, "Suplex City, bitch!" and
thereafter "Suplex City" became one of his signature catchphrases and merchandise motifs. After
Lesnar and Reigns traded a few false finishes, Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank
contract while the match was in progress, thus making it a triple threat; Rollins then pinned Reigns to
win the title.[123] The following night on Raw, Lesnar tried to invoke his rematch clause and
subsequently attacked commentators Booker T, John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Michael Cole, as well
as a cameraman after Rollins refused the rematch, which led to Stephanie McMahon suspending
Lesnar indefinitely in storyline.[124]
Lesnar returned on the June 15 episode of Raw, being chosen by The Authority as the number one
contender to Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Battleground.[125][126] On July 4,
Lesnar made his first non-televised wrestling appearance for WWE since his 2012 return,
defeating Kofi Kingston at The Beast in the East live event in Tokyo in a quick winning effort; he also
delivered F-5s to Kingston's New Day stablemates Big E and Xavier Woods after the match.[127] At
Battleground on July 19, Lesnar dominated Rollins, delivering thirteen suplexes, but mid-pinfall, after
performing an F-5, he was attacked by The Undertaker (who incapacitated Lesnar with a chokeslam
and two Tombstone Piledrivers), thus ending the match with Lesnar winning by disqualification and
Rollins retaining the championship.[128]
Suplex City (2015–2017)
The following night on Raw, Undertaker explained that he had attacked Lesnar not for ending his
WrestleMania streak, but rather for Lesnar allowing Heyman to constantly taunt Undertaker about it,
which led to the two brawling throughout the arena and a WrestleMania rematch being scheduled
for SummerSlam on August 18,[129] where Undertaker would controversially defeat Lesnar; during the
match, Undertaker submitted to a Kimura lock by Lesnar and the timekeeper rang the bell but the
referee did not see the submission and demanded that the match continue, which saw Undertaker
then attack Lesnar with a low blow and Lesnar pass out to Hell's Gate.[130] The following night
on Raw, Lesnar and Heyman challenged Undertaker to an immediate rematch, only to be confronted
by Bo Dallas (who mocked Lesnar about his defeat), whom Lesnar then responded by performing
three German suplexes and an F-5.[131] During Night of Champions on September 20, it was
announced that Lesnar would face The Undertaker at Hell in a Cell on October 25,[132] where Lesnar
defeated The Undertaker after a low blow and F-5 onto the exposed ring floor, ending their feud.[133]
[134]
The match was later voted "Match of the Year" during the 2015 Slammy Awards.[135]
On the January 11, 2016, episode of Raw, Lesnar returned, attacking The New Day, The League of
Nations (Sheamus, King Barrett, Rusev and Alberto Del Rio) and Kevin Owens, before performing
an F-5 on Roman Reigns.[136] The following week on Raw, Lesnar would brawl with Reigns until they
were both attacked by The Wyatt Family.[137] At the Royal Rumble on January 24, Lesnar was the
23rd entrant, eliminating four competitors before being eliminated by Bray Wyatt with help from the
rest of The Wyatt Family.[138] On the January 25 episode of Raw, Stephanie McMahon announced
that the main event of Fastlane would be a triple threat match between Lesnar, Roman Reigns
and Dean Ambrose to determine who would face Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight
Championship at WrestleMania 32.[139] In the following weeks, Lesnar would be continuously
provoked by Ambrose, with Reigns saving him from the subsequent attacks by Lesnar. [140][141][142] At
Fastlane on February 21, Lesnar dominated most of the match before he was put through two
broadcast tables by Ambrose and Reigns; he would ultimately lose the match after Reigns pinned
Ambrose.[143]Because of this, Lesnar attacked Ambrose in the parking lot as he was arriving at the
arena. Ambrose returned later in the night, having hijacked an ambulance, and challenged Lesnar to
a No Holds Barred Street Fight match at WrestleMania 32 on April 3,[144] where Lesnar defeated
Ambrose after an F-5 onto a pile of chairs.[145]
On the July 7 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that Lesnar would be facing Randy
Orton at SummerSlam, who himself had just returned to WWE from injury.[146] Two days later on July
9, WWE allowed Lesnar to have a one-off fight for UFC 200. Lesnar failed two of his drug tests for
this fight, but he was not suspended by WWE because he is not a full-time performer. [147] On July 19
at the 2016 WWE draft, Lesnar was the #5 draft pick for the Raw brand. [148] Reports claimed that he
would have been #1 had he not failed his UFC drug tests.[149]Orton was drafted to SmackDown, thus
making their match an interbrand match, while WWE billed their face-off as a match fifteen years in
the making.[150] Along with Heyman, Lesnar made his return to Raw on August 1 (his first appearance
on WWE programming since WrestleMania 32), but during his segment Orton appeared and
attacked Lesnar with an RKO.[151] Lesnar then attacked Orton during his match the following night
on SmackDown Live, performing an F-5 on Orton.[152] At SummerSlam on August 21, Lesnar
defeated Orton by technical knockout, leaving Orton with a forehead wound which required ten
staples.[153] Much to Shane McMahon's dismay, Lesnar would later attack Shane with an F-5.[154] The
end made many people believe Lesnar had gone off script due to the severity of Orton's head
wound,[155][156][157] out of which Vince McMahon confirmed that the ending was planned. [158] Lesnar was
later storyline fined $500 for delivering an F-5 to SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon and
his assault on Orton.[159] On September 24 at a house show in Chicago, Illinois, Lesnar defeated
Orton in a no-disqualification rematch, with the match being billed as a Suplex City death match. [160]
On the October 10 episode of Raw, Heyman, on Lesnar's behalf, challenged Goldberg to a fight after
the pair had been feuding for several months through social media and during promotional work for
the WWE 2K17 video game, which featured Lesnar as the cover star and Goldberg as the pre-order
bonus.[161] Heyman stated that Goldberg was the one blemish on Lesnar's WWE career, as Goldberg
had defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania XX in 2004. [162] On the October 17 episode of Raw, Goldberg
returned to WWE after a twelve-year absence and accepted Lesnar's request for a fight with their
match later scheduled for Survivor Series.[163][164] On the final Raw before Survivor Series, Lesnar and
Goldberg had a confrontation for the first time in twelve years, resulting in a brawl with security after
Heyman insulted Goldberg's family.[165] On November 20 at Survivor Series, Lesnar lost to Goldberg
in 1 minute and 26 seconds,[166][167] marking the first time in three years that Lesnar was pinned. [168] The
next night on Raw, Goldberg declared himself the first entrant in the 2017 Royal Rumble match.
[169]
The following week on Raw, Heyman addressed the Survivor Series match, stating that they
underestimated Goldberg and that the match was a humiliation and embarrassment for him and
Lesnar, who would also be in the Royal Rumble as he has something to prove. [170] Lesnar returned
on the January 16 episode of Raw to confront other Royal Rumble participants, attacking Sami
Zayn, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns.[171][172] At the Royal Rumble on January 29, Lesnar entered at
number 26 and went on to eliminate Enzo Amore, Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler before
confronting Goldberg, who entered at number 28 and quickly eliminated Lesnar after a spear. [173]
Universal Champion (2017–present)
The following night on Raw, Lesnar challenged Goldberg to a final match at WrestleMania 33.[174] On
the February 6 episode of Raw, Goldberg would accept Lesnar's challenge whilst also being named
number one contender for Kevin Owens' Universal Championship,[175] which he won
at Fastlane[176] thus turning his match with Lesnar into a title match.[177] At WrestleMania 33, Lesnar
beat Goldberg to win his fifth world title in WWE and became the first man to have won both the
WWE Championship and the Universal Championship. Lesnar also became the second person
to kick-out from Goldberg's Jackhammer and gave him the first clean singles loss of his professional
wrestling career.[178][179] After several weeks of feuding, Lesnar's first title defense came at
the inaugural Great Balls of Fire event on July 9, 2017, where he successfully retained
against Samoa Joe, before defeating him a second time for the title at a live event.
Lesnar facing Roman Reignsbefore their Universal Championshipmatch at WrestleMania 34
On the July 31 episode of Raw, Raw general manager Kurt Angle announced that Lesnar would
defend his title in a fatal four-way match at SummerSlam against Joe, Roman Reigns, and Braun
Strowman. Lesnar and Heyman then appeared, announcing that both would leave WWE should
Lesnar lose the championship in the match.[180] At the event, Lesnar successfully retained the title by
pinning Reigns.[181] The next night on Raw, Lesnar was attacked by Strowman; it was later
announced that the two would face for the title at No Mercy, which Lesnar won.[182] Lesnar then
defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles in an interbrand Champion vs Champion non-title match
at Survivor Series. His next title defense was scheduled for the Royal Rumble where he successfully
defended the title in a triple threat match against Strowman and Kane. Lesnar then re-ignited his
feud with Roman Reigns, who won the Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber to
become the number one contender to Lesnar's title at WrestleMania 34.[183] At the event, Lesnar
pinned Reigns to retain the title in the main event.[184] Afterwords, rumors arose that Lesnar would
leave WWE and rejoin the UFC.[185] However, on April 9, it was announced Lesnar re-signed with the
WWE and he would defend the title against Reigns in a rematch at the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-
per-view, this time inside a steel cage.[186] At the event, Lesnar defeated Reigns as Reigns speared
Lesnar through the cage and thus giving the accidental win to Lesnar as he escaped the cage first
per the rules.[187]
At Extreme Rules, Raw general manager Kurt Angle threatened to strip Lesnar of the Universal Title
if he did now show up to Raw the following night, since Lesnar had not appeared on television since
the Greatest Royal Rumble nearly three months prior. [188] The following night on Raw, Angle was
interrupted by Paul Heyman, who agreed that Brock would defend his title against Reigns again
at SummerSlam.[189]
Lesnar returned to WWE programming on the July 30 episode of Raw, per orders of Angle,
otherwise Lesnar would be stripped of the Universal Championship. [190] Despite being at the arena,
Lesnar refused to appear in the ring, and Angle threatened to fire Heyman if Lesnar failed to do so.
Throughout the broadcast, Heyman unsuccessfully attempted to convince Lesnar to appear, with
Lesnar going as far as to threaten Heyman. At the end of the show, Lesnar appeared after Angle
fired Heyman and called Lesnar the worst Universal champion in WWE history, and subsequently
attacked Angle with the F-5 before choking Heyman.[191] Two weeks later, Heyman revealed it was all
just a ruse with Lesnar returning on the August 13 episode of Raw to attack Reigns.[192] At
SummerSlam, Lesnar lost the championship to Reigns, ending his title reign at 504 days,
surpassing CM Punk's WWE Championship reign of 434 days as "the longest of the modern era". [193]
Lesnar returned at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in September, kicking in the door of the namesake
cell before attacking both Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman during their WWE Universal
Championship match, thus rendering the match a no-contest.[194] The next night on Raw, Acting
General Manager Baron Corbin announced that Lesnar would challenge Reigns and Strowman in a
triple threat match for the Universal Championship at the Crown Jewel event on November 2.[195] On
October 22, the match was changed to a singles match between Lesnar and Strowman for the
vacant title after Reigns was forced to relinquish it due to being diagnosed with a leukemia relapse.
[196]
At the event, Lesnar defeated Strowman in three minutesto become a two-time Universal
Champion, thanks to a pre-match attack from Baron Corbin.[197]
After his title win it was announced that he will face WWE Champion AJ Styles at Survivor Series in
a Champion vs Champion non-title match. However, five days before Survivor Series, Styles lost his
title to Daniel Bryan on that night's episode of SmackDown, meaning Lesnar would face Bryan at
Survivor Series. At the event, Lesnar overcame a late rally from Bryan to defeat him in the main
event.[198] Lesnar successfully defended the title against Finn Bálor via submission at Royal
Rumble on January 27, 2019.[199] Next night on Raw, Lesnar attacked 2019 Royal Rumble
match winner Seth Rollins with six F-5s thus setting up a title match for WrestleMania 35.[200]
Since Lesnar's debut, he was portrayed as a powerhouse athlete. He is often called by his nickname
"The Beast Incarnate" or simply "The Beast". During his initial run when he was consistently main-
eventing, WWE was in what is labelled by the company and fans as the "Ruthless Aggression Era".
His go-to finishing maneuver for his entire career has been a spinning facebuster[201] known as the F-
5 (or The Verdict when he wrestled outside of WWE).[202][203] After his return in 2012, Lesnar focused
on an MMA-orientated gimmick, sporting MMA gloves during his matches and adding the Kimura
lock as a finisher.[204][205] Lesnar is also known for performing several suplexes on his rivals, with these
often being described as the opponent being taken to "Suplex City", [206] named after an ad-lib Lesnar
delivered to Roman Reigns during their WrestleMania 31 match.[207]
Around the fall of 2017, a large number of fans and critics had begun to condemn Lesnar. Many
reporters thought his Suplex City character "jumped the shark" and his matches had "become
formulaic".[208][209] He was largely criticized due to his absences from television during his time as
Universal Champion. It was pointed out that he had the longest world championship reign since Hulk
Hogan. However, he had only defended the title on 13 occasions during this time, with Tim Fiorvanti
from ESPN commenting that he had "removed the top title on Monday Night Raw from circulation".
[210]
The short length of his matches were also criticized by journalists and fans. [211] Former WWE
Champion Bob Backlund criticized the fact that Lesnar used mostly suplexes during his matches,
saying "it gets old to do the same thing over and over and over again". [212]
Personal information
Career information
College: Minnesota
Undrafted: 2004
Career history
Minnesota Vikings (2004)*
After his match at WrestleMania XX in March 2004, Lesnar sidelined his career in WWE to pursue a
career in the National Football League (NFL) despite not playing American football since high
school.[13] WWE issued this statement on their official website, WWE.com, following his departure:
Brock Lesnar has made a personal decision to put his WWE career on hold to prepare to tryout
“ for the National Football League this season. Brock has wrestled his entire professional career in
the WWE and we are proud of his accomplishments and wish him the best in his new endeavor.
[213] ”
Lesnar later told a Minnesota radio show that he had "three wonderful years" in WWE, but had
grown unhappy and always wanted to play professional football, adding that he did not want to be 40
years old and wondering if he could have "made it" in football. In an interview about the NFL, he
stated:
This is no load of bull; it's no WWE stunt. I am dead serious about this. I ain't afraid of anything
“ and I ain't afraid of anybody. I've been an underdog in athletics since I was five. I got zero
college offers for wrestling. Now people say I can't play football, that it's a joke. I say I can. I'm
as good an athlete as a lot of guys in the NFL, if not better. I've always had to fight for
everything. I wasn't the best technician in amateur wrestling but I was strong, had great
conditioning, and a hard head. Nobody could break me. As long as I have that, I don't give a
damn what anybody else thinks.[214] ”
Lesnar had a great showing at the NFL Combine, but on April 17 a minivan collided with his
motorbike and he suffered a broken jaw and left hand, a bruised pelvis and a pulled groin. [215][216]
[217]
Several NFL teams expressed interest in watching Lesnar work out. [218] The Minnesota
Vikings worked out Lesnar on June 11, but he was hampered by the groin injury suffered in the April
motorcycle accident.[218][219] On July 24 it was reported that he was nearly recovered from his groin
injury.[218] He signed with the Vikings on July 27 and played in several preseason games for the team.
[14][218]
He was released by the Vikings on August 30.[14][218] Lesnar received an invitation to play as a
representative for the Vikings in NFL Europa, but declined due to his desire to stay in the United
States with his family.[14] He had several football cards produced of him during his time with the
Vikings.[220]
Personal life
"It's very basic for me. When I go home, I don't buy into any of the bullshit. Like I said, it's pretty basic: Train,
sleep, family, fight. It's my life. I like it. [...] I just don't put myself out there to the fans and prostitute my private life
to everybody. In today's day and age, with the Internet and cameras and cell phones, I just like being old school
and living in the woods and living my life. I came from nothing, and at any moment, you can go back to having
nothing."
— Lesnar on his private life, 2010[279]
Lesnar married Rena Greek, known professionally as Sable, on May 6, 2006.[280] They reside on a
farm in Maryfield, Saskatchewan,[281] having previously lived in Maple Plain, Minnesota.[282]
[283]
Together, they have two sons named Turk (born 2009) and Duke (born 2010). [284][285] Lesnar also
has twins: a daughter named Mya Lynn and a son named Luke (born 2002) with his former fiancée,
Nicole McClain.[286][287] He is also the stepfather of Greek's daughter, with her first husband. [24]
Lesnar is an intensely private individual who has previously stated his dislike for the media; as such,
he rarely participates in interviews and avoids questions pertaining to his private life. [279] He is a
supporter of the Republican Party.[239][288] He is a member of the National Rifle Association, making an
appearance at their annual meeting in May 2011 to discuss his passion for hunting and his role as a
spokesman for the Fusion Ammunition company.[289][290] He is a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, and all three
of his sons play hockey.[291]
During his first run in WWE, Lesnar developed addictions to both alcohol and painkillers, allegedly
drinking a bottle of vodka per day and taking hundreds of Vicodin pills per month to manage the pain
caused by wear and tear on his body. He named his accident at WrestleMania XIX as a particular
source of pain.[24]Lesnar claims that, as a result of his addiction and mental exhaustion, he does not
remember "an entire two years" of his WWE career.[292]
Legal issues
In January 2001, Lesnar was arrested by police in Louisville, Kentucky for suspicion of possessing
large amounts of anabolic steroids. The charges were dropped when it was discovered that the
substances were a legal growth hormone. His lawyer described it as a "vitamin type of thing".[293]
Lesnar had previously signed a non-compete clause in order to be released from his contract with
WWE, which prohibited him from working for any other professional wrestling companies before
June 2010. However, he decided to challenge this ruling in court.[294] WWE responded with
a counterclaim after Lesnar breached the agreement by appearing at a New Japan Pro-Wrestling
show in 2004.[295] In July 2005, the two sides dropped their claims and entered negotiations to renew
their relationship.[296] WWE had offered Lesnar a contract, but on August 2, their official website
reported that Lesnar had withdrawn from any involvement with the company. [297] The lawsuit began to
enter settlement talks on September 21, but did not get solved.[298][299]
On January 14, 2006, Judge Christopher Droney stated that unless WWE gave him a good
argument between then and the 25th, he would rule in favor of Lesnar, giving him a summary
judgment. This would have enabled Lesnar to work anywhere immediately. [300] WWE was later
granted a deadline postponement.[301] On April 24, WWE announced on WWE.com that both parties
had reached a settlement. On June 12, a federal judge dismissed the case at the request of both
legal parties.[302]
On December 15, 2011, Lesnar was charged with hunting infractions on a trip to Alberta on
November 19, 2010. Two charges were dropped, but Lesnar pleaded guilty to the charge of
improper tagging of an animal. He was fined $1,725 and given a six-month hunting suspension. [303]
Other media
In 2003, WWE Home Video released a DVD chronicling Lesnar's career entitled Brock Lesnar: Here
Comes the Pain. It was re-released in 2012 as a three-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-raycollector's
edition to tie in with Lesnar's WWE return. It was also expanded to include new matches and
interviews. In 2016, a new home video was released on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as a collector's
edition, called Brock Lesnar: Eat. Sleep. Conquer. Repeat. and includes accomplishments from his
second run in WWE.[304]
Lesnar was featured on the covers of Flex and Muscle & Fitness magazine in 2004[305][306] and
Minneapolis' City Pages in 2008.[307] He is the cover athlete for the WWE SmackDown! Here Comes
the Pain, UFC Undisputed 2010 and WWE 2K17 video games.[308]
In 2009, Lesnar signed an endorsement deal with Dymatize Nutrition. A CD containing footage of
Lesnar training was included with Dymatize's "Xpand" product. [309]
Lesnar co-wrote an autobiography with Paul Heyman, titled Death Clutch: My Story of
Determination, Domination, and Survival, which was published by William Morrow and Company in
2011.[310]
In a 2013 post on his blog, Attack on Titan author Hajime Isayama revealed that he drew inspiration
from Lesnar for the character of the Armored Titan.[311]
Filmography
Film
2014
Cameo
Foxcatcher Wrestler
Uncredited
Television
2009–
Rome Is Burning 3 episodes
2010
Recor Roun
Res. Opponent Method Event Date Time Location Notes
d d
Originally a
Las Vegas, unanimous decision
NC July 9, win for Lesnar;
NC 5–3 (1) Mark Hunt UFC 200 3 5:00 Nevada, overturned after he
(overturned) 2016
United States tested positive
for clomiphene.
Win 5–1 Shane Submission UFC 116 July 3, 2 2:19 Las Vegas, Defended and
Carwin (arm-triangle 2010 Nevada, unified the UFC
Heavyweight
Championship.
choke) United States Submission of the
Night.
Minneapolis,
Heath Decision August 9,
Win 2–1 UFC 87 3 5:00 Minnesota,
Herring (unanimous) 2008
United States
Las Vegas,
Submission February
Loss 1–1 Frank Mir UFC 81 1 1:30 Nevada,
(kneebar) 2, 2008
United States
Los Angeles,
Min-Soo Submission Dynamite!! June 2,
Win 1–0 1 1:09 California,
Kim (punches) USA 2007
United States
Pay-per-view bouts
No
Event Fight Date PPV Buys
.
Lesnar vs. Herring (co
2. UFC 87 August 9, 2008 625,000
)
November 15,
3. UFC 91 Couture vs. Lesnar 1,010,000
2008
Inside Fights
Biggest Draw (2008)[313]
Rookie of the Year (2008)[313]
Sherdog Awards
Beatdown of the Year (2009)[314]
Sports Illustrated
Top Newcomer of the Year (2008)[315]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
UFC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Two successful title defenses
Submission of the Night (1 time)
World MMA Awards
Breakthrough Fighter of the Year (2009) [316]
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Best Box Office Draw (2008–2010)[317]
MMA Most Valuable Fighter (2008–2010)[317]
Professional wrestling
Jeremiah horrocks
Jeremiah Horrocks (1618 – 3 January 1641), sometimes given as Jeremiah
Horrox (the Latinised version that he used on the Emmanuel College register and in his Latin
manuscripts),[1] was an English astronomer. He was the first person to demonstrate that
the Moon moved around the Earth in an elliptical orbit; and he was the only person to predict
the transit of Venus of 1639, an event which he and his friend William Crabtree were the only two
people to observe and record.
His early death and the chaos of the English Civil War nearly resulted in the loss to science of his
treatise on the transit, Venus in sole visa; but for this and his other work he is acknowledged as one
of the founding fathers of British astronomy.
Jeremiah Horrocks
Making the first observation of
Astronomical observations
Now committed to the study of astronomy, Horrocks began to collect astronomical books and
equipment; by 1638 he owned the best telescope he could find. Liverpool was a seafaring town so
navigational instruments such as the astrolabe and cross staff were easy to find. But there was no
market for the very specialised astronomical instruments he needed, so his only option was to make
his own. He was well placed to do this; his father and uncles were watchmakers with expertise in
creating precise instruments. Apparently he helped with the family business by day and, in return,
the watchmakers in his family supported his vocation by assisting in the design and construction of
instruments to study the stars at night. [9]
Horrocks owned a three-foot radius astronomicus – a cross staff with movable sights used to
measure the angle between two stars – but by January 1637 he had reached the limitations of this
instrument and so built a larger and higher precision version. [10] While a youth he read most of the
astronomical treatises of his day and marked their weaknesses; by the age of seventeen he was
suggesting new lines of research.
Tradition has it that after he left home he supported himself by holding a curacy in Much Hoole,
near Preston in Lancashire, but there is little evidence for this.[1]According to local tradition in Much
Hoole, he lived at Carr House, within the Bank Hall Estate, Bretherton. Carr House was a substantial
property owned by the Stones family who were prosperous farmers and merchants, and Horrocks
was probably a tutor for the Stones' children.[11]
Lunar research
Horrocks was the first to demonstrate that the Moon moved in an elliptical path around the Earth,
and he posited that comets followed elliptical orbits. He supported his theories by analogy to the
motions of a conical pendulum, noting that after a plumb bob was drawn back and released it
followed an elliptical path, and that its major axis rotated in the direction of revolution as did
the apsides of the moon's orbit.[12] He anticipated Isaac Newton in suggesting the influence of the
Sun as well as the Earth on the moon's orbit. In the Principia[13] Newton acknowledged Horrocks's
work in relation to his theory of lunar motion. In the final months of his life Horrocks made detailed
studies of tides in attempting to explain the nature of lunar causation of tidal movements. [14]
Transit of Venus
Transit of Venus, 1639
Horrocks returned to Toxteth Park sometime in mid-1640 and died suddenly from unknown causes
on 3 January 1641, at the age of 22. As expressed by Crabtree, "What an incalculable loss!" [18] He
has been described as a bridge which connected Newton
with Copernicus, Galileo, Brahe and Kepler.[19]
It is believed that Horrocks was buried at Toxteth Unitarian Chapel, but there is seemingly no proof
of this.
Horrocks is remembered on a plaque in Westminster Abbey[20] and the lunar crater Horrocks is
named after him. In 1859 a marble tablet and stained-glass windows commemorating him were
installed in the Parish Church of St Michael, Much Hoole. [11]
In 1927, the Jeremiah Horrocks Observatory was built at Moor Park, Preston.[21]The 2012 transit of
Venus was marked by a celebration held in the church at Much Hoole, which was streamed live
worldwide on the NASA website.[22]
Jeremiah Horrocks and the transit of Venus feature in an episode ("Dark Matter") of the British
television series Lewis.[23]
Emanuel Swedenborg
Emanuel Sweenborg (/ˈswiːdənˌbɔːrɡ/;[1] Swedish pronunciation (help·info); born Emanuel
Swedberg; 29 January 1688[2] – 29 March 1772)[3] was a
Swedish Lutheran theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic.[4] He is best known for his book on
the afterlife, Heaven and Hell(1758).[5][6]
Swedenborg had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. In 1741, at 53, he entered into a
spiritual phase in which he began to experience dreams and visions, beginning on Easter Weekend,
on 6 April 1744. It culminated in a 'spiritual awakening' in which he received a revelation that he was
appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ to write The Heavenly Doctrine to reform Christianity.[7] According
to The Heavenly Doctrine, the Lord had opened Swedenborg's spiritual eyes so that from then on,
he could freely visit heaven and hell to converse with angels, demons and other spirits and the Last
Judgment had already occurred the year before, in 1757.[8]
For the last 28 years of his life, Swedenborg wrote 18 published theological works—and several
more that were unpublished. He termed himself a "Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ" in True
Christian Religion,[9] which he published himself.[10] Some followers of The Heavenly Doctrinebelieve
that of his theological works, only those that were published by Swedenborg himself are fully divinely
inspired.[11] Others have regarded all Swedenborg's theological works as equally inspired, saying for
example that the fact that some works were "not written out in a final edited form for publication does
not make a single statement less trustworthy than the statements in any of the other works". [12] The
New Church, a new religious movement comprising several historically-related Christian
denominations, reveres Swedenborg's writings as revelation
Emanuel Swedenborg
The Flying Machine, sketched in his notebook from 1714. The operator would sit in the middle and paddle
himself through the air.[21] p. 32, or on the video clip at 5:48 on its timeline.[22]
In 1715 Swedenborg returned to Sweden, where he devoted himself to natural science and
engineering projects for the next two decades. A first step was his meeting with King Charles XII of
Sweden in the city of Lund, in 1716. The Swedish inventor Christopher Polhem, who became a close
friend of Swedenborg, was also present. Swedenborg's purpose was to persuade the king to fund
an observatory in northern Sweden. However, the warlike king did not consider this project important
enough, but did appoint Swedenborg to be assessor-extraordinary on the Swedish Board of
Mines (Bergskollegium) in Stockholm.[23]
From 1716 to 1718, Swedenborg published a scientific periodical entitled Daedalus
Hyperboreus ("The Northern Daedalus"), a record of mechanical and mathematical inventions and
discoveries. One notable description was that of a flying machine, the same he had been sketching
a few years earlier.[20]
In 1718, Swedenborg published an article that attempted to explain spiritual and mental events in
terms of minute vibrations, or "tremulations".
Upon the death of Charles XII, Queen Ulrika Eleonora ennobled Swedenborg and his siblings. It was
common in Sweden during the 17th and 18th centuries for the children of bishops to receive that
honour, as a recognition of the services of their father. The family name was changed from
Swedberg to Swedenborg.[24] (The "en" corresponding to the German von.)
In 1724, he was offered the chair of mathematics at Uppsala University, but he declined and said
that he had dealt mainly with geometry, chemistryand metallurgy during his career. He also said that
he did not have the gift of eloquent speech because of a stutter, as recognized by many of his
acquaintances; it forced him to speak slowly and carefully, and there are no known occurrences of
his speaking in public.[25] The Swedish critic Olof Lagerkrantz proposed that Swedenborg
compensated for his impediment by extensive argumentation in writing. [26]
Journal of Dreams[edit]
By 1744, Swedenborg had travelled to the Netherlands. Around the time, he began having strange
dreams. Swedenborg carried a travel journal with him on most of his travels and did so on this
journey. The whereabouts of the diary were long unknown, but it was discovered in the Royal
Library in the 1850s and was published in 1859 as Drömboken, or Journal of Dreams.
Swedenborg experienced many different dreams and visions, some greatly pleasurable, others
highly disturbing.[39] The experiences continued as he traveled to London to progress the publication
of Regnum animale. This process, which one biographer has proposed as cathartic and comparable
to the Catholic concept of Purgatory,[40] continued for six months. He also proposed that what
Swedenborg was recording in his Journal of Dreams was a battle between the love of himself and
the love of God.[41]
In June 1747, Swedenborg resigned his post as assessor of the board of mines. He explained that
he was obliged to complete a work that he had begun and requested to receive half his salary as a
pension.[45] He took up afresh his study of Hebrew and began to work on the spiritual interpretation of
the Bible with the goal of interpreting the spiritual meaning of every verse. From sometime between
1746 and 1747 and for ten years henceforth, he devoted his energy to the task. Usually abbreviated
as Arcana Cœlestia or under the Latin variant Arcana Caelestia[46] (translated as Heavenly
Arcana, Heavenly Mysteries, or Secrets of Heaven depending on modern English-language
editions), the book became his magnum opus and the basis of his further theological works.[47]
The work was anonymous, and Swedenborg was not identified as the author until the late 1750s. It
had eight volumes, published between 1749 and 1756. It attracted little attention, as few people
could penetrate its meaning.[48][49]
His life from 1747 to his death was spent in Stockholm, the Netherlands and London. During the 25
years, he wrote another 14 works of a spiritual nature; most were published during his lifetime.
One of Swedenborg's lesser-known works presents a startling claim: that the Last Judgment had
begun in the previous year (1757) and was completed by the end of that year [50] and that he had
witnessed it.[51] According to The Heavenly Doctrine, the Last Judgment took place not in the physical
world but in the World of Spirits, halfway between heaven and hell, through which all pass on their
way to heaven or hell.[52] The Judgment took place because the Christian church had lost its charity
and faith, resulting in a loss of spiritual free will that threatened the equilibrium between heaven and
hell in everyone's life.[53][a]
The Heavenly Doctrine also teaches that the Last Judgement was followed by the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ, which occurred not by Christ in person but by a revelation from him through
the inner, spiritual sense of the Word[54] through Swedenborg.[55]
In another of his theological works, Swedenborg wrote that eating meat, regarded in itself, "is
something profane" and was not practiced in the early days of the human race. However, he said, it
now is a matter of conscience, and no one is condemned for doing it. [56] Nonetheless, the early-days
ideal appears to have given rise to the idea that Swedenborg was a vegetarian. That conclusion may
have been reinforced by the fact that a number of Swedenborg's early followers were part of the
vegetarian movement that arose in Britain in the 19th century. [57] However, the only reports on
Swedenborg himself are contradictory. His landlord in London, Shearsmith, said he ate no meat, but
his maid, who served Swedenborg, said that he ate eels and pigeon pie.[58]
In Earths in the Universe, it is stated that he conversed with spirits
from Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, Venus and the Moon as well as spirits from planets beyond
the solar system.[59] From the 'encounters', he concluded that the planets of our solar system are
inhabited and that such an enormous undertaking as the universe could not have been created for
just one race on a planet or one 'Heaven' derived from its properties per planet. Many Heavenly
societies were also needed to increase the perfection of the angelic Heavens and Heaven to fill in
deficiencies and gaps in other societies. He argued: "What would this be to God, Who is infinite, and
to whom a thousand or tens of thousands of planets, and all of them full of inhabitants, would be
scarcely anything!"[60] Swedenborg and the question of life on other planets has been extensively
reviewed elsewhere.[61]
Swedenborg published his work in London or the Netherlands because of their freedom of the press.
[62][63]
In July 1770, at the age of 82, he traveled to Amsterdam to complete the publication of his last work.
The book, Vera Christiana Religio (The True Christian Religion), was published there in 1771 and
was one of the most appreciated of his works. Designed to explain his teachings to Lutherans, it is
the most concrete of his works.[64]
Later life
In the summer of 1771, he traveled to London. Shortly before Christmas, he suffered a stroke and
was partially paralyzed and confined to bed. His health improved somewhat, but he died in 1772.
There are several accounts of his last months, made by those with whom he stayed and by Arvid
Ferelius, a pastor of the Swedish Church in London, who visited him several times. [65]
There is evidence that Swedenborg wrote a letter to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in
February. Swedenborg said that he had been told in the world of spirits that Wesley wanted to speak
with him.[66] Wesley, startled since he had not told anyone of his interest in Swedenborg, replied that
he was going on a journey for six months and would contact Swedenborg on his return. Swedenborg
replied that that would be too late since Swedenborg would be going to the spiritual world for the last
time on March 29.[67] (Wesley later read and commented extensively on Swedenborg's work.)
[68]
Swedenborg's landlord's servant girl, Elizabeth Reynolds, also said that Swedenborg had
predicted the date and that he was as happy about it as if he was "going on holiday or to some
merrymaking":[69]
In Swedenborg's final hours, his friend, Pastor Ferelius, told him some people thought he had written
his theology just to make a name for himself and asked Swedenborg if he would like to recant.
Raising himself up on his bed, his hand on his heart, Swedenborg earnestly replied,
"As truly as you see me before your eyes, so true is everything that I have written; and I could have
said more had it been permitted. When you enter eternity you will see everything, and then you and I
shall have much to talk about". [70]
He then died, in the afternoon, on the date he had predicted, March 29. [70]
He was buried in the Swedish Church in Princes Square in Shadwell, London. On the 140th
anniversary of his death, in 1912/1913, his remains were transferred to Uppsala Cathedral in
Sweden, where they now rest close to the grave of the botanist Carl Linnaeus. In 1917, the Swedish
Church in Shadwell was demolished, and the Swedish community that had grown around the parish
moved to Marylebone. In 1938, Princes Square was redeveloped, and in his honour the local road
was renamed Swedenborg Gardens. In 1997, a garden, play area and memorial, near the road,
were created in his memory.[71][72][73]
Veracity
Swedenborg's transition from scientist to revelator or mystic has fascinated many people. He has
had a variety of both supporting and critical biographers. [74] Some propose that he did not have a
revelation at all but developed his theological ideas from sources which ranged from his father to
earlier figures in the history of thought, notably Plotinus. That position was first taken by Swedish
writer Martin Lamm who wrote a biography of Swedenborg in 1915. [75][b] Swedish critic and
publicist Olof Lagercrantz had a similar point of view, calling Swedenborg's theological writing "a
poem about a foreign country with peculiar laws and customs". [76]
Swedenborg's approach to proving the veracity of his theological teachings was to use voluminous
quotations from the Old Testament and the New Testament to demonstrate agreement with the
Bible, and this is found throughout his theological writings, since he rejected blind faith and declared
true faith to be an internal acknowledgement of the truth. The vast use of these Biblical confirmations
led a Swedish Royal Council in 1771 to examine the heresy charges of 1770 against two Swedish
supporters of his theological writings: "there is much that is true and useful in Swedenborg's
writings".[77] Victor Hugo felt that Swedenborg had "lapsed into madness" in Chapter 14 of Les
Misérables.
Scientific beliefs
Swedenborg proposed many scientific ideas during his lifetime. In his youth, he wanted to present a
new idea every day, as he wrote to his brother-in-law Erik Benzelius in 1718. Around 1730, he had
changed his mind, and instead believed that higher knowledge is not something that can be
acquired, but that it is based on intuition. After 1745, he instead considered himself receiving
scientific knowledge in a spontaneous manner from angels. [78]
From 1745, when he considered himself to have entered a spiritual state, he tended to phrase his
"experiences" in empirical terms, to report accurately things he had experienced on his spiritual
journeys.
One of his ideas that is considered most crucial for the understanding of his theology is his notion
of correspondences. But, in fact, he first presented the theory of correspondences only in 1744, in
the first volume of Regnum Animale dealing with the human soul.[20]
The basis of the correspondence theory is that there is a relationship among the natural ("physical"),
the spiritual, and the divine worlds. The foundations of this theory can be traced
to Neoplatonism and the philosopher Plotinus in particular. With the aid of this scenario,
Swedenborg now interpreted the Bible in a different light, claiming that even the most apparently
trivial sentences could hold a profound spiritual meaning. [79] Swedenborg argued that it is the
presence of that spiritual sense which makes the Word divine. [80]
Prophetic accounts
Four incidents of purported psychic ability of Swedenborg exist in the literature. [81] There are several
versions of each story.
Fire anecdotes
On Thursday, 19 July 1759 a great and well-documented fire broke out in Stockholm, Sweden.[c][82][83]
[84]
In the high and increasing wind it spread very fast, consuming about 300 houses and making
2000 people homeless.[82]
When the fire broke out Swedenborg was at a dinner with friends in Gothenburg, about 400 km from
Stockholm. He became agitated and told the party at six o'clock that there was a fire in Stockholm,
that it had consumed his neighbor's home and was threatening his own. Two hours later, he
exclaimed with relief that the fire had stopped three doors from his home. In the excitement following
his report, word even reached the ears of the provincial governor, who summoned Swedenborg that
same evening and asked for a detailed recounting.
At that time, it took two to three days for news from Stockholm to reach Gothenburg by courier, so
that is the shortest duration in which the news of the fire could reach Gothenburg. The first
messenger from Stockholm with news of the fire was from the Board of Trade, who arrived Monday
evening. The second messenger was a royal courier, who arrived on Tuesday. Both of these reports
confirmed every statement to the precise hour that Swedenborg first expressed the information. The
accounts are fully described in Bergquist, pp. 312–313 and in Chapter 31 of The Swedenborg Epic.
[85][86]
According to Swedenborg's biographer Lars Bergquist, however, this event took place on
Sunday, July 29 – 10 days after the fire.[87]
(Bergquist states, but does not document, that Swedenborg confirmed his vision of the fire incident
to his good friend, Consul Christopher Springer, "one of the pillars of the church, ... "a man of
enviable reputation for virtue and intelligence",[88] "and that Swedenborg's innkeeper, Erik Bergström,
heard Swedenborg affirming the story.[89])
It seems unlikely that the many witnesses to Swedenborg's distress during the fire, and his
immediate report of it to the provincial governor,[90][91] would have left room for doubt in the public eye
of Swedenborg's report. If Swedenborg had only received news of the fire by the normal methods
there would have been no issue of psychic perception recorded for history. Instead, "when the news
of Swedenborg's extraordinary vision of the fire reached the capital, public curiosity about him was
very much aroused."[92]
A second fire anecdote, similar to the first one, but less cited, is the incident of the mill owner
Bolander. Swedenborg warned him, again abruptly, of an incipient fire in one of his mills. [93]
Queen of Sweden
The third event was in 1758 when Swedenborg visited Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden, who asked
him to tell her something about her deceased brother Prince Augustus William of Prussia. The next
day, Swedenborg whispered something in her ear that turned the Queen pale and she explained that
this was something only she and her brother could know about. [94][d]
Lost document
The fourth incident involved a woman who had lost an important document, and came to
Swedenborg asking if a recently deceased person could tell him where it was, which he (in some
sources) was said to have done the following night. [e]
Although not typically cited along with these three episodes, there was one further piece of evidence:
Swedenborg was noted by the seamen of the ships that he sailed between Stockholm and London
to always have excellent sailing conditions.[95] When asked about this by a friend, Swedenborg
played down the matter, saying he was surprised by this experience himself and that he was
certainly not able to do miracles.[95]
Kant's view
In 1763, Immanuel Kant, then at the beginning of his career, was impressed by these accounts and
made inquiries to find out if they were true. He also ordered all eight volumes of the
expensive Arcana Cœlestia (Heavenly Arcana or Heavenly Mysteries). One Charlotte von Knobloch
wrote Kant asking his opinion of Swedenborg's psychic experiences. [96][f] Kant wrote a very affirmative
reply, referring to Swedenborg's "miraculous" gift, and characterizing him as "reasonable, agreeable,
remarkable and sincere" and "a scholar," in one of his letters to Mendelssohn,[97] and expressing
regret that he (Kant) had never met Swedenborg. [98][99] Joseph Green, his English friend, who
investigated the matter for Kant, including by visiting Swedenborg's home, found Swedenborg to be
a "sensible, pleasant and openhearted" man and here again, a scholar. [100]
However, three years later, in 1766, Kant wrote and published anonymously a small book
entitled Träume eines Geistersehers (Dreams of a Spirit-Seer)[101] that was a scathing critique of
Swedenborg and his writings. He termed Swedenborg a "spook hunter" [102] "without official office or
occupation".[103] As rationale for his critique, Kant said he wanted to stop "ceaseless
questioning"[104] and inquiries about Dreams from "inquisitive" persons, both known and unknown".
[105]
Kant's friend Moses Mendelssohn thought there was a "joking pensiveness" in Dreamsthat
sometimes left the reader in doubt as to whether Dreams was meant to make "metaphysics
laughable or spirit-seeking credible". [106] In one of his letters to Mendelssohn, Kant refers
to Dreams less-than-enthusiastically as a "desultory little essay". [107]
Kant never closed off the possibility of mysticism or spirits in Dreams of a Spirit-Seer, and the exact
relationship of his thought to Swedenborg's remains unclear, according to contemporary scholars. [108]
Theology
Swedenborg at the age of 75, holding the soon to be published manuscript of Apocalypse Revealed(1766)
Swedenborg claimed in The Heavenly Doctrine that the teachings of the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ were revealed to him.[109]
Swedenborg considered his theology a revelation of the true Christian religion that had become
obfuscated through centuries of theology. However, he did not refer to his writings as theology since
he considered it based on actual experiences, unlike theology, [20] except in the title of his last work.
Neither did he wish to compare it to philosophy, a discipline he discarded in 1748 because, he
claimed, it "darkens the mind, blinds us, and wholly rejects the faith".[110]
The foundation of Swedenborg's theology was laid down in Arcana Cœlestia (Heavenly Mysteries),
published in eight Latin volumes from 1749 to 1756. In a significant portion of that work, he interprets
the Biblical passages of Genesis and Exodus. He reviews what he says is the inner spiritual sense
of these two works of the Word of God. (He later made a similar review of the inner sense of the
book of Revelation in Apocalypse Revealed.[111]) Most of all, he was convinced that the Bible
describes a human's transformation from a materialistic to a spiritual being, which he calls rebirth or
regeneration. He begins this work by outlining how the creation myth was not an account of the
creation of Earth, but an account of man's rebirth or regeneration in six steps represented by the six
days of creation. Everything related to mankind in the Bible could also be related to Jesus Christ,
and how Christ freed himself from materialistic boundaries through the glorification of his human
presence by making it Divine. Swedenborg examines this idea in his exposition
of Genesis and Exodus.[112]
Marriage
One often discussed aspect of Swedenborg's writing is his ideas on marriage. Swedenborg himself
remained a bachelor all his life, but that did not hinder him from writing voluminously on the subject.
His work on Marriage Love (Conjugial Love[g] in older translations) (1768) was dedicated to this
purpose.[113]
A central question with regard to marriage is whether it stops at death or continues into heaven. The
question arises due to a statement attributed to Jesus that there is no marriage in heaven (Luke
20:27–38, Matthew 22:23–32, and Mark 12:18–27). Swedenborg wrote The Lord God Jesus Christ
on Marriage in Heaven as a detailed analysis of what he meant. [114]
The quality of the relationship between husband and wife resumes in the spiritual world in whatever
state it was at their death in this world. Thus, a couple in true marriage love remain together in that
state in heaven into eternity. A couple lacking in that love by one or both partners, however, will
separate after death and each will be given a compatible new partner if they wish. A partner is also
given to a person who loved the ideal of marriage but never found a true partner in this world. The
exception in both cases is a person who hates chaste marriage and thus cannot receive such a
partner.[115]
Swedenborg saw creation as a series of pairings, descending from the Divine love and
wisdom[116] that define God and are the basis of creation. This duality can be seen in the pairing of
good and truth,[117] charity and faith,[118] God and the church,[119] and husband and wife.[120] In each case,
the goal for these pairs is to achieve conjunction between the two component parts. In the case of
marriage, the object is to bring about the joining together of the two partners at the spiritual and
physical levels, and the happiness that comes as a consequence.
Trinity
Swedenborg rejected the common explanation of the Trinity as a Trinity of Persons, which he said
was not taught in the early Christian church. There was, for instance, no mention in
the Apostolic writings of any "Son from eternity".[121] Instead he explained in his theological writings
how the Divine Trinity exists in One Person, in One God, the Lord Jesus Christ, which he said is
taught in Colossians 2:9. According to The Heavenly Doctrine, Jesus, the Son of God, came into the
world due to the spread of evil here.[122][123][124][125]
Swedenborg spoke in virtually all his works against what he regarded as the incomprehensible
Trinity of Persons concept. He said that people of other religions opposed Christianity because of its
doctrine of a Trinity of Persons. He considered the separation of the Trinity into three separate
Persons to have originated with the First Council of Nicaea and the AthanasianCreed.[citation needed]
Later history
Swedenborg made no attempt to found a church.[128][129] A few years after his death – 15 by one
estimate[130] – for the most part in England, small reading groups formed to study his teachings. [131] As
one scholar states, The Heavenly Doctrine particularly appealed to the various dissenting groups
that sprang up in the first half of the 18th century who were "surfeited with revivalism and narrow-
mindedness" and found his optimism and comprehensive explanations appealing. [132]
A variety of important cultural figures, both writers and artists, were influenced by Swedenborg's
writings, including Robert Frost,[133]Johnny Appleseed, William Blake, Jorge Luis Borges, Daniel
Burnham, Arthur Conan Doyle,[134] Ralph Waldo Emerson,[135] John Flaxman, George Inness, Henry
James Sr., Carl Jung,[136] Immanuel Kant, Honoré de Balzac, Helen Keller, Czesław Miłosz, August
Strindberg, D. T. Suzuki, and W. B. Yeats. His philosophy had a great impact on the Duke
of Södermanland, later King Carl XIII, who as the Grand Master of Swedish Freemasonry (Svenska
Frimurare Orden) built its unique system of degrees and wrote its rituals. In contrast, one of the most
prominent Swedish authors of Swedenborg's day, Johan Henric Kellgren, called Swedenborg
"nothing but a fool".[h] A heresy trial was initiated in Sweden in 1768 against Swedenborg writings
and two men who promoted them.[i]
In the two and a half centuries since Swedenborg's death, various interpretations of his theology
have been made, and he has also been scrutinized in biographies and psychological studies. [138]
[j]
Swedenborg, with his claimed new dispensation, has been considered by some to suffer
from mental illness.[k][139][l] While the insanity explanation was not uncommon during Swedenborg's
own time, it is mitigated by his activity in the Swedish Riddarhuset (The House of the Nobility),
the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament), and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Additionally,
the system of thought in his theological writings is considered by some to be remarkably coherent.
[140]
Furthermore, he was characterized by his contemporaries as a "kind and warm-hearted man",
"amiable in his meeting with the public", speaking "easily and naturally of his spiritual experiences",
[141][142][143]
with pleasant and interesting conversation... An English friend of Kant's who visited
Swedenborg at Kant's behest described Swedenborg as a "reasonable, pleasant and candid man
and scholar".[144] Of note here is Swedenborg's statement that he was commanded by the Lord to
publish his writings and "Do not believe that without this express command I would have thought of
publishing things which I knew in advance would make me look ridiculous and many people would
think lies..."[145]
Works
Copies of the original Latin version in which Swedenborg wrote his revelation are available from the
following sources.[146][147]
List of referenced works by Swedenborg and the year they were first published. [148][149]
Within parenthesis is the common name used in a New Church listing [150] Then follows the title in its
original publication. All the titles listed were published by Swedenborg, except one, The Spiritual
Diary, which was not.[151] Various minor reports and tracts have been omitted from the list.
Iron Man,
Iron Man (Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic
books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee,
developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The character
made his first appearance in Tales of Suspense #39 (cover dated March 1963), and received his
own title in Iron Man #1 (May 1968).
A wealthy American business magnate, playboy, and ingenious scientist, Anthony
Edward "Tony" Stark suffers a severe chest injury during a kidnapping. When his captors attempt to
force him to build a weapon of mass destruction, he instead creates a powered suit of armor to save
his life and escape captivity. Later, Stark develops his suit, adding weapons and other technological
devices he designed through his company, Stark Industries. He uses the suit and successive
versions to protect the world as Iron Man. Although at first concealing his true identity, Stark
eventually declared that he was, in fact, Iron Man in a public announcement.
Initially, Iron Man was a vehicle for Stan Lee to explore Cold War themes, particularly the role of
American technology and industry in the fight against communism.[1] Subsequent re-imaginings of
Iron Man have transitioned from Cold War motifs to contemporary matters of the time. [1]
Throughout most of the character's publication history, Iron Man has been a founding member of the
superhero team the Avengers and has been featured in several incarnations of his own various
comic book series. Iron Man has been adapted for several animated TV shows and films.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe character is portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the live action
film Iron Man (2008), which was a critical and box office success. Downey, who received much
acclaim for his performance, reprised the role in a cameo in The Incredible Hulk (2008), two Iron
Man sequels Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 (2013), The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of
Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers:
Infinity War (2018) and will do so again in Avengers: Endgame (2019) in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe.
Iron Man was ranked 12th on IGN's "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes" in 2011, [2] and third in their list of
"The Top 50 Avengers" in 2012.
Solo series
After issue #99 (March 1968), the Tales of Suspense series was renamed Captain America. An Iron
Man story appeared in the one-shot comic Iron Man and Sub-Mariner (April 1968), before the
"Golden Avenger"[21] made his solo debut with Iron Man #1 (May 1968).[22] The series' indicia gives
its copyright title Iron Man, while the trademarked cover logo of most issues is The Invincible Iron
Man.
This initial series ended with issue #332 (Sept. 1996). Jim Lee, Scott Lobdell, and Jeph
Loeb authored a second volume of the series which was drawn primarily by Whilce
Portacio and Ryan Benjamin. This volume took place in a parallel universe[23] and ran 13 issues (Nov.
1996 - Nov. 1997).[24] Volume 3, whose first 25 issues were written by Kurt Busiek[25] and then by
Busiek and Roger Stern, ran 89 issues (Feb. 1998 - Dec. 2004). Later writers included Joe
Quesada, Frank Tieri, Mike Grell, and John Jackson Miller. Issue #41 (June 2001) was additionally
numbered #386, reflecting the start of dual numbering starting from the premiere issue of volume
one in 1968. The final issue was dual-numbered as #434. [26] The next Iron Man series, Iron Man vol.
4, debuted in early 2005 with the Warren Ellis-written storyline "Extremis", with artist Adi Granov.[27]
[28]
It ran 35 issues (Jan. 2005 - Jan. 2009), with the cover logo simply Iron Man beginning with issue
#13, and Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., beginning issue #15. On the final three issues, the cover
logo was overwritten by "War Machine, Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D.", [29] which led to the launch of a War
Machine ongoing series.[30]
The Invincible Iron Man vol. 1, by writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca, began with a
premiere issue cover-dated July 2008. [31] For a seven-month overlap, Marvel published both volume
four and volume five simultaneously.[32] This Invincible volume jumped its numbering of issues from
#33 to #500, cover dated March 2011, to reflect the start from the premiere issue of volume one in
1968.
After the conclusion of The Invincible Iron Man a new Iron Man series was started as a part
of Marvel Now!. Written by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Greg Land, it began with issue #1 in
November 2012.[33]
Many Iron Man annuals, miniseries, and one-shot titles have been published through the years, such
as Age of Innocence: The Rebirth of Iron Man (Feb. 1996), Iron Man: The Iron Age #1-2 (Aug.–Sept.
1998), Iron Man: Bad Blood #1-4 (Sept.–Dec. 2000), Iron Man House of M #1-3 (Sept.–Nov.
2005), Fantastic Four / Iron Man: Big in Japan #1-4 (Dec. 2005–March 2006), Iron Man: The
Inevitable #1-6 (Feb.–July 2006), Iron Man / Captain America: Casualties of War (Feb. 2007), Iron
Man: Hypervelocity #1-6 (March–Aug. 2007), Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin #1-6 (Nov. 2007–April
2008), and Iron Man: Legacy of Doom (June–Sept. 2008). Publications have included such spin-offs
as the one-shot Iron Man 2020 (June 1994), featuring a different Iron Man in the future, and
the animated TV series adaptations Marvel Action Hour, Featuring Iron Man #1-8 (Nov. 1994–June
1995) and Marvel Adventures Iron Man #1-12 (July 2007–June 2008).[34]
Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963): Iron Man debuts. Cover art by Jack Kirby and Don Heck.
Tales of Suspense #48 (Dec. 1963), the debut of Iron Man's first red-and-gold suit of armor. Cover art by Jack
Kirby and Sol Brodsky.
Origins
Anthony Edward Stark is the son of wealthy industrialist and head of Stark Industries, Howard
Stark, and Maria Stark. A boy genius, he enters MIT at the age of 15 to study engineering and later
receives master's degrees in engineering and physics. After his parents are killed in a car accident,
he inherits his father's company.
Stark is injured by a booby trap and captured by enemy forces led by Wong-Chu. Wong-Chu orders
Stark to build weapons, but Stark's injuries are dire and shrapnel is moving towards his heart. His
fellow prisoner, Ho Yinsen, a Nobel Prize-winning physicistwhose work Stark had greatly admired
during college, constructs a magnetic chest plate to keep the shrapnel from reaching Stark's heart.
In secret, Stark and Yinsen use the workshop to design and construct a suit of powered armor,
which Stark uses to escape. During the escape attempt, Yinsen sacrifices his life to save Stark's by
distracting the enemy as Stark recharges. Stark takes revenge on his kidnappers and rejoins the
American forces, on his way meeting a wounded American Marine fighter pilot, James "Rhodey"
Rhodes.
Back home, Stark discovers that the shrapnel fragment lodged in his chest cannot be removed
without killing him, and he is forced to wear the armor's chestplate beneath his clothes to act as a
regulator for his heart. He must recharge the chestplate every day or else risk the shrapnel killing
him. The cover story that Stark tells the news media and general public is that Iron Man is his robotic
personal bodyguard, and corporate mascot. To that end, Iron Man fights threats to his company
(e.g., Communistopponents Black Widow, the Crimson Dynamo, and the Titanium Man), as well as
independent villains like the Mandarin (who becomes his greatest enemy). No one suspects Stark of
being Iron Man, as he cultivates a strong public image of being a rich playboy and industrialist. Two
notable members of the series' supporting cast, at this point, are his personal chauffeur Harold
"Happy" Hogan, and secretary Virginia "Pepper" Potts—to both of whom he eventually reveals his
dual identity. Meanwhile, James Rhodes finds his own niche as Stark's personal pilot, ultimately
revealing himself to be a man of extraordinary skill and daring in his own right.
The series took an anti-Communist stance in its early years, which was softened as public (and
therefore, presumably, reader) opposition rose to the Vietnam War.[5] This change evolved in a series
of storylines featuring Stark reconsidering his political opinions, and the morality of manufacturing
weapons for the U.S. military. Stark shows himself to be occasionally arrogant, and willing to act
unethically in order to 'let the ends justify the means'. [35][36] This leads to personal conflicts with the
people around him, both in his civilian and superhero identities. Stark uses his vast personal fortune
not only to outfit his own armor, but also to develop weapons for S.H.I.E.L.D.; other technologies
(e.g., Quinjets used by the Avengers); and the image inducers used by the X-Men. Eventually,
Stark's heart condition is resolved with an artificial heart transplant.[37]
2000s
At one point, Stark's armor becomes sentient despite fail-safes to prevent its increasingly
sophisticated computer systems from doing so.[63] Initially, Stark welcomes this "living" armor for its
improved tactical abilities. The armor begins to grow more aggressive, killing indiscriminately and
eventually desiring to replace Stark altogether. In the final confrontation on a desert island, Stark
suffers another heart attack. The armor sacrifices its own existence to save its creator's life, giving
up essential components to give Stark a new, artificial heart. This new heart solves Stark's health
problems, but it does not have an internal power supply, so Stark becomes once again dependent
on periodic recharging. The sentient armor incident so disturbs Stark that he temporarily returns to
using an unsophisticated early model version of his armor to avoid a repeat incident. [64] He dabbles
with using liquid metal circuitry known as S.K.I.N. that forms into a protective shell around his body,
but eventually returns to more conventional hard metal armors. [65]
During this time, Stark engages in a romance with Rumiko Fujikawa,[66] a wealthy heiress and
daughter of the man who had taken over his company during the "Heroes Reborn" period. Her
relationship with Stark endures many highs and lows, including infidelity with Stark's rival, Tiberius
Stone, in part because the fun-loving Rumiko believes that Stark is too serious and dull. Their
relationship ends with Rumiko's death at the hands of an Iron Man impostor in Iron Man (vol. 3) #87.
In Iron Man (vol. 3) #55 (July 2002), Stark publicly reveals his dual identity as Iron Man, not realizing
that by doing so, he has invalidated the agreements protecting his armor from government
duplication, since those contracts state that the Iron Man armor would be used by an employee of
Tony Stark, not by Stark himself. When he discovers that the United States military is again using his
technology, and its defective nature nearly causes a disaster in Washington, D.C. which Iron Man
barely manages to avert, Stark accepts a Presidential appointment as Secretary of Defense. In this
way, he hopes to monitor and direct how his designs are used. [67]
In the "Avengers Disassembled" storyline, Stark is forced to resign after launching into a tirade
against the Latverian ambassador at the United Nations, being manipulated by the mentally
imbalanced Scarlet Witch, who destroys Avengers Mansion and kills several members. Stark
publicly stands down as Iron Man, but continues using the costume. He joins the Avengers in
stopping the breakout in progress from the Raft and even saves Captain America from falling.
[68]
Tony changes the Avengers base to Stark Tower.[69] The Ghost, the Living
Laser and Spymaster reappear and shift Iron Man from standard superhero stories to dealing
with politicsand industrialism.[70]
New Avengers: Illuminati #1 (June 2006) reveals that years before, Stark had participated with a
secret group that included the Black Panther, Professor X, Mister Fantastic, Black Bolt, Doctor
Strange, and Namor. The goal of the group (dubbed the Illuminati by Marvel) was to strategize
overarching menaces, in which the Black Panther rejects a membership offer. Stark's goal is to
create a governing body for all superheroes in the world, but the beliefs of its members instead force
them all to share vital information.
"Civil War"
In the "Civil War" storyline, after the actions of inexperienced superheroes the New Warriors result in
the destruction of several city blocks in Stamford, Connecticut, there is an outcry across America
against superhumans. Learning of the Government's proposed plans, Tony Stark suggests a new
plan to instigate a Superhuman Registration Act. The Act would force every superpowered individual
in the U.S. to register their identity with the government and act as licensed agents. The Act would
force inexperienced superhumans to receive training in how to use and control their abilities,
something in which Tony strongly believes. Since his struggle with alcoholism, Stark has carried a
tremendous burden of guilt after nearly killing an innocent bystander while piloting the armor drunk.
While Reed Richards and Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym both agree with Stark's proposal, not everyone
does. After Captain America is ordered to bring in anyone who refuses to register, he and other anti-
registration superheroes go rogue, coming into conflict with the pro-registration heroes, led by Iron
Man. The war ends when Captain America surrenders to prevent further collateral damage and
civilian casualties, although he had defeated Stark by defusing his armor. Stark is appointed the new
director of S.H.I.E.L.D.,[71] and organizes a new government-sanctioned group of Avengers. Shortly
afterwards, Captain America is assassinated while in custody. [72] This leaves Stark with a great
amount of guilt and misgivings about the cost of his victory.[73]
"Secret Invasion"
To tie into the 2008 Iron Man feature film, Marvel launched a new Iron Man ongoing series, The
Invincible Iron Man, with writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca. The series inaugural six-
part storyline was "The Five Nightmares", which saw Stark targeted by Ezekiel Stane, the son of
Stark's former nemesis, Obadiah Stane.[74]
In the "Secret Invasion" storyline, after Tony Stark survives an attempt by Ultron to take over his
body, he is confronted in the hospital by Spider-Woman, holding the corpse of a Skrull posing
as Elektra. Realizing this is the start of an invasion by the Skrulls, Tony reveals the corpse to the
Illuminati and declares that they are at war. After Black Bolt reveals himself as a Skrull and is killed
by Namor, a squadron of Skrulls attack, forcing Tony to evacuate the other Illuminati members and
destroy the area, killing all the Skrulls. Realizing that they are incapable of trusting each other, the
members all separate to form individual plans for the oncoming invasion. [75]
Stark is discredited and publicly vilified after his inability to anticipate or prevent the secret infiltration
and invasion of Earth by the Skrulls, and by the Skrull disabling of his StarkTech technology, which
had a virtual monopoly on worldwide defense.[76] After the invasion, the U.S. government removes
him as head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and disbands the Avengers, handing control of the Initiative over
to Norman Osborn.
"Dark Reign"
Dark Reign (comics)
With his Extremis powers failing, Stark uploads a virus to destroy all records of the Registration Act,
thus preventing Osborn from learning the identities of his fellow heroes and anything that Osborn
could use, including his repulsor generators. The only copy of the database is in Stark's brain, which
he tries to delete while on the run from Osborn.[77] Stark goes so far as to inflict brain damage on
himself in order to ensure that the relevant information is wiped. When Osborn catches up to the
debilitated Stark and beats him savagely, Pepper Potts broadcasts the beatings worldwide, costing
Osborn credibility and giving Stark public sympathy. Stark goes into a vegetative state, having
previously granted Donald Blake (alter ego of the superhero Thor) power of attorney. [78] A
holographic message stored in Pepper's armor reveals that Stark had developed a means of
'rebooting' his mind from his current state prior to his destruction of the database, with Blake and
Bucky resolving to use it to restore him to normal. Meanwhile, Stark is trapped in his subconscious,
where figments of his own mind prevent him from returning to the waking world. When the procedure
fails to work, Bucky calls in Doctor Strange, who succeeds in restoring Stark back to consciousness.
The backup Stark created was made prior to the Civil War, and as such he does not remember
anything that took place during the event, although he still concludes after reviewing his past actions
that he would not have done anything differently. His brain damage means he is now dependent on
an arc reactor to sustain his body's autonomous functions. [79]
2010s
"Siege"
Siege (comics)
In the "Siege" storyline, Tony Stark is seen under the care of Dr. Donald Blake and Maria Hill when
Asgard is attacked.[80] Thor is ambushed by Osborn and the Sentry, but rescued by Hill. Osborn
declares martial law and unleashes Daken and the Sentry on Broxton to root out Thor and Hill. Hill
returns to Stark's hiding place to move him to a safer location and are joined by Speed of the Young
Avengers, who has a set of Iron Man's MK III armor that Edwin Jarvis had given Captain America.
While Osborn is battling the New Avengers, Stark appears and disables Osborn's Iron Patriot armor.
Osborn orders the Sentry to annihilate Asgard, rather than allow the Avengers to have it. After
Asgard falls, Stark stands alongside his fellow heroes, as Osborn exclaims they are all doomed and
he 'was saving them from him' pointing up towards a Void-possessed Sentry.[81] As the Void tears
apart the teams, Loki gives them the power to fight back through the Norn Stones. The Void kills
Loki, enraging Thor. Tony tells Thor to get the Void away from Asgard, which allows Tony to drop a
commandeered H.A.M.M.E.R. Helicarrier on the Void. Thor is forced to killed Sentry when the Void
resurfaces. Sometime later, the Super-Human Registration Act is repealed and Tony is given back
his company and armor. As a symbol for their heroics and their new unity, Thor places an Asgardian
tower on Stark Tower where the Watchtower once stood. [82]
"Heroic Age"
Heroic Age (comics)
In the 2010-2011 "Stark: Resilient" storyline, Tony builds the Bleeding Edge armor with the help of
Mister Fantastic. This new armor fully uses the repulsor tech battery embedded in his chest to power
Tony's entire body and mind, thus allowing him access to Extremis once more. Furthermore, the
battery operates as his "heart" and is predominantly the only thing keeping him alive. [83] Tony
announces he will form a new company, Stark Resilient. He states that he will no longer develop
weapons, but will use his repulsor technology to give free energy to the world. Justine and Sasha
Hammer create their own armored hero, Detroit Steel, to take Stark's place as the Army's leading
weapons-builder. Stark's plan consists of building two repulsor-powered cars. The Hammers try to
foil his efforts. The first car is destroyed by sabotage, while Detroit Steel attacks Stark Resilient's
facilities while Tony tests the second car. Through a legal maneuver, Tony is able to get the
Hammers to stop their attacks and releases a successful commercial about his new car. [84][85]
"Fear Itself"
In the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, Earth is attacked by the Serpent, the God of Fear and the long-
forgotten brother of Odin.[86] In Paris, Iron Man fights Grey Gargoyle, who has become Mokk, Breaker
of Faith, one of the Serpent's Worthy. Mokk leaves Iron Man unconscious and transforms Detroit
Steel and the citizens of Paris into stone.[87][88] To defeat the Serpent's army, Tony drinks a bottle of
wine (thus 'sacrificing' his sobriety) to gain an audience with Odin, who allows Tony to enter the
realm of Svartalfheim. Tony and the dwarves of Svartalfheim build enchanted weapons. [89] Tony
upgrades his armor with uru-infused enchantments and delivers the finished weapons to the
Avengers, who use them for the final battle against the Serpent's forces. Iron Man watches as Thor
kills the Serpent, but dies in the process. After the battle is over, Tony melts down the weapons he
created and repairs Captain America's shield, which had been broken by Serpent, and gives it back
to Captain America.[90] During a subsequent argument with Odin about the gods' lack of involvement
in the recent crisis, Odin gives Tony a brief opportunity to see the vastness of the universe the way
he sees it. As thanks for Tony's role in the recent crisis, Odin restores all the people that the Grey
Gargoyle killed during his rampage.[91]
Return of the Mandarin and Marvel NOW!
In the storylines "Demon" and "The Long Way Down", Stark is subpoenaed by the U.S. government
after evidence surfaces of him using the Iron Man armor while under the influence. Mandarin and
Zeke Stane upgrade some of Iron Man's old enemies and send them to commit acts of terrorism
across the world, intending to discredit Iron Man. General Bruce Babbage forces Stark to wear a
tech governor, a device that allows Babbage to deactivate Stark's armor whenever he wants. To
fight back, Tony undergoes a surgical procedure that expels the Bleeding Edge technology out of his
body and replaces his repulsor node with a new model, forcing Babbage to remove the tech
governor off his chest. He announces his retirement as Iron Man, faking Rhodes' death and giving
him a new armor so that he becomes the new Iron Man.[92] This leads into the next storyline, "The
Future", in which the Mandarin takes control of Stark's mind and uses him to create new armored
bodies for the alien spirits inhabiting his rings, but Stark allies himself with some of his old enemies,
who have also been imprisoned by Mandarin, and manages to defeat him. The final issue of this
storyline concluded Matt Fraction's series.[93]
In the ongoing series that premiered in 2012 as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch, Tony Stark has
hit a technological ceiling. After the death of Dr. Maya Hansen and the destruction of all of the
Extremis Version 2 kits that were being sold to the black market, Tony decides that the Earth is not
safe without him learning more from what's in the final frontier. He takes his new suit, enhanced with
an artificial intelligence named P.E.P.P.E.R. and joins Peter Quill and The Guardians of the
Galaxy after helping them thwart a Badoon attack on Earth. [94]
Superior Iron Man
Tony Stark's personality is inverted during the events of AXIS, bringing out more dark aspects of
himself like irresponsibility, egotism and alcoholism.[95] Stark relocates to San Francisco and builds a
new, all-white armor. He supplies the citizens of San Francisco with the Extremis 3.0 app, a version
of the techno-virus that offers beauty, health or even immortality, free. [96] When every person in the
city viewed Iron Man as a messiah for making their dreams come true, he ended the free trial mode
and started charging a daily fee of $99.99, causing many to resort to crime as way to pay for the
upgrade.[97] Daredevil confronts Stark at his new Alcatraz Islandpenthouse, but is easily brushed off.
[98]
Iron Man uses Extremis 3.0 to temporarily restore Daredevil's sight, just to prove his point.
[99]
Daredevil deduces that Stark had added Extremis to the water supply and the phones only
transmit an activation signal, but Stark subjects Murdock to minor brain damage to prevent him from
sharing this revelation with others.[100]
After discovering that new villain Teen Abomination is the son of Happy Hogan, Stark decides to
help him,[101] but this minor act of redemption is too late for Pepper Potts, who attacks Stark with the
aid of an A.I. based on Stark's mind.[102] This culminates in a confrontation between the two Starks, as
Stark calls on the unwitting aid of all 'infected' with the Extremis upgrade while the A.I. uses Stark's
various old armors to attack him. [103] Although Stark technically wins the battle as he destroys his
other armors and deletes the A.I. backup, Pepper states that she plans to reveal the truth about his
goals with Extremis, bluntly informing him that if he continues his Extremis upgrade project, he will
have to do it alone, accepting his fate of being regarded as a monster by all who know him. [104]
Time Runs Out
During the "Time Runs Out" storyline, an attempt at reclaiming Wakanda from the Cabal that Namor
had created to destroy incursive Earths results in Tony being held captive in the Necropolis. [105] After
the Cabal are apparently killed, the Illuminati free Tony, who is forced to flee due to the Illuminati's
unwillingness to let Stark be there with them when they meet Rogers and the Avengers. When the
Shi'ar and their allies arrive to destroy Earth, the Avengers and the Illuminati unsuccessfully try to
retaliate. Iron Man uses Sol's Hammer to destroy the fleet. [106] The incursions continue, and Rogers
confronts Stark about what he knows. A fight ensues between them and Stark admits that he had
lied and had known about the incursions all along. During the final incursion, Earth-1610's
S.H.I.E.L.D. launches a full-scale attack on Earth-616, during which Stark and Rogers are crushed
by a Helicarrier.[107]
All-New, All-Different Marvel
After the events of the Secret Wars crossover, Stark returns to his normal self with no signs of his
inverted personality. Eight months following the return of the universe as seen in the "All-New, All-
Different Marvel" event, Tony works in his laboratory non-stop after his position as an innovator had
been put in doubt. Because an M.I.T. student reverse-engineered some of his technology, Stark
develops a new armor which can change shape according to the situation he would find himself.
When Stark's new A.I. Friday informs him that Madame Masque has broken into the ruins of Castle
Doom, he travels to Latveria to investigate and runs into some revolutionaries who are then defeated
by a man in a suit. To his amazement, Iron Man's armor computer identifies him as Doctor Doom
with his face restored. Doctor Doom claims that he wanted to help Iron Man. [108]
After learning from Doctor Doom that Madame Masque has taken a decoy of the Wand of Watoomb,
Tony Stark confronts Madame Masque. Upon learning that Madame Masque is not allied with Doctor
Doom, Tony is attacked by her with a burst of energy that damages his armor. [109] Friday manages to
gain control of the suit and takes Tony to a safe location. Iron Man tracks Madame Masque to
Marina del Rey. After finding a tape recorder with her messages, Tony is attacked by several black
silhouettes with swords.[110]
Iron Man escapes the ninjas that are attacking him and manages to defeat most of them, but they kill
themselves before he can interrogate any of them. Iron Man and Doctor Doom arrive at Mary Jane
Watson's newest Chicago night club Jackpot when Madame Masque attacks it. [111] As Mary Jane
distracts Madame Masque by knocking off her mask, Iron Man and Doctor Doom discover that
Madame Masque is possessed by a demon. Doctor Doom is able to perform an exorcism on her.
Doctor Strange arrives and tells Iron Man he will take Madame Masque with him to fix her
metaphysically and then hand her over at S.H.I.E.L.D. Iron Man also informs him of Doctor Doom's
help who had left the scene some time ago. Three days later, Iron Man offers Mary Jane a job to
make up for the damage to her nightclub.[112]After speaking with War Machine, Tony Stark meets up
at a diner with Amara Perera when they are unexpectedly joined by Doctor Doom who wanted to
make sure that the demonic possession that affected Madame Masque has not affected Stark or
Amara.[113] Stark shows Mary Jane the demonstration on the people that he will be working with. They
are interrupted by Friday who tells Tony that War Machine is missing. [ Before heading to Tokyo,
Tony receives from Mary Jane the emergency number for Peter Parker. In Tokyo, Iron Man is
contacted by Spider-Man at War Machine's last known location as he is being observed by ninjas. [114]
During the Civil War II storyline, Iron Man protests the logic of using precognitive powers to stop
future crimes after the recently emerged Inhuman Ulysses predicted Thanos' attack on Project
Pegasus. Three weeks later, Iron Man is summoned to the Triskelion after War Machine is killed in
battle against Thanos. When Iron Man learns that War Machine and the Ultimates used Ulysses'
power to ambush Thanos, he vows to stop anyone from using that power again. [115] Iron Man
infiltrates New Attilan and makes off with Ulysses. At Stark Tower, Iron Man vows to find out how
Ulysses' precognition works. The Inhumans attack Stark Tower but are stopped by the Avengers,
the Ultimates, and S.H.I.E.L.D. During the confrontation, Ulysses has another vision which he
projects to Iron Man and everyone present, showing a rampaging Hulk standing over the corpses of
the defeated superheroes.[116] The heroes confront Banner, who is killed by Hawkeye. Barton claims
that Banner was about to transform and Banner had previously asked Hawkeye to kill him if he
should turn back into the Hulk. Tony is disgusted at this use of Ulysses' power. When his analysis of
Ulysses brain is completed,[117] Tony reveals that Ulysses does not actually see the future, but simply
assembles large quantities of data to project likely outcomes. While Danvers continues to use the
visions as a resource, Tony objects to the concept of profiling people. This results in a stand-off
when Tony's side abducts a woman from custody after Ulysses' visions identified her as a deep-
cover HYDRA agent, despite the lack of supporting evidence. [118]
Iron Man learns that his biological mother was actually Amanda Armstrong, who had given him up
for adoption. S.H.I.E.L.D. had Armstrong's baby adopted by Howard and Maria Stark. [119]
Marvel NOW! 2016
In July 2016, it was announced that Tony Stark would hand off the mantle of Iron Man to a 15-year-
old girl named Riri Williams. Riri is an MIT student who built her own Iron Man suit out of scrap
pieces and, as such, attracted Stark's attention. Early depictions of Williams' suit depict it without the
Arc Reactor, but leaves the power source for the suit unclear. [120] Another Iron Man-based series
titled Infamous Iron Man debuted featuring Doctor Doom sporting his version of the Iron Man armor.
[121]
This is revealed to be the result of serious injuries sustained by Stark during his final confrontation
with Captain Marvel. Danvers' beating leaves Stark in a coma, but he is left alive due to unspecified
experiments Stark has carried out on himself over the years.[122]
Existing as an A.I.
Following the revelation that Stark experimented on himself at the end of Civil War II, Beast
concludes that the only option is to let the experiments do their job in healing Tony and recover on
his own In Invincible Iron Man #1, an employee of Stark sends Riri Williams an artificial intelligence
housing a copy of Tony Stark's consciousness to help her control and mentor in her own version of
the Iron Man armor. This A.I. is directly copied from Tony's brain, granting sentience, with Williams
commenting on Stark existing as a "techno-ghost". As an A.I., Stark can walk around as a hard-light
object and gains the ability to remote control his vast armory of Iron Man suits. [ In The Mighty
Captain Marvel #3, the Tony Stark A.I. goes to Antarctica and visits Captain Marvel with the intent on
settling their differences from the Second Civil War, she apologizes to him for her regrets, reconciles
with him eventually and they become allies once more. Then in Secret Empire, the Tony Stark A.I.
suits up as Iron Man once again and learns of Captain America's betrayal to Hydra and how he
ended up like this. As Hydra tightens its grip across America, the Tony Stark A.I. leads a team
known as the Underground to find the Cosmic Cubes to restore Rogers to his normal self. When
things start to escalate, Tony and his crew go rogue and in search for answers for the Cube. As Iron
Man and the Underground search for them they are intercepted by Captain America and his Hydra
team. With both teams encountering each other, they are captured by the Ultron/Hank Pym hybrid,
who forces both teams to sit at a dinner table. During "dinner", Ultron reveals information about the
Hydra Avengers - such as Odinson working with Hydra to reclaim Mjolnir, Scarlet Witch being
possessed by Chthon, and Vision being affected by an A.I. virus. Ultron argues that he is doing this
because the Avengers have become less of a family over the years as so many of them jump to
obey Captain America or Iron Man, despite past experience confirming that this is not always a good
idea, but Tony counters that the only reason the team failed as a family was because of Hank's
abuse towards Wasp. Enraged, Ultron is about to kill everyone, but Ant-Man is able to calm him
down by arguing that Hank remains his own inspiration. Ultron allows the Underground to leave with
the fragment, arguing that neither side should have an advantage over the other. Back in America,
Hydra Supreme has put Namor in a position where he will be forced to sign a peace treaty that gives
Rogers access to the Cosmic Cube fragment in Atlantis, but Hydra Supreme muses that he is
unconcerned about who will acquire the fragments, as he has an inside man in the Underground.
After the Mount was attacked by Thor and the resurrected Hulk led by Hydra, the Underground
evacuated the civilians thanks to Hawkeye and the rest of the heroes. Captain America and Iron
Man fight as the Mount collapses around them. The Tony Stark A.I. initiates the Mount's "Clean
Slate Protocol", and blows up the Mount, killing Madame Hydra, then apologizes to Steve Rogers
about their past differences, but the A.I survives and, in the aftermath, helps the heroes pull the
pieces back together to take down Hydra. When Iron Man confronts Hydra Supreme, he and the
other heroes are easily overpowered by him and watch the original Captain America defeat his
Hydra self and into celebrating their victory.[123]
Marvel Legacy
Mary Jane Watson and other Stark employees find that Stark's body has completely vanished from
its pod, despite tests taken mere hours ago showing no sign of improvement or brain activity. [
Powers, abilities, and equipment
Armor
Iron Man's armor
The Bleeding Edge Armor, like the Extremis Armor before it, is stored in Stark's bones, and can be assembled
and controlled by his thoughts
Iron Man possesses powered armor that gives him superhuman strength and durability, flight, and
an array of weapons. The armor is invented and worn by Stark (with occasional short-term
exceptions). Other people who have assumed the Iron Man identity include Stark's long-time partner
and best friend James Rhodes;[125] close associates Harold "Happy" Hogan; Eddie March;[126]
[127]
(briefly) Michael O'Brien and Riri Williams.
The weapons systems of the suit have changed over the years, but Iron Man's standard offensive
weapons have always been the repulsor rays that are fired from the palms of his gauntlets. Other
weapons built into various incarnations of the armor include: the uni-beam projector in its chest;
pulse bolts (that pick up kinetic energy along the way; so the farther they travel, the harder they hit);
an electromagnetic pulse generator; and a defensive energy shield that can be extended up to 360
degrees. Other capabilities include: generating ultra-freon (i.e., a freeze-beam); creating and
manipulating magnetic fields; emitting sonic blasts; and projecting 3-dimensional holograms (to
create decoys).
In addition to the general-purpose model he wears, Stark has developed several
specialized suits for space travel,[38] deep-sea diving, stealth,[39][40] and other special purposes. Stark
has modified suits, like the Hulkbuster heavy armor. The Hulkbuster armor is composed of add-ons
to his so-called modular armor, designed to enhance its strength and durability enough to engage
the Hulk in a fight. A later model, created with the help of Odin and the Asgardian metal Uru, is
similar to the Destroyer. Stark develops an electronics pack during the Armor Wars that, when
attached to armors that use Stark technologies, will burn out those components, rendering the suit
useless. This pack is ineffective on later models. While it is typically associated with James Rhodes,
the War Machine armor began as one of Stark's specialty armors.
The most recent models of Stark's armor, beginning with the Extremis armor, are now stored in the
hollow portions of Stark's bones, and the personal area networking implement used to control it is
implanted into his forearm, and connected directly to his central nervous system.
The Extremis has since been removedand he now uses more conventional armors. Some armors
still take a liquid form, but are not stored within his body. His Endo-Sym Armor incorporates a
combination of the liquid smart-metal with the alien Venom symbiote, psionically controlled by Stark.
Post-Secret Wars, Stark uses a more streamlined suit of armor that can practically "morph" into
other armors or weapons.[
Powers
After being critically injured during a battle with the Extremis-enhanced Mallen, Stark injects his
nervous system with modified techno-organic virus-like body restructuring machines (the Extremis
process).[128] By rewriting his own biology, Stark is able to save his life, gain an enhanced healing
factor, and partially merge with the Iron Man armor, superseding the need for bulky, AI-controlled
armors in favor of lighter designs, technopathically controlled by his own brain. His enhanced
technopathy extends to every piece of technology, limitless and effortlessly due to his ability to
interface with communication satellites and wireless connections to increase his "range". Some
components of the armor-sheath are now stored in Tony's body, able to be recalled, and extruded
from his own skin, at will.
During the "Secret Invasion" storyline the Extremis package is catastrophically shut down by a virus,
forcing him again to rely on the previous iteration of his armor, and restoring his previous limitations.
Furthermore, Osborn's takeover of most of the few remaining Starktech factories, with Ezekiel Stane
systematically crippling the others, limits Tony to the use of lesser, older and weaker armors. [129]
After being forced to "wipe out" his brain to prevent Norman Osborn from gaining his information,
Tony Stark is forced to have a new arc reactor, of Rand design installed in his chest. The process
greatly improves his strength, stamina and intellect. The procedure left him with virtually no
autonomic functions: as his brain was stripped of every biological function, Tony is forced to rely on
a digital backup of his memories (leaving him with severe gaps and lapses in his long-term memory)
and on software routine in the arc reactor for basic stimuli reaction, such as blinking and breathing.
[130][131]
The Bleeding Edge package of armor and physical enhancement is now equal in power, if not a
more advanced, version of the old Extremis tech.[83]
Skills
Tony Stark is an inventive genius whose expertise in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry,
and computer science rivals that of Reed Richards, Hank Pym, and Bruce Banner, and his expertise
in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering surpasses even theirs. He is regarded as one
of the most intelligent characters in the Marvel Universe. He graduated with advanced degrees in
physics and engineering at the age of 17 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)[132] and
further developed his knowledge ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum mechanics as time
progressed. His expertise extends to his ingenuity in dealing with difficult situations, such as difficult
foes and deathtraps, in which he is capable of using available tools, including his suit, in unorthodox
but effective ways. He is well respected in the business world, able to command people's attention
when he speaks on economic matters, having over the years built up several multimillion-dollar
companies from virtually nothing. He is noted for the loyalty he commands from and returns to those
who work for him, as well as for his business ethics. Thus he immediately fired an employee who
made profitable, but illegal, sales to Doctor Doom.[47] He strives to be environmentally responsible in
his businesses.
At a time when Stark was unable to use his armor for a period, he received some combat training
from Captain America and has become physically formidable on his own when the situation
demands it.[133] In addition, Stark possesses great business and political acumen. On multiple
occasions he reacquired control of his companies after losing them amid corporate takeovers. [134]
Due to his membership in the Illuminati, Iron Man was given the Space Infinity Gem to safeguard.
[135]
It allows the user to exist in any location (or all locations), move any object anywhere throughout
the universe and warp or rearrange space.
Supporting characters
List of Iron Man supporting characters
Other versions
Alternative versions of Iron Man
In other media
Iron Man in other media
In 1966, Iron Man was featured in a series of cartoons. [136] In 1981, Iron Man guest appeared
in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, but only as Tony Stark.[137] He went on to feature again in
his own series in the 1990s as part of the Marvel Action Hour with the Fantastic Four; Robert
Hays provided his voice in these animated cartoons. Iron Man makes an appearance in the episode
"Shell Games" of Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes. Apart from comic books, Iron Man
appears in Capcom's "Vs." video games, including Marvel Super Heroes, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New
Age of Heroes, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Iron
Man is a playable character in Iron Man, the 1992 arcade game Captain America and the
Avengers, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and its sequel, and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, as
well as being featured as an unlockable character in X-Men Legends II: Rise of
Apocalypse and Tony Hawk's Underground.[138] In the 2009 animated series, Iron Man: Armored
Adventures, most of the characters, including Tony Stark, are teenagers. An anime
adaptation began airing in Japan in October 2010 as part of a collaboration between Marvel
Animation and Madhouse, in which Stark, voiced by Keiji Fujiwara, travels to Japan where he ends
up facing off against the Zodiac.[139]
Iron Man suit Mark VI from Iron Man 2 (premiered in 2010)
In 2008, a film adaptation titled Iron Man was released, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark
and directed by Jon Favreau. Iron Man received very positive reviews from film critics,[140] grossing
$318 million domestically and $585 million worldwide.[141] The character of Tony Stark, again played
by Robert Downey Jr., appeared at the end of the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk. Downey reprised
his role in Iron Man 2 (2010), Marvel's The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of
Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers:
Infinity War (2018), and will appear in Avengers: Endgame in 2019.[142]
In 2009, Playtech released an online casino slot machine game called Iron Man. After that they
created two more games, Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3.[143]
In October 2016, Eoin Colfer released a young adult novel called Iron Man: The Gauntlet.[144]
Cultural influence
Basically I'm here to announce that we are building Iron Man.
— The 44th President of the United States Barack Obamamade a surprise announcement at a press conference at the White
House, when he revealed details of the creation of "Manufacturing Innovation Institutes" in Chicago and Detroit.[145]
The rapper Ghostface Killah, a member of Wu-Tang Clan, titled his 1996 debut solo
album Ironman, and has since continued to use lyrics related to the Iron Man comics
and samples from the animated TV shows on his records.[146][147] He has adopted the nickname
Tony Starks as one of his numerous alter-egos,[147] and was featured in a scene deleted from
the Iron Man film.
Paul McCartney's song "Magneto and Titanium Man" was inspired by the X-Men's nemesis
and the original version of the Iron Man villain. Another Iron Man villain, the Crimson Dynamo, is
mentioned in the lyrics to this song.[148][149]
The British band Razorlight mentions Tony Stark in a verse of their song, "Hang By, Hang
By".[150]
The character of Nathan Stark on the television show Eureka is inspired by Tony Stark.[151]
In 2011, IGN ranked Iron Man 12th in the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes. [2]
Two Iron Man-themed trucks compete in the Monster Jam monster truck racing series.
Debuted in Atlanta on 9 January 2010, they are driven by Lee O' Donnell and Morgan Kane. [152]
In 2015, University of Central Florida engineering student Albert Manero, who builds and
donates affordable 3D-printed bionic limbs to those in need, constructed a bionic arm based on
Iron Man's suit for 7-year-old Alex Pring, a superhero fan who was born with a partially formed
right arm. He then delivered the Iron Man arm to Pring with the help of Robert Downey Jr. in
character as Tony Stark.[153]
For Major League Baseball Players Weekend in August 2018, New York Yankees second
baseman Gleyber Torres designed his custom cleats after Iron Man's suit.[154]
Dwayne Johnson
Johnson in March 2013
Considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers and biggest draws of all-time, [9][10][11] The
Rock headlined the most bought professional wrestling pay-per-view event of all-time, WrestleMania
XXVIII, and was featured in some of the most watched WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown television
episodes ever. The Rock has won several championships in his career, being a two-
time Intercontinental Champion, a five-time world tag team champion, and a ten-
time worldchampion.[note 1] He is also a Royal Rumble match winner and a Triple Crown champion.
Outside of wrestling, Johnson has attained success as an actor, producer, and writer. He played the
leading role in numerous films, including The Scorpion King (2002), San Andreas (2015), Central
Intelligence (2016), Moana (2016), and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). His most
successful box office role has been as Luke Hobbs in The Fast and the Furious franchise.[12] He
founded his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, in 2012 which has since produced
several films. He wrote and released an autobiography titled The Rock Says... in 2000, which
debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list.[13][14] Consistently ranked among the world's
highest paid actors,[15] Johnson was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the
world in 2016
Early life
Johnson was born on May 2, 1972,[18] in Hayward, California,[19] to Ata Johnson (née Maivia) (b.1948)
[20]
and former professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles) (b.1944).
[21]
Johnson briefly lived in New Zealand with his mother's family, settling in Grey Lynn.[22] He attended
Richmond Road Primary School, before returning to the U.S. with his parents. [22] In the United States,
he attended Shepherd Glen Elementary School and Hamden Middle School in Hamden,
Connecticut,[23] then spent 10th grade at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu,
Hawaii. As he entered 11th grade, his father's job required relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
where Johnson began playing football at Freedom High School in the East Penn Conference.[21] He
was also a member of the school's track and field and wrestling teams.[21]
Football career
Dwayne Johnson
No. 94
Career history
Miami (FL) (1990–1994)
College
Personal information
Johnson was a promising football prospect and received offers from many Division I collegiate
programs. He decided on a full scholarship from the University of Miami, playing defensive tackle. In
1991, he was on the Miami Hurricanes' national championship team.[24] When an injury sidelined him,
he was replaced by future Pro Football Hall of Fame player Warren Sapp.[21]
Johnson graduated from Miami in 1995 with a Bachelor of General
Studies in criminology and physiology.[25]He signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian
Football League as a linebacker in 1995 and was assigned to the practice roster but was cut two
months into the season.[21][26][27]
As part of the Nation of Domination, The Rock won the Intercontinental Championship for a second time and
held it for 265 days
After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen Hart on the April 28, 1997 episode of Raw Is
War[41] and suffering a legitimate knee injury in a match against Mankind,[3] Maivia returned in August
1997 and turned heel for the first time in his career by joining Faarooq, D'Lo Brown and Kama in
the stable called the Nation of Domination.[42] During this time, he refused to acknowledge the Rocky
Maivia name, instead referring to himself in the third person as The Rock, though he would still be
billed as Rocky "The Rock" Maivia until 1998. As The Rock, he regularly insulted the audience,
WWF performers, and interviewers in his promos.[42]
At D-Generation X: In Your House, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock in under six minutes
to retain the Intercontinental Championship.[43] The next night on Raw Is War, Austin was ordered
by Mr. McMahon to defend the title in a rematch, but forfeited it to The Rock instead, handing him
the title belt before hitting him with the Stone Cold Stunner.[44][45] The Rock feuded with Austin
and Ken Shamrock through the end of 1997 and beginning of 1998. [46][47] On the March 30 episode
of Raw is War, The Rock debuted a new Intercontinental Championship belt which was used to
represent the title until October 2, 2011, when the previous design was reused. Later that night, The
Rock would also overthrow Faarooq as leader of the Nation of Domination to spark a feud between
the two and successfully defended the Intercontinental title against Faarooq at Over the Edge: In
Your House on May 31, 1998.[48]
The Rock and The Nation then feuded with Triple H and D-Generation X, with the two stable leaders
first meeting in the quarter-final of the 1998 King of the Ring tournament, which The Rock won.
At King of the Ring, The Rock defeated Dan Severn in the semi-final match and lost to rival Ken
Shamrock in the final. The Rock then resumed his feud with Triple H, as the two had a two out of
three falls match at Fully Loaded: In Your House for the Intercontinental title, which The Rock
retained in controversial fashion.[49] This led to a ladder match at SummerSlam, in which Triple H won
the title.[50]
At Breakdown: In Your House, The Rock defeated Ken Shamrock and Mankind in a triple
threat steel cage match to become the number one contender for the WWF Championship. The
Rock then feuded with fellow Nation member Mark Henry, effectively breaking up the stable.[51][52]
Rise to superstardom (1998–2002)
Main article: The Corporation
As part of The Corporation, The Rock feuded with Stone Cold Steve Austinand stole Austin's
personalized WWF Championship, the Smoking Skull belt
The Rock's entertaining promos and ensuing popularity led to a face turn, in which he called himself
"The People's Champion". This led to a feud with Mr. McMahon, who said he had "a problem with
the people" and would thus target "The People's Champion". A "double turn" occurred at Survivor
Series, when The Rock defeated McMahon's associate, Mankind, in the finals of the "Deadly Game"
tournament[53] for the vacant WWF Championship in a fashion reminiscent of the Montreal Screwjob,
turning heel once again.[53][54]The Rock allied with Vince and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of
their stable, The Corporation.[53][55] On December 13, 1998, at the pay-per-view named for him, Rock
Bottom: In Your House, The Rock had a rematch with Mankind for the WWF Championship.
Mankind appeared to win the match when The Rock passed out in the Mandible Claw submission
move, but Mr. McMahon ruled that since The Rock did not tap out, he retained his title. [55][56]
The Rock continued to feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, which was traded back and
forth between them. First, in the main event of the January 4, 1999 episode of Raw Is War, Mankind
defeated The Rock after interference from Stone Cold Steve Austin. [57] Then, in an "I Quit"
match at Royal Rumble on January 24, The Rock regained the title, when a recording of Mankind
saying "I quit" from an earlier interview was played over the PA system. [58][59] On Halftime Heat on
January 31, Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift truck in an empty arena match.[60] The two
faced off again at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House in a last man standing match which
ended in a draw, meaning Mankind retained the title. Their feud ended on February 15 Raw Is War,
when The Rock won his third WWF Championship in a ladder match after Big Show performed
a chokeslam on Mankind off the ladder.[61][62] The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Stone Cold
Steve Austin at WrestleMania XV.[63]
Though he was a heel, his amusing verbal skills led many fans to cheer The Rock, who then lost the
title rematch at Backlash: In Your House[64] and was thus betrayed by Shane McMahon, turning him
face again and beginning a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker and The Corporate Ministry that saw
The Rock defeating Triple H at Over the Edge,[65] but then losing to WWF Champion The Undertaker
at King of the Ring.[66] The Rock lost a number one contender's match to Triple H at Fully
Loaded after interference from Mr. Ass.[67] This sparked a feud with Mr. Ass, culminating in a Kiss My
Ass match at SummerSlam, which The Rock won.[68]
See also: The Rock 'n' Sock Connection and The Invasion (professional wrestling)
Toward the latter part of 1999, The Rock had several singles and tag team championship
opportunities, teaming with former enemy Mankind as The Rock 'n' Sock Connection after he
challenged WWF Tag Team Champions The Undertaker and Big Show and Mankind offered his
help.[69] They won the title for the first of three times.[70][71] The two performed numerous comedic skits
together, including one on Raw Is War called "This Is Your Life", in which Mankind produced people
from The Rock's past, such as his high school girlfriend and his high school football coach. The
segment earned an 8.4 Nielsen rating, one of the highest ratings ever for a Rawsegment.[72]
The Rock's popularity was fueled by his charisma and speaking abilities, which led to many catchphrases and
merchandising opportunities
At Royal Rumble on January 23, 2000, The Rock entered the Royal Rumble match and was one of
the final two remaining, along with Big Show; Show seemingly intended to throw The Rock over the
top rope in a running powerslam-like position, but Rock countered the move on the ring apron,
sending Big Show to the floor before re-entering the ring as the winner. [73] However, The Rock's feet
hit the floor first, although those watching the event on TV did not see that, until Big Show proved
this with additional video footage, and claimed to be the rightful winner. Despite this proof, the
original decision could not be reversed, so a number one contender's match for the WWF
Championship was held at No Way Out, which Big Show won after Shane McMahon interfered and
hit The Rock in the head with a steel chair as he attempted to execute a People's Elbow.[74] The Rock
defeated Big Show on March 13 episode of Raw Is War to regain the right to face the WWF
Champion, Triple H, at WrestleMania 2000 in a fatal four-way elimination match, also including Big
Show and Mick Foley.[75][76] Each wrestler had a McMahon in his corner: Triple H had his
wife, Stephanie, Foley had Linda, The Rock had Vince and Big Show had Shane.[76][77] Triple H
retained the title after Vince betrayed The Rock by hitting him with a chair. [77][78]
In the following weeks, The Rock continued his feud with Triple H and eventually won his fourth
WWF Championship, which he won on April 30 at Backlash after Stone Cold Steve Austin
intervened on his behalf.[79][80] On May 21 at Judgment Day, The Rock and Triple H faced in an Iron
Man match with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. [81] With the score tied at five falls each
and with seconds left on the time limit The Rock was disqualified when The Undertaker attacked
Triple H, thus giving Triple H the 6–5 win and the title. [81] The next night on Raw Is War, The Rock got
his revenge by taking out the entire McMahon-Helmsley Faction with The Undertaker's help.[82] The
Rock won the WWF Championship for a fifth time at King of the Ring on June 25 by scoring the
winning pin in a six-man tag team match, teaming with Kane and The Undertaker against Shane
McMahon, Triple H and Vince McMahon, whom he pinned.[83][84]The Rock successfully defended the
championship against Chris Benoit at Fully Loaded on July 23, Kurt Angle and Triple H
at SummerSlam on August 27 and Benoit, Kane and The Undertaker at Unforgiven on September
24.[85]
The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Angle at No Mercy in October.[86] The next month, The
Rock feuded with Rikishi and defeated him at Survivor Series.[87] The Rock wrestled a six-man Hell in
a Cell match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon in December, which Kurt Angle won to
retain the title.[88] On December 18 on Raw, The Rock won the WWF Tag Team Championship with
The Undertaker, defeating Edge and Christian, then losing it back to them the next night at
a SmackDown! taping.[89] In 2001, The Rock continued to feud with Angle over the WWF
Championship, culminating at No Way Out in February, where he pinned Angle to win the WWF
Championship for a sixth time.[90][91] The Rock then feuded with the Royal Rumble winner, Stone Cold
Steve Austin, whom he lost the title at WrestleMania X-Seven after Austin allied with Mr. McMahon,
who interfered on his behalf. [92]On the next night's Raw Is War, during a steel cage title rematch,
Triple H came to the ring with a sledgehammer and it seemed he would help The Rock, because of
the rivalry between Austin and Triple H, but he attacked him instead, allying with McMahon and
Austin.[93] Austin and Triple H formed a tag team called The Power Trip,[94] while The Rock was
indefinitely suspended in storyline. Johnson used this time off to act in the movie The Mummy
Returns.
The Rock returned to the WWF in late July 2001 and had to decide whether to join the WWF or The
Alliance during The Invasion, eventually siding with the WWF.At SummerSlam, The Rock
defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship.[95][96] He lost the title to Chris Jericho at No Mercy.
[97][98]
The next night on Raw, he teamed with Jericho to win the WWF Tag Team Championship
from The Dudley Boyz.[99]
The Rock returned on January 30, 2003, episode of SmackDown! as a heel when he publicly
criticized Hulk Hogan and told fans that because of the success of his Hollywood career, WWE was
no longer a priority.[119] Rock defeated Hogan again at No Way Out[120][121] and drafted himself to the
Raw brand where he had various feuds, including one with The Hurricane.[122] He also performed
"Rock concerts", segments in which he played the guitar and mocked the show's host city. [123]
After failing to win number one contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship, The Rock
turned his attention to Steve Austin who, to The Rock's chagrin, had been chosen as "Superstar of
the Decade". This led to a match at WrestleMania XIX, which called back to their previous two
WrestleMania encounters, both of which Austin had won. The Rock won after delivering three
consecutive Rock Bottoms, ending their long-running feud in what turned out to be Austin's final
match.[120][124] The next night, Raw was billed as "The Rock Appreciation Night", in honor of his victory
over Austin. That night, he was attacked by a debuting Goldberg. At Backlash, Goldberg defeated
The Rock, who then left WWE as an active wrestler to focus on his film career. [120][125]
The Rock then occasionally returned to WWE in non-wrestling roles, gradually turning face again by
engaging in one night feuds against heels such as Chris Jericho and Christian.[126][127] The Rock aided
Mick Foley in his feud against Evolution,[4][120][128] leading to a reunion of The Rock 'n' Sock Connection.
They faced Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista in a handicap match at WrestleMania XX, losing
when Orton pinned Foley after the RKO. It turned out to be Rock's last match for the next seven
years.[120][129] The Rock appeared in WWE sporadically following WrestleMania XX. He stood up
for Eugene, made a cameo in his hometown of Miami and helped Mick Foley turn back La
Résistance.[3] Later in 2004, he hosted a pie-eating contest, as part of the WWE Diva Search and
ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman a spinebuster and a People's Elbow.[3] On August
23, 2004, episode of Raw, The Rock returned and beat up Jonathan Coachman and La Résistance.
In 2004, he stated he was no longer under contract with the WWE.[130] On March 12, 2007, The Rock
appeared on a WWE show after nearly three years, via a pre-taped promo shown during Raw. He
correctly predicted that Bobby Lashley would defeat Umaga at WrestleMania 23 in Donald
Trump and Vince McMahon's "Battle of the Billionaires" match. [131]
Return to WWE
Feud with John Cena (2011–2013)
On February 14, 2011, episode of Raw, The Rock was revealed as the host of WrestleMania XXVII,
appearing live on Raw for the first time in almost seven years. During a lengthy promo, he
addressed the fans and started a feud with John Cena. [132][133]After numerous appearances via
satellite, The Rock appeared live on the Raw before WrestleMania XXVII to confront Cena. After he
and Cena exchanged insults, The Miz and Alex Riley appeared and attacked The Rock; he fended
off Miz and Riley, only for Cena to blindside him with an Attitude Adjustment.[134]
The Rock (right) and John Cena on Raw, agreeing to a match at WrestleMania XXVIII one year in advance
On April 3 at WrestleMania XXVII, The Rock opened the show by cutting a promo. After appearing in
numerous backstage segments, The Rock came to ringside to restart the main event between Cena
and The Miz as a No Disqualification match, after it had ended in a draw. As revenge for the Attitude
Adjustment Cena had given him on Raw, Rock hit Cena with the Rock Bottom, allowing The Miz to
pin him and retain the WWE Championship. After the match, Rock attacked Miz and hit him with
the People's Elbow.[135] The following night on Raw, Cena challenged The Rock to a match
at WrestleMania XXVIII the next year, which Rock accepted. They then worked together to fend off
an attack by The Corre, which at the time consisted of Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel,
and Ezekiel Jackson.[136] The Rock appeared live on Raw in his hometown of Miami to celebrate his
39th birthday.[137]
On September 16, WWE announced The Rock would wrestle in a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series
tag team match, teaming with Cena at Survivor Series in November.[138] However, on the October 24
episode of Raw, Cena instead chose The Rock to be his partner in a standard tag team match
against Awesome Truth,[139] which Rock agreed to the following week via satellite. [140] On November
14, during the special Raw Gets Rocked, The Rock appeared live, delivering Rock Bottoms to Mick
Foley, who had been hosting a "This Is Your Life"-style segment for Cena, and later both members
of Awesome Truth.[141]Despite their rivalry, The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth on
November 20 at Survivor Series, when The Rock pinned The Miz with the People's Elbow. After the
match, The Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom.[142]
Leading up to WrestleMania, The Rock and Cena had several verbal confrontations on Raw.[143][144] On
March 12, 2012, episode, The Rock hosted his first "Rock Concert" segment since 2004, mocking
Cena in his songs. He opined that, having beaten Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin at
previous WrestleManias, beating Cena would make him the greatest wrestler of all time. [145] On April
1 at WrestleMania XXVIII, The Rock faced Cena in the main event hyped for a year and billed with
the tagline "Once in a Lifetime". When an overconfident Cena attempted the People's Elbow on The
Rock, he countered with a Rock Bottom for the pin and the win.[146] The following night on Raw, The
Rock praised Cena for putting up a good fight, calling their match "an honor". He then vowed to once
again become WWE Champion.[147]
On July 23 at Raw 1000, The Rock announced he would face the WWE Champion at the Royal
Rumble. During the show, he encountered WWE Champion CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and John
Cena, all of whom expressed a desire to face him. He later saved Cena from an assault by Big
Show, only to be laid out by CM Punk.[148]
The Rock revealing the brand new WWE Championship design in 2013
On January 7, 2013, Raw, The Rock returned to WWE to confront his Rumble opponent, then
reigning champion CM Punk.[149]He also made his first SmackDown appearance in ten years on
January 11 episode, attacking Team Rhodes Scholars with a Rock Bottom to Damien Sandow and
a People's Elbow to Cody Rhodes.[150] The Rock closed out the 20th-anniversary episode of Raw on
January 14 with one of his famous "Rock concerts", leading to a brawl with CM Punk. [151] The
following week on Raw, The Rock was attacked by The Shield. Vince McMahon then asserted that if
The Shield attacked The Rock in his title match with CM Punk, Punk would be stripped of the WWE
Championship.[152] On January 27 at the Royal Rumble, Punk defeated The Rock after The Shield
interfered. McMahon was about to strip Punk of the championship, however, at The Rock's request,
he instead restarted the match. This culminated in The Rock defeating Punk to win his eighth WWE
Championship, a win which marked The Rock's first WWE Championship reign in over ten years,
and ending Punk's long reign as champion at 434 days.[153] Punk received a title rematch with The
Rock at Elimination Chamber, with the added stipulation that if The Rock was disqualified or counted
out, he would lose the title, but Rock pinned Punk to retain the championship. [154]The following night
on Raw, The Rock unveiled the new WWE Championship during his championship celebration, with
an entirely new center plate and his signature Brahma Bull logo on the side plates. [155] The Rock then
resumed his rivalry with John Cena, with Cena blaming his personal and professional troubles on his
loss to The Rock the previous year.[156][157] On April 7 at WrestleMania 29, Rock lost the WWE
Championship to Cena, ending his reign at 70 days. [158] Despite being advertised for the Raw after
WrestleMania, where it was stated by SmackDown General Manager Booker T that The Rock was
still entitled a re-match for the WWE Championship, [159] The Rock did not appear because of a
legitimate injury sustained during WrestleMania, in which his abdominal and adductor tendons tore
from his pelvis.[160] Johnson underwent surgery on April 23 to reattach the torn tendons.
Part-time appearances (2014–2016)
Hogan, Austin and The Rock at WrestleMania XXX in April 2014
In April 2014, the Rock appeared in the opening segment of WrestleMania XXX along with Stone
Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan.[161] On October 6 episode of Raw, the Rock made a surprise
appearance to confront Rusev and Lana; this resulted in the Rock clearing Rusev from the ring. [162]
The Rock appeared at the 2015 Royal Rumble event during the main event match, where he helped
his relative Roman Reignsfend off Big Show and Kane after Reigns eliminated them from the match.
Reigns then won the match and The Rock endorsed him in the ring. [163][164][165] The Rock appeared
at WrestleMania 31 alongside Ronda Rousey, getting into an in-ring altercation with Triple
H and Stephanie McMahon. Rock and Rousey prevailed after he attacked Triple H and she
overpowered McMahon.[166] On June 27, The Rock appeared at a live event in Boston where he
confronted Bo Dallas and giving him a Rock Bottom.[167]
In January 2016, he returned to Raw in a segment which saw him diss Big Show, Lana and Rusev
before he and his relatives, The Usos, got into an altercation with WWE Tag Team Champions, The
New Day. The Rock made an appearance at WrestleMania 32 where he announced that WWE had
broken the all-time WrestleMania attendance record before being interrupted by The Wyatt Family.
The Rock defeated Wyatt Family member Erick Rowan in an impromptu match, giving him a Rock
Bottom and pinning him in six seconds, which set the record for the fastest win in WrestleMania
history. The Rock was then aided by a returning John Cena to fend off the remaining members of
The Wyatt Family, Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman.[168]
Legacy in wrestling
The Rock has been listed as one of the all-time greatest professional wrestlers [9][10][11] as well as one of
the top box office draws in wrestling history.
Hulk Hogan called The Rock "the biggest superstar in this business", and 16-time world
champion John Cena described him as "the biggest superstar in the history of WWE". [194] In "Cable
Visions: Television Beyond Broadcasting", The Rock was described as "for a long time, the WWE's
biggest star and probably held the greatest international appeal". [195] R.D. Reynolds stated in his book
"The WrestleCrap Book of Lists" that The Rock was "the biggest star for WWE from 1999 until
2004".[196]
Many wrestlers placed The Rock on their "Mount Rushmore of Wrestling" including Hulk Hogan,
[197]
Ric Flair,[198] Chris Jericho[199] and John Cena.[200]
The Rock main-evented the most bought pay-per-view (PPV) worldwide in WWE history
(WrestleMania XXVIII),[201] the most bought pay-per-view (PPV) domestically in WWE history
(WrestleMania X-Seven), the second highest attended event in the history of WWE (WrestleMania
29),[202] the highest rated Raw in history,[203][204]and was part of the highest rated segment
in Raw history.[205] His return in 2001 did a 7.1 rating which was the highest rated segment of the
entire year. The Rock was also part of the highest-rated match of 2000. His steel cage match on
May 1, 2000 with Shane McMahon did an 8.3 rating on the regular time and a 9.1 on the overrun
making this match the most watched professional wrestling match in the United States of this
millennium.[206]
In 2011, The Rock's return to an episode of Raw generated an average of 4.7 million people
viewers, with 7.4 million tuning in during The Rock's promo. [207] His return also led the following
episode of Raw on March 7 to be the highest rated episode of that year.[208] In that same year, The
Rock wrestled his first match in years at 2011 Survivor Series in Madison Square Garden. The event
sold out in less than 90 minutes. [209] The Rock was also part of the highest rated Raw segment in
2012 in a segment on Raw 1000 with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan which drew a 4.3 rating and was
also part of the highest rated overrun of that year (4.4) the same night. [210] The night after the 2013
Royal Rumble on January 28 which saw The Rock win the WWE Championship for the first time in
over a decade was the highest rated Rawepisode of that year.[211]
Derived from one of his catchphrases "lay the smackdown", WWE introduced its second flagship
program WWE SmackDown in 1999 which later became television's second longest-running weekly
episodic program in history.[212] The term "Smackdown" also has been included in Merriam-Webster
dictionaries since 2007.[213][214]
The Rock was the first wrestler to win the WWF/E Championship six times, [215] then seven times.
[216]
Rock's Intercontinental Championship's reign in 1997–98 lasted 265 days and is the longest
intercontinental title reign of the modern era (the last 24 years).[217] Rock is the only wrestler to
introduce a different design of both the Intercontinental Championship (shortly after WrestleMania
XIV) and the WWE Championship (on February 18, 2013 episode of Raw).[218]
The Rock also holds the record for most Raw shows main-evented in one year (38 in 2000),[219] most
SmackDown shows main evented in one year (36 in 2000) [220]and tied with Stone Cold Steve
Austin (in 2001)[221] for most PPV shows main evented in one year (12 in 2000). [222]
Acting career
Johnson became a movie star through his wrestling popularity and noted work ethic. Over his acting
career, he has become one of the highest paid and most successful actors in Hollywood. [223][224][225]
[226]
He began his acting career on television while wrestling. In his first television acting job, in 1999,
he played his own father in an episode of That '70s Show called "That Wrestling Show". Nearly a
year later, he appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Tsunkatse" as an alien wrestler who
fought popular character Seven of Nine. While Johnson was away from WWE, the company
continued to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and he continued to be featured prominently in the
opening montages of their television shows.[22]
Johnson began his career in theatrical roles in action films The Mummy Returns (2001) and The
Scorpion King (2002), the action-comedy The Rundown (2003), and the remake of Walking
Tall (2004). He played a supporting role in Be Cool (2005) and was the primary antagonist
in Doom (2006). Roles in Gridiron Gang (2006) and Reno 911!: Miami (2007) soon followed.
Johnson played against type in Southland Tales (2007). He played a cocky famous American
football player in The Game Plan (2007) and Agent 23 in Get Smart (2008). He presented
the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards in February 2008.[227] He
was nominated for the Favorite Movie Actor award at the 2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for
his role in The Game Plan but lost out to Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
[228][229]
Johnson became known for reinvigorating film franchises after portraying Marvin F. Hinton /
Roadblockin G.I. Joe: Retaliation and reprising his role as Luke Hobbs in Fast & Furious 6,[230]
[231]
while also starring in true-story films Pain & Gain and Empire State (all released in 2013). That
same year, he hosted and produced the TNT reality competition series The Hero,[232][233] and won the
Favorite Male Buttkicker Award at the 2013 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards.[234] In May 2013, it was
announced that he would executive-produce and star in Ballers,[235] an HBO comedy-drama series
about NFL players living in Miami, Florida.[236] By December of that year, Forbes named Johnson the
top-grossing actor of 2013, with his films bringing in $1.3 billion worldwide for the
year. Forbes credited the success of Fast & Furious 6, which grossed $789 million globally, and
Johnson's frequent acting work as primary reasons for his topping the list. [237]
Johnson starred as the title character in Hercules (2014)[238] and reprised his role as Luke Hobbs
in Furious 7 (2015).[239] He hosted another reality series for TNT in 2014, entitled Wake Up Call,
which saw him "lending a helping hand to everyday people who were facing enormous challenges in
their lives" alongside guest experts such as Rocco DiSpirito, Jillian Michaels, and Josh Shipp.[240] It
was announced that he would executive produce and star in the horror film Seal Team 666,[241] and is
set to play Nick Schuyler in the drama film Not Without Hope.[242] In 2016, Johnson co-starred
with Kevin Hart in the action-comedy Central Intelligence and had a lead voice role in the Disney
animated film Moana, in which he voiced the Polynesian demigod Maui. He reprised his role as Luke
Hobbs in The Fate of the Furious, which was released in 2017. Johnson starred in two other
blockbuster movies that year, Baywatch and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle as Mitchell "Mitch"
Buchannon and Dr. Smolder Bravestone, respectively.[243][244] In 2018, he starred in two action
films, Rampage and Skyscraper. He will also produce and appear in Fighting with My Family,
a seriocomedy about WWE Superstar, Paige and her family who are also professional wrestlers. [245]
[246]
By August 2015, Johnson had signed on to star in a film adaptation of The Walt Disney
Company's Jungle Cruise theme park ride.[247] Jaume Collet-Serra signed on as director,
[248]
while Michael Green was hired to rewrite the original script written by J.D. Payne and Patrick
McKay.[249] Emily Blunt will co-star, with Jack Whitehall, Édgar Ramírez and Jesse
Plemons portraying a relative of Blunt's character, and two villains, respectively. [250][251][252] In addition to
his work on the film, Johnson will help re-design the titular ride for all Disney Parks.[253] Production
on Jungle Cruise is scheduled to be released on July 24, 2020.[254][255] Johnson's role within The Fast
and the Furious franchise will continue with Hobbs & Shaw focusing on Johnson and Statham's
roles, followed by a ninth Fast & Furious film. The spin-off will be directed by David Leitch from a
script written by franchise writer Chris Morgan. The film has a scheduled release date of July 26,
2019, with principal photographybeginning early September 2018.
By January 2017, a film centered on Teth-Adam / Black Adam was announced to be in development.
Originally cast in September 2014 as the antagonist in a film about the superhero Shazam, as a part
of the DC Films shared universe, where he would also serve as producer;[256][257] his villainous role
for Shazam! was re-worked into two separate films.[258] By July, Warner Bros. stated that Johnson will
not appear in Shazam! but will remain attached as producer for the film. [259][260] Johnson is noted for his
work-load and for working on multiple projects at once. [261][262] Following the critical and financial
success of Jumanji, a sequel was announced with a release date of December 25, 2019. [263] Johnson
will star in Universal Pictures' Red Notice, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. It will
be the third time the two collaborate, following Central Intelligence and Skyscraper.[264] Production on
the films will begin early-2019, consecutively. Johnson will also begin production on Black
Adam later that same year.[265][266]
A sequel to the box-office hit San Andreas was announced to be in the pre-production stage with the
director of the first film, Brad Peyton, returning as director along with the principal cast (marking the
fourth collaboration between the actor and filmmaker following Journey 2, San Andreas,
and Rampage respectively).[267][244]Though originally attached as producer and star, Johnson will now
serve solely as the former on a film adaptation of The Janson Directive. John Cena will fill the
leading role, with Akiva Goldsman attached as screenwriter.[268] Johnson will co-produce and star
in The King, a film about king Kamehameha Kūnuiākea, founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of
Hawai'i. The project will be directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script written by Randall Wallace.
The movie will be comparable to Braveheart in tone, given Wallace's work on both films, and will
depict the king's role in resolving the wars among the islands of Hawai'i. The King will begin
production in 2020.[269]
Johnson is also attached to star in a sequel to Big Trouble in Little China,[270][271] as well as project
under development with Shane Black focusing on a new interpretation of Doc Savage.[272] In April
2018, he announced that he is working on a film that will include Chris Pratt as his co-star.[273]
Other work
In 2000 Johnson published his autobiography, which he co-wrote with Joe Layden, titled The Rock
Says.... It debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller listand remaining on the list for
several weeks.[13]
On May 21, 2015, Johnson set a Guinness World Record for most selfies in three minutes, taking
105 selfies with fans during the premiere of San Andreas in London.[274]
In March 2016, Johnson partnered with the American fitness apparel manufacturer Under Armour to
release "Project Rock".[275] The first item in his partnership with Under Armour, a gym bag, sold out in
a couple of days.[276][277] His second item, a black T-shirt sporting the wrestler's iconic "brahma bull"
sold out after being worn at WrestleMania 32.[278] Johnson also released an alarm clock app as part
of "Project Rock" that received more than one million downloads in its first week of release. [279]In
2016, Johnson started a YouTube channel titled "The Rock" with the help of online personality Lilly
Singh. His first video was called "The YouTube Factory" and featured several internet stars. He was
featured in the site's yearly video series "YouTube Rewind" in 2016. [280] [281]
Personal life
Johnson's father is a Black Canadian (Nova Scotian)[287] and part of the first black tag team
champions in WWE history back when it was known as the WWF along with Tony Atlas.[288][289] His
mother is from a Samoan family.[290] His maternal grandfather, "High Chief" Peter Maivia, was also a
wrestler, and his maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia, was one of wrestling's few female promoters,
taking over Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling after her husband's death in 1982, until 1988. [291]
[30]
Through his mother, he is considered a non-blood relative of the Anoa'i wrestling family.[292][293][294][295]
[296][297][298][299]
On March 29, 2008, The Rock inducted his father and his grandfather into the WWE Hall
of Fame.[300]
As of 2014, Johnson resides in Southwest Ranches, Florida.[301][302] In recognition of his service to the
Samoan people, and because he is a descendant of Samoan chiefs, Johnson had the noble title
of Seiuli bestowed upon him by Malietoa Tanumafili II during his visit there in July 2004. [303] He
received a partial Samoan pe'a tattoo on his left side in 2003, [304] and in 2017 had the small "brahma
bull" tattoo on his right arm covered with a larger half-sleeve tattoo of a bull's skull.[305]
Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997. [306] Their only child together, a daughter was born in
2001.[306] On June 1, 2007, they announced they were splitting up amicably; they continue to work
together.[306] Soon after the divorce, Johnson began dating Lauren Hashian, daughter
of Boston drummer Sib Hashian. They first met in 2006 while Johnson was filming The Game Plan.
[307]
Their first child together, a daughter, was born in December 2015. [308] Their second child together,
another daughter, was born in April 2018.[309]
Filmography
Main article: Dwayne Johnson filmography
Discography
Yea
Song Album
r
Pay-per-
Date Event Venue Location Main event
viewbuys[310]
1999
2000
Arrowhead
WrestleMania Anaheim, Triple H vs. The Rock vs. Big
April 2 Pond of 824,000
2000 California Show vs. Mick Foley
Anaheim
Washington,
April 30 Backlash MCI Center Triple H vs. The Rock 675,000
D.C.
Earls Court
London, The Rock vs. Triple H vs. Shane
May 6 Insurrextion Exhibition
England McMahon
Centre
Louisville,
May 21 Judgment Day Freedom Hall The Rock vs. Triple H 420,000
Kentucky
The McMahon-Helmsley
Faction (Triple H, Mr.
King of the Boston,
June 25 FleetCenter McMahon and Shane McMahon) 475,000
Ring Massachusetts
vs. The Rock, The Undertaker
and Kane
July 23 Fully Loaded Reunion Arena Dallas, Texas The Rock vs. Chris Benoit 420,000
August 27 SummerSlam Raleigh Raleigh, North The Rock vs. Triple H vs. Kurt 570,000
Pay-per-
Date Event Venue Location Main event
viewbuys[310]
Entertainment
and Sports Carolina Angle
Arena
Albany, New
October 22 No Mercy Pepsi Arena The Rock vs. Kurt Angle 550,000
York
2001
San Jose,
August 19 SummerSlam Compaq Center Booker T vs. The Rock 565,000
California
2002
Nassau
Veterans Uniondale, New
August 25 SummerSlam The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar 540,000
Memorial York
Coliseum
2003
Montreal,
February
No Way Out Bell Centre Quebec, The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan 450,000
23
Canada
Worcester Worcester,
April 27 Backlash The Rock vs. Goldberg 345,000
Centrum Massachusetts
2011
2012
April 1 WrestleMania Sun Life Miami Gardens, John Cena vs. The Rock 1,300,000[311]
Pay-per-
Date Event Venue Location Main event
viewbuys[310]
2013
US Airways Phoenix,
January 27 Royal Rumble CM Punk vs. The Rock 579,000
Center Arizona
The Rock is a ten-time world champion, pictured here with the WWE Championshipin 2013.
Life
Harrison's education at Sir John Cass Technical Institute was interrupted by World War II, during
which he served for six years with the British Army in various military campaigns, eventually serving
as Radar Adviser to the Northern Area of the (British) Egyptian Army. [1]
Following World War II, Harrison became a British civil servant,[1] first with the Atomic Energy
Research Establishment in Harwell, and later at the Rutherford High Energy Laboratory. During this
time he attained the equivalent of university degrees, [1] becoming a graduate, then an Associate, and
finally a Fellow of the Institute of Physics. He also became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical
Society, the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of
Science.
In 1965, Ted Harrison went to the US as a NAS-NRC[1] Senior Research Associate at the
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, in Maryland. In 1966, he became one of the three founders [1] of
the Astronomy Program within the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst. Over the next 30 years, he influenced the revival of the Five College
Astronomy Department, linking UMass to Amherst College, Hampshire College, Smith College,
and Mount Holyoke College. He also played a key role in the rise to international prominence of the
Five College graduate course in astronomy.[1] At his death, he was emeritus Distinguished University
Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UMass,[1] and an adjunct professor at the Steward
Observatory of the University of Arizona.[1]
Work
Ted Harrison had broad interests, and he published more than 200 papers, primarily
in astrophysics and cosmology, but also in space sciences, high energy physics, plasma
physics and physical chemistry.[1] He was an elegant writer with a passion for the history of ideas. His
books (cf. especially his text Cosmology) illustrated points of physics or cosmology with many
literary, philosophical, and historical references.
The work of Harrison and of Soviet physicist Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich on structure formation from
primordial density perturbations in the cosmic plasma has led to the general use of the term
Harrison-Zel'dovich spectrum for primordial random fluctuations characterised by a scale-invariant
power spectrum.[4]
Harrison was fascinated with Olbers' Paradox (the night sky is dark despite the vast number of stars
in the universe). In 1964, he published detailed calculations that solved the paradox by concluding
that stars do not generate enough energy to illuminate the entire sky. [1] In 1987, he published a
book, Darkness at Night, mulling over the Paradox and its rich history. This book clarified that the
lack of energy is not primarily because the universe is expanding, but rather because the stars and
galaxies have had only about 15 billion years to radiate, and do not have sufficient energy to keep
radiating for much longer.[1][2] Darkness at Night lays out how Harrison discovered that Edgar Allan
Poe's essay Eureka anticipated this conclusion, and that Lord Kelvin had reached a very similar
conclusion in a 1901 article ignored for 80 years until Harrison drew attention to it. [1][2]
Harrison's text Cosmology: The Science of the Universe describes the problem of the cosmic edge
of the universe by quoting 5th century BC soldier-philosopher Archytas, who questioned what occurs
as a spear is hurled across the outer boundary of the universe. [1]
His final book, Masks of the Universe (2nd ed., 2003), questions current perceptions of reality,
asking whether present cosmology, with ordinary matter, dark matter, plus dark energy, is yet only
another "mask" obscuring a Universe which will remain perforce forever unknown to humans.
Books by Harrison
Private life
British Association members on the voyage to South Africa, 1905. Brown is seated at bottom right.
Brown never married, and for most of his adult life lived with his unmarried younger sister, Mildred,
who kept house for him. She made it her job to shield him from "cares and disturbances" and
succeeded in "utterly spoiling him." [1] In his youth, he was a keen rower and mountaineer. He was a
capable pianist and continued to play until a few years before his death. He remained fond of music
and was for a time the head of the New Haven Oratorio Society. Brown also played chess to a high
standard and loved detective stories.
He enjoyed travelling and frequently crossed the Atlantic between the United States and Great
Britain. With several professional colleagues, he was also an enthusiastic participant in the British
Association's extended visit to South Africa and other parts of southern and eastern Africa between
July and October 1905.[9][10]
His daily routine was unusual, and was described as follows: [1]
He was in the habit of going to bed early and as a consequence woke up between three and five
o'clock in the morning. After having fortified himself with strong coffee from a thermos bottle he set to
work without leaving his bed, smoking numerous cigarettes. His serious scientific work was thus
done before he got up for breakfast at nine o'clock.
Death
A heavy smoker, Brown suffered from bronchial trouble for much of his life. He was afflicted by ill-
health during most of the six years of his retirement, and died in New Haven, Connecticut in 1938.
His sister, Mildred, had died a few years before him and his only surviving close family was his
widowed older sister, Ella Yorke, who had emigrated with her husband to New Zealand in the 1890s.
[1]
Legacy
Brown's Tables were adopted by nearly all of the national ephemerides in 1923 for their calculations
of the Moon's position, and continued to be used with some modification until 1983. With the advent
of digital computers, Brown's original trigonometrical expressions, given in the introduction to his
1919 tables (and from which the tables had been compiled), began to be used for direct computation
instead of the tables themselves. This also gained some improvement in precision, since the tables
had embodied some minor approximations, in a trade-off between accuracy and the amount of
labour needed for computations in those days of manual calculation. [11]
By the middle of the 20th century, the difference between Universal and Ephemeris Time had been
recognised and evaluated, and the troublesome empirical terms were removed. [11] Further
adjustments to Brown's theory were then made, arising from improved observational values of the
fundamental astronomical constants used in the theory, and from re-working Brown's original
analytical expansions to gain more precise versions of the coefficients used in the theory. [12]
Eventually, in 1984, Brown's work was replaced by results gained from more modern observational
data (including data from lunar laser ranging) and altogether new computational methods for
calculating the Moon's ephemeris.[13]
Honours
Awards
Adams Prize (1907)
Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1907)
Bruce Medal (1920)
James Craig Watson Medal (1936)
Named after him
In office
The September 11 terrorist attacks occurred eight months into Bush's first term. Bush responded
with what became known as the Bush Doctrine: launching a "War on Terror", an international military
campaign that included the war in Afghanistan in 2001 and the Iraq War in 2003. He signed into
law broad tax cuts, the Patriot Act, the No Child Left Behind Act, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban
Act, Medicare prescription drug benefits for seniors, and funding for the AIDS relief program known
as PEPFAR. His tenure included national debates on immigration, Social Security, electronic
surveillance, and torture. In the 2004 presidential race, Bush defeated Democratic Senator John
Kerry in another relatively close election. After his re-election, Bush received increasingly
heated criticism from across the political spectrum[7][8][9] for his handling of the Iraq War, Hurricane
Katrina,[10][11][12] and other challenges. Amid this criticism, the Democratic Party regained control of
Congress in the 2006 elections. In December 2007, the United States entered its longest post-World
War II recession, often referred to as the "Great Recession", prompting the Bush administration to
obtain congressional passage of multiple economic programs intended to preserve the country's
financial system.
Nationally, Bush was both one of the most popular and unpopular U.S. presidents in history, having
received the highest recorded presidential approval ratings in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, as well
as one of the lowest approval ratings during the 2008 financial crisis.[13] Bush finished his term in
office in 2009 and returned to Texas, where he had purchased a home in Dallas. In 2010, he
published his memoir, Decision Points.[14] His presidential library was opened in 2013. His presidency
has been ranked among the worstin historians' polls that were published in the late 2000s and
2010s. However, his favorability ratings with the public have increased since leaving office. [15][16][17][18]
Education
Bush attended public schools in Midland, Texas, until the family moved to Houston after he had
completed seventh grade. He then spent two years at The Kinkaid School, a prep school in Piney
Point Village in the Houston area.[23]
Bush attended high school at Phillips Academy, a boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts,
where he played baseball and was the head cheerleader during his senior year. [24][25] He
attended Yale University from 1964 to 1968, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
[26]
During this time, he was a cheerleader and a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon, serving as the
president of the fraternity during his senior year. [27][28][29] Bush became a member of the Skull and
Bonessociety as a senior.[30] Bush was a rugby union player and was on Yale's 1st XV.[31] He
characterized himself as an average student.[32] His GPA during his first three years at Yale was 77,
and he had a similar average under a nonnumeric rating system in his final year. [33]
In the fall of 1973, Bush entered Harvard Business School. He graduated in 1975 with
an MBA degree. He is the only U.S. president to have earned an MBA. [34]
Bush was initially engaged to Cathryn Lee Wolfman in 1967, but the engagement eventually fizzled
out. Bush and Wolfman remained on good terms after the end of the relationship. [35] While Bush was
at a backyard barbecue in 1977, friends introduced him to Laura Welch, a schoolteacher and
librarian. After a three-month courtship, she accepted his marriage proposal and they wed on
November 5 of that year.[36] The couple settled in Midland, Texas. Bush left his family's Episcopal
Churchto join his wife's United Methodist Church.[37] On November 25, 1981, Laura Bush gave birth
to fraternal twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna.[36]
Alcohol abuse
Prior to getting married, Bush struggled with multiple episodes of alcohol abuse. [38]In one instance on
September 4, 1976, he was pulled over near his family's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine for
driving under the influence of alcohol. He was cited for DUI, fined $150 (equivalent to $660 in 2018),
and got his Maine driver's license briefly suspended. [39] Bush said his wife has had a stabilizing effect
on his life,[36] and he attributes her influence to his 1986 decision to give up alcohol. [40] While Governor
of Texas, Bush said of his wife, "I saw an elegant, beautiful woman who turned out not only to be
elegant and beautiful, but very smart and willing to put up with my rough edges, and I must confess
has smoothed them off over time."[36]
Hobbies
Bush has been an avid reader throughout his adult life, preferring biographies and histories. [41] During
his time as president, Bush read the Bible daily.[42] He also read 14 Lincoln biographies, and during
the last three years of his presidency, he reportedly read 186 books. Walt Harrington, a journalist,
recalled seeing "books by John Fowles, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, and Gore Vidal lying
about, as well as biographies of Willa Cather and Queen Victoria" in his home when Bush was a
Texas oilman. Other activities include cigar smoking and golf. [43] Since leaving the White House,
Bush has also taken up oil painting. [44]
Military career
George W. Bush military service controversy
Killian documents controversy and Killian documents authenticity issues
Lt. George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard, 1968
In May 1968, Bush was commissioned into the Texas Air National Guard.[45] After two years of
training in active-duty service,[46] he was assigned to Houston, flying Convair F-102s with the 147th
Reconnaissance Wing out of the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base.[45][47] Critics, including
former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, have alleged that Bush was
favorably treated due to his father's political standing as a member of the House of Representatives,
citing his selection as a pilot despite his low pilot aptitude test scores and his irregular attendance.
[45]
In June 2005, the United States Department of Defense released all the records of Bush's Texas
Air National Guard service, which remain in its official archives.[48]
In late 1972 and early 1973, he drilled with the 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama Air National
Guard. He had moved to Montgomery, Alabama, to work on the unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign
of Republican Winton M. Blount.[49][50] In 1972, Bush was suspended from flying for failure to take a
scheduled physical exam.[51] He was honorably discharged from the Air Force Reserve on November
21, 1974.[52]
Business career
Professional life of George W. Bush
In 1977, Bush established Arbusto Energy, a small oil exploration company, although it did not begin
operations until the following year.[53][54] He later changed the name to Bush Exploration. In 1984, his
company merged with the larger Spectrum 7, and Bush became chairman.[55] The company was hurt
by decreased oil prices, and it folded into HKN, Inc.,[55][56] with Bush becoming a member of HKN's
board of directors.[55] Questions of possible insider trading involving HKN arose, but a Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation concluded that the information Bush had at the time of
his stock sale was not sufficient to constitute insider trading. [55][57]
In April 1989, Bush arranged for a group of investors to purchase a controlling interest in the Texas
Rangers baseball franchise for $89 million and invested $500,000 himself to start. He then served as
managing general partner for five years.[58] He actively led the team's projects and regularly attended
its games, often choosing to sit in the open stands with fans.[59] Bush's sale of his shares in the
Rangers in 1998 brought him over $15 million from his initial $800,000 investment.[60]
In 1978, Bush ran for the House of Representatives from Texas's 19th congressional district. The
retiring member, George H. Mahon, had held the district for the Democratic Party since 1935. Bush's
opponent, Kent Hance, portrayed him as out of touch with rural Texans, and Bush lost the election
with 46.8 percent of the vote to Hance's 53.2 percent. [61]
Bush and his family moved to Washington, D.C., in 1988 to work on his father's campaign for the
U.S. presidency.[62][63] He served as a campaign advisor and liaison to the media, and assisted his
father by campaigning across the country.[55] In December 1991, Bush was one of seven people
named by his father to run his father's 1992 presidential re-election campaign, as a "campaign
advisor".[64] The previous month, his father had asked him to tell White House chief of staff John H.
Sununu that he should resign.[65]
Governor Bush (right) with father, former president George H. W. Bushand wife, Laura, in 1997
After easily winning the Republican primary, Bush faced popular Democratic incumbent
Governor Ann Richards.[55][67] In the course of the campaign, Bush pledged to sign a bill allowing
Texans to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons. Richards had vetoed the bill, but Bush signed
it into law after he became governor.[68] According to The Atlantic Monthly, the race "featured a rumor
that she was a lesbian, along with a rare instance of such a tactic's making it into the public record –
when a regional chairman of the Bush campaign allowed himself, perhaps inadvertently, to be
quoted criticizing Richards for 'appointing avowed homosexual activists' to state jobs".[69] The Atlantic,
and others, connected the lesbian rumor to Karl Rove,[70] but Rove denied being involved. [71] Bush
won the general election with 53.5 percent against Richards' 45.9 percent.[72]
Bush used a budget surplus to push through Texas's largest tax-cut, $2 billion. [66] He extended
government funding for organizations providing education of the dangers of alcohol and drug use
and abuse, and helping to reduce domestic violence.[73] Critics contended that during his tenure,
Texas ranked near the bottom in environmental evaluations. Supporters pointed to his efforts to
raise the salaries of teachers and improve educational test scores. [55]
In 1999, Bush signed a law that required electric retailers to buy a certain amount of energy from
renewable sources(RPS),[74][75][76] which helped Texas eventually become the leading producer of wind
powered electricity in the U.S.[77][78][79]
In 1998, Bush won re-election with a record[55] 69 percent of the vote.[80] He became the first governor
in Texas history to be elected to two consecutive four-year terms. [55] For most of Texas history,
governors served two-year terms; a constitutional amendment extended those terms to four years
starting in 1975.[81] In his second term, Bush promoted faith-based organizations and enjoyed high
approval ratings.[55] He proclaimed June 10, 2000, to be Jesus Day in Texas, a day on which he
"urge[d] all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need". [82]
Throughout Bush's first term, he was the focus of national attention as a potential future presidential
candidate. Following his re-election, speculation soared, and within a year he decided to seek the
2000 Republican presidential nomination.[55]
Presidential campaigns
2000 presidential candidacy
2000 United States presidential election
George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign
Primary
Incumbent Democratic president Bill Clinton was completing his second and final term, and the field
for nomination for President of both parties was wide open. Bush was the Governor of Texas in June
1999 when he announced his candidacy for President of the United States. He entered a large field
of hopefuls for the Republican Party presidential nomination that included John McCain, Alan
Keyes, Steve Forbes, Gary Bauer, Orrin Hatch, Elizabeth Dole, Dan Quayle, Pat Buchanan, Lamar
Alexander, John Kasich, and Bob Smith.
Bush portrayed himself as a compassionate conservative, implying he was more centrist than other
Republicans. He campaigned on a platform that included bringing integrity and honor back to the
White House, increasing the size of the United States Armed Forces, cutting taxes, improving
education, and aiding minorities. [55] By early 2000, the race had centered on Bush and McCain. [55]
Bush won the Iowa caucuses, and although he was heavily favored to win the New Hampshire
primary, he trailed McCain by 19 percent and lost that primary. Despite this, Bush regained
momentum, and according to political observers, he effectively became the front runner after
the South Carolina primary—which according to The Boston Globe—made history for his campaign's
negativity. The New York Times described it as a smear campaign.[83][84][85]
General election
On July 25, 2000, Bush surprised some observers when he selected Dick Cheney—a former White
House Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative, and Secretary of Defense—to be his running mate. At the
time, Cheney was serving as head of Bush's vice presidential search committee. Soon after at
the 2000 Republican National Convention, Bush and Cheney were officially nominated by the
Republican Party.
Bush continued to campaign across the country and touted his record as Governor of Texas.
[55]
During his campaign, Bush criticized his Democratic opponent, incumbent Vice President Al Gore,
over gun control and taxation.[86]
When the election returns were tallied on November 7, Bush had won 29 states, including Florida.
The closeness of the Florida outcome led to a recount.[55] The initial recount also went to Bush, but
the outcome was tied up in lower courts for a month until eventually reaching the U.S. Supreme
Court.[87] On December 9, in the controversial Bush v. Gore ruling,[88] the Court reversed a Florida
Supreme Court decision that had ordered a third count, and stopped an ordered statewide hand
recount based on the argument that the use of different standards among Florida's counties violated
the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.[55] The machine recount showed that
Bush had won the Florida vote by a margin of 537 votes out of six million cast. [89] Although he had
received 543,895 fewer individual nationwide votes than Gore, Bush won the election, receiving
271 electoral votes to Gore's 266 (Gore's statewide victories had electoral votes tallying 267;
however, one of Gore's pledged electors abstained, rendering the official tally at 266). Bush was the
first person to win an American presidential election with fewer popular votes than another candidate
since Benjamin Harrison in 1888.[89]
In his 2004 bid for re-election, Bush commanded broad support in the Republican Party and did not
encounter a primary challenge. He appointed Ken Mehlman as campaign manager, and Karl
Rove devised a political strategy.[90] Bush and the Republican platform emphasized a strong
commitment to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, [91] support for the USA PATRIOT Act,[92] a renewed
shift in policy for constitutional amendments banning abortion and same-sex marriage,[91]
[93]
reforming Social Security to create private investment accounts, [91]creation of an ownership
society,[91] and opposing mandatory carbon emissions controls.[94]Bush also called for the
implementation of a guest worker program for immigrants,[91] which was criticized by conservatives.[95]
The Bush campaign advertised across the U.S. against Democratic candidates, including Bush's
emerging opponent, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. Kerry and other Democrats attacked Bush
on the Iraq War, and accused him of failing to stimulate the economy and job growth. The Bush
campaign portrayed Kerry as a staunch liberal who would raise taxes and increase the size of
government. The Bush campaign continuously criticized Kerry's seemingly contradictory statements
on the war in Iraq,[55]and argued that Kerry lacked the decisiveness and vision necessary for success
in the War on Terror.
In the election, Bush carried 31 of 50 states, receiving a total of 286 electoral votes. He won an
absolute majority of the popular vote (50.7 percent to his opponent's 48.3 percent).[96] Bush's father
George H.W. Bush was the previous president who won an absolute majority of the popular vote; he
accomplished that feat in the 1988 election. Additionally, it was the first time since Herbert
Hoover's election in 1928 that a Republican president was elected alongside re-elected Republican
majorities in both Houses of Congress.
Presidency (2001–2009)
Presidency of George W. Bush
President Bush addressing the media at the Pentagon, September 17, 2001
Bush had originally outlined an ambitious domestic agenda, but his priorities were significantly
altered following the September 11 attacks.[97] Wars were waged in Afghanistan and Iraq, and there
were significant domestic debates regarding immigration, healthcare, Social Security, economic
policy, and treatment of terrorist detainees. Over an eight-year period, Bush's once-high approval
ratings[98] steadily declined, while his disapproval numbers increased significantly. [99] In 2007, the
United States entered the longest post-World War II recession. [100]
Domestic policy
Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration
Economic policy
Economic policy of the George W. Bush administration
Bush took office during a period of economic recession in the wake of the bursting of the dot-com
bubble.[101] The terrorist attacks also impacted the economy. His administration increased
federal government spending from $1.789 trillion to $2.983 trillion (60 percent) while revenues
increased from $2.025 trillion to $2.524 trillion (from 2000 to 2008). Individual income tax revenues
increased by 14 percent, corporate tax revenues by 50 percent, customs and duties by 40 percent.
Discretionary defense spending was increased by 107 percent, discretionary domestic spending by
62 percent, Medicare spending by 131 percent, social security by 51 percent, and income security
spending by 130 percent. Cyclically adjusted, revenues rose by 35 percent and spending by
65 percent.[102]
President Bush signing a $1.35 trillion tax cut into law, June 7, 2001
The increase in spending was more than under any predecessor since Lyndon B. Johnson.[103] The
number of economic regulation governmental workers increased by 91,196. [104]
The surplus in fiscal year 2000 was $237 billion—the third consecutive surplus and the largest
surplus ever.[105] In 2001, Bush's budget estimated that there would be a $5.6 trillion surplus over the
next ten years.[106] Facing congressional opposition, Bush held townhall style meetings across the
U.S. in order to increase public support for his plan for a $1.35 trillion tax cut program—one of the
largest tax cuts in U.S. history.[55] Bush argued that unspent government funds should be returned to
taxpayers, saying "the surplus is not the government's money. The surplus is the people's
money."[55] Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan warned of a recession and Bush stated that a
tax cut would stimulate the economy and create jobs. [107] Treasury Secretary Paul H. O'Neill, opposed
some of the tax cuts on the basis that they would contribute to budget deficits and undermine Social
Security.[108] O'Neill disputes the claim, made in Bush's book Decision Points, that he never openly
disagreed with him on planned tax cuts.[109] By 2003, the economy showed signs of improvement,
though job growth remained stagnant. [55] Another tax cut program was passed that year.
During the 2001 to 2008 years, GDP grew at an average annual rate of 2.125 percent,[110] less than
for past business cycles.[111]
Bush entered office with the Dow Jones Industrial Average at 10,587, and the average peaked in
October 2007 at over 14,000. When Bush left office, the average was at 7,949, one of the lowest
levels of his presidency.[112] Only four other US presidents have left office with the stock market lower
than when they began.[113]
Deficit and debt increases 2001–2009. Gross debt has increased over $500 billion each year since
FY2003.
Unemployment originally rose from 4.2 percent in January 2001 to 6.3 percent in June 2003, but
subsequently dropped to 4.5 percent as of July 2007.[114] Adjusted for inflation, median household
incomedropped by $1,175 between 2000 and 2007,[115] while Professor Ken Homa of Georgetown
University has noted that "Median real after-tax household income went up 2 percent". [116] The
poverty rate increased from 11.3 percent in 2000 to 12.3 percent in 2006 after peaking at
12.7 percent in 2004.[117] By October 2008, due to increases in spending, [118] the national debt had
risen to $11.3 trillion,[119] an increase of over 100 percent from 2000 when the debt was only
$5.6 trillion.[120][121] Most debt was accumulated as a result of what became known as the "Bush tax
cuts" and increased national security spending. [122] In March 2006, then-Senator Barack Obama said
when he voted against raising the debt ceiling: "The fact that we are here today to debate raising
America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure."[123] By the end of Bush's presidency,
unemployment climbed to 7.2 percent.[124]
In December 2007, the United States entered the longest post–World War II recession,[100] which
included a housing market correction, a subprime mortgage crisis, soaring oil prices, and a declining
dollar value.[125] In February, 63,000 jobs were lost, a five-year record. [126][127] To aid with the situation,
Bush signed a $170 billion economic stimulus package which was intended to improve the economic
situation by sending tax rebate checks to many Americans and providing tax breaks for struggling
businesses. The Bush administration pushed for significantly increased regulation of Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac in 2003,[128] and after two years, the regulations passed the House but died in
the Senate. Many Republican senators, as well as influential members of the Bush Administration,
feared that the agency created by these regulations would merely be mimicking the private sector's
risky practices.[129][130][131] In September 2008, the crisis became much more seriousbeginning with the
government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac followed by the collapse of Lehman
Brothers and a federal bailout of American International Group for $85 billion.[132]
Many economists and world governments determined that the situation had become the worst
financial crisis since the Great Depression.[133][134] Additional regulation over the housing market would
have been beneficial, according to former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.[135] Bush,
meanwhile, proposed a financial rescue plan to buy back a large portion of the U.S. mortgage
market.[136] Vince Reinhardt, a former Federal Reserve economist now at the American Enterprise
Institute, said "it would have helped for the Bush administration to empower the folks at Treasury
and the Federal Reserve and the comptroller of the currency and the FDIC to look at these issues
more closely", and additionally, that it would have helped "for Congress to have held hearings". [130]
In November 2008, over 500,000 jobs were lost, which marked the largest loss of jobs in the United
States in 34 years.[137]The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in the last four months of 2008,
1.9 million jobs were lost.[138] By the end of 2008, the U.S. had lost a total of 2.6 million jobs.[139]
Education and health
Bush undertook a number of educational agendas, such as increasing the funding for the National
Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health in his first years of office, and creating
education programs to strengthen the grounding in science and mathematics for American high
school students. Funding for the NIH was cut in 2006, the first such cut in 36 years, due to rising
inflation.[140]
President Bush signing the No Child Left Behind Act into law, January 8, 2002
One of the administration's early major initiatives was the No Child Left Behind Act, which aimed to
measure and close the gap between rich and poor student performance, provide options to parents
with students in low-performing schools, and target more federal funding to low-income schools. This
landmark education initiative passed with broad bipartisan support, including that of Senator Ted
Kennedy of Massachusetts.[141] It was signed into law by Bush in early 2002.[142]Many contend that the
initiative has been successful, as cited by the fact that students in the U.S. have performed
significantly better on state reading and math tests since Bush signed "No Child Left Behind" into
law.[143] Critics argue that it is underfunded [144] and that NCLBA's focus on "high-stakes testing" and
quantitative outcomes is counterproductive.[145]
After being re-elected, Bush signed into law a Medicare drug benefit program that, according to Jan
Crawford, resulted in "the greatest expansion in America's welfare state in forty years;" the bill's
costs approached $7 trillion.[146] In 2007, Bush opposed and vetoed State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) legislation, which was added by the Democrats onto a war funding bill and passed
by Congress. The SCHIP legislation would have significantly expanded federally funded health care
benefits and plans to children of some low-income families from about six million to ten million
children. It was to be funded by an increase in the cigarette tax. [147] Bush viewed the legislation as a
move toward socialized health care, and asserted that the program could benefit families making as
much as $83,000 per year who did not need the help. [148]
Social services and Social Security
Following Republican efforts to pass the Medicare Act of 2003, Bush signed the bill, which included
major changes to the Medicare program by providing beneficiaries with some assistance in paying
for prescription drugs, while relying on private insurance for the delivery of benefits. [149] The retired
persons lobby group AARP worked with the Bush Administration on the program and gave their
endorsement. Bush said the law, estimated to cost $400 billion over the first ten years, would give
the elderly "better choices and more control over their health care". [150]
President Bush discussing Social Security reform at the Lake Nona YMCA Family Center in Orlando,
Florida, March 18, 2005
Bush began his second term by outlining a major initiative to "reform" Social Security,[151] which was
facing record deficit projections beginning in 2005. Bush made it the centerpiece of his domestic
agenda despite opposition from some in the U.S. Congress. [151] In his 2005 State of the Union
Address, Bush discussed the potential impending bankruptcy of the program and outlined his new
program, which included partial privatization of the system, personal Social Security accounts, and
options to permit Americans to divert a portion of their Social Security tax (FICA) into secured
investments.[151] Democrats opposed the proposal to partially privatize the system. [151]
Bush embarked on a 60-day national tour, campaigning for his initiative in media events known as
"Conversations on Social Security", in an attempt to gain public support. [152] Nevertheless, public
support for the proposal declined[153] and the House Republican leadership decided not to put Social
Security reform on the priority list for the remainder of their 2005 legislative agenda. [154] The
proposal's legislative prospects were further diminished by the fall of 2005 political fallout
from Hurricane Katrina.[155] After the Democrats gained control of both houses of Congress as a result
of the 2006 midterm elections, there was no prospect of further congressional action on the Bush
proposal for the remainder of his term in office.
Environmental policies
Main article: Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration § Environment
Upon taking office in 2001, Bush stated his opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, an amendment to
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which seeks to impose mandatory
targets for reducing greenhouse gasemissions, citing that the treaty exempted 80 percent of the
world's population[156] and would have cost tens of billions of dollars per year. [157] He also cited that the
Senate had voted 95–0 in 1997 on a resolution expressing its disapproval of the protocol.
In May 2001, Bush signed an executive order to create an interagency task force to streamline
energy projects,[158] and later signed two other executive orders to tackle environmental issues. [159]
In 2002, Bush announced the Clear Skies Act of 2003,[160] which aimed at amending the Clean Air
Act to reduce air pollution through the use of emissions trading programs. Many experts argued that
this legislation would have weakened the original legislation by allowing higher emission rates of
pollutants than were previously legal. [161] The initiative was introduced to Congress, but failed to make
it out of committee.
Later in 2006, Bush declared the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a national monument, creating the
largest marine reserve to date. The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument comprises
84 million acres (340,000 km2) and is home to 7,000 species of fish, birds, and other marine animals,
many of which are specific to only those islands.[162] The move was hailed by conservationists for "its
foresight and leadership in protecting this incredible area". [163]
Bush has said that he believes that global warming is real[164] and has noted that it is a serious
problem, but he asserted there is a "debate over whether it's man-made or naturally caused". [165] The
Bush Administration's stance on global warming remained controversial in the scientific and
environmental communities. Critics have alleged that the administration [166]misinformed the public
and did not do enough to reduce carbon emissions and deter global warming.[167]
Energy policies
In his 2006 State of the Union Address, Bush declared, "America is addicted to oil" and announced
his Advanced Energy Initiative to increase energy development research.[168]
President Bush delivering a statement on energy, urging Congress to end offshore oil drill ban, June 18,
2008
In his 2007 State of the Union Address, Bush renewed his pledge to work toward diminished reliance
on foreign oil by reducing fossil fuel consumption and increasing alternative fuel production.[169] Amid
high gasoline prices in 2008, Bush lifted a ban on offshore drilling.[170] However, the move was largely
symbolic because there was still a federal law banning offshore drilling. Bush said, "This means that
the only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil reserves is action from the
U.S. Congress."[170] Bush had said in June 2008, "In the long run, the solution is to reduce demand for
oil by promoting alternative energy technologies. My administration has worked with Congress to
invest in gas-saving technologies like advanced batteries and hydrogen fuel cells... In the short run,
the American economy will continue to rely largely on oil. And that means we need to increase
supply, especially here at home. So my administration has repeatedly called on Congress to expand
domestic oil production."[171]
In his 2008 State of the Union Address, Bush announced that the U.S. would commit $2 billion over
the next three years to a new international fund to promote clean energy technologies and fight
climate change, saying, "Along with contributions from other countries, this fund will increase and
accelerate the deployment of all forms of cleaner, more efficient technologies in developing nations
like India and China, and help leverage substantial private-sector capital by making clean energy
projects more financially attractive." He also announced plans to reaffirm the United States'
commitment to work with major economies, and, through the UN, to complete an international
agreement that will slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases; he stated,
"This agreement will be effective only if it includes commitments by every major economy and gives
none a free ride."[172]
Stem cell research and first veto
Federal funding for medical research involving the creation or destruction of human embryos through
the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health has been
forbidden by law since the passage in 1995 of the Dickey-Wicker Amendment by Congress and the
signature of President Bill Clinton.[173] Bush has said that he supports adult stem cell research and
has supported federal legislation that finances adult stem cell research. However, Bush did not
support embryonic stem cell research.[174] On August 9, 2001, Bush signed an executive order lifting
the ban on federal funding for the 71 existing "lines" of stem cells, [175] but the ability of these existing
lines to provide an adequate medium for testing has been questioned. Testing can be done on only
12 of the original lines, and all approved lines have been cultured in contact with mouse cells, which
creates safety issues that complicate development and approval of therapies from these lines. [176] On
July 19, 2006, Bush used his veto power for the first time in his presidency to veto the Stem Cell
Research Enhancement Act. The bill would have repealed the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, thereby
permitting federal money to be used for research where stem cells are derived from the destruction
of an embryo.[177]
Genetic Nondiscrimination
On May 21, 2008, Bush signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).[178]
[179]
The bill aimed to protect Americans against health insurance and employment discrimination
based on a person's genetic information. The issue had been debated for 13 years before it finally
became law. The measure is designed to protect citizens without hindering genetic research.
Immigration
President Bush discussing border security with Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff near El Paso,
November 2005
Nearly 8 million immigrants came to the United States from 2000 to 2005, more than in any other
five-year period in the nation's history.[180] Almost half entered illegally.[181] In 2006, Bush urged
Congress to allow more than 12 million illegal immigrants to work in the United States with the
creation of a "temporary guest-worker program". Bush also urged Congress to provide additional
funds for border security and committed to deploying 6,000 National Guard troops to the Mexico–
United States border.[182] From May to June 2007, Bush strongly supported the Comprehensive
Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which was written by a bipartisan group of Senators with the active
participation of the Bush administration.[183] The bill envisioned a legalization program for illegal
immigrants, with an eventual path to citizenship; establishing a guest worker program; a series of
border and work site enforcement measures; a reform of the green card application process and the
introduction of a point-based "merit" system for green cards; elimination of "chain migration" and of
the Diversity Immigrant Visa; and other measures. Bush argued that the lack of legal status denies
the protections of U.S. laws to millions of people who face dangers of poverty and exploitation, and
penalizes employers despite a demand for immigrant labor. [184] Bush contended that the proposed bill
did not amount to amnesty.[185]
A heated public debate followed, which resulted in a substantial rift within the Republican Party,
most conservatives opposed it because of its legalization or amnesty provisions. [186] The bill was
eventually defeated in the Senate on June 28, 2007, when a cloture motion failed on a 46–53 vote.
[187]
Bush expressed disappointment upon the defeat of one of his signature domestic initiatives.
[188]
The Bush administration later proposed a series of immigration enforcement measures that do
not require a change in law.[189]
On September 19, 2010, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Bush offered to accept
100,000 Palestinian refugees as American citizens if a permanent settlement had been reached
between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. [190]
Hurricane Katrina
Political effects of Hurricane Katrina
President Bush shaking hands with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin after viewing the devastation of
Hurricane Katrina, September 2, 2005
Hurricane Katrina struck early in Bush's second term and was one of the most damaging natural
disasters in U.S. history. Katrina formed in late August during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
and devastated much of the north-central Gulf Coast of the United States, particularly New Orleans.
[191]
During Bush's second term, a controversy arose over the Justice Department'smidterm dismissal of
seven United States Attorneys.[205] The White House maintained that the U.S. attorneys were fired for
poor performance.[206] Attorney General Alberto Gonzales later resigned over the issue, along with
other senior members of the Justice Department. [207][208] The House Judiciary Committee issued
subpoenas for advisers Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten to testify regarding this matter, but Bush
directed Miers and Bolten to not comply with those subpoenas, invoking his right of executive
privilege. Bush maintained that all of his advisers were protected under a broad executive privilege
protection to receive candid advice. The Justice Department determined that the President's order
was legal.[209]
Although Congressional investigations focused on whether the Justice Department and the White
House were using the U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage, no official findings have been
released. On March 10, 2008, the Congress filed a federal lawsuit to enforce their issued
subpoenas.[210] On July 31, 2008, a United States district court judge ruled that Bush's top advisers
were not immune from Congressional subpoenas. [211]
In all, twelve Justice Department officials resigned rather than testify under oath before Congress.
They included Attorney General Alberto Gonzales[212] and his chief of staff Kyle Sampson,
[213]
Gonzales' liaison to the White House Monica Goodling,[214] aide to the president Karl Rove[215] and
his senior aide Sara Taylor.[216] In addition, legal counsel to the president Harriet Miers[217] and deputy
chief of staff to the president Joshua Bolten[218] were both found in contempt of Congress.[216]
In 2010, the Justice Department investigator concluded that though political considerations did play
a part in as many as four of the attorney firings,[219] the firings were "inappropriately political", but not
criminal. According to the prosecutors, there was insufficient evidence to pursue prosecution for any
criminal offense.[220]
Purge of the Central Intelligence Agency
Following the resignation of CIA director George Tenet in 2004, Bush nominated Porter Goss to
head the agency. The White House ordered Goss to purge agency officers who were disloyal to the
administration.[221] After Goss' appointment, many of the CIA's senior agents were fired or quit. The
CIA has been accused of deliberately leaking classified information to undermine the 2004 election.
[222]
Foreign policy
Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration
President Bush with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in 2005
In July 2001, Bush visited Pope John Paul II at Castel Gandolfo.[223] During his presidential campaign,
Bush's foreign policy platform included support for stronger economic and political relationship
with Latin America, especially Mexico, and a reduction of involvement in "nation-building" and other
small-scale military engagements. The administration pursued a national missile defense.[224] Bush
was an advocate of China's entry into the World Trade Organization.[225]
After the September 11 attacks on New York, Bush launched the War on Terror, in which the United
States military and a small international coalition invaded Afghanistan. In his 2002 State of the Union
Address, Bush referred to an "axis of evil" consisting of Iraq, Iran and North Korea.[226] In 2003, Bush
then launched the invasion of Iraq, searching for Weapons of Mass Destruction, which he described
as being part of the War on Terrorism. [227] Those invasions led to the toppling of the Taliban regime in
Afghanistan and the removal of Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq.
Bush began his second term with an emphasis on improving strained relations with European
nations. He appointed long-time adviser Karen Hughes to oversee a global public relations
campaign. Bush lauded the pro-democracy struggles in Georgia and Ukraine. [228]
In March 2006, Bush reversed decades of U.S. policy when he visited India [229] in a trip focused
particularly on areas of nuclear energy, counter-terrorism cooperation; and discussions that would
eventually lead to the India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement.[230] This was in stark contrast to
the stance taken by his predecessor, Bill Clinton, whose approach and response to India after the
1998 nuclear tests has been characterised as "sanctions and hectoring". [231]
Midway through Bush's second term, questions arose whether Bush was retreating from his freedom
and democracy agenda, which was highlighted in policy changes toward some oil-rich former Soviet
republics in central Asia.[232]
In an address before both Houses of Congress on September 20, 2001, Bush thanked the nations of
the world for their support following the September 11 attacks. He specifically thanked UK Prime
Minister Tony Blair for traveling to Washington to show "unity of purpose with America", and said
"America has no truer friend than Great Britain." [233]
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
President Bush, standing with firefighter Bob Beckwith, addressing rescue workers at Ground Zero in New
York, September 14, 2001
The September 11 terrorist attacks were a major turning point in Bush's presidency. That evening,
he addressed the nation from the Oval Office, promising a strong response to the attacks. He also
emphasized the need for the nation to come together and comfort the families of the victims. Three
days after the attacks, Bush visited Ground Zero and met with Mayor Rudy Giuliani, firefighters,
police officers, and volunteers. To much applause, Bush addressed the gathering via a megaphone
while standing in a heap of rubble: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people
who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." [234]
In a September 20 speech, Bush condemned Osama bin Laden and his organization Al-Qaeda, and
issued an ultimatum to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, where bin Laden was operating, to "hand
over the terrorists, or ... share in their fate". [235]
War on Terrorism
War on Terror
President Bush presenting former British Prime Minister Tony Blair with the Presidential Medal of Freedom,
January 13, 2009
After September 11, Bush announced a global War on Terror. The Afghan Taliban regime was not
forthcoming with Osama bin Laden, so Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the
Taliban regime.[236] In his January 29, 2002 State of the Union Address, he asserted that an "axis of
evil" consisting of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq was "arming to threaten the peace of the world" and
"pose[d] a grave and growing danger". [237] The Bush Administration asserted both a right and the
intention to wage preemptive war, or preventive war.[238] This became the basis for the Bush
Doctrine which weakened the unprecedented levels of international and domestic support for the
United States which had followed the September 11 attacks.[239]
Dissent and criticism of Bush's leadership in the War on Terror increased as the war in Iraq
continued.[240][241][242] In 2006, a National Intelligence Estimate concluded that the Iraq War had become
the "cause célèbre for jihadists".[243][244]
Afghanistan invasion
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
President Bush and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan appearing at a joint news conference in Kabul,
March 1, 2006
On October 7, 2001, U.S. and British forces initiated bombing campaigns that led to the arrival
of Northern Alliance troops in Kabul on November 13. The main goals of the war were to defeat
the Taliban, drive al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan, and capture key al-Qaeda leaders. In December
2001, the Pentagon reported that the Taliban had been defeated, [245] but cautioned that the war would
go on to continue weakening Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders. [245] Later that month the UN had installed
the Afghan Transitional Administration chaired by Hamid Karzai.[246][247] In 2002, based
on UNICEF figures, Nicholas Kristof reported that "our invasion of Afghanistan may end up saving
one million lives over the next decade" as the result of improved healthcare and greater access to
humanitarian aid.[248]
Efforts to kill or capture al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden failed as he escaped a battle in
December 2001 in the mountainous region of Tora Bora, which the Bush Administration later
acknowledged to have resulted from a failure to commit enough U.S. ground troops. [249] It was not
until May 2011, two years after Bush left office, that bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces under the
Obama administration. Bin Laden's successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, remains at large.
Despite the initial success in driving the Taliban from power in Kabul, by early 2003 the Taliban was
regrouping, amassing new funds and recruits.[250] The 2005 failure of Operation Red Wings showed
that the Taliban had returned.[251] In 2006, the Taliban insurgency appeared larger, fiercer and better
organized than expected, with large-scale allied offensives such as Operation Mountain
Thrust attaining limited success.[252][253][254] As a result, Bush commissioned 3,500 additional troops to
the country in March 2007.[255]
Iraq invasion
Iraq War
President Bush, with Naval Flight Officer Lieutenant Ryan Philips, after landing on the USS Abraham
Lincoln prior to his Mission Accomplished speech, May 1, 2003
Beginning with his January 29, 2002 State of the Union address, Bush began publicly focusing
attention on Iraq, which he labeled as part of an "axis of evil" allied with terrorists and posing "a
grave and growing danger" to U.S. interests through possession of weapons of mass destruction.[237]
[256]
President Bush paying a surprise visit to Baghdad International Airport, November 27, 2003
More than 20 nations (most notably the United Kingdom), designated the "coalition of the willing"
joined the United States[263] in invading Iraq. They launched the invasion on March 20, 2003. The
Iraqi military was quickly defeated. The capital, Baghdad, fell on April 9, 2003. On May 1, Bush
declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. The initial success of U.S. operations increased
his popularity, but the U.S. and allied forces faced a growing insurgency led by sectarian groups;
Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech was later criticized as premature.[264] From 2004 until 2007,
the situation in Iraq deteriorated further, with some observers arguing that there was a full-scale civil
war in Iraq.[265] Bush's policies met with criticism, including demands domestically to set a timetable to
withdraw troops from Iraq. The 2006 report of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, led by James Baker,
concluded that the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating". While Bush admitted that there
were strategic mistakes made in regards to the stability of Iraq, [266] he maintained he would not
change the overall Iraq strategy.[267][268] According to Iraq Body Count, some 251,000 Iraqis have been
killed in the civil war following the U.S.-led invasion, including at least 163,841 civilians. [269]
President Bush with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, July 25, 2006
In January 2005, free, democratic elections were held in Iraq for the first time in 50 years.
[270]
According to Iraqi National Security Advisor Mowaffak al-Rubaie, "This is the greatest day in the
history of this country."[270] Bush praised the event as well, saying that the Iraqis "have taken rightful
control of their country's destiny".[270] This led to the election of Jalal Talabani as president and Nouri
al-Maliki as Prime Minister of Iraq. A referendum to approve a constitution in Iraq was held in
October 2005, supported by most Shiites and many Kurds.[271]
On January 10, 2007, Bush announced a surge of 21,500 more troops for Iraq, as well as a job
program for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and $1.2 billion (equivalent to $1.4 billion in 2018)
for these programs.[272] On May 1, 2007, Bush used his second-ever veto to reject a bill setting a
deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops,[273] saying the debate over the conflict was
"understandable" but insisting that a continued U.S. presence there was crucial. [274]
In March 2008, Bush praised the Iraqi government's "bold decision" to launch the Battle of
Basra against the Mahdi Army, calling it "a defining moment in the history of a free Iraq". [275] He said
he would carefully weigh recommendations from his commanding General David Petraeus and
Ambassador Ryan Crocker about how to proceed after the end of the military buildup in the summer
of 2008. He also praised the Iraqis' legislative achievements, including a pension law, a revised de-
Baathification law, a new budget, an amnesty law, and a provincial powers measure that, he said,
set the stage for the Iraqi elections.[276] By July 2008, American troop deaths had reached their lowest
number since the war began, [277] and due to increased stability in Iraq, Bush announced the
withdrawal of additional American forces.[277]
Surveillance
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, Bush issued an executive order that authorized
the President's Surveillance Program. The new directive allowed the National Security Agency to
monitor communications between suspected terrorists outside the U.S. and parties within the U.S.
without obtaining a warrant, which previously had been required by the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act.[278] As of 2009, the other provisions of the program remained highly classified.
[279]
Once the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel questioned its original legal opinion that
FISA did not apply in a time of war, the program was subsequently re-authorized by the President on
the basis that the warrant requirements of FISA were implicitly superseded by the subsequent
passage of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists.[280] The program proved to
be controversial; critics of the administration and organizations such as the American Bar
Associationargued that it was illegal.[281] In August 2006, a U.S. district court judge ruled that the NSA
electronic surveillance programwas unconstitutional,[282] but on July 6, 2007, that ruling
was vacated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on the grounds that the
plaintiffs lacked standing.[283] On January 17, 2007, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales informed U.S.
Senate leaders that the program would not be reauthorized by the President, but would be subjected
to judicial oversight.[284] Later in 2007, the NSA launched a replacement for the program, referred to
as PRISM, that was subject to the oversight of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Court.[285] This program was not publicly revealed until reports by The Washington Post[285] and The
Guardian[286] emerged in June 2013.[285]
Interrogation policies
Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture and Torture Memos
President Bush at the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of victory in World War II, Red Square,
Moscow
Bush publicly condemned Kim Jong-il of North Korea and identified North Korea as one of three
states in an "axis of evil". He said that "the United States of America will not permit the world's most
dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons." [237] Within months,
"both countries had walked away from their respective commitments under the U.S.–DPRK Agreed
Framework of October 1994."[302] North Korea's October 9, 2006, detonation of a nuclear device
further complicated Bush's foreign policy, which centered for both terms of his presidency on
"[preventing] the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons from
threatening the United States and the world". [237] Bush condemned North Korea's position, reaffirmed
his commitment to "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula", and stated that "transfer of nuclear weapons
or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the
United States", for which North Korea would be held accountable. [303] On May 7, 2007, North Korea
agreed to shut down its nuclear reactors immediately pending the release of frozen funds held in a
foreign bank account. This was a result of a series of three-way talks initiated by the United States
and including China.[304] On September 2, 2007, North Korea agreed to disclose and dismantle all of
its nuclear programs by the end of 2007.[305] By May 2009, North Korea had restarted its nuclear
program and threatened to attack South Korea. [306]
On June 22, 2010, "While South Korea prospers, the people of North Korea have suffered
profoundly," he said, adding that, "communism had resulted in dire poverty, mass starvation and
brutal suppression. "In recent years," he went on to say, "the suffering has been compounded by the
leader who wasted North Korea's precious few resources on personal luxuries and nuclear weapons
programs."[307]
Syria sanctions
President Bush with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Shanghai, October 21, 2001. Russia had
cooperated with U.S. in the War on Terror.
Bush expanded economic sanctions on Syria.[308] In 2003, Bush signed the Syria Accountability Act,
which expanded sanctions on Syria. In early 2007, the Treasury Department, acting on a June
2005 executive order, froze American bank accounts of Syria's Higher Institute of Applied Science
and Technology, Electronics Institute, and National Standards and Calibration Laboratory. Bush's
order prohibits Americans from doing business with these institutions suspected of helping
spread weapons of mass destruction[309] and being supportive of terrorism. [310] Under separate
executive orders signed by Bush in 2004 and later 2007, the Treasury Department froze the assets
of two Lebanese and two Syrians, accusing them of activities to "undermine the legitimate political
process in Lebanon" in November 2007. Those designated included: Assaad Halim Hardan, a
member of Lebanon's parliament and current leader of the Syrian Socialist National Party; Wi'am
Wahhab, a former member of Lebanon's government (Minister of the Environment) under Prime
Minister Omar Karami (2004–2005); Hafiz Makhluf, a colonel and senior official in the Syrian
General Intelligence Directorate and a cousin of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; and Muhammad
Nasif Khayrbik, identified as a close adviser to Assad. [311]
Africa
Bush initiated the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Program (PEPFAR). The U.S.
government had spent some $44 billion on the project since 2003 (a figure that includes $7 billion
contributed to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, a multilateral organization),
[312]
which saved an estimated 5 million lives.[313] According to The New York
Times correspondent Peter Baker, "Bush did more to stop AIDS and more to help Africa than any
president before or since."[313]
Assassination attempt
On May 10, 2005, Vladimir Arutyunian, a native Georgian who was born to a family of
ethnic Armenians, threw a live hand grenade toward a podium where Bush was speaking
at Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was seated nearby. It
landed in the crowd about 65 feet (20 m) from the podium after hitting a girl, but it did not detonate.
Arutyunian was arrested in July 2005, confessed, was convicted and was given a life sentence in
January 2006.[314]
Other issues
President Bush, Mahmoud Abbas, and Ariel Sharon meet at the Red Sea Summit in Aqaba, Jordan, June
4, 2003
Bush withdrew U.S. support for several international agreements, including the Anti-Ballistic Missile
Treaty (ABM) with Russia. He also signed the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty with Russia.
Bush emphasized a careful approach to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians; he
denounced Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafatfor his support of violence, but
sponsored dialogues between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian National Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas. Bush supported Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and lauded
the democratic elections held in Palestine after Arafat's death.
President Bush and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, April 1, 2008
Bush also expressed U.S. support for the defense of Taiwan following the stand-off in April 2001
with the People's Republic of China over the Hainan Island incident, when an EP-3E Aries
II surveillance aircraft collided with a People's Liberation Army Air Force jet, leading to the detention
of U.S. personnel. From 2003 to 2004, Bush authorized U.S. military intervention in Haiti and Liberia
to protect U.S. interests. Bush condemned the militia attacks Darfur and denounced the killings in
Sudan as genocide.[315]Bush said that an international peacekeeping presence was critical in Darfur,
but opposed referring the situation to the International Criminal Court.
In the State of the Union address in January 2003, Bush outlined a five-year strategy for global
emergency AIDS relief, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Bush announced $15 billion
for this effort[316] which directly supported life-saving antiretroviral treatment for more than 3.2 million
men, women and children worldwide.[317]
On June 10, 2007, Bush met with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and became the first
president to visit Albania.[318] Bush has voiced his support for the independence of Kosovo.[319] Bush
opposed South Ossetia's independence.[320] On August 15, 2008, Bush said of Russia's invasion of
the country of Georgia: "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy
in the 21st century."[321]
Bush opened the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Departing from previous practice, he
stood among a group of U.S. athletes rather than from a ceremonial stand or box, saying: "On behalf
of a proud, determined, and grateful nation, I declare open the Games of Salt Lake City, celebrating
the Olympic Winter Games."[322] In 2008, in the course of a good-will trip to Asia, he attended
the Summer Olympics in Beijing.[323]
Bush twice invoked Section 3 of the Twenty-fifth Amendment, which allows a president to
temporarily transfer the powers and duties of his office to the vice president, who then
becomes acting president. On June 29, 2002, Bush underwent a colonoscopy and chose to invoke
Section 3 of the amendment, making Vice President Dick Cheney the acting president. The medical
procedure began at 7:09 am. EDT and ended at 7:29 am. EDT. Bush woke up twenty minutes later,
but did not resume his presidential powers and duties until 9:24 am. EDT after the president's
doctor, Richard Tubb, conducted an overall examination. Tubb said he recommended the additional
time to make sure the sedative had no after effects. On July 21, 2007, Bush again invoked Section 3
in response to having to undergo a colonoscopy, again making Vice President Cheney the acting
president. Bush invoked Section 3 at 7:16 am. EDT. He reclaimed his powers at 9:21 am. EDT. In
both cases, Bush specifically cited Section 3 when he transferred the presidential powers to the Vice
President and when he reclaimed those powers.[324]
Judicial appointments
Supreme Court
George W. Bush Supreme Court candidates
Supreme Court Justice nominee John Roberts and President Bush, July 19, 2005
Supreme Court Justice nominee Samuel Alito and President Bush, October 31, 2005
approve
disapprove
unsure
Gallup/USA Today Bush public opinion polling from February 2001 to January 2009
Bush's upbringing in West Texas, his accent, his vacations on his Texas ranch, and his penchant for
country metaphors contribute to his folksy, American cowboy image. [332][333] "I think people look at him
and think John Wayne", said Piers Morgan, editor of the British Daily Mirror.[334]
Bush has been parodied by the media,[335] comedians, and other politicians.[336]Detractors tended to
cite linguistic errors made by Bush during his public speeches, which are colloquially referred to
as Bushisms.[337]
In contrast to his father—who was perceived as having troubles with an overarching unifying theme
—Bush embraced larger visions and was seen as a man of larger ideas and associated huge risks.
[338]
Tony Blair wrote in 2010 that the caricature of Bush as being dumb is "ludicrous" and that Bush is
"very smart".[339] In an interview with Playboy, The New York Timescolumnist David Brooks said Bush
"was 60 IQ points smarter in private than he was in public. He doesn't want anybody to think he's
smarter than they are, so puts on a Texas act."[340]
Job approval
Bush began his presidency with approval ratings near 50 percent.[341] After the September 11 attacks,
Bush gained an approval rating of 90 percent,[342] maintaining 80 to 90 percent approval for four
months after the attacks. It remained over 50 percent during most of his first term[13] and then fell to
as low as 19 percent in his second term.[343]
In 2000 and again in 2004, Time magazine named George W. Bush as its Person of the Year, a title
awarded to someone who the editors believe "has done the most to influence the events of the
year".[344] In May 2004, Gallup reported that 89 percent of the Republican electorate approved of
Bush.[345] However, the support waned due mostly to a minority of Republicans' frustration with him
on issues of spending, illegal immigration, and Middle Eastern affairs.[346]
Within the United States armed forces, according to an unscientific survey, the president was
strongly supported in the 2004 presidential elections. [347] While 73 percent of military personnel said
that they would vote for Bush, 18 percent preferred his Democratic rival, John Kerry.[347] According
to Peter Feaver, a Duke University political scientist who has studied the political leanings of the
U.S. military, members of the armed services supported Bush because they found him more likely
than Kerry to complete the War in Iraq.[347]
Bush's approval rating went below the 50 percent mark in AP-Ipsos polling in December 2004.
[348]
Thereafter, his approval ratings and approval of his handling of domestic and foreign policy
issues steadily dropped. Bush received heavy criticism for his handling of the Iraq War, his response
to Hurricane Katrina and to the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, NSA warrantless surveillance, the Plame
affair, and Guantanamo Bay detention camp controversies.[349] There were calls for
Bush's impeachment, though most polls showed a plurality of Americans would not support such an
action.[350] The arguments offered for impeachment usually centered on the NSA warrantless
surveillance controversy,[351] the Bush administration's justification for the war in Iraq, and alleged
violations of the Geneva Conventions.[Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who had run against
Bush during the 2004 presidential campaign, introduced 35 articles of impeachment on the floor of
the House of Representatives against Bush on June 9, 2008, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
declared that impeachment was "off the table". [352]
Polls that were conducted in 2006 showed an average of 37 percent approval ratings for Bush,[353] the
lowest for any second-term president at that point of his term since Harry S. Truman in March 1951
(when Truman's approval rating was 28 percent),[348][354] which contributed to what Bush called the
"thumping" of the Republican Party in the 2006 mid-term elections.[355] Throughout most of 2007,
Bush's approval rating hovered in the mid-thirties; [356] the average for his entire second term was
37 percent, according to Gallup.[357]
By the beginning of 2008, his final year in office, Bush's approval rating had dropped to a low of just
19 percent, largely from the loss of support among Republicans. [343]Commenting on his low poll
numbers and accusations of being "the worst president," [358][359] Bush would say, "I make decisions on
what I think is right for the United States based upon principles. I frankly don't give a damn about the
polls."[360]
In the spring of that year, Bush's disapproval ratings reached the highest ever recorded for any
president in the 70-year history of the Gallup poll, with 69 percent of those polled in April 2008
disapproving of the job Bush was doing as president and 28 percent approving—although the
majority (66 percent) of Republicans still approved of his job performance. [361]
In polls conducted in the fall, just before the 2008 election, his approval ratings remained at record
lows of 19 to 20 percent,[362][363] while his disapproval ratings ranged from 67 percent to as high as
75 percent.[363][364] In polling conducted January 9–11, 2009, his final job approval rating by Gallup was
34 percent, which placed him on par with Jimmy Carter and Harry S. Truman, the other presidents
whose final Gallup ratings measured in the low 30s (Richard Nixon's final Gallup approval rating was
even lower, at 24 percent).[365] According to a CBS News/New York Times poll conducted January
11–15, 2009, Bush's final approval rating in office was 22 percent, the lowest in American history.[362]
Foreign perceptions
Anti-war demonstrationduring President Bush's visit to London, June 2008
Bush was criticized internationally and targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization
campaigns for his administration's foreign policy.[366][367] Views of him within the international
community—even in France, a close ally of the United States—were more negative than those of
most previous American presidents in history.[368]
Bush was described as having especially close personal relationships with Tony Blair of Great
Britain and Vicente Fox of Mexico, although formal relations were sometimes strained. [369][370][371] Other
leaders, such as Afghan president Hamid Karzai,[372] Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni,[373] Spanish
prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero,[374]and Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez,[375] openly
criticized the president. Later in Bush's presidency, tensions arose between him and Vladimir Putin,
which led to a cooling of their relationship.[376]
In 2006, most respondents in 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world were found to hold an
unfavorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as negative
for world security.[377][378] In 2007, the Pew Global Attitudes Project reported that during the Bush
presidency, attitudes towards the United States, and towards Americans, became less favorable
around the world.[379]
A March 2007 survey of Arab opinion conducted by Zogby International and the University of
Maryland found that Bush was the most disliked leader in the Arab world. [380]
The Pew Research Center's 2007 Global Attitudes poll found that out of 47 countries, in only nine
countries did most respondents express "a lot of confidence" or "some confidence" in Bush: Ethiopia,
Ghana, India, Israel, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda. [381]
During a June 2007 visit to the predominantly Muslim [382] Albania, Bush was greeted enthusiastically.
Albania has a population of 2.8 million,[383] has troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the country's
government is highly supportive of American foreign policy. [384] A huge image of the President was
hung in the middle of the capital city of Tirana flanked by Albanian and American flags while a local
street was named after him.[385][386] A shirt-sleeved statue of Bush was unveiled in Fushë-Krujë, a few
kilometers northwest of Tirana.[387] The Bush administration's support for the independence of
Albanian-majority Kosovo, while endearing him to the Albanians, has troubled U.S. relations with
Serbia, leading to the February 2008 torching of the U.S. embassy in Belgrade.[388]
Acknowledgments and dedications
The statue of George W. Bush was erected at Fushë-Krujë, Albania after his visit
On May 7, 2005, during an official state visit to Latvia, Bush was awarded the Order of the Three
Stars presented to him by President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga.[389] A few places outside the United States
bear Bush's name. In 2005, the Tbilisi City Council voted to rename a street in honor of the U.S.
president.[390] Previously known as Melaani Drive, the street links the Georgian capital's airport with
the city center and was used by Bush's motorcade during his visit four months earlier. [391] A street
in Tirana, formerly known as Rruga Puntorët e Rilendjes, situated directly outside the Albanian
Parliament, was renamed after Bush a few days before he made the first-ever visit by an American
president to Albania in June 2007.[392] In Jerusalem, a small plaza with a monument bearing his name
is also dedicated to Bush.[393]
In 2012, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves awarded Bush the Order of the Cross of Terra
Mariana for his work in expanding NATO.[394]
Reception
The George W. Bush presidency has been ranked among the worst in surveys of presidential
scholars published in the late 2000s and 2010s.[15][16][17]
After his re-election in 2004, Bush received increasingly heated criticism from across the political
spectrum[7][8][9] for his handling of the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina,[10][11][12] and other challenges. Amid
this criticism, the Democratic Party regained control of Congress in the 2006 elections. In December
2007, the United States entered its longest post-World War IIrecession, often referred to as the
"Great Recession", prompting the Bush administration to obtain congressional passage of multiple
economic programs intended to preserve the country's financial system. Nationally, Bush was both
one of the most popular and unpopular presidents in history, having received the highest recorded
presidential approval ratings in the wake of the September 11 attacks, as well as one of the lowest
approval ratings during the 2008 financial crisis.[13]
Bush said in 2013, "Ultimately history will judge the decisions I made, and I won't be around because
it will take time for the objective historians to show up. So I am pretty comfortable with it. I did what I
did."[395]
Post-presidency (2009–present)
Residence
George and Laura Bush waving to a crowd of 1000 at Andrews Air Force Base before their final departure
to Texas, January 20, 2009
Following the inauguration of Barack Obama, Bush and his family flew from Andrews Air Force
Base to a homecoming celebration in Midland, Texas, following which they returned to their ranch
in Crawford, Texas.[396] They bought a home in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas, Texas,
where they settled down.[397]
He makes regular appearances at various events throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area, most
notably when he conducted the opening coin toss at the Dallas Cowboysfirst game in the team's
new stadium in Arlington[398] and an April 2009 visit to a Texas Rangers game, where he thanked the
people of Dallas for helping him settle in and was met with a standing ovation. [399] He also attended
every home playoff game for the Texas Rangers 2010 season and, accompanied by his father,
threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for Game 4 of the 2010 World
Series on October 31, 2010.[400]
On August 6, 2013, Bush was successfully treated for a coronary artery blockage with a stent. The
blockage had been found during an annual medical examination.[401]
In reaction to the 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers, Bush stated: "Laura and I are heartbroken
by the heinous acts of violence in our city last night. Murdering the innocent is always evil, never
more so than when the lives taken belong to those who protect our families and communities." [402]
George W. Bush, President Obama, and Bill Clinton meeting in the Oval Office, January 16, 2010
Since leaving office, Bush has kept a relatively low profile [403] though he has made public
appearances, most notably after the release of his memoirs in 2010 and for the 10th anniversary of
the September 11 attacks in 2011. In March 2009, he delivered his first post-presidency speech
in Calgary, Alberta,[404][405] appeared via video on The Colbert Report during which he praised U.S.
troops for earning a "special place in American history,"[406] and attended the funeral of Senator Ted
Kennedy.[407] Bush made his debut as a motivational speaker on October 26 at the "Get Motivated"
seminar in Dallas.[408] In the aftermath of the Fort Hood shootingthat took place on November 5, 2009,
in Texas, the Bushes paid an undisclosed visit to the survivors and victims' families the day following
the shooting, having contacted the base commander requesting that the visit be private and not
involve press coverage.[409]
(L–R) Charlie Strong, Texas Longhorns head football coach, George W. Bush and Reverend Jesse
Jackson hold up a Texas Longhorns football jersey at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2014
In February 2016, George W. Bush spoke and campaigned for his brother Jeb Bushin South
Carolina during a rally for the Jeb Bush presidential campaign in the 2016 Republican Party
presidential primaries.[423]
While Bush endorsed the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, he declined to
endorse the 2016 Republican nominee Donald Trump[424]and he did not attend the 2016 Republican
National Convention, which formally nominated Trump.[425] On the eve of Trump's nomination, it was
reported that Bush had privately expressed concern about the current direction of the Republican
Party and told a group of his former aides and advisors, "I'm worried that I will be the last Republican
president."[426][427] Bush and his wife Laura did not vote for Trump in the 2016 presidential
election according to a spokesperson for the Bush family, instead choosing to leave their presidential
ballots blank.[428] After the election, Bush, his father, and his brother Jeb called Trump on the phone to
congratulate him on his victory.[429] Both he and Laura attended Trump's inauguration, and images of
Bush struggling to put on a rain poncho during the ceremony became an internet meme.[430] While
leaving the event, Bush allegedly described the ceremony as "some weird shit". [431]
In February 2017, Bush released a book of his own portraits of veterans called Portraits of
Courage (full title: Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors).[432]
Following the white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Bush and his father
released a joint statement condemning the violence and ideologies present at the rally; "America
must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms. As we pray for
Charlottesville, we are all reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city's most prominent
citizen in the Declaration of Independence: we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator
with unalienable rights. We know these truths to be everlasting because we have seen the decency
and greatness of our country."[433] Their statement came as President Trump was facing controversy
over his statements about the rally. Subsequently, Bush gave a speech in New York where he noted
of the current political climate, "Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to
conspiracy theories and outright fabrication." He continued, "Bigotry in any form is blasphemy
against the American creed and it means the very identity of our nation depends on the passing of
civic ideals to the next generation," while urging citizens to oppose threats to American democracy
and be positive role models for young people. [434] The speech was widely interpreted as a
denouncement of Donald Trump and his ideologies, despite Bush not mentioning Trump by name.[434]
[435][436][437]
In April 2018, Bush and his father met in Texas with Mohammad bin Salman, the crown prince and
de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.[438]
Collaborations
In January 2010, at President Obama's request, Bush and Bill Clinton established the Clinton Bush
Haiti Fund to raise contributions for relief and recovery efforts following the 2010 Haiti
earthquake earlier that month.[439]
On May 2, 2011, President Obama called Bush, who was at a restaurant with his wife, to inform him
that Osama bin Laden had been killed.[440] The Bushes joined the Obamas in New York City to mark
the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At the Ground Zero memorial,
Bush read a letter that President Abraham Lincoln wrote to a widow who lost five sons during the
Civil War.[441]
On September 7, 2017, Bush partnered with former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W.
Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama to work with One America Appeal to help the victims
of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in the Gulf Coast and Texas communities.[442]
Art
After serving as president, Bush began painting as a hobby after reading Winston Churchill's essay
"Painting as a Pastime". Subjects have included people, dogs, and still life.[443] He has also painted
self-portraits and portraits of world leaders, including Vladimir Putin and Tony Blair. [444][445][446] In
February 2017, Bush released a book of portraits of veterans, Portraits of Courage.[432] The net
proceeds from his book are donated to the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
In mass culture
W. (2008) - a biographical drama film directed by Oliver Stone, in which George W. Bush is
portrayed by Josh Brolin.
America Betrayed (2008) - a documentary political film directed by Leslie Carde. [447]
Vice (2018) - a biographical comedy-drama film written and directed by Adam McKay, in
which George W. Bush is portrayed by Sam Rockwell.
Legacy
George W. Bush Presidential Centeron the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) located
in University Park, Texas
President Bush's legacy continues to develop today. Supporters credit Bush's counterterrorism
policies with preventing another major terrorist attack from occurring in the US after 9/11 and also
praise individual policies such as the Medicare prescription drug benefit and the AIDS relief program
known as PEPFAR. Critics often point to his handling of the Iraq War, specifically the failure to
find weapons of mass destruction, that were the main rationale behind the initial invasion—as well
as his handling of tax policy, Hurricane Katrina, climate change and the 2008 financial crisis—as
proof that George W. Bush was unfit to be president. [448][449][450]
Several historians and commentators hold the view that Bush was one of the most consequential
presidents in American history. Princeton University scholar Julian Zelizer described Bush's
presidency as a "transformative" one, and said that "some people hate him, some people love him,
but I do think he'll have a much more substantive perception as time goes on". [451]Bryon Williams
of The Huffington Post referred to Bush as "the most noteworthy president since FDR" and said that
the Patriot Act "increased authority of the executive branch at the expense of judicial opinions about
when searches and seizures are reasonable" as evidence. [452] Bush's administration presided over
the largest tax cuts since the presidency of Ronald Reagan,[453] and his homeland security reforms
proved to be the most significant expansion of the federal government since the Great Society.
[454]
Much of these policies have endured in the administrations of his two immediate
successors, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.[455][456] A 2010 Siena Research Institute survey of the
opinions of historians, political scientists, and presidential scholars ranked him 39th out of 43
presidents. The survey respondents gave President Bush low ratings on his handling of the U.S.
economy, communication, ability to compromise, foreign policy accomplishments, and intelligence. [457]
Among the public, his reputation has improved somewhat since his presidency ended in 2009. In
February 2012, Gallup reported that "Americans still rate George W. Bush among the worst
presidents, though their views have become more positive in the three years since he left
office."[458] Gallup had earlier noted that Bush's favorability ratings in public opinion surveys had
begun to rise a year after he had left office, from 40 percent in January 2009 and 35 percent in
March 2009, to 45 percent in July 2010, a period during which he had remained largely out of the
news.[459] Other pollsters have noted similar trends of slight improvement in Bush's personal
favorability since the end of his presidency.[460] In April 2013, Bush's approval rating stood at
47 percent approval and 50 percent disapproval in a poll jointly conducted for The Washington
Postand ABC, his highest approval rating since December 2005. Bush had achieved notable gains
among seniors, non-college whites, and moderate and conservative Democrats since leaving office,
although majorities disapproved of his handling of the economy (53 percent) and the Iraq War
(57 percent).[461] His 47 percent approval rating was equal to that of President Obama's in the same
polling period.[462] A CNN poll conducted that same month found that 55 percent of Americans said
Bush's presidency had been a failure, with opinions divided along party lines, and 43 percent of
independents calling it a success.[463] Bush's public image saw greater improvement starting in 2017,
which has been interpreted as Democrats viewing him more favorably in response to Donald
Trump's presidency,[464][465] an assessment that has also been expressed by Bush himself.
Allan Kardec
Allan Kardec (French: [kaʁdɛk]) is the pen name of the French educator, translator and
author Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail ([ʁivɑj]; 3 October 1804 – 31 March 1869). He is the author
of the five books known as the Spiritist Codification, and is the founder of Spiritism.[1][2]
Allan Kardec
Early life[edit]
Rivail was born in Lyon in 1804 and raised as a Roman Catholic. He pursued interests in philosophy
and the sciences, and became an acolyte and colleague of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi.[2][3] Rivail
completed a number of educational courses including a Bachelor of Arts degrees in science [4] and a
doctorate in medicine.[5] He was also fluent in German, English, Italian, and Spanish, in addition to
his native French.[6]
He was a member of several scholarly societies, including the Historic Institute of Paris (Institut
Historique), Society of Natural Sciences of France (Société des Sciences Naturelles de France),
Society for the Encouragement of National Industry (Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie
Nationale), and The Royal Academy of Arras (Académie d'Arras, Société Royale des Sciences, des
Lettres et des Arts).[2] He organized and taught free courses for the underprivileged. [2][7]
Rivail's work with Pestalozzi helped lay the foundations for the teaching model in schools in France
and GermanyFor several decades he helped advance Pestalozzi's pedagogy in France, founding
schools and working as a teacher, educational writer and translator. [2]
Family
In February 6, 1832, he married Amélie Gabrielle Boudet.[8]
In 1839, with a new partner, Mr. Maurice Delachatre, a merchant, he created a so-called "exchange"
bank, which aims to facilitate commercial transactions and thus create new opportunities for trade
and industry, in order to support in default of pecuniary resources for the natural products. The
duration of the trading bank will be fixed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry at ten years.
In May 1855, he met a certain Mr. Fortier, a magnetizer, who took him to Madame de Plainemaison,
a medium who lives on rue de la Grange Bateliere in Paris, just a step away from the opera house.
In the presence of other guests for the session, He enters into communication with a spirit named
Zephyr, who gives him the mission of being the spokesman of the Dead. For him, it's the revelation.
He was there, for the first time, witnessing the phenomenon of turntables, jumping and running, as
he himself described on his manuscript written between 1855 and 1856 : “My predictions concerning
spiritualism”.
Spiritism
Rivail was in his early 50s when he became interested in séances, which were a popular
entertainment at the time. Strange phenomena attributed to the action of spirits were considered a
novelty, featuring objects that moved or "tapped", purportedly under the control of 'spirits'. In some
cases, this was alleged to be a type of communication: the supposed spirits answered questions by
controlling the movements of objects so as to pick out letters to form words, or simply indicate "yes"
or "no At the time, Franz Mesmer's theory of animal magnetism had become popular. When
confronted with the phenomena described, some researchers, including Rivail, pointed out that
animal magnetism might explain them. Rivail, however, after seeing a demonstration, dismissed
animal magnetism as insufficient to explain his observations. [10]
As a result of these influences, Rivail began his own investigation of psychic phenomena,
mainly mediumship.[2] During his initial investigation, he stated that before accepting a spiritual or
paranormal cause for some phenomena, it would be necessary first to test if ordinary material
causes could explain them. He proposed that fraud, hallucination and unconscious mental activity
might explain many phenomena regarded as mediumistic, and also proposed that telepathy and
clairvoyance may be responsible.[11]
He compiled over one thousand questions concerning the nature and mechanisms of spirit
communications, the reasons for human life on earth, and aspects of the spiritual realm. He asked
those questions to ten mediums, all purportedly unknown to each other, and documented their
responses. From these, he concluded that the best explanation was that personalities that had
survived death were the source of at least some mediumistic communications. [12] He became
convinced that the mediums:
Memorial
Allan Kardec's grave at Cimetière du Père Lachaise. The inscription says Naitre, mourir, renaitre encore et
progresser sans cesse, telle est la loi ("To be born, die, again be reborn, and so progress unceasingly, such is
the law").
After his death caused by aneurysm, Kardec was buried at the Cimetière du Père Lachaise.[19]
Writings
Cours pratique et théorique d’arithmétique (1824)
Plan proposé pour l’amélioration de l’éducation publique (1828)
Catéchisme grammatical de la langue française (1848)
Le Livre des Esprits (The Spirits Book), 1857
Le Livre des Médiums ('The Book on Mediums, 1861
L’Évangile selon le Spiritisme (The Gospel According to Spiritism), 1864
Le Ciel et L’Enfer (Heaven and Hell), 1865
La Genèse (The Genesis According to Spiritism), 1868
Leon Denis
Léon Denis
Biography
Léon Denis was born in Foug, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France, on January 1, 1846,[2] of a humble
family. Very early in life, out of necessity, he did manual work and had to bear heavy responsibilities
for his family. From his first steps in the world, he sensed that invisible friends assisted him. Instead
of participating in play appropriate to his youth, he tried to instruct himself as intensely as possible.
He read serious works, thus striving through his own efforts, to develop his intelligence. He became
a serious and competent self-didact.
At the age of 18, he commenced work as a sales representative, and so had to make frequent trips.
This situation continued up to the time of his reformation [ and beyond. He adored music and,
whenever he had a chance, attended operas or concerts. He played well-known arias at the piano
and also some compositions of his own.
He did not smoke, and was almost exclusively a vegetarian, nor did he indulge in fermented drinks.
He found water to be his ideal drink.
It was his habit to review books with interest, of those displayed in the bookstores, at the age of 18,
by “chance” his eyes glanced at a work with an unusual title: The Spirits’ Book by Allan Kardec.
Having with him the amount needed to purchase the book, he bought it and rushed to his home
immediately surrendering eagerly to the reading.
Denis commented after reading it: “I found in this book the clear solution, complete and logical, to a
universal problem. My conviction became strong and sound. The Spiritist Theory dissipated my
indifference and my doubts.” [
Denis was not just a successor to Allan Kardec, as is generally supposed, but was an important
figure in consolidating the spiritist movement. He undertook doctrinal studies, research into
mediums, and propelled the Spiritist Movement in France, and all over the world. He deepened the
moral aspects of the Doctrine and, above all, consolidated the Movement in the early decades of the
20th century.
In Spiritism, the role of Kardec is that of the sage; the role of Denis is that of the philosopher. Léon
Denis was nominated the Apostle of Spiritism, due to his sustained work, and his words, written and
spoken, on behalf of the new doctrine. Possessing great moral sensibility, he dedicated his entire
existence to the defense of the postulates that Kardec had transmitted in the books of the
spiritist Pentateuch.
Denis himself, summarized his mission as follows: “I have consecrated this existence to the service
of a Great cause, Spiritism or Modern Spiritualism that will certainly be the universal faith, and the
religion of the future
Bibliography
By Denis:
Michael Dudikoff
Dudikoff in 2013
Early Life
Dudikoff's father, Michael Joseph Stephen Sr., was Eastern Orthodox Christian. Born in New
York to Russian immigrants Mary Bogdanova and John Dudikoff, Michael Sr. served in the
Army before marrying Dudikoff's mother: Rita T. Girardin, a French-Canadian piano-player
from Quebec. The couple moved to California and had five children; the fourth, Michael Jr., was
diagnosed with dyslexia.[2]
Michael Jr. graduated from West High School in Torrance, California and went on to study child
psychology at Harbor College.[3]
Career
Mid 1970s to 1985: Modelling and early roles
To pay for his education, he worked at a rehabilitation center for abused youth called Cedar
House and waited tables at Beachbum Burt's in Redondo Beach, California.[4][5] He was eventually
approached to do some modelling, and did a catwalk at a shopping mall.
During lunch one day, Dudikoff served Max Evans - a fashion editor with Esquire magazine,
who had come in with some models. Evans asked Dudikoff to walk in a Newport Beach fashion
show, and his mother encouraged him to try it out.
After a couple of successful runways, Dudikoff retained an agent at the Mary Webb Davis
Agency in Los Angeles. Dudikoff soon entered the high fashion world and counted Calvin Klein
and GQ among his clients. He moved quickly to international print modeling and traveled
between New York, Los Angeles, and Milan by his late 20s.
Dudikoff soon began acting, and he starred in several commercials for companies,
including Coppertone, Coca-Cola for Japan, Army Reserve and Stridex.
In 2014, he was interviewed The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films and Electric
Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, both highly publicized dueling
documentaries about The Cannon Group.[58]
In 2015, he returned to the screens with a supporting role in Navy Seals vs. Zombies, released
by Anchor Bay Entertainment.[59]
In 2018 he played the main villain in Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece, alongside Sean
Stone, Danny Trejo, Taimak, Michael Winslow, Jason London, Bill Goldberg, Cynthia
Rothrock, Ernie Reyes Jr., Richard Grieco, Victor Ortiz, and many more.[60]
Personal Life
Dudikoff has been married to Belle since 2004. They have three children, including son Michael
Joseph Stephen III.
Film Rumors
Dudikoff, due to his action film resume, is often rumored to take part in The Expendables film
series. In a 2012 interview he stated that he heard talk that never was concluding, and he was
happy either way if something came up or not.
Within that same interview, he also hinted at a possible sequel to American Ninja and Avenging
Force.[65]
Filmography
Features
Yea
Title Role Notes
r
Confrontation
1990
American Ninja 4: The
Joe Armstrong Film
Annihilation
Daniel 'Mac'
Rescue Me Film
MacDonald
1992
1995
1999
2015
TV Series
10
1982 Star of the Family Douggie Krebs
Episodes
Year Title Role Notes
Unknown
2019 Green Valley Uncle Rik
Nicolas Lemery
Nicolas Lémery (or Lemery as his name appeared in his international publications) (17 November
1645 – 19 June 1715), French chemist, was born at Rouen. He was one of the first to develop
theories on acid-base chemistry.
Nicolas Lemery
Life
After learning pharmacy in his native town he became a pupil of Christophe Glaser in Paris, and then
went to Montpellier, where he began to lecture on chemistry. He next established a pharmacy in
Paris, still continuing his lectures, but following 1683, being a Calvinist, he was obliged to retire
to England. In the following year he returned to France, and turning Catholic in 1686 was able to
reopen his shop and resume his lectures. He died in Paris on 19 June 1715. [1]
Lemery did not concern himself much with theoretical speculations, but holding chemistry to be a
demonstrative science, confined himself to the straightforward exposition of facts and experiments.
In consequence, his lecture-room was thronged with people of all sorts, anxious to hear a man who
shunned the barren obscurities of the alchemists, and did not regard the quest of the philosopher's
stone and the elixir of life as the sole end of his science. Of his Cours de chymie (1675) he lived to
see 13 editions, and for a century it maintained its reputation as a standard work. [1]
In 1680, using the corpuscular theory as a basis, Lemery stipulated that the acidity of any substance
consisted in its pointed particles, while alkalis were endowed with pores of various sizes.[2] A
molecule, according to this view, consisted of corpuscles united through a geometric locking of
points and pores.
Works
Cours de chymie : contenant la maniere de faire les operations qui sont en usage dans la
medecine, par un methode facile ; avec des raisonnements sur chaque operation, pour
l'instruction de ceux qui veulent s'appliquer a cette science. - 6. ed. - Paris : Michallet,
1687. Digital edition /1730 Digital 11th edition / 1744 Digital edition of the University and State
Library Düsseldorf.
Het philosoophze laboratorium, oft' der chymisten stook-huis. - Amsterdam : ten Hoorn,
1691. Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Nouveau recueil de[s] curiositez, les plus rares & admirables de tous les effects, que l'art &
la nature sont capables de produire. Volume 1-2. Dernière édition augmentée, corrigée &
enrichie de tailles-douces. Leyde : van der Aa, 1688. Digital edition of the University and State
Library Düsseldorf
Nouveau recueil de[s] secrets et curiositez, les plus rares & admirables de tous les effects,
que l'art & la nature sont capables de produire. - 5. ed. - Amsterdam : Mortier, 1697. Digital
edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
1
2
A course of chymistry : containing an easie method of preparing those chymical medicins
which are used in physick ; with curious remarks and useful discourses upon each preparation,
for the benefit of such a desire to be instructed in the knowledge of this art. - The 3rd. ed., transl.
from the 8th ed. in the French. - London : Kettilby, 1698. Digital edition of the University and
State Library Düsseldorf.
Cours de chymie, oder der vollkommene Chymist : welcher die in der Medicin
gebräuchlichen chymischen Processe auff die leichteste und heilsamste Art machen lernt... Aus
der 9. frantzösischen Edition des 1697sten Jahres ins Teutsche übersetzet. Winckler, Dresden
1698 Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
A compleat history of druggs : written in French by Monsieur Pomet, chief druggist to the
present French king ; to which is added what is further observable on the same subject, from
Messrs. Lemery and Tournefort, divided into 3 classes, vegetable, animal and mineral, with their
use in physick, chymistry, pharmacy and several other arts ; done into English from the originals.
London, 1712.Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Farmacopea universale che contiene tutte le composizioni di farmacia le qualisono in uso
nella medicina : tanto in Francia, quanto per tutta l'europa, ... e di piu un vocabolario
farmaceutico, molte nuove osservazioni, ed alcuni ragionamenti sopra ogni operazione.
Venezia : Gio. Gabriel Hertz, 1720 Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Dictionaire, ou traité universel des drogues simples ou l’on trouve leurs differens noms, leur
origine, leur choix, les principes qu’elles renferment, leurs qualitez, leur etymologie, & tout ce
qu’il ya de particulier dans les animaux, dans les vegetaux, & dans les mineraux ; ouvrage
dependant de la Pharmacopee universelle . Hofhout, Rotterdam 4.ed. 1727 Digital edition of
the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Pharmacopée universelle : contenant toutes les compositions de pharmacie qui sont en
usage dans la medicine, tant en France que par toute l'Europe, leurs vertus, leurs doses, les
manieres d'operer les plus simples & les meilleures ; avec un lexicon pharmaceutique, plusieurs
remarques nouvelles, et des raisonnemens sur chaque operation. d’Houry, Paris 3.ed.
1728 Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Pharmacopée universelle
Cours de chymie : contenant la maniere de faire les operations qui sont en usage dans la
medecine, par un methode facile ; avec des raisonnemens sur chaque operation, pour
l'instruction de ceux qui veulent s'appliquer a cette science. - 11. ed. - Paris : Delespine,
1730. Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Traité universel des drogues simples : mises en ordre alphabetique, ou l'on trouve leurs
differens noms, leur origine, leur choix, les principes qu'elles renferment, leurs qualitez, leur
etimologie, & tout ce qu'il ya de particulier dans les animaux, dans les vegetaux, & dans les
mineraux ; ouvrage dependant de la Pharmacopee universelle. d’Houry, Paris 4.ed. 1732 Digital
edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Cours de chymie : contenant la maniere de faire les operations qui sont en usage dans la
medecine, par un methode facile ; avec des raisonnemens sur chaque operation, pour
l'instruction de ceux qui veulent s'appliquer a cette science. - Bruxelles : Leonard, 1744. Digital
edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf.
Nicolai Lemeri cursus chymicus, oder vollkommener Chymist : welcher die in der Medicin
vorkommenden chymischen Praeparata und Processus auf die vernünfftigste, leichteste und
sicherste Art zu verfertigen lehret ; aus dem Frantzösischen übersetzet. - ... Bey dieser 5. Aufl. aufs
neue durchgesehen, corrigirt und vermehret von Johann Christian Zimmermann. - Dresden :
Walther, 1754. Digital edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf [466]
Astronomer Willian Gilbert
William Gilbert (/ˈɡɪlbərt/; 24 May 1544 – 30 November 1603), also known as Gilberd,[1] was an
English physician, physicist and natural philosopher. He passionately rejected both the
prevailing Aristotelian philosophy and the Scholasticmethod of university teaching. He is
remembered today largely for his book De Magnete (1600), and is credited as one of the originators
of the term "electricity". He is regarded by some as the father of electrical
engineering or electricity and magnetism.[2]
A unit of magnetomotive force, also known as magnetic potential, was named the Gilbert in his
honour.
William Gilbert
William Gilbert
Life and work
Gilbert was born in Colchester to Jerome Gilberd, a borough recorder. He was educated at St John's
College, Cambridge.[3] After gaining his MD from Cambridge in 1569, and a short spell as bursar of
St John's College, he left to practice medicine in London and travelled on the continent. In 1573, he
was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. In 1600 he was elected President of the
College.[4] He was Elizabeth I's own physician from 1601 until her death in 1603, and James VI and
I renewed his appointment.[5]:30
His primary scientific work—much inspired by earlier works of Robert Norman[6][7]—was De Magnete,
Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure (On the Magnet and Magnetic Bodies, and
on the Great Magnet the Earth) published in 1600. In this work, he describes many of his
experiments with his model Earth called the terrella. From these experiments, he concluded that
the Earth was itself magnetic and that this was the reason compasses point north (previously, some
believed that it was the pole star (Polaris) or a large magnetic island on the north pole that attracted
the compass). He was the first to argue, correctly, that the centre of the Earth was iron, and he
considered an important and related property of magnets was that they can be cut, each forming a
new magnet with north and south poles.
William Gilbert M.D. demonstrating his experiments before queen Elizabeth (painting by A. Auckland Hunt).
In Book 6, Chapter 3, he argues in support of diurnal rotation, though he does not talk about
heliocentrism, stating that it is an absurdity to think that the immense celestial spheres (doubting
even that they exist) rotate daily, as opposed to the diurnal rotation of the much smaller Earth. He
also posits that the "fixed" stars are at remote variable distances rather than fixed to an imaginary
sphere. He states that situated "in thinnest aether, or in the most subtle fifth essence, or in vacuity –
how shall the stars keep their places in the mighty swirl of these enormous spheres composed of a
substance of which no one knows aught?"
The English word "electricity" was first used in 1646 by Sir Thomas Browne, derived from Gilbert's
1600 New Latinelectricus, meaning "like amber". The term had been in use since the 13th century,
but Gilbert was the first to use it to mean "like amber in its attractive properties". He recognized that
friction with these objects removed a so-called "effluvium", which would cause the attraction effect in
returning to the object, though he did not realize that this substance (electric charge) was universal
to all materials.[8]
The electric effluvia differ much from air, and as air is the earth's effluvium, so electric bodies have
their own distinctive effluvia; and each peculiar effluvium has its own individual power of leading to
union, its own movement to its origin, to its fount, and to the body emitting the effluvium.
— Gilbert 1893
Gilbert argued that electricity and magnetism were not the same thing. For evidence, he (incorrectly)
pointed out that, while electrical attraction disappeared with heat, magnetic attraction did not
(although it is proven that magnetism does in fact become damaged and weakened with heat). Hans
Christian Ørsted and James Clerk Maxwell showed that both effects were aspects of a single force:
electromagnetism. Maxwell surmised this in his A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism after much
analysis.
Gilbert's magnetism was the invisible force that many other natural philosophers, such as Kepler,
seized upon, incorrectly, as governing the motions that they observed. While not attributing
magnetism to attraction among the stars, Gilbert pointed out the motion of the skies was due to
Earth's rotation, and not the rotation of the spheres, 20 years before Galileo (but 57 years
after Copernicus who stated it openly in his work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium published in
1543 ) (see external reference below). Gilbert made the first attempt to map the surface markings on
the Moon in the 1590s. His chart, made without the use of a telescope, showed outlines of dark and
light patches on the Moon's face. Contrary to most of his contemporaries, Gilbert believed that the
light spots on the Moon were water, and the dark spots land. [10]
Diagram of the universe appearing on p202 of De Mundo
Besides Gilbert's De Magnete, there appeared at Amsterdam in 1651 a quarto volume of 316 pages
entitled De Mundo Nostro Sublunari Philosophia Nova (New Philosophy about our Sublunary World),
edited—some say by his brother William Gilbert Junior, and others say, by the eminent English
scholar and critic John Gruter—from two manuscripts found in the library of Sir William Boswell.
According to Dr. John Davy, "this work of Gilbert's, which is so little known, is a very remarkable one
both in style and matter; and there is a vigor and energy of expression belonging to it very suitable to
its originality. Possessed of a more minute and practical knowledge of natural philosophy
than Bacon, his opposition to the philosophy of the schools was more searching and particular, and
at the same time probably little less efficient." In the opinion of Prof. John Robison, De
Mundo consists of an attempt to establish a new system of natural philosophy upon the ruins of the
Aristotelian doctrine.[4]
Dr. William Whewell says in his History of the Inductive Sciences (1859):[11]
Gilbert, in his work, De Magnete printed in 1600 has only some vague notions that the magnetic
virtue of the earth in some way determines the direction of the earth's axis, the rate of its diurnal
rotation, and that of the revolution of the moon about it. [12] Gilbert died in 1603, and in his
posthumous work (De Mundo nostro Sublunari Philosophia nova, 1631) we have already a more
distinct statement of the attraction of one body by another. [13] "The force which emanates from the
moon reaches to the earth, and, in like manner, the magnetic virtue of the earth pervades the region
of the moon: both correspond and conspire by the joint action of both, according to a proportion and
conformity of motions, but the earth has more effect in consequence of its superior mass; the earth
attracts and repels, the moon, and the moon within certain limits, the earth; not so as to make the
bodies come together, as magnetic bodies do, but so that they may go on in a continuous course."
Though this phraseology is capable of representing a good deal of the truth, it does not appear to
have been connected... with any very definite notions of mechanical action in detail. [14]
Gilbert died on 30 November 1603 in London. His cause of death is thought to have been
the bubonic plague.[15][16]
Gilbert was buried in his home town, in Holy Trinity Church, Colchester. His marble wall monument
can still be seen in this Saxon church, now deconsecrated and used as a café and market. [17]
Commentary on Gilbert
Francis Bacon never accepted Copernican heliocentrism and was critical of Gilbert's philosophical
work in support of the diurnal motion of the Earth. Bacon's criticism includes the following two
statements. The first was repeated in three of his works—In the Advancement of
Learning (1605), Novum Organum (1620) and De Augmentis (1623). The more severe second
statement is from History of Heavy and Light Bodies published after Bacon's death.[18]
The Alchemists have made a philosophy out of a few experiments of the furnace and Gilbert our
countryman hath made a philosophy out of observations of the lodestone.
[Gilbert] has himself become a magnet; that is, he has ascribed too many things to that force and
built a ship out of a shell.
Thomas Thomson writes in his History of the Royal Society (1812):[19]
The magnetic laws were first generalized and explained by Dr. Gilbert, whose book on magnetism
published in 1600, is one of the finest examples of inductive philosophy that has ever been
presented to the world. It is the more remarkable, because it preceded the Novum Organum of
Bacon, in which the inductive method of philosophizing was first explained.
William Whewell writes in his History of the Inductive Sciences (1837/1859):[20]
Gilbert... repeatedly asserts the paramount value of experiments. He himself, no doubt, acted up to
his own precepts; for his work contains all the fundamental facts of the science [of magnetism], so
fully examined, indeed, that even at this day we have little to add to them.
Historian Henry Hallam wrote of Gilbert in his Introduction to the Literature of Europe in the Fifteenth,
Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries (1848):[21]
The year 1600 was the first in which England produced a remarkable work in physical science; but
this was one sufficient to raise a lasting reputation to its author. Gilbert, a physician, in his Latin
treatise on the magnet, not only collected all the knowledge which others had possessed on that
subject, but became at once the father of experimental philosophy in this island, and by a singular
felicity and acuteness of genius, the founder of theories which have been revived after the lapse of
ages, and are almost universally received into the creed of the science. The magnetism of the earth
itself, his own original hypothesis, nova illa nostra et inaudita de tellure sententia [our new and
unprecedented view of the planet]... was by no means one of those vague conjectures that are
sometimes unduly applauded... He relied on the analogy of terrestrial phenomena to those exhibited
by what he calls a terrella, or artificial spherical magnet. ...Gilbert was also one of our earliest
Copernicans, at least as to the rotation of the earth; and with his usual sagacity inferred, before the
invention of the telescope, that there are a multitude of fixed stars beyond the reach of our vision.
Walter William Bryant of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, wrote in his book Kepler (1920):
When Gilbert of Colchester, in his “New Philosophy,” founded on his researches in magnetism, was
dealing with tides, he did not suggest that the moon attracted the water, but that “subterranean
spirits and humors, rising in sympathy with the moon, cause the sea also to rise and flow to the
shores and up rivers”. It appears that an idea, presented in some such way as this, was more readily
received than a plain statement. This so-called philosophical method was, in fact, very generally
applied, and Kepler, who shared Galileo’s admiration for Gilbert’s work, adopted it in his own attempt
to extend the idea of magnetic attraction to the planets. [22]
Bibliography
Gilbert, William (1600). De Magnete, Magnetisque Corporoibus, et de Magno Magnete
Tellure: Physiologia noua, Plurimis & Argumentis, & Experimentis Demonstrata (in Latin).
London: Peter Short.
— (1893). On the Loadstone and Magnetic Bodies, and on That Great Magnet the
Earth: A New Physiology, Demonstrated with Many Arguments and Experiments. Translated
by Mottelay, P. Fleury. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
— (1900). On the Magnet, Magnetic Bodies Also, and on the Great Magnet the
Earth: A new Physiology, Demonstrated by Many Arguments & Experiments. Translated by
Thompson, Silvanus Phillips. London: Chiswick Press.
Gilbert, William (1651). De Mundo Nostro Sublunari Philosophia Nova (in Latin). (Published
posthumously.). Amsterdam: Apud Ludovicum Elzevirium.
Michael Jackson.
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter
and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural
figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Jackson's contributions to
music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure
in popular culture for over four decades.
The eighth child of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder
brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5. He began his solo career
in 1971 while at Motown Records, and in the early 1980s, became a dominant figure in popular
music. His music videos, including those for "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his 1982
album Thriller, are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art
form and promotional tool. Their popularity helped bring the television channel MTV to
fame. Bad (1987) was the first album to produce five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles with
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty
Diana". He continued to innovate throughout the 1990s with videos such as "Black or White" and
forged a reputation as a touring artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized
complicated dance techniques such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His
distinctive sound and style have influenced artists of various genres.
Michael Jackson
1988
Jackson is the third-best-selling music artist of all time, with estimated sales of over 350 million
records worldwide.[nb 1]Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 66 million
copies worldwide. Jackson's other albums, including Off the Wall (1979), Dangerous (1991),
and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. He won hundreds of awards, more
than any other artist in the history of popular music, is one of the few artists to have been inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and is the only dancer from pop and rock to have been
inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame. His other
achievements include Guinness world records(including the Most Successful Entertainer of All
Time), 15 Grammy Awards (including the Legend and Lifetime Achievement awards), 26 American
Music Awards (more than any other artist), and 13 number-one US singles (more than any other
male artist in the Hot 100 era). Jackson is also remembered for his philanthropy and charitable
fundraising.
In the late 1980s, Jackson became a figure of controversy due to his changing
appearance, relationships, and behavior. In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing the child of a
family friend; the case led to an investigation and was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount
in 1994. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several
other charges. In 2009, while preparing for a series of comeback concerts, This Is It, Jackson diedof
acute intoxication from propofol and benzodiazepine given to him by his personal physician, Conrad
Murray. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and his public memorial service was
broadcast live. In 2014, Jackson became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in
the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. In 2016, Jackson's estate earned $825 million, the
highest yearly amount ever recorded by Forbes.
Jackson's childhood home in Gary, Indiana, pictured in March 2010 with floral tributes after his death
Michael Joseph Jackson[8][9] was born in Gary, Indiana, near Chicago, on August 29, 1958.[10][11] He
was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family, a working-class African-American family living in
a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street.[12][13]His mother, Katherine Esther Jackson (née Scruse), left
the Baptist tradition in 1963 to become a devout Jehovah's Witness.[14]She played clarinet and piano
and had aspired to be a country-and-western performer; she worked part-time at Sears to support
the family.[15] His father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, a former boxer, was a steelworker at U.S.
Steel. Joe played guitar with a local rhythm and blues band, the Falcons, to supplement the family's
income.[16] Despite being a convinced Lutheran, Joe followed his wife's faith, as did all their children.
[14]
His father's great-grandfather, July "Jack" Gale, was a Native American medicine man and US
Army scout.[17] Michael grew up with three sisters (Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet) and five brothers
(Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy).[18] A sixth brother, Marlon's twin Brandon, died shortly
after birth.[19]
Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father. [20][21] In 2003, Joe acknowledged that he had
regularly whipped him.[22] Joe was also said to have verbally abused his son, often saying that he had
a "fat nose".[23] Jackson stated that he was physically and emotionally abused during incessant
rehearsals; he credited his father's strict discipline with playing a large role in his success. [20] He
recalled that Joe often sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, and that
"if you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you". [24][25]
Katherine Jackson later stated that although whipping is considered abuse today, it was common at
the time.[26][27][28] Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon have said that their father was not abusive and that
the whippings, which were harder on Michael because he was younger, kept them disciplined and
out of trouble.[29] In an interview with Oprah Winfrey broadcast in February 1993, Jackson
acknowledged that his youth had been lonely and isolating. [30] His deep dissatisfaction with his
appearance, his nightmares and chronic sleep problems, his tendency to remain hyper-compliant,
especially with his father, and to remain childlike in adulthood are consistent with the effects of the
maltreatment he endured as a child.[31]
In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by their father which
included brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine.
[32]
In 1965, Michael began sharing lead vocals with his older brother Jermaine, and the group's name
was changed to the Jackson 5.[18] The following year, the group won a major local talent show with
Jackson performing the dance to Robert Parker's 1965 hit "Barefootin'" and singing lead to The
Temptations' "My Girl".[33] From 1966 to 1968 they toured the Midwest, frequently performing at a
string of black clubs known as the "chitlin' circuit" as the opening act for artists such as Sam &
Dave, the O'Jays, Gladys Knight, and Etta James. The Jackson 5 also performed at clubs and
cocktail lounges, where striptease shows were featured, and at local auditoriums and high school
dances.[34][35] In August 1967, while touring the East Coast, the group won a weekly amateur night
concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.[36]
The Jackson 5 recorded several songs, including their first single "Big Boy" (1968), for Steeltown
Records, a Gary record label,[37] then signed with Motown in 1969.[18] They left Gary in 1969 and
relocated to Los Angeles, where they continued to record for Motown. [38] Rolling Stone later
described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts" who "quickly emerged
as the main draw and lead singer." [39] The group set a chart record when its first four singles—"I Want
You Back" (1969), "ABC" (1970), "The Love You Save" (1970), and "I'll Be There" (1970)—peaked
at number one on the BillboardHot 100.[18] In May 1971, the Jackson family moved into a large home
on a two-acre estate in Encino, California.[40] During this period, Michael evolved from child performer
into a teen idol.[41] As he began to emerge as a solo performer in the early 1970s, he maintained ties
to the Jackson 5 and Motown. Between 1972 and 1975, Michael released four solo studio albums
with Motown: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973), and Forever, Michael (1975).
[42]
"Got to Be There" and "Ben", the title tracks from his first two solo albums, became successful
singles, as did a cover of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin".[43]
The Jackson 5 were later described as "a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists".[44] Their
sales began to decline in 1973, and the members chafed under Motown's refusal to allow them
creative input, but they achieved several top 40 hits, including the top five single "Dancing Machine"
(1974), before leaving Motown in 1975. [45] Jackson's performance of "Dancing Machine" on an
episode of Soul Train popularized the robot dance.[46]
1975–1981: Move to Epic and Off the Wall
From left, back row: Jackie Jackson, Michael Jackson, Tito Jackson, Marlon Jackson. Middle row: Randy
Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Rebbie Jackson. Front row: Janet Jackson (1977)
In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records,[45] and
renamed themselves the Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this
time; Jermaine chose to stay with Motown and pursue a solo career. [47]The Jacksons continued to
tour internationally, and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's
lead songwriter during this time, wrote hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (1979),
"This Place Hotel" (1980), and "Can You Feel It" (1980).[32]
In 1978, Jackson moved to New York City to star as the Scarecrow in The Wiz, a musical directed
by Sidney Lumet. It costarred Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross.[48] The film was a box-
office failure.[49] Its score was arranged by Quincy Jones, whom Jackson had previously met when he
was 12 at Sammy Davis Jr.'s house.[50] Jones agreed to produce Jackson's next solo album. [51] During
his time in New York, Jackson frequented the Studio 54 nightclub and was exposed to early hip hop,
influencing his beatboxing on future tracks such as "Working Day and Night".[52] In 1979, Jackson
broke his nose during a complex dance routine. A subsequent rhinoplasty was not a complete
success; he complained of breathing difficulties that later affected his career. He was referred
to Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson's subsequent operations. [53]
Jackson's fifth solo album, Off the Wall (1979), co-produced by Jackson and Jones, established him
as a solo performer. The album helped Jackson move from the bubblegum pop of his youth to the
more complex sounds he created as an adult.[41] Songwriters for the album included Jackson, Rod
Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney. Off the Wall was the first solo album to generate
four top 10 hits in the US: "Off the Wall", "She's Out of My Life", and the chart-topping singles "Don't
Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".[54][55] The album reached number three on
the Billboard 200 and sold over 20 million copies worldwide. [56] In 1980, Jackson won three awards at
the American Music Awards for his solo work: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male
Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". [57][58] He also won Billboard
Year-End awards for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album, and a Grammy Award for Best Male
R&B Vocal Performance for 1979 with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". [59] In 1981 Jackson was the
American Music Awards winner for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.
[60]
Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a bigger impact, and
was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. [61] In 1980, he secured the
highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit. [62]
Jackson recorded with Queen singer Freddie Mercury from 1981 to 1983, recording demos of "State
of Shock", "Victory" and "There Must Be More to Life Than This".[63] The recordings were intended for
an album of duets but, according to Queen's then-manager Jim Beach, the relationship soured when
Jackson insisted on bringing a llama into the recording studio,[64] and Jackson was upset by
Mercury's drug use.[65] The collaborations were released in 2014. [66] Jackson went on to record "State
of Shock" with Mick Jagger for the Jacksons' album Victory (1984),[67] and Mercury included the solo
version of "There Must Be More To Life Than This" on his album Mr. Bad Guy (1985).[68] In 1982,
Jackson combined his interests in songwriting and film when he contributed "Someone in the Dark"
to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The song, produced by Jones, won a Grammy
for Best Recording for Children for 1983. [69]
Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point, about $2 for every album
sold, and was making record-breaking profits. The videocassette of the documentary The Making of
Michael Jackson's Thriller sold over 350,000 copies in a few months. Dolls modeled after Jackson
appeared in stores in May 1984 for $12 each.[82] J. Randy Taraborrelli writes that "Thriller stopped
selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a
household staple."[83] In 1985, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller won a Grammy for Best
Music Video, Longform.[69] Time described Jackson's influence at that point as "star of records, radio,
rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a
decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of
taste and style and color too".[82] The New York Times wrote that "in the world of pop music, there is
Michael Jackson and there is everybody else".[84]
On March 25, 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for a performance at the Pasadena Civic
Auditorium for Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, an NBC television special. The show aired on
May 16, 1983, to an estimated audience of 47 million, and featured the Jacksons and other Motown
stars.[85] Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean" earned him his first Emmy nomination.
[86]
Wearing a black-sequined jacket and a golf glove decorated with rhinestones, he debuted his
signature dance move, the moonwalk, which Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier.
[87]
Jackson had originally turned down the invitation to perform at the show, believing he had been
doing too much television; at the request of Motown founder Berry Gordy, he agreed to perform in
exchange for time to do a solo performance.[88] Rolling Stone reporter Mikal Gilmore called the
performance "extraordinary".[41] Jackson's performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and the
Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.[89] Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times wrote in
1988: "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do
it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he
glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing." [90] Gordy described being
"mesmerized" by the performance.[91]
President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan present Jackson with an award at the White House on
May 14, 1984
Jackson inside the White House with President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan on the same day
The Victory Tour of 1984 headlined the Jacksons and showcased Jackson's new solo material to
more than two million Americans. It was the last tour he did with his brothers.
[98]
Following controversy over the concert's ticket sales, Jackson held a press conference and
announced that he would donate his share of the proceeds, an estimated $3 to 5 million, to charity.
His charitable work continued with the release of "We Are the World" (1985), co-written with Lionel
[99]
Richie,[100]which raised money for the poor in the US and Africa. [101] It earned $63 million,[101] and
became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with 20 million copies sold.[102] It won four Grammys
for 1985, including Song of the Year for Jackson and Richie as its writers. [100] The American Music
Awards directors removed the charity song from the competition because they felt it would be
inappropriate, but the AMA show in 1986 concluded with a tribute to the song on its first anniversary.
The project's creators received two special AMA honors: one for the creation of the song and
another for the USA for Africaidea. Jackson, Jones, and entertainment promoter Ken Kragan
received special awards for their roles in the song's creation. [100][103][104][105]
Jackson collaborated with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s, and learned that McCartney was
making $40 million a year from owning the rights to other people's songs. [101] By 1983, Jackson had
begun buying publishing rights to others' songs, but he was careful with his acquisitions, only bidding
on a few of the dozens that were offered to him. Jackson's early acquisitions of music catalogs and
song copyrights such as the Sly Stone collection included "Everyday People" (1968), Len Barry's "1-
2-3" (1965), and Dion DiMucci's "The Wanderer" (1961) and "Runaround Sue" (1961).
In 1984 Robert Holmes à Court, the Australian investor who owned ATV Music Publishing,
announced he was putting the ATV catalog up for sale. [106] ATV owned the publishing rights to nearly
4000 songs, among them the Northern Songscatalog that included the majority of the Lennon–
McCartney compositions recorded by the Beatles.[106] In 1981, McCartney had been offered the ATV
music catalog for £20 million ($40 million). [101][107][108] When he and McCartney were unable to make a
joint purchase, McCartney, who did not want to be the sole owner of the Beatles' songs, did not
pursue an offer on his own.[107][108] Jackson submitted a bid of $46 million on November 20, 1984.
[106]
His agents thought they had a deal several times, but encountered new bidders or new areas of
debate. In May 1985, Jackson's team left talks after having spent more than $1 million and four
months of due diligence work on the negotiations.[106] In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned
that Charles Koppelman's and Marty Bandier's The Entertainment Company had made a tentative
offer to buy ATV Music for $50 million; in early August, Holmes à Court's team contacted Jackson
and talks resumed. Jackson raised his bid to $47.5 million, which was accepted because he could
close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence. [106] Jackson also agreed to visit
Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon.
[109]
Jackson's purchase of ATV Music was finalized on August 10, 1985. [106][101]
Jackson's skin had been a medium-brown color during his youth, but from the mid-1980s gradually
grew paler. The change gained widespread media coverage, including rumors that he might have
been bleaching his skin.[110][111][112] According to J. Randy Taraborrelli's biography, in 1984 Jackson was
diagnosed with vitiligo, which causes white patches on the skin. Taraborrelli stated that Jackson had
also been skin bleaching. He said that Jackson was diagnosed with lupus, which was in remission.
Both illnesses made Jackson's skin sensitive to sunlight. The treatments Jackson used for his
condition further lightened his skin, and, with the application of pancake makeup to even out
blotches he could appear even paler. [113] Jackson stated that he used makeup to control the patchy
appearance of his skin, but never purposely bleached his skin. He said of his vitiligo: "It is something
I cannot help. When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me. It's a
problem for me. I can't control it."[114] Jackson was also diagnosed with vitiligo in his autopsy, though
not lupus.[115]
Jackson stated he had had only two rhinoplasties and no other facial surgery, but mentioned having
had a dimple created in his chin. He lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet and a
desire for "a dancer's body".[116] Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy, and speculated he was
suffering from anorexia nervosa. Periods of weight loss became a recurring problem later in his life.
During the course of his treatment, Jackson became friendly with his dermatologist, Arnold Klein,
[117]
and Klein's nurse Debbie Rowe. Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and the mother of his
two eldest children. He also relied heavily on Klein for medical and business advice. [118]
In 1986, the tabloids ran a story claiming that he slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow
aging, and was pictured lying in a glass box. The claim was untrue; widely cited tabloid reports state
that Jackson disseminated the fabricated story himself. [119] When Jackson bought a chimpanzee
named Bubbles from a laboratory, he was reported as increasingly detached from reality. [120] It was
reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick (the "Elephant Man") and,
although the story was untrue, Jackson did not deny it. [121] He initially saw these stories as
opportunities for publicity, but stopped leaking them to the press as they became more sensational.
The media then began fabricating stories.[119][122][123] These stories became embedded in the public
consciousness, inspiring the nickname "Wacko Jacko", which Jackson came to despise. [9][124]
Jackson collaborated with filmmakers George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on the 17-minute 3D
film Captain EO, which debuted in September 1986 at the original Disneyland and at Epcot in
Florida, and in March 1987 at Tokyo Disneyland. The $30 million film was a popular attraction at all
three parks. A Captain EO attraction also featured at Euro Disneyland after the park opened in 1992,
and was the last to close, in 1998.[125] The attraction returned to Disneyland in 2010 after Jackson's
death.[126] In 1987, Jackson disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses.[127] Katherine
Jackson said this might have been because some Witnesses strongly opposed the Thriller video;
[128]
Jackson had denounced it in a Witness publication in 1984. [129]
Jackson's first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated, with the industry expecting
another major hit.[130] It produced nine singles, with seven charting in the US Five ("I Just Can't Stop
Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana") reached
number one on the Billboard Hot 100, a record for the most number-one Hot 100 singles from a
single album.[131] It won the 1988 Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and the
1989 Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Leave Me Alone".[69][76] Jackson won an Award of
Achievement at the American Music Awards in 1989 after Bad became the first album to generate
five number-one singles in the US, the first album to top in 25 countries, and the best-selling album
worldwide in 1987 and 1988.[132][133][134][135] By 2012, it had sold between 30 and 45 million copies
worldwide.[136][137][138][139]
The Bad world tour began on September 12, 1988, finishing on January 14, 1989. [140] Jackson
performed a total of 123 concerts to an audience of 4.4 million people. [141] In Japan alone, the tour
had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record of 200,000 in a single
tour.[142] 504,000 people attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium, setting a
new Guinness world record.[143]
In 1988, Jackson released his autobiography, Moonwalk, which took four years to complete. It sold
200,000 copies[144] and reached the top of the New York Times bestsellers list.[145] He wrote about his
childhood, the abuse from his father, and the Jackson 5; [146] he also wrote about his changing facial
appearance, attributing it to puberty, weight loss, a strict vegetarian diet, a change in hairstyle, and
stage lighting.[116] Jackson released a film, Moonwalker, which featured live footage and short films
starring Jackson and Joe Pesci. Due to financial problems, the film was only released theatrically in
Germany; in other markets it was released direct-to-video. It debuted at the top of the Billboard Top
Music Video Cassette chart, and stayed there for 22 weeks, until it was displaced by Michael
Jackson: The Legend Continues.[147]
Jackson wore a gold-plated military style jacket with belt during the Bad era
In March 1988, Jackson purchased 2,700 acres (11 km2) of land near Santa Ynez, California, to build
a new home, Neverland Ranch, at a cost of $17 million.[148] He installed several carnival rides,
including a Ferris wheel, carousel, menagerie, movie theater and zoo.[148][149][150] A security staff of 40
patrolled the grounds.[149] In 2003, it was valued at $100 million. [151] In 1989, Jackson's annual
earnings from album sales, endorsements, and concerts were estimated at $125 million for that year
alone.[152] Shortly afterwards, he became the first Westerner to appear in a television advertisement in
the Soviet Union.[147]
Jackson's success earned him the nickname the "King of Pop".[153][10][154] It was popularized
by Elizabeth Taylor when she presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989,
proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul," [155] and the release of the "Black or White"
video.[156] President George H. W. Bush designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade".
[157]
From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $455,000 to the United Negro College Fund,[158] and all
profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity.[159]His rendition of "You Were There"
at Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday celebration won Jackson a second Emmy nomination. [86][147]
In mid-1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler,
and his father, Evan Chandler.[178][179][180] Jackson began taking painkillers, Valium, Xanax and Ativan to
deal with the stress of the allegations. By late 1993, he was addicted to the drugs. [181] The Chandler
family demanded payment from Jackson, which he refused. Jordan Chandler told the police that
Jackson had sexually abused him; [121][182] Jordan's mother said that there had been no wrongdoing on
Jackson's part.[180] Evan was recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges [180] and Jackson
used the recording to argue that he was the victim of a jealous father trying to extort money. [180] In
January 1994, after an investigation, deputy Los Angeles County district attorney Michael J.
Montagna stated that Chandler would not be charged with extortion, due to lack of cooperation from
Jackson's party and its willingness to negotiate with Chandler for several weeks, among other
reasons.[183]
In August 1993, police raided Jackson's home and found books and photographs in his bedroom
featuring young boys with little or no clothing.[184] The books were legal to purchase and own in the
US, and Jackson was not indicted. [185] Jordan Chandler gave police a description of
Jackson's intimate parts; a strip search revealed that Jordan had correctly claimed Jackson had
patchy-colored buttocks, short pubic hair, and pink and brown marked testicles.[186] He also drew
accurate pictures of a dark spot on Jackson's penis only visible when it was lifted. [187] Some jurors felt
that the photos did not match the description,[188] but the DA and the sheriff's photographer stated that
the description was accurate.[189]
The investigation was inconclusive and no charges were filed. [188] Jackson described the search in an
emotional public statement, and proclaimed his innocence. [178][186][190] On January 1, 1994, Jackson
settled with the Chandlers out of court for an undisclosed amount. [191] A Santa Barbara County grand
jury and a Los Angeles County grand jury disbanded on May 2, 1994, without indicting Jackson.
[192]
The Chandlers stopped co-operating with the criminal investigation around July 6, 1994. [193][194][195]
In 2004 Jackson's defense said that Jackson had never been criminally indicted, his settlement
admitted no wrongdoing or evidence of criminal misconduct, and that the 1994 settlement was made
without his consent.[193] A later disclosure by the FBI of investigation documents compiled over nearly
20 years led Jackson's attorney to suggest that no evidence of molestation or sexual impropriety
from Jackson toward minors existed. [196] The Department of Children and Family Services (Los
Angeles County) investigated Jackson beginning in 1993 with the Chandler allegation and again in
2003. The LAPD and DCFS did not find credible evidence of abuse or sexual misconduct. [197][198]
In May 1994, Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. They
had met in 1975, when a seven-year-old Presley attended one of Jackson's family engagements at
the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and reconnected through a mutual friend.[199] A friend of Presley's
said they first met as adults in November 1992.[200] They stayed in contact every day over the
telephone. As child molestation accusations against Jackson became public, he became dependent
on Presley for emotional support; she was concerned about his faltering health and addiction to
drugs.[181] Presley said: "I believed he didn't do anything wrong and that he was wrongly accused and
yes I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it." [201] Shortly afterward, she
tried to persuade Jackson to settle the allegations out of court and go into rehabilitation to recover—
he subsequently did both.[181]
Jackson proposed to Presley over the telephone in late 1993, saying: "If I asked you to marry me,
would you do it?"[181] They married in the Dominican Republic in secrecy, denying it for nearly two
months afterwards.[202] The marriage was, in her words, "a married couple's life ... that was sexually
active."[203] The tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a ploy to prop up Jackson's public
image.[202] The marriage ended less than two years later with an amicable divorce settlement. [204]In a
2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Presley said they had spent four more years after the divorce
"getting back together and breaking up" until she decided to stop. [205]
HIStory was promoted with the HIStory World Tour, beginning on September 7, 1996, and ending on
October 15, 1997. Jackson performed 82 concerts in five continents, 35 countries and 58 cities to
over 4.5 million fans, and grossed a total of $165 million, becoming Jackson's most attended tour.
[140]
During the tour, Jackson married Debbie Rowe, a dermatology nurse, in an impromptu ceremony
in Sydney, Australia. Rowe was six months pregnant with the couple's first child at the time.
Originally, Rowe and Jackson had no plans to marry, but Jackson's mother Katherine persuaded
them to do so.[214] Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (commonly known as Prince) was born on February
13, 1997; his sister Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson was born a year later on April 3, 1998.[204][215] The
couple divorced in 1999, and Jackson received full custody of the children. The subsequent custody
suit was settled in 2006.[216][217]
In 1997, Jackson released Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, which contained remixes of
hit singles from HIStory and five new songs. Worldwide sales stand at 6 million copies, making it
the best-selling remix album of all time.[218] It reached number one in the UK, as did the title track.[218]
In the US, the album was certified platinum, but only reached number 24. [163][208] Forbes placed
[219]
Jackson's annual income at $35 million in 1996 and $20 million in 1997. [151]
Beginning in May 2002, Jackson allowed a documentary film crew, led by British journalist Martin
Bashir, to follow him nearly everywhere he went. On November 20, Jackson brought his infant son
Prince onto the balcony of his room at the Hotel Adlonin Berlin as fans stood below, holding him in
his right arm with a cloth loosely draped over Prince's face. He briefly held Prince out over a railing,
four stories above ground level, prompting widespread criticism in the media. Jackson apologized for
the incident, calling it "a terrible mistake". [231] Bashir's crew was with Jackson during this incident; the
program was broadcast in March 2003 as Living with Michael Jackson. In one scene, Jackson was
seen holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with a young boy. [232] Jackson stated in
the documentary that he saw nothing wrong with sleeping with boys. [233]
As soon as the documentary aired, the Santa Barbara county attorney's office began a criminal
investigation. After the young boy involved in the documentary and his mother had told investigators
that Jackson had behaved improperly, Jackson was arrested in November 2003 and charged with
seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent in relation to
the 13-year-old boy shown in the film. [232] Jackson denied the allegations, saying the sleepovers were
not sexual in nature. The People v. Jackson trial began on January 31, 2005, in Santa Maria,
California, and lasted until the end of May. On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all counts.
[234][235][236]
After the trial he moved to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah.
[237]
Jermaine Jackson later said the family had planned to send him there had he been convicted. [238]
On November 17, 2003, three days before Jackson's arrest, Sony released Number Ones, a
compilation of Jackson's hits on CD and DVD. In the US, the album was certified triple platinum by
the RIAA; in the UK it was certified six times platinum for shipments of at least 1.2 million units. [163][239]
In March 2006, amidst reports that Jackson was having financial problems, the main house at
Neverland Ranch was closed as a cost-cutting measure. [240] Jackson had failed to make repayments
of a $270 million loan secured against his music publishing holdings, which were making him $75
million a year.[241] Bank of America sold the debt to Fortress Investments. Sony proposed a
restructuring deal which would give them a future option to buy half of Jackson's stake in their jointly-
owned publishing company, leaving Jackson with a 25% stake. [211] Jackson agreed to a Sony-backed
refinancing deal in April 2006; the details were not made public. [242]
In early 2006, it was announced that Jackson had signed a contract with a Bahrain-based startup,
Two Seas Records; nothing came of the deal, and Two Seas CEO Guy Holmes later stated that it
had never been finalized.[243][244] That October, Fox News entertainment reporter Roger Friedman said
that Jackson had been recording at a studio in rural County Westmeath, Ireland. It was not known at
the time what Jackson was working on, or who had paid for the sessions, since his publicist had
recently issued a statement claiming that he had left Two Seas.[244][245] In November 2006, Jackson
invited an Access Hollywood camera crew into the studio in Westmeath, and MSNBC reported that
he was working on a new album, produced by will.i.am.[165] Jackson performed at the World Music
Awardsin London on November 15, 2006, and accepted a Diamond Award for selling over 100
million records.[165][246] During his period in Ireland he sought Patrick Treacy for cosmetic treatment
after reading about his experience with HLA fillers and his charitable work in Africa. [247] Treacy
became his doctor when he lived in Ireland in 2006. He started as Jackson's
personal dermatologist and developed a friendship with him. [248] Jackson returned to the US after
Christmas 2006 to attend James Brown's funeral in Augusta, Georgia, where he gave one of the
eulogies, saying that "James Brown is my greatest inspiration". [249]
In 2007, Jackson and Sony bought another music publishing company, Famous Music LLC, formerly
owned by Viacom. This deal gave him the rights to songs by Eminem and Beck, among others.[250]
[251]
In March 2007, Jackson gave a brief interview to the Associated Press in Tokyo, where he said:
"I've been in the entertainment industry since I was 6 years old, and as Charles Dickens would say,
'It's been the best of times, the worst of times.' But I would not change my career ... While some
have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong
faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support me." [252] That month,
Jackson visited a US Army post in Japan, Camp Zama, to greet over 3,000 troops and their families.
The hosts presented Jackson with a Certificate of Appreciation. [253][254]
In September 2007, Jackson was still working on his next album, but it was never completed. [255] In
2008, Jackson and Sony released Thriller 25 to mark the 25th anniversary of the original Thriller.
The album featured the previously unreleased song "For All Time", an outtake from the original
sessions, as well as remixes by younger artists who had been inspired by Jackson's work. [256] Two
remixes were released as singles with modest success: "The Girl Is Mine 2008" (with will.i.am),
based on an early demo version of the original song without Paul McCartney, and "Wanna Be
Startin' Somethin' 2008" (with Akon).[256][257][258][259] In anticipation of Jackson's 50th birthday, Sony BMG
released a series of greatest hits albums, King of Pop. Slightly different versions were released in
various countries, based on polls of local fans.[260] King of Pop reached the top 10 in most countries
where it was issued, and also sold well as an import in other countries, including the US. [261][262]
An aerial view of part of Jackson's 2,800-acre (11 km2) Neverland Valley Ranch near Los Olivos, California,
showing the rides
In late 2008, Fortress Investments threatened to foreclose on Neverland Ranch, which Jackson used
as collateral for loans running into many tens of millions of dollars. Fortress opted to sell Jackson's
debts to Colony Capital LLC. In November, Jackson transferred Neverland Ranch's title to Sycamore
Valley Ranch Company LLC, a joint venture between Jackson and Colony Capital LLC. The deal
cleared Jackson's debt and earned him an additional $35 million. At the time of his death, Jackson
still owned a stake of unknown size in Neverland/Sycamore Valley. [263][264] In September 2008,
Jackson entered negotiations with Julien's Auction House to display and auction a large collection of
memorabilia in 1,390 lots. The auction was scheduled to take place between April 22 and 25. [265] An
exhibition of the lots opened as scheduled on April 14, but Jackson cancelled the auction. [266]
In March 2009, Jackson held a press conference at London's O2 Arena to announce a series of
comeback concerts titled This Is It. The shows were planned to be Jackson's first major series of
concerts since the HIStory World Tour finished in 1997. Jackson suggested he would retire after the
shows. The initial plan was for 10 concerts in London, followed by shows in Paris, New York City
and Mumbai. Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, stated that the first 10 dates
would earn Jackson £50 million. [267] The London residency was increased to 50 dates after record-
breaking ticket sales: over one million were sold in less than two hours. [268] The concerts would have
commenced on July 13, 2009, and finished on March 6, 2010. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in
the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most
rehearsals took place at the Staples Center, owned by AEG.[269]
On June 25, 2009, less than three weeks before the first show was due to begin in London, with all
concerts sold out, Jackson suffered cardiac arrest and died.[270] Conrad Murray, his personal
physician, had given Jackson various medications in an attempt to help him sleep at his rented
mansion in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating Jackson were unsuccessful. [271]
[272]
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics received a 911 call at 12:22 pm (PDT, 19:22 UTC),
arriving three minutes later.[273][274] Jackson was not breathing and CPR was performed.
[275]
Resuscitation efforts continued en route to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for more
than an hour after arriving there at 1:13 pm (20:13 UTC). He was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm
Pacific time (21:26 UTC).[276][277]
In August 2009, the Los Angeles County Coroner ruled that Jackson's death was a homicide.[278]
[279]
Jackson had taken propofol, lorazepam, and midazolam;[280] his death was caused by acute
propofol intoxication.[281]
Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief. [272] The news spread quickly online, causing
websites to slow down and crash from user overload,[282] and putting unprecedented strain[283] on
services and websites including Google,[284] AOL Instant Messenger,[283] Twitter, and Wikipedia.
[284]
Overall, web traffic ranged from 11% to at least 20% higher than normal. [285]
[286]
MTV and BET aired marathons of Jackson's music videos.[287] Jackson specials aired on television
stations around the world.[288] MTV briefly returned to its original music video format, [289] airing hours of
Jackson's music videos, accompanied by live news specials featuring reactions from MTV
personalities and other celebrities.[290]
Jackson's tomb in the Holly Terrace of the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Glendale
Memorial service
Jackson's memorial was held on July 7, 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, preceded by a
private family service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Hall of Liberty. Tickets to the memorial were
distributed via lottery; over 1.6 million fans applied for tickets during the two-day application period.
The final 8,750 recipients were drawn at random, and each recipient received two tickets. [291] The
memorial service was one of the most watched events in streaming history,[292] with an estimated US
audience of 31.1 million, a number comparable to the 35.1 million who watched the 2004 burial of
former president Ronald Reagan and the 33.1 million Americans who watched the 1997 funeral for
Princess Diana.[293]
Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Jermaine
Jackson, and Shaheen Jafargholiperformed at the event. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave
eulogies, while Queen Latifah read "We Had Him", a poem written for the occasion by Maya
Angelou.[294] Al Sharpton received a standing ovation with cheers when he told Jackson's children,
"Wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with. But he
dealt with it anyway."[295] Jackson's 11-year-old daughter Paris Katherine, speaking publicly for the
first time, wept as she addressed the crowd.[296][297] The Rev. Lucious Smith provided a closing prayer.
[298]
Jackson's body was entombed on September 3, 2009, at Forest Lawn Memorial
Park in Glendale, California.[299]
Aftermath
On June 25, 2010, the first anniversary of Jackson's death, fans, family and friends visited Jackson's
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his family home, and Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Many
carried tributes to leave at the sites.[308][309] On June 26, fans marched in front of the Los Angeles
Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division at the old Parker Center building, and submitted a
petition with thousands of signatures, demanding justice in the homicide investigation. [310] The
Jackson Family Foundation and Voiceplate presented "Forever Michael", an event uniting Jackson
family members, celebrities, fans, supporters and the community. A portion of the proceeds were
presented to charity.[311]
In April 2011, billionaire businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, chairman of Fulham Football Club,
unveiled a statue of Jacksonoutside the club stadium, Craven Cottage.[312] Fulham fans failed to see
the relevance of Jackson to the club;[313] Al-Fayed defended the statue and told the fans to "go to hell"
if they did not appreciate it.[312] The statue was removed in September 2013 [314] and moved to
the National Football Museum in Manchester in May 2014.[315] The statue was removed from display
in March 2019 following the Leaving Neverland documentary.[316]
In 2012, in an attempt to end a family dispute, Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson retracted his
signature on a public letter criticizing executors of Michael Jackson's estate and his mother's
advisers over the legitimacy of his brother's will. [317] T.J. Jackson, son of Tito Jackson, was given co-
guardianship of Michael Jackson's children after false reports surfaced of Katherine Jackson going
missing.[318]
In 2013, choreographer Wade Robson and James Safechuck filed a $1.5 billion-dollar civil lawsuit
claiming Jackson had sexually abused them as children. [319] On May 16, 2013, Robson alleged
on The Today Show that Jackson had abused him for seven years, beginning when Robson was
seven years old.[320] Robson had previously testified in defense of Jackson in the 2005 trial. [321] On
December 19, 2017, Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff dismissed the lawsuit because Robson had filed too
late.[322][323][324] The documentary Leaving Neverland (2019) covers Jackson's alleged sexual abuse of
Robson and Safechuck.[325] Jackson's family condemned the film as a "public lynching" and insisted
he was innocent.[326] Many radio stations, including some in New Zealand, Canada, and the UK,
removed Jackson's music from their playlists in response to the new allegations in the documentary.
[327][328]
Posthumous releases
Following a surge in sales following Jackson's death, Sony extended its distribution rights for his
music, which had been due to expire in 2015. [329] On March 16, 2010, Sony Music Entertainment,
spearheaded by its Columbia/Epic Label Group division, signed a $250 million deal with the Jackson
estate to extend their distribution rights to Jackson's back catalogue until at least 2017 and release
ten new albums of previously unreleased material and new collections of released work. [330]
The first posthumous Jackson song, "This Is It", co-written in the 1980s with Paul Anka, was
released in n October 2009. The surviving Jackson brothers reunited to record backing vocals. [331] On
October 28, 2009, Sony released a documentary film about the rehearsals, Michael Jackson's This
Is It.[332] Despite a limited two-week engagement, it became the highest-grossing documentary or
concert film of all time, with earnings of more than $260 million worldwide.[333] Jackson's estate
received 90% of the profits.[334] The film was accompanied by a compilation album of the same name.
[335]
At the 2009 American Music Awards, Jackson won four posthumous awards, two for him and two
for his album Number Ones, bringing his total American Music Awards to 26.[336][337]
In late 2010, Sony released the first posthumous album, Michael and the promotional single
"Breaking News".[338] Sony Music paid the Jackson estate $250 million for the deal, plus royalties,
making it the most expensive music contract for a single artist in history. [329][339] Video game
developer Ubisoft released a music video gamefeaturing Jackson for the 2010 holiday
season, Michael Jackson: The Experience; it was among the first games to
use Kinect and PlayStation Move, the motion-detecting camera systems for Xbox
360 and PlayStation 3 respectively.[340] Xscape, an album of unreleased material,[341] was released on
May 13, 2014.[342] Later that year, Queen released three duets recorded with Jackson and Freddie
Mercury in the 1980s.[66] A compilation album, Scream, was released on September 29, 2017.[343] In
2017, Sony Music Entertainment extended its partnership with the Michael Jackson estate, [344] and in
July 2018, Sony/ATV bought the Jackson estate's stake in EMI for $287.5 million. [345]
In October 2011, the theater company Cirque du Soleil launched Michael Jackson: The Immortal
World Tour in Montreal, with a permanent show resident in Las Vegas.[346] The 90-minute $57-million
production combined Jackson's music and choreography with the Cirque's 65 aerial dancers. [347] A
compilation soundtrack album, Immortal, accompanied the tour.[348] A larger and more theatrical
Cirque show, Michael Jackson: One, designed for residency at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las
Vegas, opened on May 23, 2013 in a renovated theater. [349][350]
In December 2015, Thriller became the first album in the US to surpass 30 million shipments,
certifying it 30× platinum.[5] A year later, it was certified again at 33× platinum,
after Soundscan added streams and audio downloads to album certifications. [351] In 2018, its US
sales record was overtaken by the Eagles' album Greatest Hits 1971–75, with 38× platinum.[352]
A jukebox musical, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, is due to debut on Broadway in mid-2020. [353] The
musical is directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon and features a book by Lynn
Nottage.[354] It was delayed[328] and a planned pre-Broadway run in Chicago was cancelled in the wake
of the renewed claims of child sexual abuse in the Leaving Neverland documentary.[355]
Artistry
Influences
"Thriller"
MENU
0:00
Jackson's song "Thriller",
released as a single in
1984, utilizes cinematic
sound effects, horror film
motifs, and vocal trickery
to convey a sense of
danger.[51]
"Smooth Criminal"
MENU
0:00
A single from the
album Bad, released
1988, "Smooth Criminal"
features digital drum
sounds, keyboard-created
bass lines, and other
percussion elements
designed to give the
impression of a pulsing
heart.[375]
"Black or White"
MENU
0:00
The lead single
from Dangerous, "Black or
White" is a danceable rock
song with hard rock
elements. It was one of
Jackson's most successful
recordings.[376][377]
In Bad, Jackson's concept of the predatory lover is seen on the rock song "Dirty Diana".[378] The lead
single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a traditional love ballad, while "Man in the Mirror" is a ballad
of confession and resolution. "Smooth Criminal" is an evocation of bloody assault, rape and likely
murder.[130] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that Dangerous presents Jackson as a
paradoxical individual.[379] He comments the album is more diverse than his previous Bad, as it
appeals to an urban audience while also attracting the middle class with anthems like "Heal the
World".[379] The first half of the record is dedicated to new jack swing, including songs like "Jam" and
"Remember the Time".[380] It was the first Jackson album in which social ills become a primary theme;
"Why You Wanna Trip on Me", for example, protests world hunger, AIDS, homelessness and drugs.
[380]
Dangerouscontains sexually charged songs such as the multifaceted love song "In the Closet".
[380]
The title track continues the theme of the predatory lover and compulsive desire. [380] The second
half includes introspective, pop-gospel anthems such as "Will You Be There", "Heal the World" and
"Keep the Faith"; these songs show Jackson opening up about various personal struggles and
worries.[380] In the ballad "Gone Too Soon", Jackson gives tribute to his friend Ryan White and the
plight of those with AIDS.[381]
HIStory creates an atmosphere of paranoia.[382] Its content focuses on the hardships and public
struggles Jackson went through prior to its production. In the new jack swing-funk-rock tracks
"Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie", and the R&B ballad "You Are Not Alone", Jackson retaliates against
the injustice and isolation he feels, and directs much of his anger at the media. [383] In the introspective
ballad "Stranger in Moscow", Jackson laments his "fall from grace", while "Earth Song", "Childhood",
"Little Susie" and "Smile" are operatic pop songs. [382][383] In the "D.S.", Jackson launched a verbal
attack against the lawyer Tom Sneddon, who had prosecuted him in both child sexual abuse cases.
He describes Sneddon as an antisocial white supremacist who wanted to "get my ass, dead or
alive". Of the song, Sneddon said: "I have not—shall we say—done him the honor of listening to it,
but I've been told that it ends with the sound of a gunshot." [384] Invincible found Jackson working
heavily with producer Rodney Jerkins.[9] The album comprises urban soul tracks such as "Cry" and
"The Lost Children", ballads such as "Speechless", "Break of Dawn", and "Butterflies" and mixes hip
hop, pop, and R&B in "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker" and "Invincible". [385][386]
Vocal style
Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed noticeably. Between
1971 and 1975, his voice descended from boy soprano to high tenor.[387] His vocal range as an adult
was F2-E♭6. Jackson first used the "vocal hiccup" technique, similar to gulping for air or gasping, in
1973, with the song "It's Too Late to Change the Time" from the Jackson 5's album G.I.T.: Get It
Together.[388] Jackson did not use the technique fully until the recording of Off the Wall: it can be seen
in full force in the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" promotional video.[45] With the arrival
of Off the Wall in the late 1970s, Jackson's abilities as a vocalist were well regarded; at the
time, Rolling Stone compared his vocals to the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder, and
wrote that "Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a
startling falsetto that's used very daringly."[368][389] By the time of 1982's Thriller, Rolling Stone wrote
that Jackson was singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness". [374]
A distinctive deliberate mispronunciation of "come on", used frequently by Jackson, occasionally
spelled "c'mon", "cha'mone", or "shamone", is also a staple in impressions and caricatures of him.
[390]
The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective album Dangerous. The New York
Times noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a
desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone". [380] When singing
of brotherhood or self-esteem the musician would return to "smooth" vocals. [380] Of Invincible, Rolling
Stone wrote that, at 43, Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal
harmonies".[391] Nelson George wrote: "The grace, the aggression, the growling, the natural
boyishness, the falsetto, the smoothness—that combination of elements mark him as a major
vocalist".[375] Cultural critic Joseph Vogel notes that Jackson had an "ability to convey emotion without
the use of language: there are his trademark gulps, grunts, gasps, cries, exclamations; he also
frequently scats or twists and contorts words until they are barely discernible." [392]Neil
McCormick wrote that Jackson's unorthodox singing style "was original and utterly distinctive". [393]
One of many identical statues, based on Diana Walczak's original HIStory statue, positioned throughout
Europe to promote HIStory
Jackson has been referred to as the "King of Pop" because, throughout his career, he transformed
the art of music videos and paved the way for modern pop music. For much of Jackson's career, he
had an unparalleled worldwide influence over the younger generation. [212] His music and videos, such
as Thriller, fostered racial diversity in MTV's roster and steered its focus from rock to pop music and
R&B, shaping the channel into a form that proved enduring. [41] Jackson's work continues to influence
numerous artists of various music genres. He is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All
Time by Guinness World Records.[416][417] He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of
the 20th century,[418] and his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized
personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.[419][420][421]
Danyel Smith, the chief content officer of Vibe Media Group and the editor-in-chief of Vibe describes
Jackson as "The Greatest Star".[422] AllMusic's Steve Huey describes Jackson as "an unstoppable
juggernaut, possessed of all the skills to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly
identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility and loads of sheer star
power".[9] BET described Jackson "as quite simply the greatest entertainer of all time" and someone
who "revolutionized the music video and brought dances like the moonwalk to the world. Jackson's
sound, style, movement and legacy continues to inspire artists of all genres." [423]
Jackson's wax statue at Madame Tussauds, London
In 1984, Time magazine's pop critic Jay Cocks wrote that "Jackson is the biggest thing since the
Beatles. He is the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley. He just may be the most popular
black singer ever."[82] In 1990, Vanity Fair cited Jackson as the most popular artist in the history of
show business.[147] In 2003, Daily Telegraph writer Tom Utley described Jackson as "extremely
important" and a "genius".[424] In 2007, Jackson said: "Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the
lovers in this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live forever." [425]
Jackson was inducted onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980 as member of the Jacksons and in
1984 as solo artist. Throughout his career he received numerous honors and awards, including
the World Music Awards' Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium, the American Music
Award's Artist of the Century Award and the Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award.[226][435] He was
a double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997
and later as a solo artist in 2001. Jackson was also inducted in several other halls of fame,
including Vocal Group Hall of Fame (as a Jackson 5 member) in 1999 and the Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 2002.[226] In 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and
currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. [436] In 2014, Jackson was inducted into
the second class of inductees to the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame; his father Joe Jackson
accepted on his behalf.[437]
Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of
popular music.[438] His awards include many Guinness world records (eight in 2006 alone), including
for the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time, [416][417] 13 Grammy Awards[439] (as well as the Grammy
Legend Award[440] and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award),[441] 26 American Music
Awards (including the "Artist of the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s"), [224][442]—more than any artist—
13 number-one singles in the US in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100
era[443]—and estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide[444][Note 1] making him one of the best-
selling artists in music history. On December 29, 2009, the American Film Institute recognized
Jackson's death as a "moment of significance". [445] Jackson also received an Honorary Doctorate of
Humane Letters from Fisk University.[446]
Jackson is also remembered for his charity work.[447][448]
Earnings
In the year after his death, Jackson sold more than 8.2 million albums in the US and 35 million
albums worldwide, more than any other artist in 2009. [449][450] In 2014, Jackson became the first artist
to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades.[451] He became the first artist
to sell one million music downloads in a week, with 2.6 million song downloads. Thriller, Number
Ones and The Essential Michael Jackson became the first catalog albums to outsell any new album.
[452]
Jackson also became the first artist to have four of the top 20 best-selling albums in a single year
in the US.[449]
Forbes reported in August 2018 that Jackson's total career pretax earnings in life and death was
$4.2 billion.[453][454] Sales of his recordings through Sony's music unit earned him an estimated $300
million in royalties. He may have earned another $400 million from concerts, music publishing
(including his share of the Beatles catalog), endorsements, merchandising and music videos. [455]
Estimates of Jackson's net worth during his life range from negative $285 million to positive $350
million for 2002, 2003 and 2007. [456][457]
On July 26, 2013, the executors of the estate of Michael Jackson filed a petition in the United States
Tax Court as a result of a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over US federal estate
taxes imposed on the value of Jackson's Estate at the time of his death. [458] The executors claim that
the Estate was worth about $7 million. The IRS asserts that the Estate was worth over $1.1 billion. In
February 2014, the IRS reported that Jackson's estate owed $702 million, including $505 million in
taxes, plus $197 million in penalties after the estate had allegedly undervalued Jackson's fortune.
[459]
A trial was held from February 6 to 24, 2017. [460] A decision is expected in 2019. [461]
In 2016, Forbes estimated annual gross earnings by the Jackson estate at $825 million, the largest
ever recorded for a celebrity. The majority was due to the sale of the Sony/ATV catalog. It was the
seventh consecutive year since his death in which Jackson's annual earnings were over $100
million.[462] In 2018 the figure was $400 million. [463] According to Forbes in 2016, Jackson had been
the top-earning dead celebrity each year since his death.[462]
Discography
Michael Jackson albums discography and Michael Jackson singles discography
Got to Be There (1972)
Ben (1972)
Music & Me (1973)
Forever, Michael (1975)
Off the Wall (1979)
Thriller (1982)
Bad (1987)
Dangerous (1991)
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)
Invincible (2001)
Filmography
Michael Jackson videography
The Wiz (1978)
Captain EO (1986)
Moonwalker (1988)
Michael Jackson's Ghosts (1997)
Men in Black II (2002)
Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls (2004)
Tours
List of concert tours by Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5
John dalton
John Dalton FRS (/ˈdɔːltən/; 6 September 1766 – 27 July 1844) was an English chemist, physicist,
and meteorologist. He is best known for introducing the atomic theory into chemistry, and for his
research into colour blindness, sometimes referred to as Daltonism in his honour.
John Dalton
Dalton by Charles Turner after James
Lonsdale (1834, mezzotint)
Early life
John Dalton was born into a Quaker family in Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, in Cumberland,
England.[1] His father was a weaver.[2] He received his early education from his father and from
Quaker John Fletcher, who ran a private school in the nearby village of Pardshaw Hall. Dalton's
family was too poor to support him for long and he began to earn his living at the age of ten in the
service of a wealthy local Quaker, Elihu Robinson. [3] It is said he began teaching at a local school at
age 12 and became proficient in Latin at age 14.
Early career
When he was 15, Dalton joined his older brother Jonathan in running a Quaker school
in Kendal, Westmorland, about 45 miles (72 km) from his home. Around the age of 23 Dalton may
have considered studying law or medicine, but his relatives did not encourage him, perhaps because
being a Dissenter, he was barred from attending English universities. He acquired much scientific
knowledge from informal instruction by John Gough, a blind philosopher who was gifted in the
sciences and arts. At the age of 27 he was appointed teacher of mathematics and natural
philosophy at the "New College" in Manchester, a dissenting academy (the lineal predecessor,
following a number of changes of location, of Harris Manchester College, Oxford). He remained
there until the age of 34, when the college's worsening financial situation led him to resign his post
and begin a new career as a private tutor in mathematics and natural philosophy.
Scientific contributions
Meteorology
Dalton's early life was influenced by a prominent Eaglesfield Quaker, Elihu Robinson, [4] a
competent meteorologist and instrument maker, who interested him in problems of mathematics and
meteorology. During his years in Kendal, Dalton contributed solutions to problems and answered
questions on various subjects in The Ladies' Diary and the Gentleman's Diary. In 1787 at age 21 he
began his meteorological diary in which, during the succeeding 57 years, he entered more than
200,000 observations.[5] He rediscovered George Hadley's theory of atmospheric circulation (now
known as the Hadley cell) around this time.[6] In 1793 Dalton's first publication, Meteorological
Observations and Essays, contained the seeds of several of his later discoveries but despite the
originality of his treatment, little attention was paid to them by other scholars. A second work by
Dalton, Elements of English Grammar, was published in 1801.
Measuring mountains
After leaving the Lake District, Dalton returned annually to spend his holidays studying meteorology,
something which involved a lot of hill-walking. Until the advent of aeroplanes and weather balloons,
the only way to make measurements of temperature and humidity at altitude was to climb a
mountain. Dalton estimated the height using a barometer. The Ordnance Survey did not publish
maps for the Lake District until the 1860s. Before then, Dalton was one of the few authorities on the
heights of the region's mountains. [7] He was often accompanied by Jonathan Otley, who also made a
study of the heights of the local peaks, using Dalton's figures as a comparison to check his work.
Otley published his information in his map of 1818. Otley became both an assistant and a friend to
Dalton.[8]
Colour blindness
In 1794, shortly after his arrival in Manchester, Dalton was elected a member of the Manchester
Literary and Philosophical Society, the "Lit & Phil", and a few weeks later he communicated his first
paper on "Extraordinary facts relating to the vision of colours", in which he postulated that shortage
in colour perception was caused by discoloration of the liquid medium of the eyeball. As both he and
his brother were colour blind, he recognised that the condition must be hereditary. [9]
Although Dalton's theory lost credence in his lifetime, the thorough and methodical nature of his
research into his visual problem was so broadly recognised that Daltonism became a common term
for colour blindness.[a] Examination of his preserved eyeball in 1995 demonstrated that Dalton had a
less common kind of colour blindness, deuteroanopia, in which medium wavelength sensitive cones
are missing (rather than functioning with a mutated form of pigment, as in the most common type of
colour blindness, deuteroanomaly).[9] Besides the blue and purple of the optical spectrum he was
only able to recognise one colour, yellow, or, as he said in a paper, [11]
That part of the image which others call red, appears to me little more than a shade, or defect of
light; after that the orange, yellow and green seem one colour, which descends pretty uniformly from
an intense to a rare yellow, making what I should call different shades of yellow.
Gas laws
External video
Profiles in Chemistry:How John
discovery of
atoms on YouTube, Chemical
Heritage Foundation
In 1800, Dalton became secretary of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, and in the
following year he presented an important series of lectures, entitled "Experimental Essays" on the
constitution of mixed gases; the pressure of steam and other vapours at different temperatures in
a vacuum and in air; on evaporation; and on the thermal expansion of gases. The four essays,
presented between 2 and 30 October 1801, were published in the Memoirs of the Literary and
Philosophical Society of Manchester in 1802.
The second essay opens with the remark,[12]
There can scarcely be a doubt entertained respecting the reducibility of all elastic fluids of whatever
kind, into liquids; and we ought not to despair of effecting it in low temperatures and by strong
pressures exerted upon the unmixed gases further.
After describing experiments to ascertain the pressure of steam at various points between 0 and
100 °C (32 and 212 °F), Dalton concluded from observations of the vapour pressure of six different
liquids, that the variation of vapour pressure for all liquids is equivalent, for the same variation of
temperature, reckoning from vapour of any given pressure.
In the fourth essay he remarks,[13]
I see no sufficient reason why we may not conclude, that all elastic fluids under the same pressure
expand equally by heat—and that for any given expansion of mercury, the corresponding expansion
of air is proportionally something less, the higher the temperature. ... It seems, therefore, that
general laws respecting the absolute quantity and the nature of heat, are more likely to be derived
from elastic fluids than from other substances.
He enunciated Gay-Lussac's law, published in 1802 by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (Gay-Lussac
credited the discovery to unpublished work from the 1780s by Jacques Charles). In the two or three
years following the lectures, Dalton published several papers on similar topics. "On the Absorption of
Gases by Water and other Liquids" (read on 21 October 1803, published until 1805) [14] contained his
law of partial pressures now known as Dalton's law.
Atomic theory
The most important of all Dalton's investigations are concerned with the atomic theory in chemistry.
While his name is inseparably associated with this theory, the origin of Dalton's atomic theory is not
fully understood.[15][16] The theory may have been suggested to him either by researches
on ethylene (olefiant gas) and methane (carburetted hydrogen) or by analysis of nitrous
oxide (protoxide of azote) and nitrogen dioxide (deutoxide of azote), both views resting on the
authority of Thomas Thomson.[17]
From 1814 to 1819, Irish chemist William Higgins claimed that Dalton had plagiarised his ideas, but
Higgins' theory did not address relative atomic mass. [18][19] However, recent evidence suggests that
Dalton's development of thought may have been influenced by the ideas of another Irish
chemist Bryan Higgins, who was William's uncle. Bryan believed that an atom was a heavy central
particle surrounded by an atmosphere of caloric, the supposed substance of heat at the time. The
size of the atom was determined by the diameter of the caloric atmosphere. Based on the evidence,
Dalton was aware of Bryan's theory and adopted very similar ideas and language, but he never
acknowledged Bryan's anticipation of his caloric model. [20][21] However, the essential novelty of
Dalton's atomic theory is that he provided a method of calculating relative atomic weights for the
chemical elements, something that neither Bryan nor William Higgins did; his priority for that crucial
step is uncontested.[22]
A study of Dalton's laboratory notebooks, discovered in the rooms of the Manchester Literary and
Philosophical Society,[23] concluded that so far from Dalton being led by his search for an explanation
of the law of multiple proportions to the idea that chemical combination consists in the interaction of
atoms of definite and characteristic weight, the idea of atoms arose in his mind as a purely physical
concept, forced on him by study of the physical properties of the atmosphere and other gases. The
first published indications of this idea are to be found at the end of his paper "On the Absorption of
Gases by Water and other Liquids"[14] already mentioned. There he says:
Why does not water admit its bulk of every kind of gas alike? This question I have duly considered,
and though I am not able to satisfy myself completely I am nearly persuaded that the circumstance
depends on the weight and number of the ultimate particles of the several gases.
The main points of Dalton's atomic theory are:
Atomic weights
Various atoms and molecules as depicted in John Dalton's A New System of Chemical Philosophy(1808).
Dalton published his table of relative atomic weights containing six elements, hydrogen, oxygen,
nitrogen, carbon, sulfur and phosphorus, with the atom of hydrogen conventionally assumed to
weigh 1. Dalton provided no indication in this paper how he had arrived at these numbers [citation
needed]
but in his laboratory notebook, dated 6 September 1803, [25] is a list in which he set out the
relative weights of the atoms of a number of elements, derived from analysis of water,
ammonia, carbon dioxide, etc. by chemists of the time.
The extension of this idea to substances in general necessarily led him to the law of multiple
proportions, and the comparison with experiment brilliantly confirmed his deduction. [26] In the
paper "On the Proportion of the Several Gases in the Atmosphere", read by him in November
1802, the law of multiple proportions appears to be anticipated in the words:
The elements of oxygen may combine with a certain portion of nitrous gas or with twice that
portion, but with no intermediate quantity.
But there is reason to suspect that this sentence may have been added some time after the
reading of the paper, which was not published until 1805. [27]
Compounds were listed as binary, ternary, quaternary, etc. (molecules composed of two, three,
four, etc. atoms) in the New System of Chemical Philosophy depending on the number of atoms
a compound had in its simplest, empirical form.
Dalton hypothesised the structure of compounds can be represented in whole number ratios.
So, one atom of element X combining with one atom of element Y is a binary compound.
Furthermore, one atom of element X combining with two atoms of element Y or vice versa, is a
ternary compound. Many of the first compounds listed in the New System of Chemical
Philosophy correspond to modern views, although many others do not.
Dalton used his own symbols to visually represent the atomic structure of compounds. They
were depicted in the New System of Chemical Philosophy, where he listed 20 elements and 17
simple molecules.
Other investigations
Dalton published papers on such diverse topics as rain and dew and the origin of springs
(hydrosphere); on heat, the colour of the sky, steam and the reflection and refraction of light; and
on the grammatical subjects of the auxiliary verbs and participles of the English language.
Experimental approach
As an investigator, Dalton was often content with rough and inaccurate instruments, even
though better ones were obtainable. Sir Humphry Davydescribed him as "a very coarse
experimenter", who almost always found the results he required, trusting to his head rather than
his hands. On the other hand, historians who have replicated some of his crucial experiments
have confirmed Dalton's skill and precision.
In the preface to the second part of Volume I of his New System, he says he had so often been
misled by taking for granted the results of others that he determined to write "as little as possible
but what I can attest by my own experience", but this independence he carried so far that it
sometimes resembled lack of receptivity. Thus he distrusted, and probably never fully
accepted, Gay-Lussac's conclusions as to the combining volumes of gases.
He held unconventional views on chlorine. Even after its elementary character had been settled
by Davy, he persisted in using the atomic weights he himself had adopted, even when they had
been superseded by the more accurate determinations of other chemists.
He always objected to the chemical notation devised by Jöns Jakob Berzelius, although most
thought that it was much simpler and more convenient than his own cumbersome system of
circular symbols.
Other publications
For Rees's Cyclopædia Dalton contributed articles on Chemistry and Meteorology, but the topics
are not known.
He contributed 117 Memoirs of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester from 1817
until his death in 1844 while president of that organisation. Of these the earlier are the most
important. In one of them, read in 1814, he explains the principles of volumetric analysis, in
which he was one of the earliest researchers. In 1840 a paper on phosphates and arsenates,
often regarded as a weaker work, was refused by the Royal Society, and he was so incensed
that he published it himself. He took the same course soon afterwards with four other papers,
two of which ("On the quantity of acids, bases and salts in different varieties of salts" and "On a
new and easy method of analysing sugar") contain his discovery, regarded by him as second in
importance only to atomic theory, that certain anhydrates, when dissolved in water, cause no
increase in its volume, his inference being that the salt enters into the pores of the water.
Public life
Even before he had propounded the atomic theory, Dalton had attained a considerable scientific
reputation. In 1803, he was chosen to give a series of lectures on natural philosophy at
the Royal Institution in London, and he delivered another series of lectures there in 1809–1810.
Some witnesses reported that he was deficient in the qualities that make an attractive lecturer,
being harsh and indistinct in voice, ineffective in the treatment of his subject, and singularly
wanting in the language and power of illustration.
In 1810, Sir Humphry Davy asked him to offer himself as a candidate for the fellowship of the
Royal Society, but Dalton declined, possibly for financial reasons. In 1822 he was proposed
without his knowledge, and on election paid the usual fee. Six years previously he had been
made a corresponding member of the French Académie des Sciences, and in 1830 he was
elected as one of its eight foreign associates in place of Davy. In 1833, Earl Grey's government
conferred on him a pension of £150, raised in 1836 to £300. Dalton was elected a Foreign
Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1834.[28]
A young James Prescott Joule, who later studied and published (1843) on the nature of heat
and its relationship to mechanical work, was a pupil of Dalton in his last years.
Personal life
Dalton never married and had only a few close friends. As a Quaker, he lived a modest and
unassuming personal life.[1]
For the 26 years prior to his death, Dalton lived in a room in the home of the Rev W. Johns, a
published botanist, and his wife, in George Street, Manchester. Dalton and Johns died in the
same year (1844).[29]
Dalton's daily round of laboratory work and tutoring in Manchester was broken only by annual
excursions to the Lake District and occasional visits to London. In 1822 he paid a short visit
to Paris, where he met many distinguished resident men of science. He attended several of the
earlier meetings of the British Association at York, Oxford, Dublin and Bristol.
Legacy
Much of Dalton's written work, collected by the Manchester Literary and Philosophical
Society, was damaged during bombing on 24 December 1940. It prompted Isaac Asimov to
say, "John Dalton's records, carefully preserved for a century, were destroyed during the
World War II bombing of Manchester. It is not only the living who are killed in war". The
damaged papers are in the John Rylands Library.
A bust of Dalton, by Chantrey, paid for by public subscription[34] was placed in the entrance
hall of the Royal Manchester Institution. Chantrey's large statue of Dalton, erected while
Dalton was alive was placed in Manchester Town Hall in 1877. He "is probably the only
scientist who got a statue in his lifetime".[31]
The Manchester-based Swiss phrenologist and sculptor William Bally made a cast of the
interior of Dalton's cranium and of a cyst therein, having arrived at the Manchester Royal
Infirmary too late to make a caste of the head and face. A cast of the head was made, by a
Mr Politi, whose arrival at the scene preceded that of Bally. [35]
John Dalton Street connects Deansgate and Albert Square in the centre of Manchester.
The John Dalton building at Manchester Metropolitan University is occupied by the Faculty of
Science and Engineering. Outside it stands William Theed's statue of Dalton, erected
in Piccadilly in 1855, and moved there in 1966 .
A blue plaque commemorates the site of his laboratory at 36 George Street in Manchester. [36]
[37]
Max Planck
Planck in 1933
Planck was born in Kiel, Holstein, to Johann Julius Wilhelm Planck and his second wife, Emma Patzig. He was
baptized with the name of Karl Ernst Ludwig Marx Planck; of his given names, Marx (a now obsolete variant
of Markus or maybe simply an error for Max, which is actually short for Maximilian) was indicated as the "appellation
name".[8] However, by the age of ten he signed with the name Max and used this for the rest of his life.[9]
He was the 6th child in the family, though two of his siblings were from his father's first marriage. War was common
during Planck's early years and among his earliest memories was the marching of Prussian and Austrian troops into
Kiel during the Second Schleswig War in 1864.[7] In 1867 the family moved to Munich, and Planck enrolled in the
Maximilians gymnasium school, where he came under the tutelage of Hermann Müller, a mathematician who took an
interest in the youth, and taught him astronomy and mechanics as well as mathematics. It was from Müller that
Planck first learned the principle of conservation of energy. Planck graduated early, at age 17.[10] This is how Planck
first came in contact with the field of physics.
Planck was gifted when it came to music. He took singing lessons and played piano, organ and cello, and composed
songs and operas. However, instead of music he chose to study physics.
The Munich physics professor Philipp von Jolly advised Planck against going into physics, saying, "in this field,
almost everything is already discovered, and all that remains is to fill a few holes."[11] Planck replied that he did not
wish to discover new things, but only to understand the known fundamentals of the field, and so began his studies in
1874 at the University of Munich. Under Jolly's supervision, Planck performed the only experiments of his scientific
career, studying the diffusion of hydrogen through heated platinum, but transferred to theoretical physics.
In 1877 he went to the Friedrich Wilhelms University in Berlin for a year of study with physicists Hermann von
Helmholtz and Gustav Kirchhoff and mathematician Karl Weierstrass. He wrote that Helmholtz was never quite
prepared, spoke slowly, miscalculated endlessly, and bored his listeners, while Kirchhoff spoke in carefully prepared
lectures which were dry and monotonous. He soon became close friends with Helmholtz. While there he undertook a
program of mostly self-study of Clausius's writings, which led him to choose thermodynamics as his field.
In October 1878 Planck passed his qualifying exams and in February 1879 defended his dissertation, Über den
zweiten Hauptsatz der mechanischen Wärmetheorie (On the second law of thermodynamics). He briefly taught
mathematics and physics at his former school in Munich.
By the year 1880, Planck obtained two highest academic degrees offered in Europe. The first was a doctorate degree
after he completed his paper detailing his research and theory of thermodynamics.[7] He then presented his thesis
called Gleichgewichtszustände isotroper Körper in verschiedenen Temperaturen (Equilibrium states of isotropic
bodies at different temperatures), which earned him a habilitation.
Academic career
With the completion of his habilitation thesis, Planck became an unpaid Privatdozent (German academic rank
comparable to lecturer/assistant professor) in Munich, waiting until he was offered an academic position. Although he
was initially ignored by the academic community, he furthered his work on the field of heat theory and discovered one
after another the same thermodynamical formalism as Gibbs without realizing it. Clausius's ideas
on entropy occupied a central role in his work.
In April 1885 the University of Kiel appointed Planck as associate professor of theoretical physics. Further work on
entropy and its treatment, especially as applied in physical chemistry, followed. He published his Treatise on
Thermodynamics in 1897.[12] He proposed a thermodynamic basis for Svante Arrhenius's theory
of electrolytic dissociation.
In 1889 he was named the successor to Kirchhoff's position at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Berlin[13] –
presumably thanks to Helmholtz's intercession – and by 1892 became a full professor. In 1907 Planck was
offered Boltzmann's position in Vienna, but turned it down to stay in Berlin. During 1909, as a University of Berlin
professor, he was invited to become the Ernest Kempton Adams Lecturer in Theoretical Physics at Columbia
University in New York City. A series of his lectures were translated and co-published by Columbia University
professor A. P. Wills.[14] He retired from Berlin on 10 January 1926,[15] and was succeeded by Erwin Schrödinger.[16]
Family
In March 1887 Planck married Marie Merck (1861–1909), sister of a school fellow, and moved with her into a sublet
apartment in Kiel. They had four children: Karl (1888–1916), the twins Emma (1889–1919) and Grete (1889–1917),
and Erwin (1893–1945).
After the apartment in Berlin, the Planck family lived in a villa in Berlin-Grunewald, Wangenheimstrasse 21. Several
other professors from University of Berlin lived nearby, among them theologian Adolf von Harnack, who became a
close friend of Planck. Soon the Planck home became a social and cultural center. Numerous well-known scientists,
such as Albert Einstein, Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner were frequent visitors. The tradition of jointly performing music
had already been established in the home of Helmholtz.
After several happy years, in July 1909 Marie Planck died, possibly from tuberculosis. In March 1911 Planck married
his second wife, Marga von Hoesslin (1882–1948); in December his fifth child Hermann was born.
During the First World War Planck's second son Erwin was taken prisoner by the French in 1914, while his oldest son
Karl was killed in action at Verdun. Grete died in 1917 while giving birth to her first child. Her sister died the same way
two years later, after having married Grete's widower. Both granddaughters survived and were named after their
mothers. Planck endured these losses stoically.
In January 1945, Erwin, to whom he had been particularly close, was sentenced to death by
the Nazi Volksgerichtshof because of his participation in the failed attempt to assassinate Hitler in July 1944. Erwin
was executed on 23 January 1945.[17]
Plaque at the Humboldt University of Berlin: "Max Planck, discoverer of the elementary quantum of action h, taught in this building from 1889
to 1928."
Planck started a six-semester course of lectures on theoretical physics, "dry, somewhat impersonal" according to Lise
Meitner, "using no notes, never making mistakes, never faltering; the best lecturer I ever heard" according to an
English participant, James R. Partington, who continues: "There were always many standing around the room. As the
lecture-room was well heated and rather close, some of the listeners would from time to time drop to the floor, but this
did not disturb the lecture". Planck did not establish an actual "school"; the number of his graduate students was only
about 20, among them:
1897 Max Abraham (1875–1922)
1903 Max von Laue (1879–1960)
1904 Moritz Schlick (1882–1936)
1906 Walther Meissner (1882–1974)
1907 Fritz Reiche (1883–1960)
1912 Walter Schottky (1886–1976)
1914 Walther Bothe (1891–1957)[19]
Black-body radiation
In 1894 Planck turned his attention to the problem of black-body radiation. He had been commissioned by electric
companies to create maximum light from lightbulbs with minimum energy. The problem had been stated by Kirchhoff
in 1859: "how does the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a black body (a perfect absorber, also
known as a cavity radiator) depend on the frequency of the radiation (i.e., the color of the light) and the temperature
of the body?". The question had been explored experimentally, but no theoretical treatment agreed with experimental
values. Wilhelm Wien proposed Wien's law, which correctly predicted the behaviour at high frequencies, but failed at
low frequencies. The Rayleigh–Jeans law, another approach to the problem, created what was later known as the
"ultraviolet catastrophe", but contrary to many textbooks this was not a motivation for Planck.[20]
Planck's first proposed solution to the problem in 1899 followed from what Planck called the "principle of elementary
disorder", which allowed him to derive Wien's law from a number of assumptions about the entropy of an ideal
oscillator, creating what was referred-to as the Wien–Planck law. Soon it was found that experimental evidence did
not confirm the new law at all, to Planck's frustration. Planck revised his approach, deriving the first version of the
famous Planck black-body radiation law, which described the experimentally observed black-body spectrum well. It
was first proposed in a meeting of the DPG on 19 October 1900 and published in 1901. This first derivation did not
include energy quantisation, and did not use statistical mechanics, to which he held an aversion. In November 1900,
Planck revised this first approach, relying on Boltzmann's statistical interpretation of the second law of
thermodynamics as a way of gaining a more fundamental understanding of the principles behind his radiation law. As
Planck was deeply suspicious of the philosophical and physical implications of such an interpretation of Boltzmann's
approach, his recourse to them was, as he later put it, "an act of despair ... I was ready to sacrifice any of my
previous convictions about physics."[20]
The central assumption behind his new derivation, presented to the DPG on 14 December 1900, was the supposition,
now known as the Planck postulate, that electromagnetic energy could be emitted only in quantized form, in other
words, the energy could only be a multiple of an elementary unit:
where h is Planck's constant, also known as Planck's action quantum (introduced already in 1899), and ν is the
frequency of the radiation. Note that the elementary units of energy discussed here are represented by hν and not
simply by ν. Physicists now call these quanta photons, and a photon of frequency ν will have its own specific and
unique energy. The total energy at that frequency is then equal to hν multiplied by the number of photons at that
frequency.
Planck in 1918, the year he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on quantum theory
At first Planck considered that quantisation was only "a purely formalassumption ... actually I did not think much about
it..."; nowadays this assumption, incompatible with classical physics, is regarded as the birth of quantum physics and
the greatest intellectual accomplishment of Planck's career (Ludwig Boltzmann had been discussing in a theoretical
paper in 1877 the possibility that the energy states of a physical system could be discrete). The discovery of Planck's
constant enabled him to define a new universal set of physical units (such as the Planck length and the Planck
mass), all based on fundamental physical constants upon which much of quantum theory is based. In recognition of
Planck's fundamental contribution to a new branch of physics, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for 1918
(he actually received the award in 1919).[21][22]
Subsequently, Planck tried to grasp the meaning of energy quanta, but to no avail. "My unavailing attempts to
somehow reintegrate the action quantum into classical theory extended over several years and caused me much
trouble." Even several years later, other physicists like Rayleigh, Jeans, and Lorentz set Planck's constant to zero in
order to align with classical physics, but Planck knew well that this constant had a precise nonzero value. "I am
unable to understand Jeans' stubbornness – he is an example of a theoretician as should never be existing, the same
as Hegel was for philosophy. So much the worse for the facts if they don't fit."[23]
Max Born wrote about Planck: "He was, by nature, a conservative mind; he had nothing of the revolutionary and was
thoroughly skeptical about speculations. Yet his belief in the compelling force of logical reasoning from facts was so
strong that he did not flinch from announcing the most revolutionary idea which ever has shaken physics."[1]
Quantum mechanics
In 1938, Planck celebrated his 80th birthday. The DPG held a celebration, during which the Max-Planck medal
(founded as the highest medal by the DPG in 1928) was awarded to French physicist Louis de Broglie. At the end of
1938, the Prussian Academy lost its remaining independence and was taken over by Nazis (Gleichschaltung). Planck
protested by resigning his presidency. He continued to travel frequently, giving numerous public talks, such as his talk
on Religion and Science, and five years later he was sufficiently fit to climb 3,000-metre peaks in the Alps.
During the Second World War the increasing number of Allied bombing missions against Berlin forced Planck and his
wife to temporarily leave the city and live in the countryside. In 1942 he wrote: "In me an ardent desire has grown to
persevere this crisis and live long enough to be able to witness the turning point, the beginning of a new rise." In
February 1944 his home in Berlin was completely destroyed by an air raid, annihilating all his scientific records and
correspondence. His rural retreat was threatened by the rapid advance of the Allied armies from both sides.
In 1944, Planck's son Erwin was arrested by the Gestapo following the attempted assassination of Hitler in the 20
July plot. He was tried and sentenced to death by the People’s Court in October 1944. Erwin was hanged at
Berlin’s Plötzensee Prison in January 1945. The death of his son destroyed much of Planck's will to live.[33] After the
end of the war Planck, his second wife, and his son by her were brought to a relative in Göttingen, where Planck died
on October 4th, 1947. His grave is situated in the old Stadtfriedhof (City Cemetery) in Göttingen.[34]
Religious views
Planck was a member of the Lutheran Church in Germany.[35] However, Planck was very tolerant towards alternative
views and religions.[36] In a lecture in 1937 entitled "Religion und Naturwissenschaft" (Religion and Natural Science)
he suggested the importance of these symbols and rituals related directly with a believer's ability to worship God, but
that one must be mindful that the symbols provide an imperfect illustration of divinity. He criticized atheism for being
focused on the derision of such symbols, while at the same time warned of the over-estimation of the importance of
such symbols by believers.[37]
He was favorable to all religions, but he himself chose Christianity. He did, however, regret the Church's demands for
unquestioning belief, which served to repel questioners. For example, he believed "the faith in miracles must yield,
step by step, before the steady and firm advance of the facts of science, and its total defeat is undoubtedly a matter
of time." [38]
In his 1937 lecture "Religion and Naturwissenschaft," Planck expressed the view that God is everywhere present, and
held that "the holiness of the unintelligible Godhead is conveyed by the holiness of symbols." Atheists, he thought,
attach too much importance to what are merely symbols. Planck was a churchwarden from 1920 until his death, and
believed in an almighty, all-knowing, beneficent God (though not necessarily a personal one). Both science and
religion wage a "tireless battle against skepticism and dogmatism, against unbelief and superstition" with the goal
"toward God!"[38]
Max Planck said in 1944, "As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of
matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter
originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most
minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and
intelligent spirit (orig. geist). This spirit is the matrix of all matter."[39]
Planck regarded the scientist as a man of imagination and Christian faith. He said: "Both religion and science require
a belief in God. For believers, God is in the beginning, and for physicists He is at the end of all considerations… To
the former He is the foundation, to the latter, the crown of the edifice of every generalized world view".[40]
On the other hand, Planck wrote, "...'to believe' means 'to recognize as a truth,' and the knowledge of nature,
continually advancing on incontestably safe tracks, has made it utterly impossible for a person possessing some
training in natural science to recognize as founded on truth the many reports of extraordinary occurrences
contradicting the laws of nature, of miracles which are still commonly regarded as essential supports and
confirmations of religious doctrines, and which formerly used to be accepted as facts pure and simple, without doubt
or criticism. The belief in miracles must retreat step by step before relentlessly and reliably progressing science and
we cannot doubt that sooner or later it must vanish completely."[41]
Later in life, Planck's views on God were that of a deist.[42] For example, six months before his death a rumour started
that Planck had converted to Catholicism, but when questioned what had brought him to make this step, he declared
that, although he had always been deeply religious, he did not believe "in a personal God, let alone a Christian
God."[43]
CELESTIAL MECHANICS
Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of objects in outer
space. Historically, celestial mechanics applies principles of physics (classical mechanics) to
astronomical objects, such as stars and planets, to produce ephemeris data.
As an astronomical field of study, celestial mechanics includes the sub-fields of orbital mechanics,
which deals with the launching and orbits artificial satellites, and lunar theory, a specialty which
deals with the complications of the orbit of the Moon. Modern celestial mechanics tends to divide
between five broad fields of study:
Astronomy
Astronomy (from Greek: ἀστρονομία) is a natural science that studies celestial
objects and phenomena. It applies mathematics, physics, and chemistry in an effort to explain the
origin of those objects and phenomena and their evolution. Objects of interest
include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, and comets; the phenomena also
includes supernova explosions, gamma ray bursts, quasars, blazars, pulsars, and cosmic microwave
background radiation. More generally, all phenomena that originate outside Earth's atmosphere are
within the purview of astronomy. A related but distinct subject is physical cosmology, which is the
study of the Universe as a whole.
[1]
Planetary science
Planetary science or, more rarely, planetology, is the scientific study
of planets (including Earth), moons, and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System)
and the processes that form them. It studies objects ranging in size from micrometeoroids to gas
giants, aiming to determine their composition, dynamics, formation, interrelations and history. It is a
strongly interdisciplinary field, originally growing from astronomy and earth science,[1]but which now
incorporates many disciplines, including planetary geology (together
with geochemistry and geophysics), cosmochemistry, atmospheric
science, oceanography, hydrology, theoretical planetary science, glaciology, and exoplanetology.
[1]
Allied disciplines include space physics, when concerned with the effects of the Sun on the bodies
of the Solar System, and astrobiology.
There are interrelated observational and theoretical branches of planetary science. Observational
research can involve a combination of space exploration, predominantly with robotic
spacecraft missions using remote sensing, and comparative, experimental work in Earth-based
laboratories. The theoretical component involves considerable computer simulation and
mathematical modelling.
Photograph from Apollo 15 orbital unit of the rillesin the vicinity of the crater Aristarchus on the Moon.
Planetary scientists are generally located in the astronomy and physics or Earth sciences
departments of universities or research centres, though there are several purely planetary science
institutes worldwide. There are several major conferences each year, and a wide range of peer-
reviewed journals. In the case of some exclusive planetary scientists, many of whom are in relation
to the study of dark matter, they will seek a private research centre and often initiate partnership
research tasks.
Planetary astronomy
This is both an observational and a theoretical science. Observational researchers are
predominantly concerned with the study of the small bodies of the Solar System: those that are
observed by telescopes, both optical and radio, so that characteristics of these bodies such as
shape, spin, surface materials and weathering are determined, and the history of their formation and
evolution can be understood.
Theoretical planetary astronomy is concerned with dynamics: the application of the principles
of celestial mechanics to the Solar System and extrasolar planetary systems
Planetary geology
Planetary geology
The best known research topics of planetary geology deal with the planetary bodies in the near
vicinity of the Earth: the Moon, and the two neighbouring planets: Venus and Mars. Of these, the
Moon was studied first, using methods developed earlier on the Earth.
Geomorphology
Geomorphology studies the features on planetary surfaces and reconstructs the history of their
formation, inferring the physical processes that acted on the surface. Planetary geomorphology
includes the study of several classes of surface features:
Space weathering - erosional effects generated by the harsh environment of space (continuous
micro meteorite bombardment, high-energy particle rain, impact gardening). For example, the
thin dust cover on the surface of the lunar regolith is a result of micro meteorite bombardment.
Hydrological features: the liquid involved can range from water to hydrocarbon and ammonia,
depending on the location within the Solar System.
The history of a planetary surface can be deciphered by mapping features from top to bottom
according to their deposition sequence, as first determined on terrestrial strata by Nicolas Steno. For
example, stratigraphic mapping prepared the Apollo astronauts for the field geology they would
encounter on their lunar missions. Overlapping sequences were identified on images taken by
the Lunar Orbiter program, and these were used to prepare a lunar stratigraphic
column and geological map of the Moon.
Cosmochemistry, geochemistry and petrology
Cosmochemistry, Geochemistry, and Petrology
One of the main problems when generating hypotheses on the formation and evolution of objects in
the Solar System is the lack of samples that can be analysed in the laboratory, where a large suite of
tools are available and the full body of knowledge derived from terrestrial geology can be brought to
bear. Direct samples from the Moon, asteroids and Mars are present on Earth, removed from their
parent bodies and delivered as meteorites. Some of these have suffered contamination from
the oxidising effect of Earth's atmosphere and the infiltration of the biosphere, but those meteorites
collected in the last few decades from Antarctica are almost entirely pristine.
The different types of meteorites that originate from the asteroid belt cover almost all parts of the
structure of differentiated bodies: meteorites even exist that come from the core-mantle boundary
(pallasites). The combination of geochemistry and observational astronomy has also made it
possible to trace the HED meteorites back to a specific asteroid in the main belt, 4 Vesta.
The comparatively few known Martian meteorites have provided insight into the geochemical
composition of the Martian crust, although the unavoidable lack of information about their points of
origin on the diverse Martian surface has meant that they do not provide more detailed constraints
on theories of the evolution of the Martian lithosphere.[5] As of July 24, 2013 65 samples of Martian
meteorites have been discovered on Earth. Many were found in either Antarctica or the Sahara
Desert.
During the Apollo era, in the Apollo program, 384 kilograms of lunar samples were collected and
transported to the Earth, and 3 Soviet Luna robots also delivered regolith samples from the Moon.
These samples provide the most comprehensive record of the composition of any Solar System
body beside the Earth. The numbers of lunar meteorites are growing quickly in the last few years –
[6]
as of April 2008 there are 54 meteorites that have been officially classified as lunar. Eleven of
these are from the US Antarctic meteorite collection, 6 are from the Japanese Antarctic meteorite
collection, and the other 37 are from hot desert localities in Africa, Australia, and the Middle East.
The total mass of recognized lunar meteorites is close to 50 kg.
Geophysics
Geophysics and Space physics
Space probes made it possible to collect data in not only the visible light region, but in other areas of
the electromagnetic spectrum. The planets can be characterized by their force fields: gravity and
their magnetic fields, which are studied through geophysics and space physics.
Measuring the changes in acceleration experienced by spacecraft as they orbit has allowed fine
details of the gravity fields of the planets to be mapped. For example, in the 1970s, the gravity field
disturbances above lunar maria were measured through lunar orbiters, which led to the discovery of
concentrations of mass, mascons, beneath the Imbrium, Serenitatis, Crisium, Nectaris and
Humorum basins.
If a planet's magnetic field is sufficiently strong, its interaction with the solar wind forms
a magnetospherearound a planet. Early space probes discovered the gross dimensions of the
terrestrial magnetic field, which extends about 10 Earth radii towards the Sun. The solar wind, a
stream of charged particles, streams out and around the terrestrial magnetic field, and continues
behind the magnetic tail, hundreds of Earth radii downstream. Inside the magnetosphere, there are
relatively dense regions of solar wind particles, the Van Allen radiation belts.
Geophysics includes seismology and tectonophysics, geophysical fluid dynamics, mineral
physics, geodynamics, mathematical geophysics, and geophysical surveying.
Planetary geodesy, (also known as planetary geodetics) deals with the measurement and
representation of the planets of the Solar System, their gravitational fields and geodynamic
phenomena (polar motion in three-dimensional, time-varying space. The science of geodesy has
elements of both astrophysics and planetary sciences. The shape of the Earth is to a large extent
the result of its rotation, which causes its equatorial bulge, and the competition of geologic
processes such as the collision of plates and of vulcanism, resisted by the Earth's gravity field.
These principles can be applied to the solid surface of Earth (orogeny; Few mountains are higher
than 10 km (6 mi), few deep sea trenches deeper than that because quite simply, a mountain as tall
as, for example, 15 km (9 mi), would develop so much pressure at its base, due to gravity, that the
rock there would become plastic, and the mountain would slump back to a height of roughly 10 km
(6 mi) in a geologically insignificant time. Some or all of these geologic principles can be applied to
other planets besides Earth. For instance on Mars, whose surface gravity is much less, the largest
volcano, Olympus Mons, is 27 km (17 mi) high at its peak, a height that could not be maintained on
Earth. The Earth geoid is essentially the figure of the Earth abstracted from its topographic features.
Therefore, the Mars geoid is essentially the figure of Mars abstracted from its topographic
features. Surveying and mapping are two important fields of application of geodesy.
Atmospheric science
Atmospheric science and Global climate model
The atmosphere is an important transitional zone between the solid planetary surface and the higher
rarefied ionizing and radiation belts. Not all planets have atmospheres: their existence depends on
the mass of the planet, and the planet's distance from the Sun — too distant and frozen
atmospheres occur. Besides the four gas giant planets, almost all of the terrestrial
planets (Earth, Venus, and Mars) have significant atmospheres. Two moons have significant
atmospheres: Saturn's moon Titan and Neptune's moon Triton. A tenuous atmosphere exists
around Mercury.
The effects of the rotation rate of a planet about its axis can be seen in atmospheric streams and
currents. Seen from space, these features show as bands and eddies in the cloud system, and are
particularly visible on Jupiter and Saturn.
Comparative planetary science
Comparative planetary science
Planetary science frequently makes use of the method of comparison to give a greater
understanding of the object of study. This can involve comparing the dense atmospheres of Earth
and Saturn's moon Titan, the evolution of outer Solar System objects at different distances from the
Sun, or the geomorphology of the surfaces of the terrestrial planets, to give only a few examples.
The main comparison that can be made is to features on the Earth, as it is much more accessible
and allows a much greater range of measurements to be made. Earth analogue studies are
particularly common in planetary geology, geomorphology, and also in atmospheric science.
Computational Astrophysics
Computational astrophysics refers to the methods and computing tools developed and used
in astrophysics research. Like computational chemistry or computational physics, it is both a specific
branch of theoretical astrophysics and an interdisciplinary field relying on computer
science, mathematics, and wider physics. Computational astrophysics is most often studied through
an applied mathematics or astrophysics programme at PhD level.
Research
Many astrophysicists use computers in their work, and a growing number of astrophysics
departments now have research groups specially devoted to computational astrophysics. Important
research initiatives include the US Department of Energy (DoE) SciDAC collaboration for
astrophysics[1] and the now defunct European AstroSim collaboration. [2] A notable active project is the
international Virgo Consortium, which focuses on cosmology.
In August 2015 during the general assembly of the International Astronomical Union a
new commission C.B1 on Computational Astrophysics was inaugurated, therewith recognizing the
importance of astronomical discovery by computing.
Important techniques of computational astrophysics include particle-in-cell (PIC) and the closely
related particle-mesh (PM), N-body simulations, Monte Carlo methods, as well as grid-
free(with smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) being an important example) and grid-
based methods for fluids. In addition, methods from numerical analysis for
solving ODEs and PDEs are also used.
Simulation of astrophysical flows is of particular importance as many objects and processes of
astronomical interest such as stars and nebulae involve gases. Fluid computer models are often
coupled with radiative transfer, (Newtonian) gravity, nuclear physics and (general) relativity to study
highly energetic phenomena such as supernovae, relativistic jets, active galaxies and gamma-ray
bursts[3] and are also used to model stellar structure, planetary formation, evolution of stars and of
galaxies, and exotic objects such as neutron stars, pulsars, magnetars and black holes.[4] Computer
simulations are often the only means to study stellar collisions, galaxy mergers, as well
as galactic and black hole interactions.[5][6]
In recent years the field has made increasing use of parallel and high performance computers.[7]
Tools
Computational astrophysics as a field makes extensive use of software and hardware technologies.
These systems are often highly specialized and made by dedicated professionals, and so generally
find limited popularity in the wider (computational) physics community.
Hardware
Like other similar fields, computational astrophysics makes extensive use of supercomputers
and computer clusters . Even on the scale of a normal desktop it is possible to accelerate the
hardware. Perhaps the most notable such computer architecture built specially for astrophysics is
the GRAPE (gravity pipe) in Japan.
As of 2010, the biggest N-body simulations, such as DEGIMA, do general-purpose computing on
graphics processing units.[8]
Software
Many codes and software packages, exist along with various researchers and consortia maintaining
them. Most codes tend to be n-body packages or fluid solvers of some sort. Examples of n-body
codes include ChaNGa, MODEST,[9] nbodylab.org[10] and Starlab [11].
For hydrodynamics there is usually a coupling between codes, as the motion of the fluids usually has
some other effect (such as gravity, or radiation) in astrophysical situations. For example, for SPH/N-
body there is GADGET and SWIFT[12]; for grid-based/N-body RAMSES,[13] ENZO,[14] FLASH,[15] and
ART.[16]
AMUSE [3],[17] takes a different approach (called Noah's Arc [18]) than the other packages by providing
an interface structure to a large number of publicly available astronomical codes for addressing
stellar dynamics, stellar evolution, hydrodynamics and radiative transport.
Astrophysics.
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that employs the principles of physics and chemistry "to
ascertain the nature of the astronomical objects, rather than their positions or motions in space".[1]
[2]
Among the objects studied are the Sun, other stars, galaxies, extrasolar planets, the interstellar
medium and the cosmic microwave background.[3][4] Emissions from these objects are examined
across all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the properties examined
include luminosity, density, temperature, and chemical composition. Because astrophysics is a very
broad subject, astrophysicists apply concepts and methods from many disciplines of physics,
including mechanics, electromagnetism, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, quantum
mechanics, relativity, nuclear and particle physics, and atomic and molecular physics.
In practice, modern astronomical research often involves a substantial amount of work in the realms
of theoretical and observational physics. Some areas of study for astrophysicists include their
attempts to determine the properties of dark matter, dark energy, and black holes; whether or
not time travel is possible, wormholes can form, or the multiverse exists; and the origin and ultimate
fate of the universe.[3] Topics also studied by theoretical astrophysicists include Solar System
formation and evolution; stellar dynamics and evolution; galaxy formation and
evolution; magnetohydrodynamics; large-scale structure of matter in the universe; origin of cosmic
rays; general relativity and physical cosmology, including string cosmology and astroparticle physics.
Early 20th-century comparison of elemental, solar, and stellar spectra
Astronomy is an ancient science, long separated from the study of terrestrial physics. In
the Aristotelian worldview, bodies in the sky appeared to be unchanging spheres whose only motion
was uniform motion in a circle, while the earthly world was the realm which underwent growth and
decay and in which natural motion was in a straight line and ended when the moving object reached
its goal. Consequently, it was held that the celestial region was made of a fundamentally different
kind of matter from that found in the terrestrial sphere; either Fire as maintained by Plato,
or Aether as maintained by Aristotle.[5][6] During the 17th century, natural philosophers such
as Galileo,[7] Descartes,[8] and Newton[9] began to maintain that the celestial and terrestrial regions
were made of similar kinds of material and were subject to the same natural laws.[10] Their challenge
was that the tools had not yet been invented with which to prove these assertions. [11]
For much of the nineteenth century, astronomical research was focused on the routine work of
measuring the positions and computing the motions of astronomical objects. [12][13] A new astronomy,
soon to be called astrophysics, began to emerge when William Hyde Wollaston and Joseph von
Fraunhoferindependently discovered that, when decomposing the light from the Sun, a multitude
of dark lines (regions where there was less or no light) were observed in the spectrum.[14] By 1860
the physicist, Gustav Kirchhoff, and the chemist, Robert Bunsen, had demonstrated that the dark
lines in the solar spectrum corresponded to bright lines in the spectra of known gases, specific lines
corresponding to unique chemical elements.[15] Kirchhoff deduced that the dark lines in the solar
spectrum are caused by absorption by chemical elements in the Solar atmosphere.[16] In this way it
was proved that the chemical elements found in the Sun and stars were also found on Earth.
Among those who extended the study of solar and stellar spectra was Norman Lockyer, who in 1868
detected bright, as well as dark, lines in solar spectra. Working with the chemist, Edward Frankland,
to investigate the spectra of elements at various temperatures and pressures, he could not associate
a yellow line in the solar spectrum with any known elements. He thus claimed the line represented a
new element, which was called helium, after the Greek Helios, the Sun personified.[17][18]
In 1885, Edward C. Pickering undertook an ambitious program of stellar spectral classification
at Harvard College Observatory, in which a team of woman computers, notably Williamina
Fleming, Antonia Maury, and Annie Jump Cannon, classified the spectra recorded on photographic
plates. By 1890, a catalog of over 10,000 stars had been prepared that grouped them into thirteen
spectral types. Following Pickering's vision, by 1924 Cannon expanded the catalog to nine volumes
and over a quarter of a million stars, developing the Harvard Classification Scheme which was
accepted for worldwide use in 1922. [19]
In 1895, George Ellery Hale and James E. Keeler, along with a group of ten associate editors from
Europe and the United States,[20] established The Astrophysical Journal: An International Review of
Spectroscopy and Astronomical Physics.[21] It was intended that the journal would fill the gap between
journals in astronomy and physics, providing a venue for publication of articles on astronomical
applications of the spectroscope; on laboratory research closely allied to astronomical physics,
including wavelength determinations of metallic and gaseous spectra and experiments on radiation
and absorption; on theories of the Sun, Moon, planets, comets, meteors, and nebulae; and on
instrumentation for telescopes and laboratories. [20]
Around 1920, following the discovery of the Hertsprung-Russell diagram still used as the basis for
classifying stars and their evolution, Arthur Eddington anticipated the discovery and mechanism
of nuclear fusion processes in stars, in his paper The Internal Constitution of the Stars.[22][23] At that
time, the source of stellar energy was a complete mystery; Eddington correctly speculated that the
source was fusion of hydrogen into helium, liberating enormous energy according to Einstein's
equation E = mc2. This was a particularly remarkable development since at that time fusion and
thermonuclear energy, and even that stars are largely composed of hydrogen (see metallicity), had
not yet been discovered.
In 1925 Cecilia Helena Payne (later Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin) wrote an influential doctoral
dissertation at Radcliffe College, in which she applied ionization theory to stellar atmospheres to
relate the spectral classes to the temperature of stars. [24] Most significantly, she discovered that
hydrogen and helium were the principal components of stars. Despite Eddington's suggestion, this
discovery was so unexpected that her dissertation readers convinced her to modify the conclusion
before publication. However, later research confirmed her discovery.[25]
By the end of the 20th century, studies of astronomical spectra had expanded to cover wavelengths
extending from radio waves through optical, x-ray, and gamma wavelengths. [26] In the 21st century it
further expanded to include observations based on gravitational waves.
Observational astrophysics
Observational astronomy is a division of the astronomical science that is concerned with recording
data, in contrast with theoretical astrophysics, which is mainly concerned with finding out the
measurable implications of physical models. It is the practice of observing celestial objects by
using telescopes and other astronomical apparatus.
Supernova remnant LMC N 63A imaged in x-ray (blue), optical (green) and radio (red) wavelengths. The X-ray
glow is from material heated to about ten million degrees Celsius by a shock wave generated by the supernova
explosion.
Theoretical astrophysics
Theoretical astrophysicists use a wide variety of tools which include analytical models (for
example, polytropes to approximate the behaviors of a star) and computational numerical
simulations. Each has some advantages. Analytical models of a process are generally better for
giving insight into the heart of what is going on. Numerical models can reveal the existence of
phenomena and effects that would otherwise not be seen. [27][28]
Theorists in astrophysics endeavor to create theoretical models and figure out the observational
consequences of those models. This helps allow observers to look for data that can refute a model
or help in choosing between several alternate or conflicting models.
Theorists also try to generate or modify models to take into account new data. In the case of an
inconsistency, the general tendency is to try to make minimal modifications to the model to fit the
data. In some cases, a large amount of inconsistent data over time may lead to total abandonment
of a model.
Stream lines on this simulation of a supernovashow the flow of matter behind the shock wave giving clues as to
the origin of pulsars
Topics studied by theoretical astrophysicists include stellar dynamics and evolution; galaxy formation
and evolution; magnetohydrodynamics; large-scale structure of matter in the universe; origin of
cosmic rays; general relativity and physical cosmology, including string cosmology and astroparticle
physics. Astrophysical relativity serves as a tool to gauge the properties of large scale structures for
which gravitation plays a significant role in physical phenomena investigated and as the basis
for black hole (astro)physics and the study of gravitational waves.
Some widely accepted and studied theories and models in astrophysics, now included in
the Lambda-CDM model, are the Big Bang, cosmic inflation, dark matter, dark energy and
fundamental theories of physics. Wormholes are examples of hypotheses which are yet to be proven
(or disproven).
Popularization
The roots of astrophysics can be found in the seventeenth century emergence of a unified physics,
in which the same laws applied to the celestial and terrestrial realms. [10] There were scientists who
were qualified in both physics and astronomy who laid the firm foundation for the current science of
astrophysics. In modern times, students continue to be drawn to astrophysics due to its
popularization by the Royal Astronomical Society and notable educators such as prominent
professors Lawrence Krauss, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Stephen Hawking, Hubert
Reeves, Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Patrick Moore. The efforts of the early, late, and
present scientists continue to attract young people to study the history and science of astrophysics
Geodesy.
Geodesy (/dʒiːˈɒdɪsi/),[1][ is the earth science of accurately measuring and understanding the Earth's
geometric shape, orientation in space, and gravitational field.[2] The field also incorporates studies of
how these properties change over time and equivalent measurements for other planets (known
as planetary geodesy). Geodynamical phenomena include crustal motion, tides, and polar motion,
which can be studied by designing global and national control networks, applying space and
terrestrial techniques, and relying on datums and coordinate systems.
Geodesy
Definition
The word "geodesy" comes from the Ancient Greek word γεωδαισία geodaisia (literally, "division of
the Earth").
It is primarily concerned with positioning within the temporally varying gravity field. Geodesy in
the German-speaking world is divided into "higher geodesy" ("Erdmessung" or "höhere Geodäsie"),
which is concerned with measuring the Earth on the global scale, and "practical geodesy" or
"engineering geodesy" ("Ingenieurgeodäsie"), which is concerned with measuring specific parts or
regions of the Earth, and which includes surveying. Such geodetic operations are also applied to
other astronomical bodies in the solar system. It is also the science of measuring and understanding
the earth's geometric shape, orientation in space, and gravity field.
To a large extent, the shape of the Earth is the result of its rotation, which causes its equatorial
bulge, and the competition of geological processes such as the collision of plates and of volcanism,
resisted by the Earth's gravity field. This applies to the solid surface, the liquid surface (dynamic sea
surface topography) and the Earth's atmosphere. For this reason, the study of the Earth's gravity
field is called physical geodesy.
History of geodesy
The geoid is essentially the figure of the Earth abstracted from its topographical features. It is an
idealized equilibrium surface of sea water, the mean sea level surface in the absence
of currents and air pressure variations, and continued under the continental masses. The geoid,
unlike the reference ellipsoid, is irregular and too complicated to serve as the computational surface
on which to solve geometrical problems like point positioning. The geometrical separation between
the geoid and the reference ellipsoid is called the geoidal undulation. It varies globally between
±110 m, when referred to the GRS 80 ellipsoid.
A reference ellipsoid, customarily chosen to be the same size (volume) as the geoid, is described by
its semi-major axis (equatorial radius) a and flattening f. The quantity f = a − b/a , where b is the semi-
minor axis (polar radius), is a purely geometrical one. The mechanical ellipticity of the Earth
(dynamical flattening, symbol J2) can be determined to high precision by observation of satellite orbit
perturbations. Its relationship with the geometrical flattening is indirect. The relationship depends on
the internal density distribution, or, in simplest terms, the degree of central concentration of mass.
The 1980 Geodetic Reference System (GRS 80) posited a 6,378,137 m semi-major axis and a
1:298.257 flattening. This system was adopted at the XVII General Assembly of the International
Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG). It is essentially the basis for geodetic positioning by
the Global Positioning System (GPS) and is thus also in widespread use outside the geodetic
community. The numerous systems that countries have used to create maps and charts are
becoming obsolete as countries increasingly move to global, geocentric reference systems using the
GRS 80 reference ellipsoid.
The geoid is "realizable", meaning it can be consistently located on the Earth by suitable simple
measurements from physical objects like a tide gauge. The geoid can therefore be considered a real
surface. The reference ellipsoid, however, has many possible instantiations and is not readily
realizable, therefore it is an abstract surface. The third primary surface of geodetic interest—the
topographic surface of the Earth—is a realizable surface.
Coordinate systems in space
Geodetic system
1. Inertial reference systems, where the coordinate axes retain their orientation relative to
the fixed stars, or equivalently, to the rotation axes of ideal gyroscopes; the X-axis points to
the vernal equinox
2. Co-rotating, also ECEF ("Earth Centred, Earth Fixed"), where the axes are attached to the
solid body of the Earth. The X-axis lies within the Greenwich observatory's meridian plane.
The coordinate transformation between these two systems is described to good approximation by
(apparent) sidereal time, which takes into account variations in the Earth's axial rotation (length-of-
day variations). A more accurate description also takes polar motion into account, a phenomenon
closely monitored by geodesists.
Heights
In geodesy, point or terrain heights are "above sea level", an irregular, physically defined
surface. Therefore, a height should ideally not be referred to as a coordinate. It is more like
a physical quantity, and though it can be tempting to treat height as the vertical coordinate z,
in addition to the horizontal coordinates x and y, and though this actually is a good
approximation of physical reality in small areas, it quickly becomes invalid for regional
considerations.[specify]
Heights come in the following variants:
1. Orthometric heights
2. Normal heights
3. Geopotential heights
Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Both orthometric and normal heights are
heights in metres above sea level, whereas geopotential numbers are measures of potential
energy (unit: m2 s−2) and not metric. Orthometric and normal heights differ in the precise way
in which mean sea level is conceptually continued under the continental masses. The
reference surface for orthometric heights is the geoid, an equipotential surface
approximating mean sea level.
None of these heights is in any way related to geodetic or ellipsoidial heights, which
express the height of a point above the reference ellipsoid. Satellite positioning receivers
typically provide ellipsoidal heights, unless they are fitted with special conversion software
based on a model of the geoid.
Geodetic data
Because geodetic point coordinates (and heights) are always obtained in a system that has
been constructed itself using real observations, geodesists introduce the concept of a
"geodetic datum": a physical realization of a coordinate system used for describing point
locations. The realization is the result of choosing conventional coordinate values for one or
more datum points.
In the case of height data, it suffices to choose one datum point: the reference benchmark,
typically a tide gauge at the shore. Thus we have vertical data like the NAP (Normaal
Amsterdams Peil), the North American Vertical Datum 1988 (NAVD 88), the Kronstadt
datum, the Trieste datum, and so on.
In case of plane or spatial coordinates, we typically need several datum points. A regional,
ellipsoidal datum like ED 50 can be fixed by prescribing the undulation of the geoid and the
deflection of the vertical in one datum point, in this case the Helmert Tower in Potsdam.
However, an overdetermined ensemble of datum points can also be used.
Changing the coordinates of a point set referring to one datum, so to make them refer to
another datum, is called a datum transformation. In the case of vertical data, this consists of
simply adding a constant shift to all height values. In the case of plane or spatial
coordinates, datum transformation takes the form of a similarity or Helmert transformation,
consisting of a rotation and scaling operation in addition to a simple translation. In the plane,
a Helmert transformation has four parameters; in space, seven.
A note on terminology
In the abstract, a coordinate system as used in mathematics and geodesy is called a
"coordinate system" in ISO terminology, whereas the International Earth Rotation and
Reference Systems Service (IERS) uses the term "reference system". When these
coordinates are realized by choosing datum points and fixing a geodetic datum, ISO says
"coordinate reference system", while IERS says "reference frame". The ISO term for a
datum transformation again is a "coordinate transformation". [3]
Point positioning
Point positioning is the determination of the coordinates of a point on land, at sea, or in
space with respect to a coordinate system. Point position is solved by computation from
measurements linking the known positions of terrestrial or extraterrestrial points with the
unknown terrestrial position. This may involve transformations between or among
astronomical and terrestrial coordinate systems. The known points used for point positioning
can be triangulation points of a higher-order network or GPSsatellites.
Traditionally, a hierarchy of networks has been built to allow point positioning within a
country. Highest in the hierarchy were triangulation networks. These were densified into
networks of traverses(polygons), into which local mapping surveying measurements, usually
with measuring tape, corner prism, and the familiar[where?] red and white poles, are tied.
Geodetic Control Mark (example of a deep benchmark)
Geodetic problems
Geodesics on an ellipsoid
In geometric geodesy, two standard problems exist—the first (direct or forward) and the
second (inverse or reverse).
First (direct or forward) geodetic problem
Given a point (in terms of its coordinates) and the direction (azimuth) and distance from that
point to a second point, determine (the coordinates of) that second point.
Second (inverse or reverse) geodetic problem
Given two points, determine the azimuth and length of the line (straight line, arc or geodesic)
that connects them.
In plane geometry (valid for small areas on the Earth's surface), the solutions to
both problems reduce to simple trigonometry. On a sphere, however, the solution is
significantly more complex, because in the inverse problem the azimuths will differ
between the two end points of the connecting great circle, arc.
On the ellipsoid of revolution, geodesics may be written in terms of elliptic integrals,
which are usually evaluated in terms of a series expansion—see, for
example, Vincenty's formulae. In the general case, the solution is called
the geodesic for the surface considered. The differential equationsfor
the geodesic can be solved numerically.
Geodetic measurements
Satellite geodesy, Geodetic astronomy, Surveying, Gravimetry, and Levelling
The level is used for determining height differences and height reference systems,
commonly referred to mean sea level. The traditional spirit level produces these
practically most useful heights above sea level directly; the more economical use of
GPS instruments for height determination requires precise knowledge of the figure
of the geoid, as GPS only gives heights above the GRS80 reference ellipsoid. As
geoid knowledge accumulates, one may expect use of GPS heighting to spread.
The theodolite is used to measure horizontal and vertical angles to target points.
These angles are referred to the local vertical. The tacheometer additionally
determines, electronically or electro-optically, the distance to target, and is highly
automated to even robotic in its operations. The method of free station position is
widely used.
For local detail surveys, tacheometers are commonly employed although the old-
fashioned rectangular technique using angle prism and steel tape is still an
inexpensive alternative. Real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS techniques are used as
well. Data collected are tagged and recorded digitally for entry into a Geographic
Information System (GIS) database.
A NASA project manager talks about his work for the Space Geodesy Project, including an
overview of its four fundamental techniques: GPS, VLBI, SLR, and DORIS.
Temporal change
In geodesy, temporal change can be studied by a variety of techniques. Points on
the Earth's surface change their location due to a variety of mechanisms:
Notable geodesists
Mathematical geodesists before 1900
Pythagoras 580–490 BC, ancient Greece[4]
Eratosthenes 276–194 BC, ancient Greece
Hipparchus c. 190–120 BC, ancient Greece
Posidonius c. 135–51 BC, ancient Greece
Claudius Ptolemy c. AD 83–168, Roman Empire (Roman Egypt)
Al-Ma'mun 786–833, Baghdad (Iraq/Mesopotamia)
Abu Rayhan Biruni 973–1048, Khorasan (Iran/Samanid Dynasty)
Muhammad al-Idrisi 1100–1166, (Arabia & Sicily)
Regiomontanus 1436–1476, (Germany/Austria)
Abel Foullon 1513–1563 or 1565, (France)
Pedro Nunes 1502–1578 (Portugal)
Gerhard Mercator 1512–1594 (Belgium & Germany)
Snellius (Willebrord Snel van Royen) 1580–1626, Leiden(Netherlands)
Christiaan Huygens 1629–1695 (Netherlands)
Pierre Bouguer 1698–1758, (France & Peru)
Pierre de Maupertuis 1698–1759 (France)
Alexis Clairaut 1713–1765 (France)
Johann Heinrich Lambert 1728–1777 (France)
Roger Joseph Boscovich 1711–1787, (Rome/ Berlin/ Paris)
Ino Tadataka 1745–1818, (Tokyo)
Georg von Reichenbach 1771–1826, Bavaria (Germany)
Pierre-Simon Laplace 1749–1827, Paris (France)
Adrien Marie Legendre 1752–1833, Paris (France)
Johann Georg von Soldner 1776–1833, Munich (Germany)
George Everest 1790–1866 (England and India)
Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel 1784–1846, Königsberg (Germany)
Heinrich Christian Schumacher 1780–1850 (Germany & Estonia)
Carl Friedrich Gauss 1777–1855, Göttingen (Germany)
Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve 1793–1864, Dorpat and Pulkovo(Russian
Empire)
J. H. Pratt 1809–1871, London (England)
Friedrich H. C. Paschen 1804–1873, Schwerin (Germany)
Johann Benedikt Listing 1808–1882 (Germany)
Johann Jacob Baeyer 1794–1885, Berlin (Germany)
Sir George Biddell Airy 1801–1892, Cambridge & London
Karl Maximilian von Bauernfeind 1818–1894, Munich (Germany)
Wilhelm Jordan 1842–1899, (Germany)
Hervé Faye 1814–1902 (France)
George Gabriel Stokes 1819–1903 (England)
Carlos Ibáñez e Ibáñez de Ibero 1825–1891, Barcelona (Spain)
Henri Poincaré 1854–1912, Paris (France)
Alexander Ross Clarke 1828–1914, London (England)
Charles Sanders Peirce 1839–1914 (United States)
Friedrich Robert Helmert 1843–1917, Potsdam (Germany)
Heinrich Bruns 1848–1919, Berlin (Germany)
Loránd Eötvös 1848–1919 (Hungary)
20th century geodesists
John Fillmore Hayford, 1868–1925, (US)
Feodosy Nikolaevich Krasovsky, 1878–1948, (Russian Empire, USSR)
Alfred Wegener, 1880–1930, (Germany and Greenland)
William Bowie, 1872–1940, (US)
Friedrich Hopfner, 1881–1949, Vienna, (Austria)
Tadeusz Banachiewicz, 1882–1954, (Poland)
Felix Andries Vening-Meinesz, 1887–1966, (Netherlands)
Martin Hotine, 1898–1968, (England)
Yrjö Väisälä, 1889–1971, (Finland)
Veikko Aleksanteri Heiskanen, 1895–1971, (Finland and US)
Karl Ramsayer, 1911–1982, Stuttgart, (Germany)
Buckminster Fuller, 1895–1983 (United States)
Harold Jeffreys, 1891–1989, London, (England)
Reino Antero Hirvonen, 1908–1989, (Finland)
Mikhail Sergeevich Molodenskii, 1909–1991, (Russia)
Maria Ivanovna Yurkina, 1923-2010, (Russia)
Guy Bomford, 1899-1996, (India?)[5]
Antonio Marussi, 1908-1984, (Italy)
Hellmut Schmid, 1914–1998, (Switzerland)
William M. Kaula, 1926–2000, Los Angeles, (US)
John A. O'Keefe, 1916–2000, (US)
Thaddeus Vincenty, 1920–2002, (Poland)
Willem Baarda, 1917–2005, (Netherlands)
Irene Kaminka Fischer, 1907–2009, (US)
Arne Bjerhammar, 1917–2011, (Sweden)
Karl-Rudolf Koch 1935, Bonn, (Germany)
Helmut Moritz, 1933, Graz, (Austria)
Petr Vaníček, 1935, Fredericton, (Canada)
Erik Grafarend, 1939, Stuttgart, (Germany)
Hans-Georg Wenzel (1949-1999), (Germany)
Ariny Amos or Kipsang Arap Tarus(Astronomer)
ASTRONOMY OF NEPTUNE.
Urbain Le Verrier
In 1845–46, Urbain Le Verrier, independently of Adams, developed his own calculations but aroused
no enthusiasm in his compatriots. In June 1846, upon seeing Le Verrier's first published estimate of
the planet's longitude and its similarity to Adams's estimate, Airy persuaded Challis to search for the
planet. Challis vainly scoured the sky throughout August and September. [26][29]
Meanwhile, Le Verrier by letter urged Berlin Observatory astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle to
search with the observatory's refractor. Heinrich d'Arrest, a student at the observatory, suggested to
Galle that they could compare a recently drawn chart of the sky in the region of Le Verrier's
predicted location with the current sky to seek the displacement characteristic of a planet, as
opposed to a fixed star. On the evening of 23 September 1846, the day Galle received the letter, he
discovered Neptune within 1° of where Le Verrier had predicted it to be, about 12° from Adams'
prediction. Challis later realised that he had observed the planet twice, on 4 and 12 August, but did
not recognise it as a planet because he lacked an up-to-date star map and was distracted by his
concurrent work on comet observations.[26][30]
In the wake of the discovery, there was much nationalistic rivalry between the French and the British
over who deserved credit for the discovery. Eventually, an international consensus emerged that
both Le Verrier and Adams jointly deserved credit. Since 1966, Dennis Rawlins has questioned the
credibility of Adams's claim to co-discovery, and the issue was re-evaluated by historians with the
return in 1998 of the "Neptune papers" (historical documents) to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.
[31]
After reviewing the documents, they suggest that "Adams does not deserve equal credit with Le
Verrier for the discovery of Neptune. That credit belongs only to the person who succeeded both in
predicting the planet's place and in convincing astronomers to search for it." [32]
Naming
Shortly after its discovery, Neptune was referred to simply as "the planet exterior to Uranus" or as
"Le Verrier's planet". The first suggestion for a name came from Galle, who proposed the
name Janus. In England, Challis put forward the name Oceanus.[33]
Claiming the right to name his discovery, Le Verrier quickly proposed the name Neptune for this new
planet, though falsely stating that this had been officially approved by the French Bureau des
Longitudes.[34] In October, he sought to name the planet Le Verrier, after himself, and he had loyal
support in this from the observatory director, François Arago. This suggestion met with stiff
resistance outside France.[35] French almanacs quickly reintroduced the name Herschel for Uranus,
after that planet's discoverer Sir William Herschel, and Leverrier for the new planet.[36]
Struve came out in favour of the name Neptune on 29 December 1846, to the Saint Petersburg
Academy of Sciences.[37]Soon, Neptune became the internationally accepted name. In Roman
mythology, Neptune was the god of the sea, identified with the Greek Poseidon. The demand for a
mythological name seemed to be in keeping with the nomenclature of the other planets, all of which,
except for Earth, were named for deities in Greek and Roman mythology.[38]
Most languages today use some variant of the name "Neptune" for the planet; indeed in Chinese,
Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean, the planet's name was translated as "sea king star" (海王星).[39]
[40]
In Mongolian, Neptune is called Dalain Van(Далайн ван), reflecting its namesake god's role as
the ruler of the sea. In modern Greek the planet is called Poseidon(Ποσειδώνας, Poseidonas), the
Greek counterpart of Neptune. [41] In Hebrew, "Rahab" ()רהב, from a Biblical sea monstermentioned in
the Book of Psalms, was selected in a vote managed by the Academy of the Hebrew Language in
2009 as the official name for the planet, even though the existing Latin term "Neptun" ( )נפטוןis
commonly used.[42][43] In Māori, the planet is called Tangaroa, named after the Māori god of the sea.
[44]
In Nahuatl, the planet is called Tlāloccītlalli, named after the rain god Tlāloc.[44] In Thai, Neptune is
referred both by its Westernised name Dao Nepjun (ดาวเนปจูน), and is also named Dao Ketu(ดาวเกตุ,
"Star of Ketu"), after the descending lunar node Ketu (केतु) who plays a role in Hindu astrology.
Status
From its discovery in 1846 until the discovery of Pluto in 1930, Neptune was the farthest known
planet. When Pluto was discovered, it was considered a planet, and Neptune thus became the
second-farthest known planet, except for a 20-year period between 1979 and 1999 when Pluto's
elliptical orbit brought it closer than Neptune to the Sun. [45] The discovery of the Kuiper belt in 1992
led many astronomers to debate whether Pluto should be considered a planet or as part of the
Kuiper belt.[46][47] In 2006, the International Astronomical Union defined the word "planet" for the first
time, reclassifying Pluto as a "dwarf planet" and making Neptune once again the outermost known
planet in the Solar System.[48]
Physical characteristics
Neptune's mass of 1.0243×1026 kg[4] is intermediate between Earth and the larger gas giants: it is 17
times that of Earth but just 1/19th that of Jupiter.[d] Its gravity at 1 bar is 11.15 m/s2, 1.14 times
the surface gravity of Earth,[49] and surpassed only by Jupiter.[50] Neptune's equatorial radius of
24,764 km[7] is nearly four times that of Earth. Neptune, like Uranus, is an ice giant, a subclass
of giant planet, because they are smaller and have higher concentrations of volatiles than Jupiter
and Saturn.[51] In the search for extrasolar planets, Neptune has been used as a metonym:
discovered bodies of similar mass are often referred to as "Neptunes", [52] just as scientists refer to
various extrasolar bodies as "Jupiters".
Internal structure
See also: Extraterrestrial diamonds
Neptune's internal structure resembles that of Uranus. Its atmosphere forms about 5% to 10% of its
mass and extends perhaps 10% to 20% of the way towards the core, where it reaches pressures of
about 10 GPa, or about 100,000 times that of Earth's atmosphere. Increasing concentrations
of methane, ammonia and water are found in the lower regions of the atmosphere. [19]
The mantle is equivalent to 10 to 15 Earth masses and is rich in water, ammonia and methane. [1] As
is customary in planetary science, this mixture is referred to as icyeven though it is a hot, dense
fluid. This fluid, which has a high electrical conductivity, is sometimes called a water–ammonia
ocean.[53] The mantle may consist of a layer of ionic water in which the water molecules break down
into a soup of hydrogen and oxygen ions, and deeper down superionic water in which the oxygen
crystallises but the hydrogen ions float around freely within the oxygen lattice.[54] At a depth of
7,000 km, the conditions may be such that methane decomposes into diamond crystals that rain
downwards like hailstones.[55][56][57] Very-high-pressure experiments at the Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory suggest that the top of the mantle may be an ocean of liquid carbon with floating
solid 'diamonds'.[58][59][60]
The core of Neptune is likely composed of iron, nickel and silicates, with an interior model giving a
mass about 1.2 times that of Earth.[61] The pressure at the centre is 7 Mbar (700 GPa), about twice as
high as that at the centre of Earth, and the temperature may be 5,400 K.[19][20]
Atmosphere
Combined colour and near-infraredimage of Neptune, showing bands of methane in its atmosphere, and four of
its moons, Proteus, Larissa, Galatea, and Despina
Models suggest that Neptune's troposphere is banded by clouds of varying compositions depending
on altitude. The upper-level clouds lie at pressures below one bar, where the temperature is suitable
for methane to condense. For pressures between one and five bars (100 and 500 kPa), clouds of
ammonia and hydrogen sulfide are thought to form. Above a pressure of five bars, the clouds may
consist of ammonia, ammonium sulfide, hydrogen sulfide and water. Deeper clouds of water ice
should be found at pressures of about 50 bars (5.0 MPa), where the temperature reaches 273 K
(0 °C). Underneath, clouds of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide may be found. [63]
High-altitude clouds on Neptune have been observed casting shadows on the opaque cloud deck
below. There are also high-altitude cloud bands that wrap around the planet at constant latitude.
These circumferential bands have widths of 50–150 km and lie about 50–110 km above the cloud
deck.[64] These altitudes are in the layer where weather occurs, the troposphere. Weather does not
occur in the higher stratosphere or thermosphere. Unlike Uranus, Neptune's composition has a
higher volume of ocean, whereas Uranus has a smaller mantle. [65]
Neptune's spectra suggest that its lower stratosphere is hazy due to condensation of products of
ultraviolet photolysis of methane, such as ethane and ethyne.[16][19] The stratosphere is also home to
trace amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.[16][66] The stratosphere of Neptune is
warmer than that of Uranus due to the elevated concentration of hydrocarbons. [16]
For reasons that remain obscure, the planet's thermosphere is at an anomalously high temperature
of about 750 K.[67][68] The planet is too far from the Sun for this heat to be generated
by ultraviolet radiation. One candidate for a heating mechanism is atmospheric interaction with ions
in the planet's magnetic field. Other candidates are gravity waves from the interior that dissipate in
the atmosphere. The thermosphere contains traces of carbon dioxide and water, which may have
been deposited from external sources such as meteorites and dust.[63][66]
Magnetosphere
Neptune resembles Uranus in its magnetosphere, with a magnetic field strongly tilted relative to
its rotational axis at 47° and offset at least 0.55 radii, or about 13,500 km from the planet's physical
centre. Before Voyager 2's arrival at Neptune, it was hypothesised that Uranus's tilted
magnetosphere was the result of its sideways rotation. In comparing the magnetic fields of the two
planets, scientists now think the extreme orientation may be characteristic of flows in the planets'
interiors. This field may be generated by convective fluid motions in a thin spherical shell
of electrically conducting liquids (probably a combination of ammonia, methane and water)
[63]
resulting in a dynamo action.[69]
The dipole component of the magnetic field at the magnetic equator of Neptune is about
14 microteslas (0.14 G).[70] The dipole magnetic moment of Neptune is about
2.2 × 1017 T·m3 (14 μT·RN3, where RN is the radius of Neptune). Neptune's magnetic field has a
complex geometry that includes relatively large contributions from non-dipolar components, including
a strong quadrupole moment that may exceed the dipole moment in strength. By contrast, Earth,
Jupiter and Saturn have only relatively small quadrupole moments, and their fields are less tilted
from the polar axis. The large quadrupole moment of Neptune may be the result of offset from the
planet's centre and geometrical constraints of the field's dynamo generator. [71][72]
Neptune's bow shock, where the magnetosphere begins to slow the solar wind, occurs at a distance
of 34.9 times the radius of the planet. The magnetopause, where the pressure of the magnetosphere
counterbalances the solar wind, lies at a distance of 23–26.5 times the radius of Neptune. The tail of
the magnetosphere extends out to at least 72 times the radius of Neptune, and likely much farther. [71]
Climate
The Great Dark Spot (top), Scooter (middle white cloud),[73] and the Small Dark Spot (bottom), with contrast
exaggerated.
Neptune's weather is characterised by extremely dynamic storm systems, with winds reaching
speeds of almost 600 m/s (2,200 km/h; 1,300 mph)—nearly reaching supersonic flow.[18] More
typically, by tracking the motion of persistent clouds, wind speeds have been shown to vary from
20 m/s in the easterly direction to 325 m/s westward.[74] At the cloud tops, the prevailing winds range
in speed from 400 m/s along the equator to 250 m/s at the poles.[63] Most of the winds on Neptune
move in a direction opposite the planet's rotation. [75] The general pattern of winds showed prograde
rotation at high latitudes vs. retrograde rotation at lower latitudes. The difference in flow direction is
thought to be a "skin effect" and not due to any deeper atmospheric processes. [16] At 70° S latitude, a
high-speed jet travels at a speed of 300 m/s.[16]
Neptune differs from Uranus in its typical level of meteorological activity. Voyager 2observed
weather phenomena on Neptune during its 1989 flyby, [76] but no comparable phenomena on Uranus
during its 1986 fly-by.
Northern Great Dark Spot is evidence of a huge storm brewing. [77]
The abundance of methane, ethane and acetylene at Neptune's equator is 10–100 times greater
than at the poles. This is interpreted as evidence for upwelling at the equator and subsidence near
the poles because photochemistry cannot account for the distribution without meridional circulation.
[16]
In 2007, it was discovered that the upper troposphere of Neptune's south pole was about 10 K
warmer than the rest of its atmosphere, which averages approximately 73 K (−200 °C). The
temperature differential is enough to let methane, which elsewhere is frozen in the troposphere,
escape into the stratosphere near the pole.[78]The relative "hot spot" is due to Neptune's axial tilt,
which has exposed the south pole to the Sun for the last quarter of Neptune's year, or roughly 40
Earth years. As Neptune slowly moves towards the opposite side of the Sun, the south pole will be
darkened and the north pole illuminated, causing the methane release to shift to the north pole. [79]
Because of seasonal changes, the cloud bands in the southern hemisphere of Neptune have been
observed to increase in size and albedo. This trend was first seen in 1980 and is expected to last
until about 2020. The long orbital period of Neptune results in seasons lasting forty years. [80]
Storms
Neptune's dark spots are thought to occur in the troposphere at lower altitudes than the brighter
cloud features,[84] so they appear as holes in the upper cloud decks. As they are stable features that
can persist for several months, they are thought to be vortex structures.[64] Often associated with dark
spots are brighter, persistent methane clouds that form around the tropopause layer.[85] The
persistence of companion clouds shows that some former dark spots may continue to exist as
cyclones even though they are no longer visible as a dark feature. Dark spots may dissipate when
they migrate too close to the equator or possibly through some other unknown mechanism. [86]
Internal heating
Four images taken a few hours apart with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3[87]
Neptune's more varied weather when compared to Uranus is due in part to its higher internal
heating. Although Neptune lies over 50% farther from the Sun than Uranus, and receives only 40%
its amount of sunlight,[16] the two planets' surface temperatures are roughly equal. [88]The upper
regions of Neptune's troposphere reach a low temperature of 51.8 K (−221.3 °C). At a depth where
the atmospheric pressure equals 1 bar (100 kPa), the temperature is 72.00 K (−201.15 °C).
[89]
Deeper inside the layers of gas, the temperature rises steadily. As with Uranus, the source of this
heating is unknown, but the discrepancy is larger: Uranus only radiates 1.1 times as much energy as
it receives from the Sun;[90] whereas Neptune radiates about 2.61 times as much energy as it
receives from the Sun.[91] Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun, yet its internal energy is
sufficient to drive the fastest planetary winds seen in the Solar System. Depending on the thermal
properties of its interior, the heat left over from Neptune's formation may be sufficient to explain its
current heat flow, though it is more difficult to simultaneously explain Uranus's lack of internal heat
while preserving the apparent similarity between the two planets. [92]
Orbit and rotation
Neptune (red arc) completes one orbit around the Sun (centre) for every 164.79 orbits of Earth. The light blue
object represents Uranus.
The average distance between Neptune and the Sun is 4.5 billion km (about 30.1 astronomical
units (AU)), and it completes an orbit on average every 164.79 years, subject to a variability of
around ±0.1 years. The perihelion distance is 29.81 AU; the aphelion distance is 30.33 AU.[93]
On 11 July 2011, Neptune completed its first full barycentric orbit since its discovery in 1846,[94]
[95]
although it did not appear at its exact discovery position in the sky, because Earth was in a
different location in its 365.26-day orbit. Because of the motion of the Sun in relation to
the barycentre of the Solar System, on 11 July Neptune was also not at its exact discovery position
in relation to the Sun; if the more common heliocentric coordinate system is used, the discovery
longitude was reached on 12 July 2011.[8][96][97]
The elliptical orbit of Neptune is inclined 1.77° compared to that of Earth.
The axial tilt of Neptune is 28.32°, [98] which is similar to the tilts of Earth (23°) and Mars (25°). As a
result, Neptune experiences similar seasonal changes to Earth. The long orbital period of Neptune
means that the seasons last for forty Earth years.[80] Its sidereal rotation period (day) is roughly
16.11 hours.[8] Because its axial tilt is comparable to Earth's, the variation in the length of its day over
the course of its long year is not any more extreme.
Because Neptune is not a solid body, its atmosphere undergoes differential rotation. The wide
equatorial zone rotates with a period of about 18 hours, which is slower than the 16.1-hour rotation
of the planet's magnetic field. By contrast, the reverse is true for the polar regions where the rotation
period is 12 hours. This differential rotation is the most pronounced of any planet in the Solar
System,[99] and it results in strong latitudinal wind shear.[64]
Orbital resonances
Main articles: Kuiper belt, resonant trans-Neptunian object, and Neptune trojan
A diagram showing the major orbital resonances in the Kuiper belt caused by Neptune: the highlighted regions
are the 2:3 resonance (plutinos), the nonresonant "classical belt"(cubewanos), and the 1:2 resonance
(twotinos).
Neptune's orbit has a profound impact on the region directly beyond it, known as the Kuiper belt. The
Kuiper belt is a ring of small icy worlds, similar to the asteroid belt but far larger, extending from
Neptune's orbit at 30 AU out to about 55 AU from the Sun.[100] Much in the same way that Jupiter's
gravity dominates the asteroid belt, shaping its structure, so Neptune's gravity dominates the Kuiper
belt. Over the age of the Solar System, certain regions of the Kuiper belt became destabilised by
Neptune's gravity, creating gaps in the Kuiper belt's structure. The region between 40 and 42 AU is
an example.[101]
There do exist orbits within these empty regions where objects can survive for the age of the Solar
System. These resonances occur when Neptune's orbital period is a precise fraction of that of the
object, such as 1:2, or 3:4. If, say, an object orbits the Sun once for every two Neptune orbits, it will
only complete half an orbit by the time Neptune returns to its original position. The most heavily
populated resonance in the Kuiper belt, with over 200 known objects, [102] is the 2:3 resonance.
Objects in this resonance complete 2 orbits for every 3 of Neptune, and are known
as plutinosbecause the largest of the known Kuiper belt objects, Pluto, is among them.[103] Although
Pluto crosses Neptune's orbit regularly, the 2:3 resonance ensures they can never collide. [104] The
3:4, 3:5, 4:7 and 2:5 resonances are less populated. [105]
Neptune has a number of known trojan objects occupying both the Sun–
Neptune L4 and L5 Lagrangian points—gravitationally stable regions leading and trailing Neptune in its
orbit, respectively.[106] Neptune trojans can be viewed as being in a 1:1 resonance with Neptune.
Some Neptune trojans are remarkably stable in their orbits, and are likely to have formed alongside
Neptune rather than being captured. The first object identified as associated with Neptune's
trailing L5 Lagrangian point was 2008 LC18.[107] Neptune also has a temporary quasi-satellite, (309239)
2007 RW10.[108] The object has been a quasi-satellite of Neptune for about 12,500 years and it will
remain in that dynamical state for another 12,500 years.[108]
The formation of the ice giants, Neptune and Uranus, has proven difficult to model precisely. Current
models suggest that the matter density in the outer regions of the Solar System was too low to
account for the formation of such large bodies from the traditionally accepted method of
core accretion, and various hypotheses have been advanced to explain their formation. One is that
the ice giants were not formed by core accretion but from instabilities within the
original protoplanetary disc and later had their atmospheres blasted away by radiation from a nearby
massive OB star.[51]
An alternative concept is that they formed closer to the Sun, where the matter density was higher,
and then subsequently migrated to their current orbits after the removal of the gaseous
protoplanetary disc.[109] This hypothesis of migration after formation is favoured, due to its ability to
better explain the occupancy of the populations of small objects observed in the trans-Neptunian
region.[110] The current most widely accepted[111][112][113] explanation of the details of this hypothesis is
known as the Nice model, which explores the effect of a migrating Neptune and the other giant
planets on the structure of the Kuiper belt.
Moons
Main article: Moons of Neptune
For a timeline of discovery dates, see Timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their
moons.
Natural-colour view of Neptune with Proteus (top), Larissa (lower right), and Despina (left), from the Hubble
Space Telescope
Neptune has 14 known moons.[4][114] Triton is the largest Neptunian moon, comprising more than
99.5% of the mass in orbit around Neptune,[e] and it is the only one massive enough to
be spheroidal. Triton was discovered by William Lassell just 17 days after the discovery of Neptune
itself. Unlike all other large planetary moons in the Solar System, Triton has a retrograde orbit,
indicating that it was captured rather than forming in place; it was probably once a dwarf planet in
the Kuiper belt.[115] It is close enough to Neptune to be locked into a synchronous rotation, and it is
slowly spiralling inward because of tidal acceleration. It will eventually be torn apart, in about
3.6 billion years, when it reaches the Roche limit.[116] In 1989, Triton was the coldest object that had
yet been measured in the Solar System,[117] with estimated temperatures of 38 K (−235 °C).[118]
Neptune's second known satellite (by order of discovery), the irregular moon Nereid, has one of the
most eccentric orbits of any satellite in the Solar System. The eccentricity of 0.7512 gives it
an apoapsis that is seven times its periapsis distance from Neptune.[f]
Neptune's moon Proteus
A composite Hubble image showing Hippocamp with other previously discovered inner moons in Neptune's
ring system
From July to September 1989, Voyager 2 discovered six moons of Neptune. [119] Of these, the
irregularly shaped Proteus is notable for being as large as a body of its density can be without being
pulled into a spherical shape by its own gravity.[120] Although the second-most-massive Neptunian
moon, it is only 0.25% the mass of Triton. Neptune's innermost four moons—
Naiad, Thalassa, Despina and Galatea—orbit close enough to be within Neptune's rings. The next-
farthest out, Larissa, was originally discovered in 1981 when it had occulted a star. This occultation
had been attributed to ring arcs, but when Voyager 2 observed Neptune in 1989, Larissa was found
to have caused it. Five new irregular moons discovered between 2002 and 2003 were announced in
2004.[121][122] A new moon and the smallest yet, Hippocamp, was found in 2013 by combining multiple
Hubble images.[123] Because Neptune was the Roman god of the sea, Neptune's moons have been
named after lesser sea gods.[38]
Planetary rings
Main article: Rings of Neptune
Neptune's rings
Neptune has a planetary ring system, though one much less substantial than that of Saturn. The
rings may consist of ice particles coated with silicates or carbon-based material, which most likely
gives them a reddish hue.[124] The three main rings are the narrow Adams Ring, 63,000 km from the
centre of Neptune, the Le Verrier Ring, at 53,000 km, and the broader, fainter Galle Ring, at
42,000 km. A faint outward extension to the Le Verrier Ring has been named Lassell; it is bounded
at its outer edge by the Arago Ring at 57,000 km.[125]
The first of these planetary rings was detected in 1968 by a team led by Edward Guinan.[21][126] In the
early 1980s, analysis of this data along with newer observations led to the hypothesis that this ring
might be incomplete.[127] Evidence that the rings might have gaps first arose during a stellar
occultation in 1984 when the rings obscured a star on immersion but not on emersion. [128] Images
from Voyager 2 in 1989 settled the issue by showing several faint rings.
The outermost ring, Adams, contains five prominent arcs now
named Courage, Liberté, Egalité 1, Egalité 2 and Fraternité(Courage, Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity).[129] The existence of arcs was difficult to explain because the laws of motion would predict
that arcs would spread out into a uniform ring over short timescales. Astronomers now estimate that
the arcs are corralled into their current form by the gravitational effects of Galatea, a moon just
inward from the ring.[130][131]
Earth-based observations announced in 2005 appeared to show that Neptune's rings are much more
unstable than previously thought. Images taken from the W. M. Keck Observatory in 2002 and 2003
show considerable decay in the rings when compared to images by Voyager 2. In particular, it
seems that the Liberté arc might disappear in as little as one century.[132]
Observation
In 2018, the European Southern Observatory developed unique laser-based methods to get clear and high-
resolution images of Neptune from the surface of Earth.
Exploration
Main article: Exploration of Neptune
Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft that has visited Neptune. The spacecraft's closest approach to the
planet occurred on 25 August 1989. Because this was the last major planet the spacecraft could
visit, it was decided to make a close flyby of the moon Triton, regardless of the consequences to the
trajectory, similarly to what was done for Voyager 1's encounter with Saturn and its moon Titan. The
images relayed back to Earth from Voyager 2 became the basis of a 1989 PBS all-night
program, Neptune All Night.[142]
During the encounter, signals from the spacecraft required 246 minutes to reach Earth. Hence, for
the most part, Voyager 2's mission relied on preloaded commands for the Neptune encounter. The
spacecraft performed a near-encounter with the moon Nereid before it came within 4,400 km of
Neptune's atmosphere on 25 August, then passed close to the planet's largest moon Triton later the
same day.[143]
The spacecraft verified the existence of a magnetic field surrounding the planet and discovered that
the field was offset from the centre and tilted in a manner similar to the field around Uranus.
Neptune's rotation period was determined using measurements of radio emissions and Voyager
2 also showed that Neptune had a surprisingly active weather system. Six new moons were
discovered, and the planet was shown to have more than one ring. [119][143]
The flyby also provided the first accurate measurement of Neptune's mass which was found to be
0.5 percent less than previously calculated. The new figure disproved the hypothesis that an
undiscovered Planet X acted upon the orbits of Neptune and Uranus.[144][145]
After the Voyager 2 flyby mission, the next step in scientific exploration of the Neptunian system, is
considered to be a Flagship orbital mission.[146] Such a hypothetical mission is envisioned to be
possible in the late 2020s or early 2030s.[146]However, there have been discussions to launch
Neptune missions sooner. In 2003, there was a proposal in NASA's "Vision Missions Studies" for a
"Neptune Orbiter with Probes" mission that does Cassini-level science.[147] Another, more recent
proposal was for Argo, a flyby spacecraft to be launched in 2019, that would visit Jupiter, Saturn,
Neptune, and a Kuiper belt object. The focus would be on Neptune and its largest moon Triton to be
investigated around 2029.[148] The proposed New Horizons 2 mission (which was later scrapped)
might also have done a close flyby of the Neptunian system.
PROCEDURE
PROCEDURE
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION PERMIT.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; French: Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is
an international association of professional astronomers, at the PhD level and beyond, active in
professional research and education in astronomy.[2] Among other activities, it acts as the
internationally recognized authority for assigning designations and names to celestial
bodies (stars, planets, asteroids, etc.) and any surface features on them.[3]
The IAU is a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU). Its main objective is to
promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation.
The IAU maintains friendly relations with organizations that include amateur astronomers in their
membership. The IAU has its head office on the second floor of the Institut d'Astrophysique de
Paris in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.[4] Working groups include the Working Group for
Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN), which maintains the astronomical naming
conventions and planetary nomenclature for planetary bodies, and the Working Group on Star
Names (WGSN), which catalogs and standardizes proper names for stars. The IAU is also
responsible for the system of astronomical telegrams which are produced and distributed on its
behalf by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. The Minor Planet Centeralso operates
under the IAU, and is a "clearinghouse" for all non-planetary or non-moon bodies in the Solar
System.[5]The Working Group for Meteor Shower Nomenclature and the Meteor Data Center
coordinate the nomenclature of meteor showers.
Headquarters Paris, France
Website IAU.org
Composition
The IAU includes a total of 12,664 individual members who are professional astronomers from 96
countries worldwide.[10] 83% of all individual members are male, while 17% are female, among them
the union's former president, Mexican astronomer Silvia Torres-Peimbert.
Membership also includes 79 national members, professional astronomical communities
representing their country's affiliation with the IAU. National members include the Australian
Academy of Science, the Chinese Astronomical Society, the French Academy of Sciences,
the Indian National Science Academy, the National Academies (United States), the National
Research Foundation of South Africa, the National Scientific and Technical Research
Council (Argentina), KACST (Saudi Arabia), the Council of German Observatories, the Royal
Astronomical Society (United Kingdom), the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand, the Royal
Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Science Council of
Japan, among many others.[11]
The sovereign body of the IAU is its General Assembly, which comprises all members. The
Assembly determines IAU policy, approves the Statutes and By-Laws of the Union (and
amendments proposed thereto) and elects various committees.
The right to vote on matters brought before the Assembly varies according to the type of business
under discussion. The Statutes consider such business to be divided into two categories:
The IAU includes member organizations from 79 countries (designated as National Members) [11]
General Assemblies
Since 1922, the IAU General Assembly meets every three years, with the exception of the period
between 1938 and 1948, due to World War II. After a Polish request in 1967, and by a controversial
decision of the then President of the IAU, an Extraordinary IAU General Assembly was held in
September 1973 in Warsaw, Poland,[12] to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth
of Nicolaus Copernicus, soon after the regular 1973 GA had been held in Sydney, Australia.
Meeting Year Venue
XVth IAU General Assembly (15th) 1973 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
XVIth IAU General Assembly (16th) 1976 Grenoble, France
XXVth IAU General Assembly (25th) 2003 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Publications
Cover picture of CAP Journal issue 19, March 2016.[16]
In 2004 the IAU contracted with the Cambridge University Press to publish the Proceedings of the
International Astronomical Union.[17]
In 2007, the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal Working Group prepared a study
assessing the feasibility of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal (CAP Journal).
Emblem
Flag
Agency overview
NACA (1915–1958)[1]
Preceding agency
Employees 17,336 (2018)[3]
Annual budget US$20.7 billion (2018)[4]
Website www.nasa.gov
NASA
US space probes
Notable figures
Astronauts
Creation
Creation of NASA
On July 29, 1958, Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, establishing NASA.
When it began operations on October 1, 1958, NASA absorbed the 43-year-old NACA intact; its
8,000 employees, an annual budget of US$100 million, three major research laboratories (Langley
Aeronautical Laboratory, Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, and Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory)
and two small test facilities.[17] A NASA seal was approved by President Eisenhower in 1959.
[18]
Elements of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and the United States Naval Research
Laboratory were incorporated into NASA. A significant contributor to NASA's entry into the Space
Race with the Soviet Union was the technology from the German rocket program led by Wernher
von Braun, who was now working for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), which in turn
incorporated the technology of American scientist Robert Goddard's earlier works.[19] Earlier research
efforts within the US Air Force[17] and many of ARPA's early space programs were also transferred to
NASA.[20] In December 1958, NASA gained control of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a contractor
facility operated by the California Institute of Technology.[17]
William H. Pickering, (center) JPL Director, President John F. Kennedy, (right). NASA Administrator James E.
Webb (background) discussing the Mariner program, with a model presented.
From 1946, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics(NACA) had been experimenting with
rocket planes such as the supersonic Bell X-1.[14] In the early 1950s, there was challenge to launch
an artificial satellite for the International Geophysical Year (1957–58). An effort for this was the
American Project Vanguard. After the Soviet launch of the world's first artificial satellite (Sputnik 1)
on October 4, 1957, the attention of the United States turned toward its own fledgling space efforts.
The US Congress, alarmed by the perceived threat to national security and technological leadership
(known as the "Sputnik crisis"), urged immediate and swift action; President Dwight D.
Eisenhower and his advisers counseled more deliberate measures. On January 12, 1958, NACA
organized a "Special Committee on Space Technology", headed by Guyford Stever.[9] On January
14, 1958, NACA Director Hugh Dryden published "A National Research Program for Space
Technology" stating:[15]
A short documentary about the beginings of Nasa
It is of great urgency and importance to our country both from consideration of our prestige as a
nation as well as military necessity that this challenge [Sputnik] be met by an energetic program of
research and development for the conquest of space ... It is accordingly proposed that the scientific
research be the responsibility of a national civilian agency ... NACA is capable, by rapid extension
and expansion of its effort, of providing leadership in space technology.[15]
While this new federal agency would conduct all non-military space activity, the Advanced Research
Projects Agency (ARPA) was created in February 1958 to develop space technology for military
application.[16]
Jim Bridenstine official NASA portrait, April 26, 2018 at NASA Headquarters, Washington D.C.
James Fletcher was responsible for early planning of the Space Shuttle program during his first term
as administrator under President Nixon. He was appointed for a second term as administrator from
May 1986 through April 1989 by President Ronald Reagan to help the agency recover from
the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
Former astronaut Charles Bolden served as NASA's twelfth administrator from July 2009 to January
20, 2017.[25] Bolden is one of three former astronauts who became NASA administrators, along
with Richard H. Truly (served 1989–1992) and Frederick D. Gregory (acting, 2005).
The agency's administration is located at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC and provides
overall guidance and direction. [26] Except under exceptional circumstances, NASA civil service
employees are required to be citizens of the United States.[27]
NASA has conducted many manned and unmanned spaceflight programs throughout its history.
Unmanned programs launched the first American artificial satellites into Earth orbit for scientific
and communications purposes, and sent scientific probes to explore the planets of the solar system,
starting with Venus and Mars, and including "grand tours" of the outer planets. Manned programs
sent the first Americans into low Earth orbit (LEO), won the Space Race with the Soviet Union by
landing twelve men on the Moon from 1969 to 1972 in the Apollo program, developed a semi-
reusable LEO Space Shuttle, and developed LEO space station capability by itself and with the
cooperation of several other nations including post-Soviet Russia. Some missions include both
manned and unmanned aspects, such as the Galileo probe, which was deployed by astronauts in
Earth orbit before being sent unmanned to Jupiter.
Manned programs
Shortly after the Space Race began, an early objective was to get a person into Earth orbit as soon
as possible, therefore the simplest spacecraft that could be launched by existing rockets was
favored. The US Air Force's Man in Space Soonestprogram considered many manned spacecraft
designs, ranging from rocket planes like the X-15, to small ballistic space capsules.[32] By 1958, the
space plane concepts were eliminated in favor of the ballistic capsule. [33]
When NASA was created that same year, the Air Force program was transferred to it and
renamed Project Mercury. The first seven astronauts were selected among candidates from the
Navy, Air Force and Marine test pilot programs. On May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan Shepard became
the first American in space aboard Freedom 7, launched by a Redstone booster on a 15-
minute ballistic (suborbital) flight.[34] John Glenn became the first American to be launched into orbit,
by an Atlas launch vehicleon February 20, 1962, aboard Friendship 7.[35] Glenn completed three
orbits, after which three more orbital flights were made, culminating in L. Gordon Cooper's 22-orbit
flight Faith 7, May 15–16, 1963.[36]
The Soviet Union (USSR) competed with its own single-pilot spacecraft, Vostok. They sent the first
man in space, by launching cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into a single Earth orbit aboard Vostok 1 in
April 1961, one month before Shepard's flight. [37] In August 1962, they achieved an almost four-day
record flight with Andriyan Nikolayev aboard Vostok 3, and also conducted a concurrent Vostok
4 mission carrying Pavel Popovich.
Project Gemini (1961–1966)
Main article: Project Gemini
The U.S public's perception of the Soviet lead in the space race (by putting the first man into space)
motivated President John F. Kennedy to ask the Congress on May 25, 1961, to commit the federal
government to a program to land a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, which effectively
launched the Apollo program.[41]
Apollo was one of the most expensive American scientific programs ever. It cost more than $20
billion in 1960s dollars[42] or an estimated $218 billion in present-day US dollars.[43] (In comparison,
the Manhattan Project cost roughly $27.8 billion, accounting for inflation.)[43][44] It used the Saturn
rockets as launch vehicles, which were far bigger than the rockets built for previous projects. [45] The
spacecraft was also bigger; it had two main parts, the combined command and service
module(CSM) and the Apollo Lunar Module (LM). The LM was to be left on the Moon and only the
command module (CM) containing the three astronauts would eventually return to Earth. [note 2]
The second manned mission, Apollo 8, brought astronauts for the first time in a flight around the
Moon in December 1968.[46]Shortly before, the Soviets had sent an unmanned spacecraft around the
Moon.[47] On the next two missions docking maneuvers that were needed for the Moon landing were
practiced[48][49] and then finally the Moon landing was made on the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969.[50]
Apollo 17: LRV-003, 1972.
The first person to stand on the Moon was Neil Armstrong, who was followed 19 minutes later
by Buzz Aldrin, while Michael Collins orbited above. Five subsequent Apollo missions also landed
astronauts on the Moon, the last in December 1972. Throughout these six Apollo spaceflights,
twelve men walked on the Moon. These missions returned a wealth of scientific data and 381.7
kilograms (842 lb) of lunar samples. Topics covered by experiments performed included soil
mechanics, meteoroids, seismology, heat flow, lunar ranging, magnetic fields, and solar wind.[51] The
Moon landing marked the end of the space race; and as a gesture, Armstrong mentioned mankind
when he stepped down on the Moon. [52]
Apollo set major milestones in human spaceflight. It stands alone in sending manned missions
beyond low Earth orbit, and landing humans on another celestial body.[53] Apollo 8 was the first
manned spacecraft to orbit another celestial body, while Apollo 17 marked the last moonwalk and
the last manned mission beyond low Earth orbit to date. The program spurred advances in many
areas of technology peripheral to rocketry and manned spaceflight, including avionics,
telecommunications, and computers. Apollo sparked interest in many fields of engineering and left
many physical facilities and machines developed for the program as landmarks. Many objects and
artifacts from the program are on display at various locations throughout the world, notably at
the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museums.
Skylab (1965–1979)
Main article: Skylab
Skylab was the United States' first and only independently built space station.[54] Conceived in 1965
as a workshop to be constructed in space from a spent Saturn IB upper stage, the 169,950 lb
(77,088 kg) station was constructed on Earth and launched on May 14, 1973, atop the first two
stages of a Saturn V, into a 235-nautical-mile (435 km) orbit inclined at 50° to the equator. Damaged
during launch by the loss of its thermal protection and one electricity-generating solar panel, it was
repaired to functionality by its first crew. It was occupied for a total of 171 days by 3 successive
crews in 1973 and 1974.[54] It included a laboratory for studying the effects of microgravity, and
a solar observatory.[54] NASA planned to have a Space Shuttle dock with it, and elevate Skylab to a
higher safe altitude, but the Shuttle was not ready for flight before Skylab's re-entry on July 11, 1979.
[55]
To save cost, NASA used one of the Saturn V rockets originally earmarked for a canceled Apollo
mission to launch the Skylab. Apollo spacecraft were used for transporting astronauts to and from
the station. Three three-man crews stayed aboard the station for periods of 28, 59, and 84 days.
Skylab's habitable volume was 11,290 cubic feet (320 m3), which was 30.7 times bigger than that of
the Apollo Command Module.[55]
Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (1972–1975)
Main article: Apollo–Soyuz Test Project
The Space Shuttle became the major focus of NASA in the late 1970s and the 1980s. Planned as a
frequently launchable and mostly reusable vehicle, four Space Shuttle orbiters were built by 1985.
The first to launch, Columbia, did so on April 12, 1981,[59] the 20th anniversary of the first known
human space flight.[60]
Its major components were a spaceplane orbiter with an external fuel tank and two solid-fuel launch
rockets at its side. The external tank, which was bigger than the spacecraft itself, was the only major
component that was not reused. The shuttle could orbit in altitudes of 185–643 km (115–400 miles)
[61]
and carry a maximum payload (to low orbit) of 24,400 kg (54,000 lb).[62]Missions could last from 5
to 17 days and crews could be from 2 to 8 astronauts. [61]
On 20 missions (1983–98) the Space Shuttle carried Spacelab, designed in cooperation with
the European Space Agency (ESA). Spacelab was not designed for independent orbital flight, but
remained in the Shuttle's cargo bay as the astronauts entered and left it through an airlock.
[63]
Another famous series of missions were the launch and later successful repair of the Hubble
Space Telescope in 1990 and 1993, respectively.[64]
In 1995, Russian-American interaction resumed with the Shuttle–Mir missions (1995–1998). Once
more an American vehicle docked with a Russian craft, this time a full-fledged space station. This
cooperation has continued with Russia and the United States as two of the biggest partners in the
largest space station built: the International Space Station (ISS). The strength of their cooperation on
this project was even more evident when NASA began relying on Russian launch vehicles to service
the ISS during the two-year grounding of the shuttle fleet following the 2003 Space
Shuttle Columbia disaster.
The Shuttle fleet lost two orbiters and 14 astronauts in two disasters: Challenger in 1986,
and Columbia in 2003.[65] While the 1986 loss was mitigated by building the Space
Shuttle Endeavour from replacement parts, NASA did not build another orbiter to replace the second
loss.[65] NASA's Space Shuttle program had 135 missions when the program ended with the
successful landing of the Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011. The
program spanned 30 years with over 300 astronauts sent into space. [66]
International Space Station (1993–present)
Main article: International Space Station
Long duration missions to the ISS are referred to as ISS Expeditions. Expedition crew members
typically spend approximately six months on the ISS.[75] The initial expedition crew size was three,
temporarily decreased to two following the Columbia disaster. Since May 2009, expedition crew size
has been six crew members.[76] Crew size is expected to be increased to seven, the number the ISS
was designed for, once the Commercial Crew Program becomes operational. [77] The ISS has been
continuously occupied for the past 18 years and 118 days, having exceeded the previous record
held by Mir; and has been visited by astronauts and cosmonauts from 15 different nations.[78][79]
The station can be seen from the Earth with the naked eye and, as of 2019, is the largest artificial
satellite in Earth orbit with a mass and volume greater than that of any previous space station.
[80]
The Soyuz spacecraft delivers crew members, stays docked for their half-year-long missions and
then returns them home. Several uncrewed cargo spacecraft service the ISS, they are the
Russian Progress spacecraft which has done so since 2000, the European Automated Transfer
Vehicle (ATV) since 2008, the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) since 2009, the
American Dragon spacecraft since 2012, and the American Cygnus spacecraft since 2013. The
Space Shuttle, before its retirement, was also used for cargo transfer and would often switch out
expedition crew members, although it did not have the capability to remain docked for the duration of
their stay. Until another US manned spacecraft is ready, crew members will travel to and from the
International Space Station exclusively aboard the Soyuz.[81] The highest number of people
occupying the ISS has been thirteen; this occurred three times during the late Shuttle ISS assembly
missions.[82]
The ISS program is expected to continue until at least 2020, and may be extended beyond 2028. [83]
Commercial programs (2006–present)
Main articles: Commercial Resupply Services and Commercial Crew Development
Dragon being berthed to the ISS in May 2012
The development of the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) vehicles began in 2006 with the
purpose of creating American commercially operated uncrewed cargo vehicles to service the ISS.
[84]
The development of these vehicles was under a fixed price milestone-based program, meaning
that each company that received a funded award had a list of milestones with a dollar value attached
to them that they didn't receive until after they had successfully completed the milestone.
[85]
Companies were also required to raise an unspecified amount of private investment for their
proposal.[86]
On December 23, 2008, NASA awarded Commercial Resupply Services contracts
to SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corporation.[87] SpaceX uses its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon
spacecraft.[88] Orbital Sciences uses its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft. The first Dragon
resupply mission occurred in May 2012.[89] The first Cygnus resupply mission occurred in September
2013.[90] The CRS program now provides for all America's ISS cargo needs; with the exception of a
few vehicle-specific payloads that are delivered on the European ATV and the Japanese HTV.[91]
Dragon V2
Rendering of CST-100 in orbit
The Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program was started in 2010 with the purpose of
creating American commercially operated crewed spacecraft capable of delivering at least four crew
members to the ISS, staying docked for 180 days and then returning them back to Earth. [92] It is
hoped that these vehicles could also transport non-NASA customers to private space stations such
those planned by Bigelow Aerospace.[93] Like COTS, CCDev is also a fixed price milestone-based
developmental program that requires some private investment. [85]
In 2010, NASA announced the winners of the first phase of the program, a total of $50 million was
divided among five American companies to foster research and development into human spaceflight
concepts and technologies in the private sector. In 2011, the winners of the second phase of the
program were announced, $270 million was divided among four companies. [94] In 2012, the winners
of the third phase of the program were announced, NASA provided $1.1 billion divided among three
companies to further develop their crew transportation systems. [95] In 2014, the winners of the final
round were announced.[96] SpaceX's Dragon V2 (planned to be launched on a Falcon 9 v1.1)
received a contract valued up to $2.6 billion and Boeing's CST-100 (to be launched on an Atlas V)
received a contract valued up to $4.2 billion. [97] NASA expects these vehicles to begin transporting
humans to the ISS in 2019.[98]
Beyond Low Earth Orbit program (2010–2017)
For missions beyond low Earth orbit (BLEO), NASA has been directed to develop the Space Launch
System (SLS), a Saturn-V class rocket, and the two to six person, beyond low Earth orbit
spacecraft, Orion. In February 2010, President Barack Obama's administration proposed eliminating
public funds for the Constellation programand shifting greater responsibility of servicing the ISS to
private companies.[99] During a speech at the Kennedy Space Center on April 15, 2010, Obama
proposed a new heavy-lift vehicle (HLV) to replace the formerly planned Ares V.[100] In his speech,
Obama called for a manned mission to an asteroid as soon as 2025, and a manned mission to Mars
orbit by the mid-2030s.[100] The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 was passed by Congress and signed
into law on October 11, 2010.[101] The act officially canceled the Constellation program. [101]
The Authorization Act required a newly designed HLV be chosen within 90 days of its passing; the
launch vehicle was given the name "Space Launch System". The new law also required the
construction of a beyond low earth orbit spacecraft. [102] The Orion spacecraft, which was being
developed as part of the Constellation program, was chosen to fulfill this role. [103] The Space Launch
System is planned to launch both Orion and other necessary hardware for missions beyond low
Earth orbit.[104] The SLS is to be upgraded over time with more powerful versions. The initial capability
of SLS is required to be able to lift 70 mt into LEO. It is then planned to be upgraded to 105 mt and
then eventually to 130 mt.[103][105] Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1), an unmanned test flight of Orion's
crew module, was launched on December 5, 2014, atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket.[105] Exploration
Mission-1 (EM-1) is the unmanned initial launch of SLS that would also send Orion on a circumlunar
trajectory, which is planned for 2019.[105]
NASA Graphic for the Journey to Mars
NASA's next major space initiative is to be the construction of the Lunar Orbital Platform-
Gateway (LOP-G, formerly known as the "Deep Space Gateway"). This initiative is to involve the
construction of a new "Space-Station" type of habitation, which will have many features in common
with the current International Space Station, except that it will be in orbit about the Moon, instead of
the Earth.[106] This space station will be designed primarily for non-continuous human habitation. The
first tentative steps of returning to manned lunar missions will be Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2),
which is to include the Orion crew module, propelled by the SLS, and is to launch in 2022. This
mission is to be a 10- to 14-day mission planned to briefly place a crew of four into Lunar orbit.
[105]
The construction of the "Lunar Orbital Platform" is to begin with the following Exploration Mission-
3 (EM-3), which is planned to deliver a crew of four to Lunar orbit along with the first module(s) of the
new space-station. This mission will last for up to 26 days.
On June 5, 2016, NASA and DARPA announced plans to also build a series of new X-planes over
the next 10 years.[107] One of the planes will be the Quiet Supersonic Technology project, burning
low-carbon biofuels and generating quiet sonic booms.[107]
NASA plans to build full scale deep space habitats such as the Lunar Orbital Platform and
the Nautilus-X as part of its Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP)
program.[108]
In 2017, NASA was directed by the congressional NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017 to get
humans to Mars-orbit (or to the Martian surface) by 2033. [109][110]
Unmanned programs
Main article: Unmanned NASA missions
Pioneer 3 and 4 launched in 1958 and 1959, respectively
More than 1,000 unmanned missions have been designed to explore the Earth and the solar system.
[111]
Besides exploration, communication satellites have also been launched by NASA. [112] The
missions have been launched directly from Earth or from orbiting space shuttles, which could either
deploy the satellite itself, or with a rocket stage to take it farther.
The first US unmanned satellite was Explorer 1, which started as an ABMA/JPL project during the
early part of the Space Race. It was launched in January 1958, two months after Sputnik. At the
creation of NASA, the Explorer project was transferred to the agency and still continues to this day.
Its missions have been focusing on the Earth and the Sun, measuring magnetic fields and the solar
wind, among other aspects.[113] A more recent Earth mission, not related to the Explorer program, was
the Hubble Space Telescope, which was brought into orbit in 1990. [114]
The inner Solar System has been made the goal of at least four unmanned programs. The first
was Mariner in the 1960s and 1970s, which made multiple visits to Venus and Mars and one
to Mercury. Probes launched under the Mariner program were also the first to make a planetary flyby
(Mariner 2), to take the first pictures from another planet (Mariner 4), the first planetary orbiter
(Mariner 9), and the first to make a gravity assist maneuver (Mariner 10). This is a technique where
the satellite takes advantage of the gravity and velocity of planets to reach its destination. [115]
The first successful landing on Mars was made by Viking 1 in 1976. Twenty years later a rover was
landed on Mars by Mars Pathfinder.[116]
Many of the unmanned missions were used to explore the outer reaches of space as seen in this video
Outside Mars, Jupiter was first visited by Pioneer 10 in 1973. More than 20 years later Galileo sent a
probe into the planet's atmosphere, and became the first spacecraft to orbit the planet. [117] Pioneer
11 became the first spacecraft to visit Saturn in 1979, with Voyager 2 making the first (and so far
only) visits to Uranus and Neptune in 1986 and 1989, respectively. The first spacecraft to leave the
solar system was Pioneer 10 in 1983. For a time it was the most distant spacecraft, but it has since
been surpassed by both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.[118]
Pioneers 10 and 11 and both Voyager probes carry messages from the Earth to extraterrestrial life.
[119][120]
Communication can be difficult with deep space travel. For instance, it took about three hours
for a radio signal to reach the New Horizonsspacecraft when it was more than halfway to Pluto.
[121]
Contact with Pioneer 10 was lost in 2003. Both Voyager probes continue to operate as they
explore the outer boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. [122]
On November 26, 2011, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission was successfully launched for
Mars. Curiosity successfully landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, and subsequently began its search
for evidence of past or present life on Mars.[123][124][125]
Activities (2010–2017)
Directives
Further information: Space policy of the United States
Artistic rendition of Space Station Freedom with the Orbiter Vehicle
Some of the major NASA directives were to land people on the Moon, build the Space Shuttle, and
build a large space station. Typically, the major directives had the intervention of the science
advisory, political, funding, and public interest that synergized into various waves of effort often
heavily swayed by technical, funding, and worldwide events. For example, there was a major push to
build Space Station Freedom in the 1980s, but when the Cold War ended, the Russians, the
Americans and other international partners came together to build the International Space Station.
In the 2010s, the major shift was the retirement of the Space Shuttle and the development of a new
manned heavy lift rocket, the Space Launch System. Missions for the new System have varied but
overall, they were similar as it primarily involved the desire to send a human into the space.
The Space Exploration Initiative of the 1980s opened newer avenues of galaxy exploration.
In the coming decades, the focus is gradually shifting towards exploration of planet Mars; however,
some differences exist over the technologies to develop and focus on for the exploration. [145] One of
the options considered was the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM).[145] ARM had largely been defunded
in 2017, but the key technologies developed for ARM would be utilized for future exploration,
especially on a solar electric propulsion system.[146][145]
Longer project execution timelines means it is up to future officials to execute on a directive, which
often leads to directional mismanagement. For example, a Shuttle replacement has numerous
components involved, each making some headway before being called off for various reasons
including the National Aerospace Plane, Venture Star, Orbital Space Plane, Ares I, and others. The
asteroid mission was not a major directive in the 2010s. Instead, the general support rested with the
long-term goal of getting humans to Mars. The space shuttle was retired and much of the existing
road map was shelved including the then planned Lunar Return and Ares I human launch vehicle.
Previously, in the early 2000s, there was a plan called the Constellation Program but this was
defunded in the early 2010s.[147][148][149][150] In the 1990s, there was a plan called "Faster, Better,
Cheaper"[151] In the 1980s, there was a directive to build a manned space station. [152]
The NASA Authorization Act of 2017, which included $19.5 billion in funding for that fiscal year,
directed NASA to get humans near or on the surface of Mars by the early 2030s. [153]
New NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine addressed this directive in an August 2018 speech where
he focused on the sustainability aspects—going to the Moon to stay—that are explicit in the
directive, including taking advantage of US commercial space capability that did not exist even five
years ago, which have driven down costsand increased access to space.[155]
Research
Main article: NASA research
Climate study
NASA also researches and publishes on climate change.[161] Its statements concur with the global
scientific consensus that the global climate is warming. [162] Bob Walker, who has advised the 45th
President of the United States Donald Trump on space issues, has advocated that NASA should
focus on space exploration and that its climate study operations should be transferred to other
agencies such as NOAA. Former NASA atmospheric scientist J. Marshall Shepherd countered that
Earth science study was built into NASA's mission at its creation in the 1958 National Aeronautics
and Space Act.[163]
Facilities
NASA facilities
NASA's facilities are research, construction and communication centers to help its missions. Some
facilities serve more than one application for historic or administrative reasons. NASA also operates
a short-line railroad at the Kennedy Space Center and uses special aircraft.
John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), is one of the best-known NASA facilities. It has been the
launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are
currently on pause, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for
America's civilian space program from three pads at the adjoining Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston is home to the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission
Control Center, where all flight control is managed for manned space missions. JSC is the lead
NASA center for activities regarding the International Space Station and also houses the NASA
Astronaut Corps that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for US and
international space missions.
Another major facility is Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama at which the Saturn 5
rocket and Skylab were developed. [164] The JPL worked together with ABMA, one of the agencies
behind Explorer 1, the first American space mission.
The ten NASA field centers are:
Budget
NASA's budget from 1958 to 2012 as a percentage of federal budget
An artist's conception, from NASA, of an astronaut planting a US flag on Mars. A manned mission to Mars has
been discussed as a possible NASA mission since the 1960s.
Budget of NASA
NASA's share of the total federal budget peaked at approximately 4.41% in 1966 during the Apollo
program, then rapidly declined to approximately 1% in 1975, and stayed around that level through
1998.[23][165] The percentage then gradually dropped, until leveling off again at around half a percent in
2006 (estimated in 2012 at 0.48% of the federal budget). [166] In a March 2012 hearing of the United
States Senate Science Committee, science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson testified that "Right
now, NASA's annual budget is half a penny on your tax dollar. For twice that—a penny on a dollar—
we can transform the country from a sullen, dispirited nation, weary of economic struggle, to one
where it has reclaimed its 20th century birthright to dream of tomorrow." [167][168]
Despite this, public perception of NASA's budget differs significantly: a 1997 poll indicated that most
Americans believed that 20% of the federal budget went to NASA.[169]
For Fiscal Year 2015, NASA received an appropriation of US$18.01 billion from Congress—$549
million more than requested and approximately $350 million more than the 2014 NASA budget
passed by Congress.[170]
In Fiscal Year 2016, NASA received $19.3 billion.[136]
President Donald Trump signed the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017 in March, which set
the 2017 budget at around $19.5 billion.[136] The budget is also reported as $19.3 billion for 2017, with
$20.7 billion proposed for FY2018
Donald Trump
45th President of the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office
Environmental impact
The exhaust gases produced by rocket propulsion systems, both in Earth's atmosphere and in
space, can adversely effect the Earth's environment. Some hypergolicrocket propellants, such
as hydrazine, are highly toxic prior to combustion, but decompose into less toxic compounds after
burning. Rockets using hydrocarbon fuels, such as kerosene, release carbon dioxide and soot in
their exhaust.[173] However, carbon dioxide emissions are insignificant compared to those from other
sources; on average, the United States consumed 802,620,000 US gallons (3.0382×10 9 L) gallons of
liquid fuels per day in 2014, while a single Falcon 9 rocket first stage burns around 25,000 US
gallons (95,000 L) of kerosene fuel per launch.[174][175] Even if a Falcon 9 were launched every single
day, it would only represent 0.006% of liquid fuel consumption (and carbon dioxide emissions) for
that day. Additionally, the exhaust from LOx- and LH2- fueled engines, like the SSME, is almost
entirely water vapor.[176] NASA addressed environmental concerns with its canceled Constellation
program in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act in 2011. [177] In contrast, ion
engines use harmless noble gases like xenon for propulsion.[178][179]
On May 8, 2003, Environmental Protection Agency recognized NASA as the first federal agency to
directly use landfill gas to produce energy at one of its facilities—the Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Maryland.[180]
An example of NASA's environmental efforts is the NASA Sustainability Base. Additionally, the
Exploration Sciences Building was awarded the LEED Gold rating in 2010. [181]
Gallery
Observations
Plot of orbits of known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (size over 460 feet (140 m) and passing within
4.7 million miles (7.6×106 km) of Earth's orbit)
1 Ceres
Pluto
Jupiter
Spacecraft
Hubble Space Telescope, astronomy observatory in Earth orbit since 1990. Also visited by the Space
Shuttle
Planned spacecraft
Concepts
NASA has developed oftentimes elaborate plans and technology concepts, some of which become
worked into real plans.
Space Tug concept, 1970s Langley's Mars Ice Dome design
for a Mars habitat, 2010s
Vision mission for an interstellar
precursor spacecraft by NASA,
2000s
Launc
Mercur Venu Jupit Satur Uranu Neptun Plut
Spacecraft h Mars
y s er n s e o
year
Orbiter
Viking s
1975
1 and Viking 2 Lander
s
Orbite
Galileo 1989 Flyby
r
Orbit
Magellan 1989
er
Mars Global
1996 Orbiter
Surveyor
Orbite
Cassini 1997 Flyby Flyby
r
Mars Odyssey 2001 Orbiter
Spirit and Opportu Rover
2003
nity s
Mars
Reconnaissance 2005 Orbiter
Orbiter
Flyb
New Horizons 2006 Flyby
y
Orbite
Juno 2011
r
Curiosity (Mars
Science 2011 Rover
Laboratory)
Launc
Mercur Venu Jupit Satur Uranu Neptun Plut
Spacecraft h Mars
y s er n s e o
year
NEAR Shoemaker
Dawn spacecraft
OSIRIS-REx
Examples of missions to the Moon
APPARATUS
SPACECRAFT.
A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a
variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space
colonization, planetary exploration, and transportation of humans and cargo. All spacecraft
except single-stage-to-orbit vehicles cannot get into space on their own, and require a launch
vehicle (carrier rocket).
On a sub-orbital spaceflight, a space vehicle enters space and then returns to the surface, without
having gone into an orbit. For orbital spaceflights, spacecraft enter closed orbits around the Earth or
around other celestial bodies. Spacecraft used for human spaceflight carry people on board as crew
or passengers from start or on orbit (space stations) only, whereas those used for robotic space
missions operate either autonomously or telerobotically. Robotic spacecraft used to support scientific
research are space probes. Robotic spacecraft that remain in orbit around a planetary body are
artificial satellites. Only a handful of interstellar probes, such as Pioneer 10 and 11, Voyager 1 and 2,
and New Horizons, are on trajectories that leave the Solar System.
Orbital spacecraft may be recoverable or not. By method of reentry to Earth they may be divided in
non-winged space capsules and winged spaceplanes.
Humanity has achieved space flight but only a few nations have the technology for orbital
launches: Russia (RSA or "Roscosmos"), the United States (NASA), the member states of
the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan (JAXA), China (CNSA), India (ISRO), Taiwan[1][2][3]
[4]
(National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, Taiwan National Space Organization
(NSPO),[5][6][7] Israel (ISA), Iran (ISA), and North Korea (NADA).
More than 100 Soviet and Russian crewed Soyuz spacecraft (TMA version shown) have flown since 1967 and
now support the International Space Station.
The US Space Shuttle flew 135 times from 1981 to 2011, supporting Spacelab, Mir, and the ISS.
(Columbia's first launch, which had a white external tank, shown)
Spacecraft types[edit]
Crewed spacecraft
List of crewed spacecraft and Human spaceflight
As of 2016, only three nations have flown crewed spacecraft: USSR/Russia, USA, and China. The
first crewed spacecraft was Vostok 1, which carried Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into space in
1961, and completed a full Earth orbit. There were five other crewed missions which used a Vostok
spacecraft.[11] The second crewed spacecraft was named Freedom 7, and it performed a sub-orbital
spaceflight in 1961 carrying American astronaut Alan Shepard to an altitude of just over 187
kilometers (116 mi). There were five other crewed missions using Mercury spacecraft.
Other Soviet crewed spacecraft include the Voskhod, Soyuz, flown un crewed as Zond/L1, L3, TKS,
and the Salyut and Mircrewed space stations. Other American crewed spacecraft include the Gemini
spacecraft, Apollo spacecraft, the Skylab space station, and the Space Shuttle with undetached
European Spacelab and private US Spacehab space stations-modules. China developed, but did not
fly Shuguang, and is currently using Shenzhou (its first crewed mission was in 2003).
Except for the Space Shuttle, all of the recoverable crewed orbital spacecraft were space capsules.
Chinese Shenzhou
The International Space Station, crewed since November 2000, is a joint venture between Russia,
the United States, Canada and several other countries.
Spaceplanes
Spaceplane
Columbia orbiter landing
Some reusable vehicles have been designed only for crewed spaceflight, and these are often called
spaceplanes. The first example of such was the North American X-15 spaceplane, which conducted
two crewed flights which reached an altitude of over 100 km in the 1960s. The first reusable
spacecraft, the X-15, was air-launched on a suborbital trajectory on July 19, 1963.
The first partially reusable orbital spacecraft, a winged non-capsule, the Space Shuttle, was
launched by the USA on the 20th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight, on April 12, 1981. During the
Shuttle era, six orbiters were built, all of which have flown in the atmosphere and five of which have
flown in space. Enterprise was used only for approach and landing tests, launching from the back of
a Boeing 747 SCA and gliding to deadstick landings at Edwards AFB, California. The first Space
Shuttle to fly into space was Columbia, followed by Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis,
and Endeavour. Endeavour was built to replace Challengerwhen it was lost in January
1986. Columbia broke up during reentry in February 2003.
The first automatic partially reusable spacecraft was the Buran-class shuttle, launched by the USSR
on November 15, 1988, although it made only one flight and this was uncrewed.
This spaceplane was designed for a crew and strongly resembled the U.S. Space Shuttle, although
its drop-off boosters used liquid propellants and its main engines were located at the base of what
would be the external tank in the American Shuttle. Lack of funding, complicated by the dissolution
of the USSR, prevented any further flights of Buran. The Space Shuttle was subsequently modified
to allow for autonomous re-entry in case of necessity.
Per the Vision for Space Exploration, the Space Shuttle was retired in 2011 due mainly to its old age
and high cost of program reaching over a billion dollars per flight. The Shuttle's human transport role
is to be replaced by SpaceX's Dragon V2 and Boeing's CST-100 Starliner no later than 2017. The
Shuttle's heavy cargo transport role is to be replaced by expendable rockets such as the Space
Launch System and SpaceX's Falcon Heavy.
Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne was a reusable suborbital spaceplane that carried pilots Mike
Melvill and Brian Binnie on consecutive flights in 2004 to win the Ansari X Prize. The Spaceship
Company will build its successor SpaceShipTwo. A fleet of SpaceShipTwos operated by Virgin
Galactic was planned to begin reusable private spaceflight carrying paying passengers in 2014, but
was delayed after the crash of VSS Enterprise.
Unmanned spacecraft
List of unmanned spacecraft by program, Timeline of spaceflight, Timeline of artificial satellites and
space probes, List of Solar System probes, Space probe, Robotic spacecraft, Unmanned resupply
spacecraft, and Satellite
Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV)approaches the International Space Station on Monday, March
31, 2008
This section needs
expansion. You can help
by adding to it. (March 2011)
Designed as manned but flown as unmanned only spacecraft
Planetary probes
Akatsuki JPN – a Venus orbiter
Cassini–Huygens – first Saturn orbiter and Titan lander
Curiosity – Rover sent to Mars by NASA in 2012
Galileo – first Jupiter orbiter and descent probe
IKAROS JPN – first solar-sail spacecraft
Mariner 4 – first Mars flyby, first close and high resolution images of Mars
Mariner 9 – first Mars orbiter
Mariner 10 – first Mercury flyby, first close up images
Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity)– Mars rovers
Mars Express – Mars orbiter
Mars Global Surveyor – Mars orbiter
Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) - India's first Interplanetary probe
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – an advanced climate, imaging, sub-surface radar, and
telecommunications Mars orbiter
MESSENGER – first Mercury orbiter (arrival 2011)
Mars Pathfinder – Mars lander, carrying the Sojourner rover
New Horizons – first Pluto flyby (arrival 2015)
Pioneer 10 – first Jupiter flyby, first close up images
Pioneer 11 – second Jupiter flyby and first Saturn flyby (first close up images of Saturn)
Pioneer Venus – first Venus orbiter and landers
Vega 1 – Balloon release into Venus atmosphere and lander (joint mission with Vega 2),
mothership continued on to fly by Halley's Comet
Venera 4 – first soft landing on another planet (Venus)
Viking 1 – first soft landing on Mars
Voyager 2 – Jupiter flyby, Saturn flyby, and first flybys/images of Neptune and Uranus
Other – deep space
Space probe
Cluster
Deep Space 1
Deep Impact
Genesis
Hayabusa
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous
Stardust
STEREO – Heliospheric and solar sensing; first images of the entire Sun
WMAP
Fastest spacecraft
Voyager 1 at 144.20 AU as of December 2018, traveling outward at about 3.58 AU/year[13]
Pioneer 10 at 122.48 AU as of December 2018, traveling outward at about 2.52 AU/year[13]
Voyager 2 at 119.34 AU as of December 2018, traveling outward at about 3.24 AU/year[13]
Pioneer 11 at 101.17 AU as of December 2018, traveling outward at about 2.37 AU/year[13]
Unfunded and canceled programs
The first test flight of the Delta Clipper-Experimental Advanced (DC-XA), a prototype launch system
Manned spacecraft
Chinese Shuguang capsule
Soviet Soyuz Kontakt capsule
Soviet Almaz space station
US Manned Orbiting Laboratory space station
US Altair lunar lander
Multi-stage spaceplanes
US X-20 spaceplane
Soviet Spiral shuttle
Soviet/Russian Buran-class shuttle
ESA Hermes shuttle
Kliper Russian semi-shuttle/semi-capsule
Japanese HOPE-X shuttle
Chinese Shuguang Project 921-3 shuttle
SSTO spaceplanes
RR/British Aerospace HOTOL
ESA Hopper Orbiter
US DC-X (Delta Clipper)
US Roton Rotored-Hybrid
US VentureStar
Manned
(US-NASA) Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle – capsule
(US-SpaceX) Dragon V2 – capsule
(US-Boeing) CST-100 – capsule
(US-Sierra Nevada Corporation) Dream Chaser – orbital spaceplane
(US-The SpaceShip company) SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane
(US-Blue Origin) New Shepard – VTVL capsule
(US-XCOR) Lynx rocketplane – suborbital spaceplane
China Shenzhou spacecraft Cargo
(India-DRDO) Avatar RLV -Under development, First demonstration flight planned in 2015. [14]
(India-ISRO) Gaganyaan – capsule
(India-ISRO) RLV Technology Demonstration Programme - Spacecraft
SpaceX reusable rocket (BFR)
(Russia-RKA) Prospective Piloted Transport System (PPTS) – capsule
(Europe-ESA) Advanced Crew Transportation System – capsule
(Iranian Space Agency) Orbital Vehicle – capsule
Unmanned
ESA & JAXA BepiColombo - Planetary Probe to Mercury
China Shenzhou (spacecraft) Cargo
CNES Mars Netlander
Orbital Sciences Cygnus – cargo delivery to the ISS
Darwin14 ESA probe
James Webb Space Telescope (delayed)
Mars 2020 rover
Reaction Engines Limited
Skylon
SpaceX Dragon – cargo delivery to the ISS
StarChip and Sprites - miniaturized interstellar spacecraft
System F6—a DARPA Fractionated Spacecraft demonstrator
Terrestrial Planet Finder cancelled probe
Subsystems
A spacecraft system comprises various subsystems, depending on the mission profile. Spacecraft
subsystems comprise the spacecraft's "bus" and may include attitude determination and control
(variously called ADAC, ADC, or ACS), guidance, navigation and control (GNC or GN&C),
communications (comms), command and data handling (CDH or C&DH), power (EPS), thermal
control (TCS), propulsion, and structures. Attached to the bus are typically payloads.
Life support
Spacecraft intended for human spaceflight must also include a life support system for the
crew.
Attitude control
A Spacecraft needs an attitude control subsystem to be correctly oriented in space and
respond to external torques and forces properly. The attitude control subsystem consists
of sensors and actuators, together with controlling algorithms. The attitude-control
subsystem permits proper pointing for the science objective, sun pointing for power to the
solar arrays and earth pointing for communications.
GNC
Guidance refers to the calculation of the commands (usually done by the CDH subsystem)
needed to steer the spacecraft where it is desired to be. Navigation means determining a
spacecraft's orbital elements or position. Control means adjusting the path of the spacecraft
to meet mission requirements.
Command and data handling
The CDH subsystem receives commands from the communications subsystem, performs
validation and decoding of the commands, and distributes the commands to the appropriate
spacecraft subsystems and components. The CDH also receives housekeeping data and
science data from the other spacecraft subsystems and components, and packages the data
for storage on a data recorder or transmission to the ground via the communications
subsystem. Other functions of the CDH include maintaining the spacecraft clock and state-
of-health monitoring.
Further information: On-Board Data Handling
Communications
Spacecraft, both robotic and crewed, utilize various communications systems for
communication with terrestrial stations as well as for communication between spacecraft in
space. Technologies utilized include RF and optical communication. In addition, some
spacecraft payloads are explicitly for the purpose of ground–
ground communication using receiver/retransmitter electronic technologies.
Power
Spacecraft need an electrical power generation and distribution subsystem for powering the
various spacecraft subsystems. For spacecraft near the Sun, solar panels are frequently
used to generate electrical power. Spacecraft designed to operate in more distant locations,
for example Jupiter, might employ a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) to generate
electrical power. Electrical power is sent through power conditioning equipment before it
passes through a power distribution unit over an electrical bus to other spacecraft
components. Batteries are typically connected to the bus via a battery charge regulator, and
the batteries are used to provide electrical power during periods when primary power is not
available, for example when a low Earth orbit spacecraft is eclipsed by Earth.
Thermal control
Spacecraft must be engineered to withstand transit through Earth's atmosphere and
the space environment. They must operate in a vacuum with temperatures potentially
ranging across hundreds of degrees Celsius as well as (if subject to reentry) in the presence
of plasmas. Material requirements are such that either high melting temperature, low density
materials such as beryllium and reinforced carbon–carbon or (possibly due to the lower
thickness requirements despite its high density) tungsten or ablative carbon–carbon
composites are used. Depending on mission profile, spacecraft may also need to operate on
the surface of another planetary body. The thermal control subsystem can be passive,
dependent on the selection of materials with specific radiative properties. Active thermal
control makes use of electrical heaters and certain actuators such as louvers to control
temperature ranges of equipments within specific ranges.
Spacecraft propulsion
Spacecraft may or may not have a propulsion subsystem, depending on whether or not the
mission profile calls for propulsion. The Swift spacecraft is an example of a spacecraft that
does not have a propulsion subsystem. Typically though, LEO spacecraft include a
propulsion subsystem for altitude adjustments (drag make-up maneuvers)
and inclination adjustment maneuvers. A propulsion system is also needed for spacecraft
that perform momentum management maneuvers. Components of a conventional propulsion
subsystem include fuel, tankage, valves, pipes, and thrusters. The thermal control system
interfaces with the propulsion subsystem by monitoring the temperature of those
components, and by preheating tanks and thrusters in preparation for a spacecraft
maneuver.
Structures
Spacecraft must be engineered to withstand launch loads imparted by the launch vehicle,
and must have a point of attachment for all the other subsystems. Depending on mission
profile, the structural subsystem might need to withstand loads imparted by entry into
the atmosphere of another planetary body, and landing on the surface of another planetary
body.
Payload
The payload depends on the mission of the spacecraft, and is typically regarded as the part
of the spacecraft "that pays the bills". Typical payloads could include scientific instruments
(cameras, telescopes, or particle detectors, for example), cargo, or a human crew.
Ground segment
Ground segment
The ground segment, though not technically part of the spacecraft, is vital to the operation of
the spacecraft. Typical components of a ground segment in use during normal operations
include a mission operations facility where the flight operations team conducts the operations
of the spacecraft, a data processing and storage facility, ground stations to radiate signals to
and receive signals from the spacecraft, and a voice and data communications network to
connect all mission elements.[15]
Launch vehicle
The launch vehicle propels the spacecraft from Earth's surface, through the atmosphere, and
into an orbit, the exact orbit being dependent on the mission configuration. The launch
vehicle may be expendable or reusable.
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION SPACE CRAFT EMITTS LORENTZ FORCE,
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATIONS.
Website ;www.nasa.gov.
Emblem
Flag
Agency overview
[1]
NACA (1915–1958)
Preceding
agency
38°52′59″N 77°0′59″WCoordinates: 38°52′59″
N 77°0′59″W
[2]
Motto For the Benefit of All
[3]
Employees 17,336 (2018)
[4]
Annual budget US$20.7 billion (2018)
Website www.nasa.gov
NASA
Space policy of the United States
Apollo program
US space probes
Notable figures
Astronauts
EMITTED LORENTZ FORCE AND NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION SPACE CRAFT.
LORENTZ FORCE.
Lorentz force.
In physics (specifically in electromagnetism) the Lorentz force (or electromagnetic force) is the
combination of electric and magnetic force on a point charge due to electromagnetic fields. A particle
of charge q moving with a velocity v in an electric field E and a magnetic field B experiences a force
(in SI units[1][2]). Variations on this basic formula describe the magnetic force on a current-carrying
wire (sometimes called Laplace force), the electromotive force in a wire loop moving through a
magnetic field (an aspect of Faraday's law of induction), and the force on a charged particle which
might be traveling near the speed of light (relativistic form of the Lorentz force).
The first derivation of the Lorentz force is commonly attributed to Oliver Heaviside in 1889,
[3] although other historians suggest an earlier origin in an 1865 paper by James Clerk Maxwell.
[4] Hendrik Lorentz derived it in 1895,[5] a few years after Heaviside.
Guiding center
Charged particle drifts in a homogeneous magnetic field. (A) No disturbing force (B) With an electric
field, E (C) With an independent force, F (e.g. gravity) (D) In an inhomogeneous magnetic field, grad H
In many cases of practical interest, the motion in a magnetic field of an electrically charged particle
(such as an electron or ion in a plasma) can be treated as the superposition of a relatively fast circular
motion around a point called the guiding center and a relatively slow drift of this point. The drift
speeds may differ for various species depending on their charge states, masses, or temperatures,
possibly resulting in electric currents or chemical separation.
While the modern Maxwell's equations describe how electrically charged particles and currents or
moving charged particles give rise to electric and magnetic fields, the Lorentz force law completes that
picture by describing the force acting on a moving point charge q in the presence of electromagnetic
fields.[6][22] The Lorentz force law describes the effect of E and B upon a point charge, but such
electromagnetic forces are not the entire picture. Charged particles are possibly coupled to other
forces, notably gravity and nuclear forces. Thus, Maxwell's equations do not stand separate from
other physical laws, but are coupled to them via the charge and current densities. The response of a
point charge to the Lorentz law is one aspect; the generation of E and B by currents and charges is
another.
In real materials the Lorentz force is inadequate to describe the collective behavior of charged
particles, both in principle and as a matter of computation. The charged particles in a material
medium not only respond to the E and B fields but also generate these fields. Complex transport
equations must be solved to determine the time and spatial response of charges, for example,
the Boltzmann equation or the Fokker–Planck equation or the Navier–Stokes equations. For example,
see magnetohydrodynamics, fluid dynamics, electrohydrodynamics, superconductivity, stellar evolution.
An entire physical apparatus for dealing with these matters has developed. See for example, Green–
Kubo relations and Green's function (many-body theory).
Several theories combined in lorentz force with laws of physics to form Venus formed and observed,
deep exploration by mariner 2 after it is observed . Time 7,00pm to 7;20pm as of 15/July/2019 in
Arua ,Uganda East Africa.
LORENTZ TRANSFORMATIONS
Lorentz transformation
Many physicists—including Woldemar Voigt, George FitzGerald, Joseph Larmor, and Hendrik Lorentz[3] himself—had
been discussing the physics implied by these equations since 1887.[4] Early in 1889, Oliver Heaviside had shown
from Maxwell's equations that the electric field surrounding a spherical distribution of charge should cease to
have spherical symmetry once the charge is in motion relative to the aether. FitzGerald then conjectured that
Heaviside’s distortion result might be applied to a theory of intermolecular forces. Some months later, FitzGerald
published the conjecture that bodies in motion are being contracted, in order to explain the baffling outcome of the
1887 aether-wind experiment of Michelson and Morley. In 1892, Lorentz independently presented the same idea in a
more detailed manner, which was subsequently called FitzGerald–Lorentz contraction hypothesis.[5] Their explanation
was widely known before 1905.[6]
Lorentz (1892–1904) and Larmor (1897–1900), who believed the luminiferous aether hypothesis, also looked for the
transformation under which Maxwell's equationsare invariant when transformed from the aether to a moving frame.
They extended the FitzGerald–Lorentz contraction hypothesis and found out that the time coordinate has to be
modified as well ("local time"). Henri Poincaré gave a physical interpretation to local time (to first order in v/c, the
relative velocity of the two reference frames normalized to the speed of light) as the consequence of clock
synchronization, under the assumption that the speed of light is constant in moving frames.[7] Larmor is credited to
have been the first to understand the crucial time dilation property inherent in his equations.[8]
In 1905, Poincaré was the first to recognize that the transformation has the properties of a mathematical group, and
named it after Lorentz.[9] Later in the same year Albert Einstein published what is now called special relativity, by
deriving the Lorentz transformation under the assumptions of the principle of relativity and the constancy of the speed
of light in any inertial reference frame, and by abandoning the mechanistic aether as unnecessary.
Part of a series on
Spacetime
The most common form of the transformation, parametrized by the real constant representing a
velocity confined to the x-direction, is expressed as [1]
Expressing the speed as an equivalent form of the transformation is [2]
Frames of reference can be divided into two groups: inertial (relative motion with constant velocity)
and non-inertial (accelerating, moving in curved paths, rotational motion with constant angular
velocity, etc.). The term "Lorentz transformations" only refers to transformations
between inertial frames, usually in the context of special relativity.
In each reference frame, an observer can use a local coordinate system (most exclusively Cartesian
coordinates in this context) to measure lengths, and a clock to measure time intervals. An observer
is a real or imaginary entity that can take measurements, say humans, or any other living organism
—or even robots and computers. An event is something that happens at a point in space at an
instant of time, or more formally a point in spacetime. The transformations connect the space and
time coordinates of an event as measured by an observer in each frame. [nb 1]
They supersede the Galilean transformation of Newtonian physics, which assumes an absolute
space and time (see Galilean relativity). The Galilean transformation is a good approximation only at
relative speeds much smaller than the speed of light. Lorentz transformations have a number of
unintuitive features that do not appear in Galilean transformations. For example, they reflect the fact
that observers moving at different velocities may measure different distances, elapsed times, and
even different orderings of events, but always such that the speed of light is the same in all inertial
reference frames. The invariance of light speed is one of the postulates of special relativity.
Historically, the transformations were the result of attempts by Lorentz and others to explain how the
speed of light was observed to be independent of the reference frame, and to understand the
symmetries of the laws of electromagnetism. The Lorentz transformation is in accordance
with special relativity, but was derived before special relativity.
The Lorentz transformation is a linear transformation. It may include a rotation of space; a rotation-
free Lorentz transformation is called a Lorentz boost. In Minkowski space, the mathematical model
of spacetime in special relativity, the Lorentz transformations preserve the spacetime
interval between any two events. This property is the defining property of a Lorentz transformation.
They describe only the transformations in which the spacetime event at the origin is left fixed. They
can be considered as a hyperbolic rotation of Minkowski space. The more general set of
transformations that also includes translations is known as the Poincaré group.
An event is something that happens at a certain point in spacetime, or more generally, the point in spacetime itself. In
any inertial frame an event is specified by a time coordinate ct and a set of Cartesian coordinates x, y, z to specify
position in space in that frame. Subscripts label individual events.
From Einstein's second postulate of relativity follows
(D1)
in all inertial frames for events connected by light signals. The quantity on the left is called the spacetime
interval between events a1 = (t1, x1, y1, z1) and a2 = (t2, x2, y2, z2). The interval between any two events, not
necessarily separated by light signals, is in fact invariant, i.e., independent of the state of relative motion of observers
in different inertial frames, as is shown using homogeneity and isotropy of space. The transformation sought after
thus must possess the property that
(D2)
where (ct, x, y, z) are the spacetime coordinates used to define events in one frame, and (ct′, x′, y′, z′) are the
coordinates in another frame. First one observes that (D2) is satisfied if an arbitrary 4-tuple b of numbers are added
to events a1 and a2. Such transformations are called spacetime translations and are not dealt with further here. Then
one observes that a linear solution preserving the origin of the simpler problem
(D3)
solves the general problem too. (A solution satisfying the left formula automatically satisfies the right formula,
see polarization identity.) Finding the solution to the simpler problem is just a matter of look-up in the theory
of classical groups that preserve bilinear forms of various signature.[nb 2]. First equation in (D3) can be written more
compactly as
(D4
where (·, ·) refers to the bilinear form of signature (1, 3) on ℝ4 exposed by the right hand side formula in (D3). The
alternative notation defined on the right is referred to as the relativistic dot product. Spacetime mathematically viewed
as ℝ4 endowed with this bilinear form is known as Minkowski space M. The Lorentz transformation is thus an
element of the group Lorentz group O(1, 3), the Lorentz group or, for those that prefer the other metric
signature, O(3, 1) (also called the Lorentz group).[nb 3] One has
(D5)
which is precisely preservation of the bilinear form (D3) which implies (by linearity of Λ and bilinearity of the form)
that (D2) is satisfied. The elements of the Lorentz group are rotations and boosts and mixes thereof. If the spacetime
translations are included, then one obtains the inhomogeneous Lorentz group or the Poincaré group.
Generalities
The relations between the primed and unprimed spacetime coordinates are the Lorentz transformations, each
coordinate in one frame is a linear function of all the coordinates in the other frame, and the inverse functions are the
inverse transformation. Depending on how the frames move relative to each other, and how they are oriented in
space relative to each other, other parameters that describe direction, speed, and orientation enter the transformation
equations.
Transformations describing relative motion with constant (uniform) velocity and without rotation of the space
coordinate axes are called boosts, and the relative velocity between the frames is the parameter of the
transformation. The other basic type of Lorentz transformations is rotations in the spatial coordinates only, these are
also inertial frames since there is no relative motion, the frames are simply tilted (and not continuously rotating), and
in this case quantities defining the rotation are the parameters of the transformation (e.g., axis–angle representation,
or Euler angles, etc.). A combination of a rotation and boost is a homogeneous transformation, which transforms the
origin back to the origin.
The full Lorentz group O(3, 1) also contains special transformations that are neither rotations nor boosts, but
rather reflections in a plane through the origin. Two of these can be singled out; spatial inversion in which the spatial
coordinates of all events are reversed in sign and temporal inversion in which the time coordinate for each event gets
its sign reversed.
Boosts should not be conflated with mere displacements in spacetime; in this case, the coordinate systems are
simply shifted and there is no relative motion. However, these also count as symmetries forced by special relativity
since they leave the spacetime interval invariant. A combination of a rotation with a boost, followed by a shift in
spacetime, is an inhomogeneous Lorentz transformation, an element of the Poincaré group, which is also called the
inhomogeneous Lorentz group.
Physical formulation of Lorentz boosts
Derivations of the Lorentz transformations
Coordinate transformation
A "stationary" observer in frame F defines events with coordinates t, x, y, z. Another frame F′ moves with
velocity v relative to F, and an observer in this "moving" frame F′ defines events using the coordinates t′, x′, y′, z′.
The coordinate axes in each frame are parallel (the x and x′ axes are parallel, the y and y′ axes are parallel, and
the z and z′ axes are parallel), remain mutually perpendicular, and relative motion is along the coincident xx′ axes.
At t = t′ = 0, the origins of both coordinate systems are the same, (x, y, z) = (x′, y′, z′) = (0, 0, 0). In other words,
the times and positions are coincident at this event. If all these hold, then the coordinate systems are said to be
in standard configuration, or synchronized.
The spacetime coordinates of an event, as measured by each observer in their inertial reference frame (in standard configuration) are shown
.[11]
[12]
where v is the relative velocity between frames in the x-direction, c is the speed of light, and
The transformations are not defined if v is outside these limits. At the speed of light (v = c) γ is infinite, and faster
than light (v > c) γ is a complex number, each of which make the transformations unphysical. The space and time
coordinates are measurable quantities and numerically must be real numbers.
As an active transformation, an observer in F′ notices the coordinates of the event to be "boosted" in the negative
directions of the xx′ axes, because of the −v in the transformations. This has the equivalent effect of the coordinate
system F′ boosted in the positive directions of the xx′ axes, while the event does not change and is simply
represented in another coordinate system, a passive transformation.
The inverse relations (t, x, y, z in terms of t′, x′, y′, z′) can be found by algebraically solving the original set of
equations. A more efficient way is to use physical principles. Here F′ is the "stationary" frame while F is the "moving"
frame. According to the principle of relativity, there is no privileged frame of reference, so the transformations from F
′ to F must take exactly the same form as the transformations from F to F′. The only difference is F moves with
velocity −v relative to F′ (i.e., the relative velocity has the same magnitude but is oppositely directed). Thus if an
observer in F′ notes an event t′, x′, y′, z′, then an observer in F notes the sameevent with coordinates
and the value of γ remains unchanged. This "trick" of simply reversing the direction of relative velocity while
preserving its magnitude, and exchanging primed and unprimed variables, always applies to finding the inverse
transformation of every boost in any direction.
Sometimes it is more convenient to use β = v/c (lowercase beta) instead of v, so that
which shows much more clearly the symmetry in the transformation. From the allowed ranges of v and the definition
of β, it follows −1 < β < 1. The use of β and γ is standard throughout the literature.
The Lorentz transformations can also be derived in a way that resembles circular rotations in 3d space using
the hyperbolic functions. For the boost in the x direction, the results are
Conversely the ct and x axes can be constructed for varying coordinates but constant ζ. The definition
provides the link between a constant value of rapidity, and the slope of the ct axis in spacetime. A consequence
these two hyperbolic formulae is an identity that matches the Lorentz factor
Comparing the Lorentz transformations in terms of the relative velocity and rapidity, or using the above formulae, the
connections between β, γ, and ζ are
Since −1 < β < 1, it follows −∞ < ζ < ∞. From the relation between ζ and β, positive rapidity ζ > 0 is motion along
the positive directions of the xx′ axes, zero rapidity ζ = 0 is no relative motion, while negative rapidity ζ < 0 is relative
motion along the negative directions of the xx′ axes.
The inverse transformations are obtained by exchanging primed and unprimed quantities to switch the coordinate
frames, and negating rapidity ζ → −ζ since this is equivalent to negating the relative velocity. Therefore,
The inverse transformations can be similarly visualized by considering the cases when x′ = 0 and ct′ = 0.
So far the Lorentz transformations have been applied to one event. If there are two events, there is a spatial
separation and time interval between them. It follows from the linearity of the Lorentz transformations that two values
of space and time coordinates can be chosen, the Lorentz transformations can be applied to each, then subtracted to
get the Lorentz transformations of the differences;
in calculations and experiments, it is lengths between two points or time intervals that are
measured or of interest (e.g., the length of a moving vehicle, or time duration it takes to travel
from one place to another),
the transformations of velocity can be readily derived by making the difference
infinitesimally small and dividing the equations, and the process repeated for the transformation
of acceleration,
if the coordinate systems are never coincident (i.e., not in standard configuration), and if both
observers can agree on an event t0, x0, y0, z0 in F and t0′, x0′, y0′, z0′in F′, then they can use that event
as the origin, and the spacetime coordinate differences are the differences between their
coordinates and this origin, e.g., Δx = x − x0, Δx′ = x′ − x0′, etc.
Physical implications
A critical requirement of the Lorentz transformations is the invariance of the speed of light, a fact used in their
derivation, and contained in the transformations themselves. If in F the equation for a pulse of light along
the x direction is x = ct, then in F′ the Lorentz transformations give x′ = ct′, and vice versa, for any −c < v < c.
For relative speeds much less than the speed of light, the Lorentz transformations reduce to the Galilean
transformation
in accordance with the correspondence principle. It is sometimes said that nonrelativistic physics is a physics of
"instantaneous action at a distance".[13]
Three counterintuitive, but correct, predictions of the transformations are:
Relativity of simultaneity
Suppose two events occur simultaneously (Δt = 0) along the x axis, but separated by a nonzero displacement Δx.
Then in F′, we find that so the events are no longer simultaneous according to a moving
observer.
Time dilation
Suppose there is a clock at rest in F. If a time interval is measured at the same point in that frame, so that Δx = 0,
then the transformations give this interval in F′ by Δt′ = γΔt. Conversely, suppose there is a clock at rest in F′. If an
interval is measured at the same point in that frame, so that Δx′ = 0, then the transformations give this interval in F
by Δt = γΔt′. Either way, each observer measures the time interval between ticks of a moving clock to be longer by a
factor γ than the time interval between ticks of his own clock.
Length contraction
Suppose there is a rod at rest in F aligned along the x axis, with length Δx. In F′, the rod moves with velocity -v, so its
length must be measured by taking two simultaneous (Δt′ = 0) measurements at opposite ends. Under these
conditions, the inverse Lorentz transform shows that Δx = γΔx′. In F the two measurements are no longer
simultaneous, but this does not matter because the rod is at rest in F. So each observer measures the distance
between the end points of a moving rod to be shorter by a factor 1/γ than the end points of an identical rod at rest in
his own frame. Length contraction affects any geometric quantity related to lengths, so from the perspective of a
moving observer, areas and volumes will also appear to shrink along the direction of motion.
Vector transformations
Euclidean vector and vector projection
The use of vectors allows positions and velocities to be expressed in arbitrary directions compactly. A single boost in
any direction depends on the full relative velocity vector v with a magnitude |v| = v that cannot equal or exceed c, so
that 0 ≤ v < c.
Only time and the coordinates parallel to the direction of relative motion change, while those coordinates
perpendicular do not. With this in mind, split the spatial position vector r as measured in F, and r′ as measured in F′,
each into components perpendicular (⊥) and parallel ( ‖ ) to v,
where · is the dot product. The Lorentz factor γ retains its definition for a boost in any direction, since it
depends only on the magnitude of the relative velocity. The definition β = v/c with magnitude 0 ≤ β < 1 is
also used by some authors.
Introducing a unit vector n = v/v = β/β in the direction of relative motion, the relative velocity is v = vn with
magnitude v and direction n, and vector projection and rejection give respectively
The unit vector has the advantage of simplifying equations for a single boost, allows either v or β to be reinstated
when convenient, and the rapidity parametrization is immediately obtained by replacing β and βγ. It is not convenient
for multiple boosts.
The vectorial relation between relative velocity and rapidity is
[14]
each of which serves as a useful abbreviation in some contexts. The magnitude of ζ is the absolute value of the
rapidity scalar confined to 0 ≤ ζ < ∞, which agrees with the range 0 ≤ β < 1.
An observer in frame F observes F′ to move with velocity v, while F′ observes F to move with
velocity −v. The coordinate axes of each frame are still parallel and orthogonal. The position vector as
measured in each frame is split into components parallel and perpendicular to the relative velocity
vector v. Left: Standard configuration. Right: Inverse configuration.
Transformation of velocities
differential of a function and velocity addition formula
The velocities u and u′ are the velocity of some massive object. They can also be for a third inertial frame (say F′′), in
which case they must be constant. Denote either entity by X. Then X moves with velocity u relative to F, or
equivalently with velocity u′ relative to F′, in turn F′ moves with velocity v relative to F. The inverse transformations
can be obtained in a similar way, or as with position coordinates exchange u and u′, and change v to −v.
The transformation of velocity is useful in stellar aberration, the Fizeau experiment, and the relativistic Doppler effect.
The Lorentz transformations of acceleration can be similarly obtained by taking differentials in the velocity vectors,
and dividing these by the time differential.
The transformation of velocities provides the definition relativistic velocity addition ⊕, the ordering of
vectors is chosen to reflect the ordering of the addition of velocities; first v (the velocity of F′ relative to F)
then u′ (the velocity of X relative to F′) to obtain u = v ⊕ u′ (the velocity of X relative to F).
Source; Maschen - Own work
Lorentz transformation of velocity including velocity addition
implies the quantities transform under Lorentz transformations similar to the transformation of spacetime coordinates;
The decomposition of Z (and Z′) into components perpendicular and parallel to v is exactly the same as for the
position vector, as is the process of obtaining the inverse transformations (exchange (A, Z) and (A′, Z′) to switch
observed quantities, and reverse the direction of relative motion by the substitution n ↦ −n).
The quantities (A, Z) collectively make up a four vector, where A is the "timelike component", and Z the "spacelike
component". Examples of A and Z are the following:
For a given object (e.g., particle, fluid, field, material), if A or Z correspond to properties specific to the object like
its charge density, mass density, spin, etc., its properties can be fixed in the rest frame of that object. Then the
Lorentz transformations give the corresponding properties in a frame moving relative to the object with constant
velocity. This breaks some notions taken for granted in non-relativistic physics. For example, the energy E of an
object is a scalar in non-relativistic mechanics, but not in relativistic mechanics because energy changes under
Lorentz transformations; its value is different for various inertial frames. In the rest frame of an object, it has a rest
energy and zero momentum. In a boosted frame its energy is different and it appears to have a momentum. Similarly,
in non-relativistic quantum mechanics the spin of a particle is a constant vector, but in relativistic quantum
mechanics spin s depends on relative motion. In the rest frame of the particle, the spin pseudovector can be fixed to
be its ordinary non-relativistic spin with a zero timelike quantity st, however a boosted observer will perceive a
nonzero timelike component and an altered spin.[15]
Not all quantities are invariant in the form as shown above, for example orbital angular momentum L does not have a
timelike quantity, and neither does the electric field E nor the magnetic field B. The definition of angular momentum
is L = r × p, and in a boosted frame the altered angular momentum is L′ = r′ × p′. Applying this definition using the
transformations of coordinates and momentum leads to the transformation of angular momentum. It turns
out L transforms with another vector quantity N = (E/c2)r − tp related to boosts, see relativistic angular
momentum for details. For the case of the E and B fields, the transformations cannot be obtained as directly using
vector algebra. The Lorentz force is the definition of these fields, and in F it is F = q(E + v × B) while in F′ it is F′
= q(E′ + v′ × B′). A method of deriving the EM field transformations in an efficient way which also illustrates the unit
of the electromagnetic field uses tensor algebra, given below.
Mathematical formulation
Lorentz group
Throughout, italic non-bold capital letters are 4×4 matrices, while non-italic bold letters are 3×3 matrices.
and this matrix equation contains the general conditions on the Lorentz transformation to ensure invariance of the
spacetime interval. Taking the determinant of the equation using the product rule[nb 4] gives immediately
Writing the Minkowski metric as a block matrix, and the Lorentz transformation in the most general form,
carrying out the block matrix multiplications obtains general conditions on Γ, a, b, M to ensure relativistic invariance.
Not much information can be directly extracted from all the conditions, however one of the results
The negative inequality may be unexpected, because Γ multiplies the time coordinate and this has an effect on time
symmetry. If the positive equality holds, then Γ is the Lorentz factor.
The determinant and inequality provide four ways to classify Lorentz Transformations (herein LTs for brevity). Any
particular LT has only one determinant sign and only one inequality. There are four sets which include every possible
pair given by the intersections ("n"-shaped symbol meaning "and") of these classifying sets.
where "+" and "−" indicate the determinant sign, while "↑" for ≥ and "↓" for ≤ denote the inequalities.
The full Lorentz group splits into the union ("u"-shaped symbol meaning "or") of four disjoint sets
A subgroup of a group must be closed under the same operation of the group (here matrix multiplication). In other
words, for two Lorentz transformations Λ and L from a particular set, the composite Lorentz
transformations ΛL and LΛ must be in the same set as Λ and L. This will not always be the case; it can be shown
that the composition of any two Lorentz transformations always has the positive determinant and positive inequality, a
all form subgroups. The other sets involving the improper and/or antichronous
properties do not form subgroups, because the composite transformation always has a
positive determinant or inequality, whereas the original separate transformations will have negative determinants
and/or inequalities.
Proper transformations
The Lorentz boost is
The boosts along the Cartesian directions can be readily obtained, for example the unit vector in the x direction has
components nx = 1 and ny = nz = 0.
The matrices make one or more successive transformations easier to handle, rather than rotely iterating the
transformations to obtain the result of more than one transformation. If a frame F′ is boosted with velocity u relative to
frame F, and another frame F′′ is boosted with velocity v relative to F′, the separate boosts are
and the composition of the two boosts connects the coordinates in F′′ and F,
Successive transformations act on the left. If u and v are collinear (parallel or antiparallel along the same line of
relative motion), the boost matrices commute: B(v)B(u) = B(u)B(v) and this composite transformation happens to
be another boost.
If u and v are not collinear but in different directions, the situation is considerably more complicated. Lorentz boosts
along different directions do not commute: B(v)B(u) and B(u)B(v) are not equal. Also, each of these compositions
is not a single boost, but still a Lorentz transformation as each boost still preserves invariance of the spacetime
interval. It turns out the composition of any two Lorentz boosts is equivalent to a boost followed or preceded by a
rotation on the spatial coordinates, in the form of R(ρ)B(w) or B(w)R(ρ). The w and w are composite velocities,
while ρ and ρ are rotation parameters (e.g. axis-angle variables, Euler angles, etc.). The rotation in block matrix form
is simply
where R(ρ) is a 3d rotation matrix, which rotates any 3d vector in one sense (active transformation), or equivalently
the coordinate frame in the opposite sense (passive transformation). It is not simple to connect w and ρ (or w and ρ)
to the original boost parameters u and v. In a composition of boosts, the R matrix is named the Wigner rotation, and
gives rise to the Thomas precession. These articles give the explicit formulae for the composite transformation
matrices, including expressions for w, ρ, w, ρ.
In this article the axis-angle representation is used for ρ. The rotation is about an axis in the direction of a unit
vector e, through angle θ (positive anticlockwise, negative clockwise, according to the right-hand rule). The "axis-
angle vector"
The most general proper Lorentz transformation Λ(v, θ) includes a boost and rotation together, and is a
nonsymmetric matrix. As special cases, Λ(0, θ) = R(θ) and Λ(v, 0) = B(v). An explicit form of the general Lorentz
transformation is cumbersome to write down and will not be given here. Nevertheless, closed form expressions for
the transformation matrices will be given below using group theoretical arguments. It will be easier to use the rapidity
parametrization for boosts, in which case one writes Λ(ζ, θ) and B(ζ).
with matrix multiplication as the operation of composition forms a group, called the "restricted Lorentz group", and is
the special indefinite orthogonal group SO+(3,1). (The plus sign indicates that it preserves the orientation of the
temporal dimension).
For simplicity, look at the infinitesimal Lorentz boost in the x direction (examining a boost in any other direction, or
rotation about any axis, follows an identical procedure). The infinitesimal boost is a small boost away from the
identity, obtained by the Taylor expansion of the boost matrix to first order about ζ = 0,
where the higher order terms not shown are negligible because ζ is small, and Bx is simply the boost matrix in
the x direction. The derivative of the matrix is the matrix of derivatives (of the entries, with respect to the same
variable), and it is understood the derivatives are found first then evaluated at ζ = 0,
For now, Kx is defined by this result (its significance will be explained shortly). In the limit of an infinite number of
infinitely small steps, the finite boost transformation in the form of a matrix exponential is obtained
where the limit definition of the exponential has been used (see also characterizations of the exponential function).
More generally[nb 5]
The axis-angle vector θ and rapidity vector ζ are altogether six continuous variables which make up the group
parameters (in this particular representation), and the generators of the group are K = (Kx, Ky, Kz) and J = (Jx, Jy,
Jz), each vectors of matrices with the explicit forms[nb 6]
These are all defined in an analogous way to Kx above, although the minus signs in the boost generators are
conventional. Physically, the generators of the Lorentz group correspond to important symmetries in spacetime: J are
the rotation generators which correspond to angular momentum, and K are the boost generators which correspond
to the motion of the system in spacetime. The derivative of any smooth curve C(t) with C(0) = I in the group
depending on some group parameter t with respect to that group parameter, evaluated at t = 0, serves as a definition
of a corresponding group generator G, and this reflects an infinitesimal transformation away from the identity. The
smooth curve can always be taken as an exponential as the exponential will always map G smoothly back into the
group via t → exp(tG) for all t; this curve will yield G again when differentiated at t = 0.
Expanding the exponentials in their Taylor series obtains
which compactly reproduce the boost and rotation matrices as given in the previous section.
It has been stated that the general proper Lorentz transformation is a product of a boost and rotation. At
the infinitesimal level the product
is commutative because only linear terms are required (products like (θ·J)(ζ·K) and (ζ·K)(θ·J) count as higher
order terms and are negligible). Taking the limit as before leads to the finite transformation in the form of an
exponential
The converse is also true, but the decomposition of a finite general Lorentz transformation into such factors is
nontrivial. In particular,
because the generators do not commute. For a description of how to find the factors of a general Lorentz
transformation in terms of a boost and a rotation in principle(this usually does not yield an intelligible expression in
terms of generators J and K), see Wigner rotation. If, on the other hand, the decomposition is given in terms of the
generators, and one wants to find the product in terms of the generators, then the Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff
formula applies.
The Lie algebra so(3,1)
Lorentz generators can be added together, or multiplied by real numbers, to obtain more Lorentz generators. In other
words, the set of all Lorentz generators
together with the operations of ordinary matrix addition and multiplication of a matrix by a number, forms a vector
space over the real numbers.[nb 7] The generators Jx, Jy, Jz, Kx, Ky, Kz form a basis set of V, and the components of the
axis-angle and rapidity vectors, θx, θy, θz, ζx, ζy, ζz, are the coordinates of a Lorentz generator with respect to this
basis.[nb 8]
Three of the commutation relations of the Lorentz generators are
where the bracket [A, B] = AB − BA is known as the commutator, and the other relations can be found by
taking cyclic permutations of x, y, z components (i.e. change x to y, y to z, and z to x, repeat).
These commutation relations, and the vector space of generators, fulfill the definition of the Lie algebra . In
summary, a Lie algebra is defined as a vector space V over a field of numbers, and with a binary operation [ , ] (called
a Lie bracket in this context) on the elements of the vector space, satisfying the axioms of bilinearity, alternatization,
and the Jacobi identity. Here the operation [ , ] is the commutator which satisfies all of these axioms, the vector space
is the set of Lorentz generators V as given previously, and the field is the set of real numbers.
Linking terminology used in mathematics and physics: A group generator is any element of the Lie algebra. A group
parameter is a component of a coordinate vector representing an arbitrary element of the Lie algebra with respect to
some basis. A basis, then, is a set of generators being a basis of the Lie algebra in the usual vector space sense.
The exponential map from the Lie algebra to the Lie group,
provides a one-to-one correspondence between small enough neighborhoods of the origin of the Lie algebra and
neighborhoods of the identity element of the Lie group. It the case of the Lorentz group, the exponential map is just
the matrix exponential. Globally, the exponential map is not one-to-one, but in the case of the Lorentz group, it
is surjective (onto). Hence any group element can be expressed as an exponential of an element of the Lie algebra.
Improper transformations
which negates the time coordinate only, because these transformations leave the spacetime interval invariant.
Here I is the 3d identity matrix. These are both symmetric, they are their own inverses (see involution (mathematics)),
and each have determinant −1. This latter property makes them improper transformations.
If Λ is a proper orthochronous Lorentz transformation, then TΛ is improper antichronous, PΛ is improper
orthochronous, and TPΛ = PTΛ is proper antichronous.
Tensor formulation
Representation theory of the Lorentz group
Contravariant vectors
Writing the general matrix transformation of coordinates as the matrix equation
allows the transformation of other physical quantities that cannot be expressed as four-vectors;
e.g., tensors or spinors of any order in 4d spacetime, to be defined. In the corresponding tensor index notation, the
above matrix expression is
where lower and upper indices label covariant and contravariant components respectively,[19] and the summation
convention is applied. It is a standard convention to use Greek indices that take the value 0 for time components, and
1, 2, 3 for space components, while Latin indices simply take the values 1, 2, 3, for spatial components. Note that the
first index (reading left to right) corresponds in the matrix notation to a row index. The second index corresponds to
the column index.
The transformation matrix is universal for all four-vectors, not just 4-dimensional spacetime coordinates. If A is any
four-vector, then in tensor index notation
in which the primed indices denote the indices of A in the primed frame. This notation cuts risk of exhausting the
Greek alphabet roughly in half.
For a general n-component object one may write
where Π is the appropriate representation of the Lorentz group, an n×n matrix for every Λ. In this case, the indices
should not be thought of as spacetime indices (sometimes called Lorentz indices), and they run from 1 to n. E.g.,
if X is a bispinor, then the indices are called Dirac indices.
Covariant vectors
There are also vector quantities with covariant indices. They are generally obtained from their corresponding objects
with contravariant indices by the operation of lowering an index; e.g.,
where η is the metric tensor. (The linked article also provides more information about what the operation of raising
and lowering indices really is mathematically.) The inverse of this transformation is given by
where, when viewed as matrices, ημν is the inverse of ημν. As it happens, ημν = ημν. This is referred to as raising an
index. To transform a covariant vector Aμ, first raise its index, then transform it according to the same rule as for
contravariant 4-vectors, then finally lower the index;
Now for a subtlety. The implied summation on the right hand side of
is running over a row index of the matrix representing Λ−1. Thus, in terms of matrices, this transformation should be
thought of as the inverse transpose of Λ acting on the column vector Aμ. That is, in pure matrix notation,
This means exactly that covariant vectors (thought of as column matrices) transform according to the dual
representation of the standard representation of the Lorentz group. This notion generalizes to general
representations, simply replace Λ with Π(Λ).
Tensors
If A and B are linear operators on vector spaces U and V, then a linear operator A ⊗ B may be defined on
the tensor product of U and V, denoted U ⊗ V according to
From this it is immediately clear that if u and v are a four-vectors in V, then u ⊗ v ∈ T2V ≡ V ⊗ V transforms as
The second step uses the bilinearity of the tensor product and the last step defines a 2-tensor on component form, or
rather, it just renames the tensor u ⊗ v.
These observations generalize in an obvious way to more factors, and using the fact that a general tensor on a vector
space V can be written as a sum of a coefficient (component!) times tensor products of basis vectors and basis
covectors, one arrives at the transformation law for any tensor quantity T. It is given by
where Λχ′ψ is defined above. This form can generally be reduced to the form for general n-component objects given
above with a single matrix (Π(Λ)) operating on column vectors. This latter form is sometimes preferred; e.g., for the
electromagnetic field tensor.
Transformation of the electromagnetic field
Lorentz boost of an electric charge, the charge is at rest in one frame or the other.
Lorentz transformations can also be used to illustrate that the magnetic field B and electric field E are simply different
aspects of the same force — the electromagnetic force, as a consequence of relative motion between electric
charges and observers.[22] The fact that the electromagnetic field shows relativistic effects becomes clear by carrying
out a simple thought experiment
An observer measures a charge at rest in frame F. The observer will detect a static electric
field. As the charge is stationary in this frame, there is no electric current, so the observer does
not observe any magnetic field.
The other observer in frame F′ moves at velocity v relative to F and the charge. This observer
sees a different electric field because the charge moves at velocity −v in their rest frame. The
motion of the charge corresponds to an electric current, and thus the observer in frame F′ also
sees a magnetic field.
The electric and magnetic fields transform differently from space and time, but exactly the same way as relativistic
angular momentum and the boost vector.
The electromagnetic field strength tensor is given by
in SI units. In relativity, the Gaussian system of units is often preferred over SI units, even in texts whose main choice
of units is SI units, because in it the electric field E and the magnetic induction B have the same units making the
appearance of the electromagnetic field tensor more natural.[24] Consider a Lorentz boost in the x-direction. It is given
by[25]
where the field tensor is displayed side by side for easiest possible reference in the manipulations below.
The general transformation law (T3) becomes
For the magnetic field one obtains
and are independent of the metric signature. For SI units, substitute E → E⁄c. Misner, Thorne & Wheeler (1973) refer
to this last form as the 3 + 1 view as opposed to the geometric view represented by the tensor expression
and make a strong point of the ease with which results that are difficult to achieve using the 3 + 1 view can be
obtained and understood. Only objects that have well defined Lorentz transformation properties (in fact
under any smooth coordinate transformation) are geometric objects. In the geometric view, the electromagnetic field
is a six-dimensional geometric object in spacetime as opposed to two interdependent, but separate, 3-vector fields
in space and time. The fields E (alone) and B (alone) do not have well defined Lorentz transformation properties. The
mathematical underpinnings are equations (T1) and (T2) that immediately yield (T3). One should note that the primed
and unprimed tensors refer to the same event in spacetime. Thus the complete equation with spacetime dependence
is
Length contraction has an effect on charge density ρ and current density J, and time dilation has an effect on the rate
of flow of charge (current), so charge and current distributions must transform in a related way under a boost. It turns
out they transform exactly like the space-time and energy-momentum four-vectors,
One says that charge density transforms as the time component of a four-vector. It is a rotational scalar. The current
density is a 3-vector.
The Maxwell equations are invariant under Lorentz transformations.
Spinors
Equation (T1) hold unmodified for any representation of the Lorentz group, including the bispinor representation.
In (T2) one simply replaces all occurrences of Λ by the bispinor representation Π(Λ),
The above equation could, for instance, be the transformation of a state in Fock space describing two free electrons.
Transformation of general fields
A general noninteracting multi-particle state (Fock space state) in quantum field theory transforms according to the
rule
APPARATUS
APPARATUS;
GREGORIAN CALENDAR
. The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used civil calendar in the world.[1][2][Note 1] It is named
after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in October 1582. The calendar spaces leap years to
make the average year 365.2425 days long, approximating the 365.2422 day tropical year that
is determined by the Earth's revolution around the Sun. The rule for leap years is as follows:
Every year that is exactly divisible by four is a leap year, except for years that are exactly
divisible by 100, but these centurial years are leap years if they are exactly divisible by 400.
For example, the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 are not leap years, but the year 2000 is. [3]
2019 in various calendars
MMXIX
4715 or 4655
— to —
己亥年 (Earth Pig)
4716 or 4656
Hindu calendars
(平成31年)
民國 108 年
— to —
阴土猪年
(female Earth-Pig)
2146 or 1765 or 993
No
Name Length in days
.
1 January 31
3 March 31
4 April 30
5 May 31
6 June 30
7 July 31
8 August 31
9 September 30
10 October 31
11 November 30
12 December 31
In the Julian calendar, a leap year occurred every 4 years, and the leap day was inserted by
doubling 24 February. The Gregorian reform omitted a leap day in three of every 400 years
and left the leap day unchanged. However, it has become customary in the modern period to
number the days sequentially with no gaps, and 29 February is typically considered as the
leap day. Before the 1969 revision of the Roman Calendar, the Roman Catholic Church delayed
February feasts after the 23rd by one day in leap years; Masses celebrated according to the
previous calendar still reflect this delay. [8]
Calendar cycles repeat completely every 400 years, which equals 146,097 days. [Note 3][Note 4] Of
these 400 years, 303 are regular years of 365 days and 97 are leap years of 366 days. A mean
calendar year is 365 97/400 days = 365.2425 days, or 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12
seconds.[
Pope Gregory XIII in an early 17th-century engraving
Esaias van Hulsen - Engraving, 30.5 x 18.6 cm / Sheet: 32.1 x 20.6 cm. Retrieved from the
Smithsonian Institution Libraries,Gregory XIII, Pope (1502 - 1585)
Gregory XIII, Pope (1502 - 1585)
Christopher Clavius (1538–1612), one of the main authors of the
reform
Francesco Villamena - Immediate source: http://www.sil.si.edu/digitalcollections/hst/scientific-
identity/fullsize/SIL14-C4-02a.jpg (note engraving has "CHRISTOPHORVS CLAVIVS
BAMBERGENSIS" and "Franciscus Villamoena Fe. Rome Anno 1606") Ultimate source: A 16th
century engraving after a painting by Francisco Villamena. (source for artist: [1])
Christopher Clavius (1538–1612), German mathematician and astronomer.
Gregorian reform
The Gregorian calendar was a reform of the Julian calendar. It was instituted in 1582 by Pope
Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by papal bull Inter gravissimas dated 24
February 1582.[4] The motivation for the adjustment was to bring the date for the celebration of
Easter to the time of year in which it was celebrated when it was introduced by the early
Church. The error in the Julian calendar (its assumption that there are exactly 365.25 days in
a year) had led to the date of the equinox according to the calendar drifting from the
observed reality, and thus an error had been introduced into the calculation of the date of
Easter. Although a recommendation of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 specified that all
Christians should celebrate Easter on the same day, it took almost five centuries before
virtually all Christians achieved that objective by adopting the rules of the Church of
Alexandria (see Easter for the issues which arose).[Note 6]
Background
Computus
Because the date of Easter was tied to the Spring Equinox, the Roman Catholic Church
considered the seasonal drift in the date of Easter undesirable. The Church of Alexandria
celebrated Easter on the Sunday after the 14th day of the moon (computed using the Metonic
cycle) that falls on or after the vernal equinox, which they placed on 21 March. However, the
Church of Rome still regarded 25 March (Lady Day) as the equinox (until 342), and used a
different cycle to compute the day of the moon.[10] In the Alexandrian system, since the 14th
day of the Easter moon could fall at earliest on 21 March its first day could fall no earlier than
8 March and no later than 5 April. This meant that Easter varied between 22 March and 25
April. In Rome, Easter was not allowed to fall later than 21 April, that being the day of
the Parilia or birthday of Rome and a pagan festival. The first day of the Easter moon could
fall no earlier than 5 March and no later than 2 April.
Easter was the Sunday after the 15th day of this moon, whose 14th day was allowed to
precede the equinox. Where the two systems produced different dates there was generally a
compromise so that both churches were able to celebrate on the same day. By the 10th
century all churches (except some on the eastern border of the Byzantine Empire) had
adopted the Alexandrian Easter, which still placed the vernal equinox on 21 March,
although Bede had already noted its drift in 725—it had drifted even further by the 16th
century.[11]
Worse, the reckoned Moon that was used to compute Easter was fixed to the Julian year by
a 19-year cycle. That approximation built up an error of one day every 310 years, so by the
16th century the lunar calendar was out of phase with the real Moon by four days.
European scholars had been well aware of the calendar drift since the early medieval
period. Bede, writing in the 8th century, showed that the accumulated error in his day was
more than three days. Roger Bacon in c. 1200 estimated the error at seven or eight
days. Dante, writing c. 1300, was aware of the need of a calendar reform. The first attempt to
go forward with such a reform was undertaken by Pope Sixtus IV, who in 1475
invited Regiomontanus to the Vatican for this purpose. However, the project was interrupted
by the death of Regiomontanus shortly after his arrival in Rome.[12] The increase of
astronomical knowledge and the precision of observations towards the end of the 15th
century made the question more pressing. Numerous publications over the following
decades called for a calendar reform, among them two papers sent to the Vatican by
the University of Salamanca in 1515 and 1578,[13]but the project was not taken up again until the
1540s, and implemented only under Pope Gregory XIII (r. 1572–1585).
First page of the papal bull Inter gravissimas
Detail of the pope's tomb by Camillo Rusconi (completed 1723); Antonio Lilio is genuflecting before the
pope, presenting his printed calendar.
Preparation
In 1545, the Council of Trent authorized Pope Paul III to reform the calendar, requiring that the
date of the vernal equinox be restored to that which it held at the time of the First Council of
Nicaea in 325 and that an alteration to the calendar be designed to prevent future drift. This
would allow for a more consistent and accurate scheduling of the feast of Easter.
In 1577, a Compendium was sent to expert mathematicians outside the reform commission
for comments. Some of these experts, including Giambattista Benedetti and Giuseppe Moleto,
believed Easter should be computed from the true motions of the sun and moon, rather than
using a tabular method, but these recommendations were not adopted. [14] The reform adopted
was a modification of a proposal made by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius (or Lilio).[15]
Lilius's proposal included reducing the number of leap years in four centuries from 100 to 97,
by making three out of four centurial years common instead of leap years. He also produced
an original and practical scheme for adjusting the epacts of the moon when calculating the
annual date of Easter, solving a long-standing obstacle to calendar reform.
Ancient tables provided the sun's mean longitude.[16][17] The German mathematician Christopher
Clavius, the architect of the Gregorian calendar, noted that the tables agreed neither on the
time when the sun passed through the vernal equinox nor on the length of the mean tropical
year. Tycho Brahe also noticed discrepancies.[18][19]The Gregorian leap year rule (97 leap years
in 400 years) was put forward by Petrus Pitatus of Verona in 1560. He noted that it is
consistent with the tropical year of the Alfonsine tables and with the mean tropical year of
Copernicus (De revolutionibus) and Erasmus Reinhold (Prutenic tables). The three mean tropical
years in Babylonian sexagesimals as the excess over 365 days (the way they would have
been extracted from the tables of mean longitude) were 14,33,9,57 (Alfonsine), 14,33,11,12
(Copernicus) and 14,33,9,24 (Reinhold). All values are the same to two places (14:33) and this
is also the mean length of the Gregorian year. Thus Pitatus' solution would have commended
itself to the astronomers.[20]
Lilius's proposals had two components. Firstly, he proposed a correction to the length of the
year. The mean tropical year is 365.24219 days long.[21] A commonly used value in Lilius's time,
from the Alfonsine tables, is 365.2425463 days. [22] As the average length of a Julian year is
365.25 days, the Julian year is almost 11 minutes longer than the mean tropical year. The
discrepancy results in a drift of about three days every 400 years. Lilius's proposal resulted
in an average year of 365.2425 days (see Accuracy). At the time of Gregory's reform there had
already been a drift of 10 days since the Council of Nicaea, resulting in the vernal equinox
falling on 10 or 11 March instead of the ecclesiastically fixed date of 21 March, and if
unreformed it would drift further. Lilius proposed that the 10-day drift should be corrected by
deleting the Julian leap day on each of its ten occurrences over a period of forty years,
thereby providing for a gradual return of the equinox to 21 March.
Lilius's work was expanded upon by Christopher Clavius in a closely argued, 800-page
volume. He would later defend his and Lilius's work against detractors. Clavius's opinion was
that the correction should take place in one move, and it was this advice which prevailed with
Gregory.
The second component consisted of an approximation which would provide an accurate yet
simple, rule-based calendar. Lilius's formula was a 10-day correction to revert the drift since
the Council of Nicaea, and the imposition of a leap day in only 97 years in 400 rather than in 1
year in 4. The proposed rule was that years divisible by 100 would be leap years only if they
were divisible by 400 as well.
The 19-year cycle used for the lunar calendar was also to be corrected by one day every 300
or 400 years (8 times in 2500 years) along with corrections for the years that are no longer
leap years (i.e., 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, etc.). In fact, a new method for computing the date of
Easter was introduced.
When the new calendar was put in use, the error accumulated in the 13 centuries since the
Council of Nicaea was corrected by a deletion of 10 days. The Julian calendar day Thursday,
4 October 1582 was followed by the first day of the Gregorian calendar, Friday, 15 October
1582 (the cycle of weekdays was not affected).
Adoption
Adoption of the Gregorian calendar
Although Gregory's reform was enacted in the most solemn of forms available to the Church,
the bull had no authority beyond the Catholic Church and the Papal States. The changes that
he was proposing were changes to the civil calendar, over which he had no authority. They
required adoption by the civil authorities in each country to have legal effect.
The bull Inter gravissimas became the law of the Catholic Church in 1582, but it was not
recognised by Protestant Churches, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches, and
a few others. Consequently, the days on which Easter and related holidays were celebrated
by different Christian Churches again diverged.
A month after having decreed the reform, the pope with a brief of 3 April 1582 granted to
Antonio Lilio, the brother of Luigi Lilio, the exclusive right to publish the calendar for a period
of ten years. The Lunario Novo secondo la nuova riforma printed by Vincenzo Accolti, one of
the first calendars printed in Rome after the reform, notes at the bottom that it was signed
with papal authorization and by Lilio (Con licentia delli Superiori... et permissu Ant(onii) Lilij).
The papal brief was later revoked, on 20 September 1582, because Antonio Lilio proved
unable to keep up with the demand for copies.[23]
On 29 September 1582, Philip II of Spain decreed the change from the Julian to the Gregorian
calendar.[24] This affected much of Roman Catholic Europe, as Philip was at the time ruler
over Spain and Portugal as well as much of Italy. In these territories, as well as in the Polish–
Lithuanian Commonwealth[citation needed] (ruled by Anna Jagiellon) and in the Papal States, the new
calendar was implemented on the date specified by the bull, with Julian Thursday, 4 October
1582, being followed by Gregorian Friday, 15 October 1582. The Spanish and Portuguese
colonies followed somewhat later de facto because of delay in communication.[25]
Many Protestant countries initially objected to adopting a Catholic innovation; some
Protestants feared the new calendar was part of a plot to return them to the Catholic fold. For
example, the British could not bring themselves to adopt the Catholic system explicitly: the
Annexe to their Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 established a computation for the date of Easter
that achieved the same result as Gregory's rules, without actually referring to him. [26]
Britain and the British Empire (including the eastern part of what is now the United States)
adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752. Sweden followed in 1753.
Prior to 1917, Turkey used the lunar Islamic calendar with the Hegira era for general purposes
and the Julian calendar for fiscal purposes. The start of the fiscal year was eventually fixed at
1 March and the year number was roughly equivalent to the Hegira year (see Rumi calendar).
As the solar year is longer than the lunar year this originally entailed the use of "escape
years" every so often when the number of the fiscal year would jump. From 1 March 1917 the
fiscal year became Gregorian, rather than Julian. On 1 January 1926 the use of the Gregorian
calendar was extended to include use for general purposes and the number of the year
became the same as in most other countries.
Since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the difference between Gregorian and
Julian calendar dates has increased by three days every four centuries (all date ranges are
inclusive):
This section always places the intercalary day on 29 February even though it was always
obtained by doubling 24 February (the bissextum (twice sixth) or bissextile day) until the
late Middle Ages. The Gregorian calendar is proleptic before 1582 (assumed to exist before
1582).
The following equation gives the number of days (actually, dates) that the Gregorian calendar
is ahead of the Julian calendar, called the secular difference between the two calendars. A
negative difference means the Julian calendar is ahead of the Gregorian calendar. [28]
where is the secular difference and is the year using astronomical year numbering,
that is, use (year BC) − 1 for BC years. means that if the result of the division is not
an integer it is rounded down to the nearest integer. Thus during the 1900s, 1900/400 = 4,
while during the −500s, −500/400 = −2.
The general rule, in years which are leap years in the Julian calendar but not the
Gregorian, is as follows:
Up to 28 February in the calendar you are converting from add one day less or subtract
one day more than the calculated value. Remember to give February the appropriate
number of days for the calendar you are converting into. When you are subtracting days
to move from Julian to Gregorian be careful, when calculating the Gregorian equivalent of
29 February (Julian), to remember that 29 February is discounted. Thus if the calculated
value is −4 the Gregorian equivalent of this date is 24 February. [29][30]
The year used in dates during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire was the
consular year, which began on the day when consuls first entered office probably 1 May
before 222 BC, 15 March from 222 BC and 1 January from 153 BC.[42] The Julian calendar,
which began in 45 BC, continued to use 1 January as the first day of the new year. Even
though the year used for dates changed, the civil year always displayed its months in the
order January to December from the Roman Republican period until the present.
During the Middle Ages, under the influence of the Catholic Church, many Western
European countries moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian
festivals 25 December (supposed Nativity of Jesus), 25 March (Annunciation), or Easter
(France),[43] while the Byzantine Empire began its year on 1 September and Russia did so
on 1 March until 1492 when the new year was moved to 1 September. [44]
In common usage, 1 January was regarded as New Year's Day and celebrated as such,
[45]
but from the 12th century until 1751 the legal year in England began on 25 March (Lady
Day).[46] So, for example, the Parliamentary record lists the execution of Charles I on 30
January as occurring in 1648 (as the year did not end until 24 March), [47] although later
histories adjust the start of the year to 1 January and record the execution as occurring
in 1649.[48]
Most Western European countries changed the start of the year to 1 January before they
adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish
New Year to 1 January in 1600 (this means that 1599 was a short year). England, Ireland
and the British colonies changed the start of the year to 1 January in 1752 (so 1751 was a
short year with only 282 days) though in England the start of the tax year remained at 25
March (O.S.), 5 April (N.S.) until 1800, when it moved to 6 April. Later in 1752 in September
the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies (see
the section Adoption). These two reforms were implemented by the Calendar (New Style)
Act 1750.[49]
In some countries, an official decree or law specified that the start of the year should be 1
January. For such countries a specific year when a 1 January-year became the norm can
be identified. In other countries the customs varied, and the start of the year moved back
and forth as fashion and influence from other countries dictated various customs.
Neither the papal bull nor its attached canons explicitly fix such a date, though it is
implied by two tables of saint's days, one labelled 1582 which ends on 31 December, and
another for any full year that begins on 1 January. It also specifies its epact relative to 1
January, in contrast with the Julian calendar, which specified it relative to 22 March. The
old date was derived from the Greek system: the earlier Supputatio Romana specified it
relative to 1 January.
1. ^ In 1793 France abandoned the Gregorian calendar in favour of the French Republican
Calendar. This change was reverted in 1805.
Dual dating
During the period between 1582, when the first countries adopted the Gregorian calendar,
and 1923, when the last European country adopted it, it was often necessary to indicate
the date of some event in both the Julian calendar and in the Gregorian calendar, for
example, "10/21 February 1750/51", where the dual year accounts for some countries
already beginning their numbered year on 1 January while others were still using some
other date. Even before 1582, the year sometimes had to be double dated because of the
different beginnings of the year in various countries. Woolley, writing in his biography
of John Dee (1527–1608/9), notes that immediately after 1582 English letter writers
"customarily" used "two dates" on their letters, one OS and one NS.
.[
A 16th-century portrait by an unknown artis
50]
"Old Style" (OS) and "New Style" (NS) are sometimes added to dates to identify which
calendar reference system is used for the date given. In Britain and its Colonies, where
the Calendar Act of 1750 altered the start of the year,[Note 10] and also aligned the British
calendar with the Gregorian calendar, there is some confusion as to what these terms
mean. They can indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1
January (NS) even though contemporary documents use a different start of year (OS); or
to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian calendar (OS), formerly in use in many
countries, rather than the Gregorian calendar (NS).[48][51][52][53]
Extending the Gregorian calendar backwards to dates preceding its official introduction
produces a proleptic calendar, which should be used with some caution. For ordinary
purposes, the dates of events occurring prior to 15 October 1582 are generally shown as
they appeared in the Julian calendar, with the year starting on 1 January, and no
conversion to their Gregorian equivalents. For example, the Battle of Agincourt is
universally considered to have been fought on 25 October 1415 which is Saint Crispin's
Day.
Usually, the mapping of new dates onto old dates with a start of year adjustment works
well with little confusion for events that happened before the introduction of the
Gregorian calendar. But for the period between the first introduction of the Gregorian
calendar on 15 October 1582 and its introduction in Britain on 14 September 1752, there
can be considerable confusion between events in continental western Europe and in
British domains in English language histories.
Events in continental western Europe are usually reported in English language histories
as happening under the Gregorian calendar. For example, the Battle of Blenheim is always
given as 13 August 1704. Confusion occurs when an event affects both. For
example, William III of England set sail from the Netherlands on 11 November 1688
(Gregorian calendar) and arrived at Brixham in England on 5 November 1688 (Julian
calendar).
Shakespeare and Cervantes seemingly died on exactly the same date (23 April 1616), but
Cervantes predeceased Shakespeare by ten days in real time (as Spain used the
Gregorian calendar, but Britain used the Julian calendar). This coincidence
encouraged UNESCO to make 23 April the World Book and Copyright Day.
Astronomers avoid this ambiguity by the use of the Julian day number.
For dates before the year 1, unlike the proleptic Gregorian calendar used in
the international standard ISO 8601, the traditional proleptic Gregorian calendar (like the
Julian calendar) does not have a year 0 and instead uses the ordinal numbers 1, 2, ... both
for years AD and BC. Thus the traditional time line is 2 BC, 1 BC, AD 1, and AD 2. ISO
8601 uses astronomical year numbering which includes a year 0 and negative numbers
before it. Thus the ISO 8601 time line is −0001, 0000, 0001, and 0002.
Months
The Gregorian calendar continued to employ the Julian months, which have Latinate
names and irregular numbers of days:
Weeks
Main article: Seven-day week
Accuracy
The Gregorian calendar improves the approximation made by the Julian calendar by
skipping three Julian leap days in every 400 years, giving an average year of
365.2425 mean solar days long.[81] This approximation has an error of about one day per
3,030 years[82] with respect to the current value of the mean tropical year. However, because
of the precession of the equinoxes, which is not constant, and the movement of
the perihelion (which affects the Earth's orbital speed) the error with respect to
the astronomical vernal equinox is variable; using the average interval between vernal
equinoxes near 2000 of 365.24237 days[83] implies an error closer to 1 day every 7,700
years. By any criterion, the Gregorian calendar is substantially more accurate than the 1
day in 128 years error of the Julian calendar (average year 365.25 days).
In the 19th century, Sir John Herschel proposed a modification to the Gregorian calendar
with 969 leap days every 4000 years, instead of 970 leap days that the Gregorian calendar
would insert over the same period.[84] This would reduce the average year to 365.24225
days. Herschel's proposal would make the year 4000, and multiples thereof, common
instead of leap. While this modification has often been proposed since, it has never been
officially adopted.[85]
On time scales of thousands of years, the Gregorian calendar falls behind the
astronomical seasons because the slowing down of the Earth's rotation makes each day
slightly longer over time (see tidal acceleration and leap second) while the year maintains a
more uniform duration.
Proposed reforms
The following are proposed reforms of the Gregorian calendar:
Holocene calendar
International Fixed Calendar (also called the International Perpetual calendar)
World Calendar
World Season Calendar
Leap week calendars
Pax Calendar
Symmetry454
Hanke–Henry Permanent Calendar
LUNAR CALENDAR.
Lunisolar calendars
Lunisolar calendar
Most calendars referred to as "lunar" calendars are in fact lunisolar calendars. Their months are based on
observations of the lunar cycle, with intercalation being used to bring them into general agreement with the solar
year. The solar "civic calendar" that was used in ancient Egypt showed traces of its origin in the earlier lunar
calendar, which continued to be used alongside it for religious and agricultural purposes. Present-day lunisolar
calendars include the Chinese, Hindu, and Thaicalendars.
Synodic months are 29 or 30 days in length, making a lunar year of 12 months about 11 days shorter than a solar year.
Some lunar calendars do not use intercalation, such as most Islamic calendars. For those that do, such as
the Hebrew calendar, the most common form of intercalation is to add an additional month every second or third
year. Some lunisolar calendars are also calibrated by annual natural events which are affected by lunar cycles as
well as the solar cycle. An example of this is the lunar calendar of the Banks Islands, which includes three months in
which the edible palolo worm mass on the beaches. These events occur at the last quarter of the lunar month, as the
reproductive cycle of the palolos is synchronized with the moon. [4]
These fractions can be used to construct a lunar calendar, or in combination with a solar calendar to produce
a lunisolar calendar. A 49-month cycle was proposed as the basis of an alternative Easter computation by Isaac
Newton around 1700.[5] The tabular Islamic calendar's 360-month cycle is equivalent to 24×15 months, minus a
correction of one day.
COSMIC CALLENDAR.
Cosmic Calendar is a method to visualize the chronology of the universe, scaling its current age of
13.8 billion years to a single year in order to help intuit it for pedagogical purposes in science
education or popular science.
A graphical view of the Cosmic Calendar, featuring the months of the year, days of December, and the final
minute.
The
In this visualization, the Big Bang took place at the beginning of January 1 at midnight, and the
current moment maps onto the end of December 31 just before midnight. [1] At this scale, there are
437.5 years per second, 1.575 million years per hour, and 37.8 million years per day.
The concept was popularized by Carl Sagan in his book The Dragons of Eden (1977) and on his
television series Cosmos.[2] Sagan goes on to extend the comparison in terms of surface area,
explaining that if the Cosmic Calendar is scaled to the size of a football field, then "all of human
history would occupy an area the size of [his] hand". [3]
12
8.8 Milky Way Galaxy disk formed
May
Bya(Billion Years
Date Event
Ago)
Human evolution
30 Dec 65 Primates
31 Dec,
0.012 Agriculture
23:59:32
History begins
kya(Thousand
Date / time Event
Years Ago)
31 Dec,
12.0 End of the Ice Age
23:59:33
31 Dec,
8.3 Flooding of Doggerland
23:59:41
31 Dec,
6.0 Chalcolithic
23:59:46
31 Dec,
5.5 Early Bronze Age; Proto-writing; Building of Stonehenge Cursus
23:59:47
31 Dec,
4.5 Alphabet, Akkadian Empire, Wheel
23:59:49
31 Dec,
4.0 Code of Hammurabi, Middle Kingdom of Egypt
23:59:51
31 Dec,
3.5 Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age; Minoan eruption
23:59:52
31 Dec,
3.0 Iron Age; Beginning of Classical Antiquity
23:59:53
Buddha, Mahavira, Zoroaster, Confucius, Qin Dynasty, Classical
31 Dec, Greece, Ashokan
2.5
23:59:54 Empire, Vedas Completed, Euclidean geometry, Archimedean Physics, Roman
Republic
31 Dec, Ptolemaic astronomy, Roman Empire, Christ, Invention of Numeral 0, Gupta
2.0
23:59:55 Empire
31 Dec,
1.5 Muhammad, Maya civilization, Song Dynasty, Rise of Byzantine Empire
23:59:56
kya(Thousand Years
Date / time Event
Ago)
31 Dec,
0.5 Modern History; the last 437.5 years before present.
23:59:59
Future
Future of the Earth and Solar System ("Year 2")[edit]
1 Jan,
0.5 Anthropocene Epoch
00:00:01
1 Jan,
10.0 Antares explodes into a supernova
00:00:23
1 Jan,
20.0 Chernobyl finally becomes safe
00:00:50
1 Jan, The Arecibo message finally reaches the M13
20.0
00:00:57 cluster
1 Jan,
50.0 Niagara Falls finally erodes away
00:01:54
1 Jan,
300.0 WR 104 explodes
00:11:24
1 Jan,
500.0 Earth likely hit by 1 km asteroid
00:19:02
1 Jan,
1.0 Pyramids of Giza erode away
00:38:05
1 Jan,
7.2 Mount Rushmore erodes away
04:34:17
Year 72,479, 11
1 quadrillion Sun cools down to -268 deg C
Jul
RAW MATERIALS,
.
Drinking Water
Water is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is
the main constituent of Earth's streams, lakes, and oceans, and the fluids of most
living organisms. It is vital for all known forms of life, even though it provides
no calories or organic nutrients. Its chemical formula is H2O, meaning that each of
its molecules contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms, connected by covalent bonds.
Water is the name of the liquid state of H2O at standard ambient temperature and pressure. It
forms precipitation in the form of rain and aerosols in the form of fog. Clouds are formed from
suspended droplets of water and ice, its solid state. When finely divided, crystalline ice may
precipitate in the form of snow. The gaseous state of water is steam or water vapor. Water
moves continually through the water
cycle of evaporation, transpiration(evapotranspiration), condensation, precipitation, and runoff,
usually reaching the sea.
Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface, mostly in seas and oceans. [1] Small portions of water
occur as groundwater (1.7%), in the glaciers and the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland
(1.7%), and in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of ice and liquid water suspended in air),
and precipitation (0.001%).[2][3]
Water plays an important role in the world economy. Approximately 70% of the freshwater
used by humans goes to agriculture.[4] Fishing in salt and fresh water bodies is a major
source of food for many parts of the world. Much of long-distance trade of commodities (such
as oil and natural gas) and manufactured products is transported by boats through seas,
rivers, lakes, and canals. Large quantities of water, ice, and steam are used for cooling and
heating, in industry and homes. Water is an excellent solvent for a wide variety of chemical
substances; as such it is widely used in industrial processes, and in cooking and washing.
Water is also central to many sports and other forms of entertainment, such as
swimming, pleasure boating, boat racing, surfing, sport fishing, and diving.
Water in two states: liquid (including the clouds, which are examples of aerosols), and solid (ice).
Etymology
The word "water" comes from Old English "wæter", from Proto-Germanic "*watar" (source also
of Old Saxon "watar", Old Frisian "wetir", Dutch "water", Old High
German "wazzar", German "Wasser", Old Norse "vatn", Gothic "wato"), from Proto-
Indoeuropean "*wod-or", suffixed form of root "*wed-" ("water"; "wet").[5]
Liquid water, showing droplets and air bubbles caused by the drops
SOURCE; David Santaolalla from León, spain - Brindis
Brindis
Snowflakes by Wilson Bentley, 1902
SOURCE;Wilson Bentley - Plate XIX of "Studies among the Snow Crystals ... " by Wilson Bentley,
"The Snowflake Man." From Annual Summary of the "Monthly Weather Review" for 1902.
Snow flakes by Wilson Bentley. Bentley was a bachelor farmer whose hobby was
photographing snow flakes. ; Image ID: wea02087, Historic NWS Collection ;
Location: Jericho, Vermont ; Photo Date: 1902 Winter
Taste and odor
Pure water is usually described as tasteless and odorless, although humans have specific
sensors that can feel the presence of water in their mouths,[16] and frogs are known to be able
to smell it.[17] However, water from ordinary sources (including bottled mineral water) usually
has many dissolved substances, that may give it varying tastes and odors. Humans and other
animals have developed senses that enable them to evaluate the potability of water by
avoiding water that is too salty or putrid.[18]
Capillary action of water compared to mercury. Note that the menisci of the two liquids curve in the
opposite direction.
Impact from a water drop causes an upward "rebound" jet surrounded by circular capillary waves.
Mechanical properties
Liquid water can be assumed to be incompressible for most purposes: its compressibility
ranges from 4.4 to 5.1×10−10 Pa−1 in ordinary conditions.[24] Even in oceans at 4 km depth, where
the pressure is 400 atm, water suffers only a 1.8% decrease in volume. [25]
The viscosity of water is about 10−3 Pa·s or 0.01 poise at 20 °C (68 °F), and the speed of sound in
liquid water ranges between 1,400 and 1,540 meters per second (4,600 and 5,100 ft/s)
depending on temperature. Sound travels long distances in water with little attenuation,
especially at low frequencies (roughly 0.03 dB/km for 1 kHz), a property that is exploited
by cetaceans and humans for communication and environment sensing (sonar).[26]
Reactivity
Metallic elements which are more electropositive than hydrogen such
as lithium, sodium, calcium, potassium and caesium displace hydrogen from water,
forming hydroxides and releasing hydrogen. At high temperatures, carbon reacts with steam
to form carbon monoxide.
On Earth
Hydrology and Water distribution on Earth
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water throughout the
Earth. The study of the distribution of water is hydrography. The study of the distribution and
movement of groundwater is hydrogeology, of glaciers is glaciology, of inland waters
is limnology and distribution of oceans is oceanography. Ecological processes with hydrology
are in focus of ecohydrology.
The collective mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of a planet is called
the hydrosphere. Earth's approximate water volume (the total water supply of the world) is
1.338 billion cubic kilometers (321×106 cu mi).[2]
Liquid water is found in bodies of water, such as an ocean, sea, lake, river, stream, canal,
pond, or puddle. The majority of water on Earth is sea water. Water is also present in the
atmosphere in solid, liquid, and vapor states. It also exists as groundwater in aquifers.
Water is important in many geological processes. Groundwater is present in most rocks, and
the pressure of this groundwater affects patterns of faulting. Water in the mantle is
responsible for the melt that produces volcanoes at subduction zones. On the surface of the
Earth, water is important in both chemical and physical weathering processes. Water, and to a
lesser but still significant extent, ice, are also responsible for a large amount of sediment
transport that occurs on the surface of the earth. Deposition of transported sediment forms
many types of sedimentary rocks, which make up the geologic record of Earth history.
Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface; the oceans contain 96.5% of the Earth's water. The Antarctic
ice sheet, which contains 61% of all fresh water on Earth, is visible at the bottom. Condensed
atmospheric water can be seen as clouds, contributing to the Earth's albedo.
Water cycle
Main article: Water cycle
evaporation from oceans and other water bodies into the air and transpiration from land
plants and animals into air.
precipitation, from water vapor condensing from the air and falling to earth or ocean.
runoff from the land usually reaching the sea.
Most water vapor over the oceans returns to the oceans, but winds carry water vapor over
land at the same rate as runoff into the sea, about 47 Tt per year. Over land, evaporation and
transpiration contribute another 72 Tt per year. Precipitation, at a rate of 119 Tt per year over
land, has several forms: most commonly rain, snow, and hail, with some contribution
from fog and dew.[27] Dew is small drops of water that are condensed when a high density of
water vapor meets a cool surface. Dew usually forms in the morning when the temperature is
the lowest, just before sunrise and when the temperature of the earth's surface starts to
increase.[28] Condensed water in the air may also refractsunlight to produce rainbows.
Water runoff often collects over watersheds flowing into rivers. A mathematical model used to
simulate river or stream flow and calculate water quality parameters is a hydrological transport
model. Some water is diverted to irrigation for agriculture. Rivers and seas offer opportunity
for travel and commerce. Through erosion, runoff shapes the environment creating
river valleys and deltas which provide rich soil and level ground for the establishment of
population centers. A flood occurs when an area of land, usually low-lying, is covered with
water. It is when a river overflows its banks or flood comes from the sea. A drought is an
extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply.
This occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation.
THE WATER CYCLE.
Water cycle
Water resources
The Bay of Fundy at high tide and low tide. At low tide, many rocks are exposed and the boat in the
picture is grounded.
Effects on life
From a biological standpoint, water has many distinct properties that are critical for the
proliferation of life. It carries out this role by allowing organic compounds to react in ways that
ultimately allow replication. All known forms of life depend on water. Water is vital both as
a solvent in which many of the body's solutes dissolve and as an essential part of
many metabolic processes within the body. Metabolism is the sum total
of anabolism and catabolism. In anabolism, water is removed from molecules (through energy
requiring enzymatic chemical reactions) in order to grow larger molecules (e.g. starches,
triglycerides and proteins for storage of fuels and information). In catabolism, water is used
to break bonds in order to generate smaller molecules (e.g. glucose, fatty acids and amino
acids to be used for fuels for energy use or other purposes). Without water, these particular
metabolic processes could not exist.
Water is fundamental to photosynthesis and respiration. Photosynthetic cells use the sun's
energy to split off water's hydrogen from oxygen[citation needed]. Hydrogen is combined with
CO2 (absorbed from air or water) to form glucose and release oxygen [citation needed]. All living cells
use such fuels and oxidize the hydrogen and carbon to capture the sun's energy and reform
water and CO2 in the process (cellular respiration).
Water is also central to acid-base neutrality and enzyme function. An acid, a hydrogen ion
(H+, that is, a proton) donor, can be neutralized by a base, a proton acceptor such as a
hydroxide ion (OH−) to form water. Water is considered to be neutral, with a pH (the negative
log of the hydrogen ion concentration) of 7. Acids have pH values less than 7
while bases have values greater than 7.
Earth surface waters are filled with life. The earliest life forms appeared in water; nearly all
fish live exclusively in water, and there are many types of marine mammals, such as dolphins
and whales. Some kinds of animals, such as amphibians, spend portions of their lives in water
and portions on land. Plants such as kelp and algae grow in the water and are the basis for
some underwater ecosystems. Plankton is generally the foundation of the ocean food chain.
Aquatic vertebrates must obtain oxygen to survive, and they do so in various ways. Fish
have gills instead of lungs, although some species of fish, such as the lungfish, have
both. Marine mammals, such as dolphins, whales, otters, and seals need to surface periodically
to breathe air. Some amphibians are able to absorb oxygen through their skin. Invertebrates
exhibit a wide range of modifications to survive in poorly oxygenated waters including
breathing tubes (see insect and mollusc siphons) and gills (Carcinus). However as invertebrate
life evolved in an aquatic habitat most have little or no specialisation for respiration in water.
Water fountain
Source; MikeParker at English Wikipedia
Photo of a fountain in the Italian Garden section of en:Longwood Gardens in Kennett
Square, en:Pennsylvania. Photo taken by Michael Parker. Original: Fountain
Human uses
Water supply
The most important use of water in agriculture is for irrigation, which is a key component to
produce enough food. Irrigation takes up to 90% of water withdrawn in some developing
countries[34] and significant proportions in more economically developed countries (in the
United States, 30% of freshwater usage is for irrigation). [35]
Fifty years ago, the common perception was that water was an infinite resource. At the time,
there were fewer than half the current number of people on the planet. People were not as
wealthy as today, consumed fewer calories and ate less meat, so less water was needed to
produce their food. They required a third of the volume of water we presently take from
rivers. Today, the competition for the fixed amount of water resources is much more intense,
giving rise to the concept of peak water.[36] This is because there are now nearly seven billion
people on the planet, their consumption of water-thirsty meat and vegetables is rising, and
there is increasing competition for water from industry, urbanisation and biofuel crops. In
future, even more water will be needed to produce food because the Earth's population is
forecast to rise to 9 billion by 2050.[37]
An assessment of water management in agriculture was conducted in 2007 by
the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka to see if the world had sufficient water
to provide food for its growing population.[38] It assessed the current availability of water for
agriculture on a global scale and mapped out locations suffering from water scarcity. It found
that a fifth of the world's people, more than 1.2 billion, live in areas of physical water scarcity,
where there is not enough water to meet all demands. A further 1.6 billion people live in areas
experiencing economic water scarcity, where the lack of investment in water or insufficient
human capacity make it impossible for authorities to satisfy the demand for water. The report
found that it would be possible to produce the food required in future, but that continuation
of today's food production and environmental trends would lead to crises in many parts of
the world. To avoid a global water crisis, farmers will have to strive to increase productivity
to meet growing demands for food, while industry and cities find ways to use water more
efficiently.[39]
Water scarcity is also caused by production of cotton: 1 kg of cotton—equivalent of a pair of
jeans—requires 10.9 cubic meters (380 cu ft) water to produce. While cotton accounts for
2.4% of world water use, the water is consumed in regions which are already at a risk of
water shortage. Significant environmental damage has been caused, such as disappearance
of the Aral Sea.[40]
As a scientific standard
On 7 April 1795, the gram was defined in France to be equal to "the absolute weight of a
volume of pure water equal to a cube of one hundredth of a meter, and at the temperature of
melting ice".[41] For practical purposes though, a metallic reference standard was required,
one thousand times more massive, the kilogram. Work was therefore commissioned to
determine precisely the mass of one liter of water. In spite of the fact that the decreed
definition of the gram specified water at 0 °C (32 °F)—a highly reproducible temperature—the
scientists chose to redefine the standard and to perform their measurements at the
temperature of highest water density, which was measured at the time as 4 °C (39 °F).[42]
The Kelvin temperature scale of the SI system is based on the triple point of water, defined as
exactly 273.16 K (0.01 °C; 32.02 °F). The scale is an absolute temperature scale with the same
increment as the Celsius temperature scale, which was originally defined according to
the boiling point (set to 100 °C (212 °F)) and melting point (set to 0 °C (32 °F)) of water.
Natural water consists mainly of the isotopes hydrogen-1 and oxygen-16, but there is also a
small quantity of heavier isotopes such as hydrogen-2 (deuterium). The amount of deuterium
oxides or heavy water is very small, but it still affects the properties of water. Water from
rivers and lakes tends to contain less deuterium than seawater. Therefore, standard water is
defined in the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water specification.
Agriculture
Source; Source[edit]
http://photogallery.nrcs.usda.gov/Index.asp
Irrigation of field crops
Source; Source
http://photogallery.nrcs.usda.gov/Index.asp
For drinking.
Drinking water.
The human body contains from 55% to 78% water, depending on body size.[43] To function
properly, the body requires between one and seven liters (0.22 and 1.54 imp gal; 0.26 and
1.85 U.S. gal) of water per day to avoid dehydration; the precise amount depends on the level
of activity, temperature, humidity, and other factors. Most of this is ingested through foods or
beverages other than drinking straight water. It is not clear how much water intake is needed
by healthy people, though most specialists agree that approximately 2 liters (6 to 7 glasses)
of water daily is the minimum to maintain proper hydration. [44] Medical literature favors a lower
consumption, typically 1 liter of water for an average male, excluding extra requirements due
to fluid loss from exercise or warm weather.[45]
For those who have healthy kidneys, it is rather difficult to drink too much water, but
(especially in warm humid weather and while exercising) it is dangerous to drink too little.
People can drink far more water than necessary while exercising, however, putting them at
risk of water intoxication (hyperhydration), which can be fatal.[46][47] The popular claim that "a
person should consume eight glasses of water per day" seems to have no real basis in
science.[48] Studies have shown that extra water intake, especially up to 500 milliliters
(18 imp fl oz; 17 U.S. fl oz) at mealtime was conducive to weight loss.[49][50][51][52][53][54]Adequate fluid
intake is helpful in preventing constipation.[55]
Hazard symbol for non-potable water
An original recommendation for water intake in 1945 by the Food and Nutrition Board of
the United States National Research Council read: "An ordinary standard for diverse persons is
1 milliliter for each calorie of food. Most of this quantity is contained in prepared
foods."[56] The latest dietary reference intake report by the United States National Research
Council in general recommended, based on the median total water intake from US survey data
(including food sources): 3.7 liters (0.81 imp gal; 0.98 U.S. gal) for men and 2.7 liters
(0.59 imp gal; 0.71 U.S. gal) of water total for women, noting that water contained in food
provided approximately 19% of total water intake in the survey.[57]
Specifically, pregnant and breastfeeding women need additional fluids to stay hydrated.
The Institute of Medicine (US) recommends that, on average, men consume 3 liters
(0.66 imp gal; 0.79 U.S. gal) and women 2.2 liters (0.48 imp gal; 0.58 U.S. gal); pregnant
women should increase intake to 2.4 liters (0.53 imp gal; 0.63 U.S. gal) and breastfeeding
women should get 3 liters (12 cups), since an especially large amount of fluid is lost during
nursing.[58] Also noted is that normally, about 20% of water intake comes from food, while the
rest comes from drinking water and beverages (caffeinated included). Water is excreted from
the body in multiple forms; through urine and feces, through sweating, and by exhalation of
water vapor in the breath. With physical exertion and heat exposure, water loss will increase
and daily fluid needs may increase as well.
Humans require water with few impurities. Common impurities include metal salts and
oxides, including copper, iron, calcium and lead,[59] and/or harmful bacteria, such as Vibrio.
Some solutes are acceptable and even desirable for taste enhancement and to provide
needed electrolytes.[60]
The single largest (by volume) freshwater resource suitable for drinking is Lake Baikal in
Siberia.[61]
Water availability: fraction of population using improved water
sources by country
Source;OmnipotentArchetype0309 - Own work
This is a map based off of File:Water quality.jpg but recreated from scratch in svg
format. It shows the population of a country that uses improved water sources as a
percent of total population. Data gathered from UNDP as of 2006.
Washing
The propensity of water to form solutions and emulsions is useful in
various washing processes. Washing is also an important component of several aspects of
personal body hygiene. Most of personal water use is due to showering, doing
the laundry and dishwashing, reaching hundreds of liters per day in developed countries.
Transportation
Main article: Ship transport
The use of water for transportation of materials through rivers and canals as well as the
international shipping lanes is an important part of the world economy.
Chemical uses
Water is widely used in chemical reactions as a solvent or reactant and less commonly as
a solute or catalyst. In inorganic reactions, water is a common solvent, dissolving many ionic
compounds, as well as other polar compounds such as ammonia and compounds closely
related to water. In organic reactions, it is not usually used as a reaction solvent, because it
does not dissolve the reactants well and is amphoteric (acidic and basic) and nucleophilic.
Nevertheless, these properties are sometimes desirable. Also, acceleration of Diels-Alder
reactions by water has been observed. Supercritical water has recently been a topic of
research. Oxygen-saturated supercritical water combusts organic pollutants efficiently.
Water vapor is used for some processes in the chemical industry. An example is the
production of acrylic acid from acrolein, propylene and propane. [62][63][64][65] The possible effect of
water in these reactions includes the physical-, chemical interaction of water with the catalyst
and the chemical reaction of water with the reaction intermediates.
Heat exchange
Water and steam are a common fluid used for heat exchange, due to its availability and
high heat capacity, both for cooling and heating. Cool water may even be naturally available
from a lake or the sea. It's especially effective to transport heat
through vaporization and condensation of water because of its large latent heat of vaporization. A
disadvantage is that metals commonly found in industries such as steel and copper
are oxidized faster by untreated water and steam. In almost all thermal power stations, water is
used as the working fluid (used in a closed loop between boiler, steam turbine and
condenser), and the coolant (used to exchange the waste heat to a water body or carry it
away by evaporation in a cooling tower). In the United States, cooling power plants is the
largest use of water.[35]
In the nuclear power industry, water can also be used as a neutron moderator. In most nuclear
reactors, water is both a coolant and a moderator. This provides something of a passive
safety measure, as removing the water from the reactor also slows the nuclear reaction down.
However other methods are favored for stopping a reaction and it is preferred to keep the
nuclear core covered with water so as to ensure adequate cooling.
Fire extinction
Water has a high heat of vaporization and is relatively inert, which makes it a good fire
extinguishing fluid. The evaporation of water carries heat away from the fire. It is dangerous to
use water on fires involving oils and organic solvents, because many organic materials float
on water and the water tends to spread the burning liquid.
Use of water in fire fighting should also take into account the hazards of a steam explosion,
which may occur when water is used on very hot fires in confined spaces, and of a hydrogen
explosion, when substances which react with water, such as certain metals or hot carbon
such as coal, charcoal, or coke graphite, decompose the water, producing water gas.
The power of such explosions was seen in the Chernobyl disaster, although the water involved
did not come from fire-fighting at that time but the reactor's own water cooling system. A
steam explosion occurred when the extreme overheating of the core caused water to flash
into steam. A hydrogen explosion may have occurred as a result of reaction between steam
and hot zirconium.
Recreation
Water sport (recreation)
Humans use water for many recreational purposes, as well as for exercising and for sports.
Some of these include swimming, waterskiing, boating, surfing and diving. In addition, some
sports, like ice hockey and ice skating, are played on ice. Lakesides, beaches and water
parks are popular places for people to go to relax and enjoy recreation. Many find the sound
and appearance of flowing water to be calming, and fountains and other water features are
popular decorations. Some keep fish and other life in aquariums or ponds for show, fun, and
companionship. Humans also use water for snow sports
i.e. skiing, sledding, snowmobiling or snowboarding, which require the water to be frozen.
Source;Vkap at English Wikipedia
Grand Anse Beach, St. George's, Grenada, West Indies (Caribbean
Water industry
The water industry provides drinking water and wastewater services (including sewage
treatment) to households and industry. Water supply facilities include water
wells, cisterns for rainwater harvesting, water supply networks, and water
purificationfacilities, water tanks, water towers, water pipes including old aqueducts. Atmospheric
water generators are in development.
Drinking water is often collected at springs, extracted from artificial borings (wells) in the
ground, or pumped from lakes and rivers. Building more wells in adequate places is thus a
possible way to produce more water, assuming the aquifers can supply an adequate flow.
Other water sources include rainwater collection. Water may require purification for human
consumption. This may involve removal of undissolved substances, dissolved substances
and harmful microbes. Popular methods are filtering with sand which only removes
undissolved material, while chlorination and boiling kill harmful microbes. Distillation does all
three functions. More advanced techniques exist, such as reverse osmosis. Desalination of
abundant seawater is a more expensive solution used in coastal aridclimates.
The distribution of drinking water is done through municipal water systems, tanker delivery or
as bottled water. Governments in many countries have programs to distribute water to the
needy at no charge.
Reducing usage by using drinking (potable) water only for human consumption is another
option. In some cities such as Hong Kong, sea water is extensively used for flushing toilets
citywide in order to conserve fresh water resources.
Polluting water may be the biggest single misuse of water; to the extent that a pollutant limits
other uses of the water, it becomes a waste of the resource, regardless of benefits to the
polluter. Like other types of pollution, this does not enter standard accounting of market
costs, being conceived as externalities for which the market cannot account. Thus other
people pay the price of water pollution, while the private firms' profits are not redistributed to
the local population, victims of this pollution. Pharmaceuticals consumed by humans often
end up in the waterways and can have detrimental effects on aquatic life if
they bioaccumulate and if they are not biodegradable.
Municipal and industrial wastewater are typically treated at wastewater treatment plants.
Mitigation of polluted surface runoff is addressed through a variety of prevention and
treatment techniques. (See Surface runoff#Mitigation and treatment.)
A water-carrier in India, 1882. In many places where running water is not available, water has to be
transported by people.source; http://www.harappa.com/hawkshaw/67.html
Water purification facility
Industrial applications
Many industrial processes rely on reactions using chemicals dissolved in water, suspension
of solids in water slurries or using water to dissolve and extract substances, or to wash
products or process equipment. Processes such as mining, chemical pulping, pulp
bleaching, paper manufacturing, textile production, dyeing, printing, and cooling of power
plants use large amounts of water, requiring a dedicated water source, and often cause
significant water pollution.
Water is used in power generation. Hydroelectricity is electricity obtained from hydropower.
Hydroelectric power comes from water driving a water turbine connected to a generator.
Hydroelectricity is a low-cost, non-polluting, renewable energy source. The energy is
supplied by the motion of water. Typically a dam is constructed on a river, creating an
artificial lake behind it. Water flowing out of the lake is forced through turbines that turn
generators.
Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydro-electric power station.
File:200407-sandouping-sanxiadaba-
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Pressurized water is used in water blasting and water jet cutters. Also, very high pressure water
guns are used for precise cutting. It works very well, is relatively safe, and is not harmful to
the environment. It is also used in the cooling of machinery to prevent overheating, or
prevent saw blades from overheating.
Water is also used in many industrial processes and machines, such as the steam
turbine and heat exchanger, in addition to its use as a chemical solvent. Discharge of untreated
water from industrial uses is pollution. Pollution includes discharged solutes (chemical
pollution) and discharged coolant water (thermal pollution). Industry requires pure water for
many applications and utilizes a variety of purification techniques both in water supply and
discharge.
Food processing
Boiling, steaming, and simmering are popular cooking methods that often require immersing
food in water or its gaseous state, steam. [66] Water is also used for dishwashing. Water also
plays many critical roles within the field of food science. It is important for a food scientist to
understand the roles that water plays within food processing to ensure the success of their
products.[citation needed]
Solutes such as salts and sugars found in water affect the physical properties of water. The
boiling and freezing points of water are affected by solutes, as well as air pressure, which is in
turn affected by altitude. Water boils at lower temperatures with the lower air pressure that
occurs at higher elevations. One mole of sucrose (sugar) per kilogram of water raises the
boiling point of water by 0.51 °C (0.918 °F), and one mole of salt per kg raises the boiling
point by 1.02 °C (1.836 °F); similarly, increasing the number of dissolved particles lowers
water's freezing point.[67]
Solutes in water also affect water activity that affects many chemical reactions and the
growth of microbes in food.[68] Water activity can be described as a ratio of the vapor pressure
of water in a solution to the vapor pressure of pure water.[67] Solutes in water lower water
activity—this is important to know because most bacterial growth ceases at low levels of
water activity.[68] Not only does microbial growth affect the safety of food, but also the
preservation and shelf life of food.
Water hardness is also a critical factor in food processing and may be altered or treated by
using a chemical ion exchange system. It can dramatically affect the quality of a product, as
well as playing a role in sanitation. Water hardness is classified based on concentration of
calcium carbonate the water contains. Water is classified as soft if it contains less than
100 mg/l (UK)[69] or less than 60 mg/l (US).[70]
According to a report published by the Water Footprint organization in 2010, a single
kilogram of beef requires 15 thousand liters (3.3×103 imp gal; 4.0×103 U.S. gal) of water;
however, the authors also make clear that this is a global average and circumstantial factors
determine the amount of water used in beef production.[71]
Medical use
Water for injection is on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines.[72]
The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML), published by the World Health
Organization (WHO), contains the medications considered to be most effective and safe to
meet the most important needs in a health system. The list is frequently used by countries to
help develop their own local lists of essential medicine.[1] As of 2016, more than 155 countries
have created national lists of essential medicines based on the World Health Organization's
model list.[2] This includes countries in both the developed and developing world.[1]
The list is divided into core items and complementary items. The core items are deemed to be
the most cost effective options for key health problems and are usable with little additional
health care resources. The complementary items either require additional infrastructure such
as specially trained health care providers or diagnostic equipment or have a lower cost-benefit
ratio.[3] About 25% of items are in the complementary list.[4]Some medications are listed as both
core and complementary.[5] While most medications on the list are available as generic
products, being under patent does not preclude inclusion.[6]
The first list was published in 1977 and included 212 medications.[1][7] The WHO updates the
list every two years.[8] The 14th list was published in 2005 and contained 306 medications.[9] In
2015 the 19th edition of the list was published and contains around 410 medications. [8] The
20th edition was published in 2017 and comprises 433 drugs.[10][11] The national lists contain
between 334 and 580 medications.[4]
A separate list for children up to 12 years of age, known as the WHO Model List of Essential
Medicines for Children (EMLc), was created in 2007 and is in its 6th edition. [8][12] It was created to
make sure that the needs of children were systematically considered such as availability of
proper formulations.[13][14] Everything in the children's list is also included in the main list.[15] The
list and notes are based on the 19th and 20th edition of the main list.[3][10] An α indicates a
medicine is only on the complementary list.[3]
Sterile water for injection
Distribution in nature
In the universe
Much of the universe's water is produced as a byproduct of star formation. The formation of
stars is accompanied by a strong outward wind of gas and dust. When this outflow of
material eventually impacts the surrounding gas, the shock waves that are created compress
and heat the gas. The water observed is quickly produced in this warm dense gas. [74]
On 22 July 2011, a report described the discovery of a gigantic cloud of water vapor
containing "140 trillion times more water than all of Earth's oceans combined" around
a quasar located 12 billion light years from Earth. According to the researchers, the
"discovery shows that water has been prevalent in the universe for nearly its entire
existence".[75][76]
Water has been detected in interstellar clouds within our galaxy, the Milky Way.[77] Water
probably exists in abundance in other galaxies, too, because its components, hydrogen and
oxygen, are among the most abundant elements in the universe. Based on models of
the formation and evolution of the Solar System and that of other star systems, most
other planetary systems are likely to have similar ingredients.
Band 5 ALMA receiver is an instrument specifically designed to detect water in the universe.
Water vapor
Water is present as vapor in:
Liquid water
Liquid water is present on Earth, covering 71% of its surface. [1] Liquid water is also
occasionally present in small amounts on Mars. ] Scientists believe liquid water is present in
the Saturnian moons of Enceladus, as a 10-kilometre thick ocean approximately 30–40
kilometres below Enceladus' south polar surface, [98][99]and Titan, as a subsurface layer,
possibly mixed with ammonia.[100] Jupiter's moon Europa has surface characteristics which
suggest a subsurface liquid water ocean.[101] Liquid water may also exist on Jupiter's
moon Ganymede as a layer sandwiched between high pressure ice and rock. [102]
Water ice
Water is present as ice on:
South Polar ice cap of Mars during Martian South summer 2000
Source;
NASA/JPL/MSSS - http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02393 http://www.msss.com/mars_images
/moc/4_27_00_spcap/ file
This is the south polar cap of Mars as it appeared to the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on April 17, 2000. The polar cap from left to right is about
420 km (260 mi) across.
Mercury's poles[119]
Tethys[120]
Exotic forms
Water and other volatiles probably comprise much of the internal structures
of Uranus and Neptune and the water in the deeper layers may be in the form of ionic waterin
which the molecules break down into a soup of hydrogen and oxygen ions, and deeper still
as superionic water in which the oxygen crystallises but the hydrogen ions float about freely
within the oxygen lattice.[121]
Water and habitable zone
Water distribution on Earth
The existence of liquid water, and to a lesser extent its gaseous and solid forms, on Earth are
vital to the existence of life on Earth as we know it. The Earth is located in the habitable zone of
the solar system; if it were slightly closer to or farther from the Sun (about 5%, or about 8
million kilometers), the conditions which allow the three forms to be present simultaneously
would be far less likely to exist.[122][123]
Earth's gravity allows it to hold an atmosphere. Water vapor and carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere provide a temperature buffer (greenhouse effect) which helps maintain a relatively
steady surface temperature. If Earth were smaller, a thinner atmosphere would allow
temperature extremes, thus preventing the accumulation of water except in polar ice caps (as
on Mars).[citation needed]
The surface temperature of Earth has been relatively constant through geologic time despite
varying levels of incoming solar radiation (insolation), indicating that a dynamic process
governs Earth's temperature via a combination of greenhouse gases and surface or
atmospheric albedo. This proposal is known as the Gaia hypothesis.[citation needed]
The state of water on a planet depends on ambient pressure, which is determined by the
planet's gravity. If a planet is sufficiently massive, the water on it may be solid even at high
temperatures, because of the high pressure caused by gravity, as it was observed on
exoplanets Gliese 436 b[124] and GJ 1214 b.[125]
A 2006 United Nations report stated that "there is enough water for everyone", but that access to it is
hampered by mismanagement and corruption. [131] In addition, global initiatives to improve the
efficiency of aid delivery, such as the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, have not been taken up
by water sector donors as effectively as they have in education and health, potentially leaving
multiple donors working on overlapping projects and recipient governments without empowerment to
act.[132]
The authors of the 2007 Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture cited
poor governance as one reason for some forms of water scarcity. Water governance is the set of
formal and informal processes through which decisions related to water management are made.
Good water governance is primarily about knowing what processes work best in a particular physical
and socioeconomic context. Mistakes have sometimes been made by trying to apply 'blueprints' that
work in the developed world to developing world locations and contexts. The Mekong river is one
example; a review by the International Water Management Institute of policies in six countries that
rely on the Mekong river for water found that thorough and transparent cost-benefit analyses and
environmental impact assessments were rarely undertaken. They also discovered that Cambodia's
draft water law was much more complex than it needed to be. [133]
The UN World Water Development Report (WWDR, 2003) from the World Water Assessment Program indicates that, in the next 20 years, the quantity of water available to
everyone is predicted to decrease by 30%. 40% of the world's inhabitants currently have insufficient fresh water for minimal hygiene. More than 2.2 million people died in 2000
from waterborne diseases (related to the consumption of contaminated water) or drought. In 2004, the UK charity WaterAid reported that a child dies every 15 seconds from
easily preventable water-related diseases; often this means lack of sewage disposal; see toilet.[citation needed]
Organizations concerned with water protection include the International Water Association (IWA), WaterAid, Water 1st, and the American Water Resources Association.
The International Water Management Institute undertakes projects with the aim of using effective water management to reduce poverty. Water related conventions are United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea and Ramsar Convention. World Day for Water takes place on 22 March and World Ocean Day on 8 June.[citation needed]
An estimate of the share of people in developing countries with access to potable water 1970–2000
In culture
Religion
Water and religion
Water is considered a purifier in most religions. Faiths that incorporate ritual washing
(ablution) include Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, the Rastafari movement, Shinto, Taoism,
and Wicca. Immersion (or aspersion or affusion) of a person in water is a central sacrament of
Christianity (where it is called baptism); it is also a part of the practice of other religions,
including Islam (Ghusl), Judaism (mikvah) and Sikhism (Amrit Sanskar). In addition, a ritual bath
in pure water is performed for the dead in many religions including Islam and Judaism. In
Islam, the five daily prayers can be done in most cases after completing washing certain
parts of the body using clean water (wudu), unless water is unavailable (see Tayammum). In
Shinto, water is used in almost all rituals to cleanse a person or an area (e.g., in the ritual
of misogi).
In Christianity, holy water is water that has been sanctified by a priest for the purpose
of baptism, the blessing of persons, places, and objects, or as a means of repelling evil. [134][135]
In Zoroastrianism, water (āb) is respected as the source of life.[136]
Philosophy
The Ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles held that water is one of the four classical
elements along with fire, earth and air, and was regarded as the ylem, or basic substance of
the universe. Thales, who was portrayed by Aristotle as an astronomer and an engineer,
theorized that the earth, which is denser than water, emerged from the water. Thales,
a monist, believed further that all things are made from water. Plato believed the shape of
water is an icosahedron which accounts for why it is able to flow easily compared to the cube-
shaped earth.[137]
In the theory of the four bodily humors, water was associated with phlegm, as being cold and
moist. The classical element of water was also one of the five elements in traditional Chinese
philosophy, along with earth, fire, wood, and metal.
Water is also taken as a role model in some parts of traditional and popular Asian
philosophy. James Legge's 1891 translation of the Dao De Jing states, "The highest
excellence is like (that of) water. The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things,
and in its occupying, without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men dislike.
Hence (its way) is near to (that of) the Tao" and "There is nothing in the world more soft and
weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that
can take precedence of it—for there is nothing (so effectual) for which it can be
changed."[138] Guanzi in "Shui di" 水地 chapter further elaborates on symbolism of water,
proclaiming that "man is water" and attributing natural qualities of the people of different
Chinese regions to the character of local water resources.[139]
Water's technically correct but rarely used chemical name, "dihydrogen monoxide", has been
used in a series of hoaxes and pranks that mock scientific illiteracy. This began in 1983, when
an April Fools' Day article appeared in a newspaper in Durand, Michigan. The false story
consisted of safety concerns about the substance.
Dihydrogen monoxide parody
"
The subject of the parody, water, has a molecule consisting of two hydrogen atoms and
one oxygen atom, thus the name dihydrogen monoxide.
is also known as hydroxyl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
contributes to the "greenhouse effect".
may cause severe burns.
contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.
Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:
Under the 2005 revisions of IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry, there is no single
correct name for every compound.[14] The primary function of chemical nomenclature is to
ensure that each name refers, unambiguously, to a single substance. It is considered less
important to ensure that each substance should have a single unambiguous name, although
the number of acceptable names is limited.[14] Water is one acceptable name for this
compound, even though it is neither a systematic nor an international name and is specific to
just one phase of the compound (its liquid form). The other IUPAC recommendation
is oxidane,[15] which is used by hoax industry groups promoting DHMO as a safe industrial
chemical while hinting at dangers and government conspiracies. [16]
DISCUSSION
LORENTZ TRANSFORMATIONS
Lorentz transformation
Many physicists—including Woldemar Voigt, George FitzGerald, Joseph Larmor, and Hendrik Lorentz[3] himself—had
been discussing the physics implied by these equations since 1887.[4] Early in 1889, Oliver Heaviside had shown
from Maxwell's equations that the electric field surrounding a spherical distribution of charge should cease to
have spherical symmetry once the charge is in motion relative to the aether. FitzGerald then conjectured that
Heaviside’s distortion result might be applied to a theory of intermolecular forces. Some months later, FitzGerald
published the conjecture that bodies in motion are being contracted, in order to explain the baffling outcome of the
1887 aether-wind experiment of Michelson and Morley. In 1892, Lorentz independently presented the same idea in a
more detailed manner, which was subsequently called FitzGerald–Lorentz contraction hypothesis.[5] Their explanation
was widely known before 1905.[6]
Lorentz (1892–1904) and Larmor (1897–1900), who believed the luminiferous aether hypothesis, also looked for the
transformation under which Maxwell's equationsare invariant when transformed from the aether to a moving frame.
They extended the FitzGerald–Lorentz contraction hypothesis and found out that the time coordinate has to be
modified as well ("local time"). Henri Poincaré gave a physical interpretation to local time (to first order in v/c, the
relative velocity of the two reference frames normalized to the speed of light) as the consequence of clock
synchronization, under the assumption that the speed of light is constant in moving frames.[7] Larmor is credited to
have been the first to understand the crucial time dilation property inherent in his equations.[8]
In 1905, Poincaré was the first to recognize that the transformation has the properties of a mathematical group, and
named it after Lorentz.[9] Later in the same year Albert Einstein published what is now called special relativity, by
deriving the Lorentz transformation under the assumptions of the principle of relativity and the constancy of the speed
of light in any inertial reference frame, and by abandoning the mechanistic aether as unnecessary.
Part of a series on
Spacetime
The most common form of the transformation, parametrized by the real constant representing a
velocity confined to the x-direction, is expressed as [1]
Expressing the speed as an equivalent form of the transformation is [2]
Frames of reference can be divided into two groups: inertial (relative motion with constant velocity)
and non-inertial (accelerating, moving in curved paths, rotational motion with constant angular
velocity, etc.). The term "Lorentz transformations" only refers to transformations
between inertial frames, usually in the context of special relativity.
In each reference frame, an observer can use a local coordinate system (most exclusively Cartesian
coordinates in this context) to measure lengths, and a clock to measure time intervals. An observer
is a real or imaginary entity that can take measurements, say humans, or any other living organism
—or even robots and computers. An event is something that happens at a point in space at an
instant of time, or more formally a point in spacetime. The transformations connect the space and
time coordinates of an event as measured by an observer in each frame. [nb 1]
An event is something that happens at a certain point in spacetime, or more generally, the point in spacetime itself. In
any inertial frame an event is specified by a time coordinate ct and a set of Cartesian coordinates x, y, z to specify
position in space in that frame. Subscripts label individual events.
From Einstein's second postulate of relativity follows
(D1)
in all inertial frames for events connected by light signals. The quantity on the left is called the spacetime
interval between events a1 = (t1, x1, y1, z1) and a2 = (t2, x2, y2, z2). The interval between any two events, not
necessarily separated by light signals, is in fact invariant, i.e., independent of the state of relative motion of observers
in different inertial frames, as is shown using homogeneity and isotropy of space. The transformation sought after
thus must possess the property that
(D2)
where (ct, x, y, z) are the spacetime coordinates used to define events in one frame, and (ct′, x′, y′, z′) are the
coordinates in another frame. First one observes that (D2) is satisfied if an arbitrary 4-tuple b of numbers are added
to events a1 and a2. Such transformations are called spacetime translations and are not dealt with further here. Then
one observes that a linear solution preserving the origin of the simpler problem
(D3)
solves the general problem too. (A solution satisfying the left formula automatically satisfies the right formula,
see polarization identity.) Finding the solution to the simpler problem is just a matter of look-up in the theory
of classical groups that preserve bilinear forms of various signature.[nb 2]. First equation in (D3) can be written more
compactly as
(D4
where (·, ·) refers to the bilinear form of signature (1, 3) on ℝ4 exposed by the right hand side formula in (D3). The
alternative notation defined on the right is referred to as the relativistic dot product. Spacetime mathematically viewed
as ℝ4 endowed with this bilinear form is known as Minkowski space M. The Lorentz transformation is thus an
element of the group Lorentz group O(1, 3), the Lorentz group or, for those that prefer the other metric
signature, O(3, 1) (also called the Lorentz group).[nb 3] One has
(D5)
which is precisely preservation of the bilinear form (D3) which implies (by linearity of Λ and bilinearity of the form)
that (D2) is satisfied. The elements of the Lorentz group are rotations and boosts and mixes thereof. If the spacetime
translations are included, then one obtains the inhomogeneous Lorentz group or the Poincaré group.
Generalities
The relations between the primed and unprimed spacetime coordinates are the Lorentz transformations, each
coordinate in one frame is a linear function of all the coordinates in the other frame, and the inverse functions are the
inverse transformation. Depending on how the frames move relative to each other, and how they are oriented in
space relative to each other, other parameters that describe direction, speed, and orientation enter the transformation
equations.
Transformations describing relative motion with constant (uniform) velocity and without rotation of the space
coordinate axes are called boosts, and the relative velocity between the frames is the parameter of the
transformation. The other basic type of Lorentz transformations is rotations in the spatial coordinates only, these are
also inertial frames since there is no relative motion, the frames are simply tilted (and not continuously rotating), and
in this case quantities defining the rotation are the parameters of the transformation (e.g., axis–angle representation,
or Euler angles, etc.). A combination of a rotation and boost is a homogeneous transformation, which transforms the
origin back to the origin.
The full Lorentz group O(3, 1) also contains special transformations that are neither rotations nor boosts, but
rather reflections in a plane through the origin. Two of these can be singled out; spatial inversion in which the spatial
coordinates of all events are reversed in sign and temporal inversion in which the time coordinate for each event gets
its sign reversed.
Boosts should not be conflated with mere displacements in spacetime; in this case, the coordinate systems are
simply shifted and there is no relative motion. However, these also count as symmetries forced by special relativity
since they leave the spacetime interval invariant. A combination of a rotation with a boost, followed by a shift in
spacetime, is an inhomogeneous Lorentz transformation, an element of the Poincaré group, which is also called the
inhomogeneous Lorentz group.
The coordinate axes in each frame are parallel (the x and x′ axes are parallel, the y and y′ axes are parallel, and
the z and z′ axes are parallel), remain mutually perpendicular, and relative motion is along the coincident xx′ axes.
At t = t′ = 0, the origins of both coordinate systems are the same, (x, y, z) = (x′, y′, z′) = (0, 0, 0). In other words,
the times and positions are coincident at this event. If all these hold, then the coordinate systems are said to be
in standard configuration, or synchronized.
The spacetime coordinates of an event, as measured by each observer in their inertial reference frame (in standard configuration) are shown
.[11]
[12]
where v is the relative velocity between frames in the x-direction, c is the speed of light, and
The transformations are not defined if v is outside these limits. At the speed of light (v = c) γ is infinite, and faster
than light (v > c) γ is a complex number, each of which make the transformations unphysical. The space and time
coordinates are measurable quantities and numerically must be real numbers.
As an active transformation, an observer in F′ notices the coordinates of the event to be "boosted" in the negative
directions of the xx′ axes, because of the −v in the transformations. This has the equivalent effect of the coordinate
system F′ boosted in the positive directions of the xx′ axes, while the event does not change and is simply
represented in another coordinate system, a passive transformation.
The inverse relations (t, x, y, z in terms of t′, x′, y′, z′) can be found by algebraically solving the original set of
equations. A more efficient way is to use physical principles. Here F′ is the "stationary" frame while F is the "moving"
frame. According to the principle of relativity, there is no privileged frame of reference, so the transformations from F
′ to F must take exactly the same form as the transformations from F to F′. The only difference is F moves with
velocity −v relative to F′ (i.e., the relative velocity has the same magnitude but is oppositely directed). Thus if an
observer in F′ notes an event t′, x′, y′, z′, then an observer in F notes the sameevent with coordinates
and the value of γ remains unchanged. This "trick" of simply reversing the direction of relative velocity while
preserving its magnitude, and exchanging primed and unprimed variables, always applies to finding the inverse
transformation of every boost in any direction.
Sometimes it is more convenient to use β = v/c (lowercase beta) instead of v, so that
which shows much more clearly the symmetry in the transformation. From the allowed ranges of v and the definition
of β, it follows −1 < β < 1. The use of β and γ is standard throughout the literature.
The Lorentz transformations can also be derived in a way that resembles circular rotations in 3d space using
the hyperbolic functions. For the boost in the x direction, the results are
Conversely the ct and x axes can be constructed for varying coordinates but constant ζ. The definition
provides the link between a constant value of rapidity, and the slope of the ct axis in spacetime. A consequence
these two hyperbolic formulae is an identity that matches the Lorentz factor
Comparing the Lorentz transformations in terms of the relative velocity and rapidity, or using the above formulae, the
connections between β, γ, and ζ are
Since −1 < β < 1, it follows −∞ < ζ < ∞. From the relation between ζ and β, positive rapidity ζ > 0 is motion along
the positive directions of the xx′ axes, zero rapidity ζ = 0 is no relative motion, while negative rapidity ζ < 0 is relative
motion along the negative directions of the xx′ axes.
The inverse transformations are obtained by exchanging primed and unprimed quantities to switch the coordinate
frames, and negating rapidity ζ → −ζ since this is equivalent to negating the relative velocity. Therefore,
The inverse transformations can be similarly visualized by considering the cases when x′ = 0 and ct′ = 0.
So far the Lorentz transformations have been applied to one event. If there are two events, there is a spatial
separation and time interval between them. It follows from the linearity of the Lorentz transformations that two values
of space and time coordinates can be chosen, the Lorentz transformations can be applied to each, then subtracted to
get the Lorentz transformations of the differences;
in calculations and experiments, it is lengths between two points or time intervals that are
measured or of interest (e.g., the length of a moving vehicle, or time duration it takes to travel
from one place to another),
the transformations of velocity can be readily derived by making the difference
infinitesimally small and dividing the equations, and the process repeated for the transformation
of acceleration,
if the coordinate systems are never coincident (i.e., not in standard configuration), and if both
observers can agree on an event t0, x0, y0, z0 in F and t0′, x0′, y0′, z0′in F′, then they can use that event
as the origin, and the spacetime coordinate differences are the differences between their
coordinates and this origin, e.g., Δx = x − x0, Δx′ = x′ − x0′, etc.
Physical implications
A critical requirement of the Lorentz transformations is the invariance of the speed of light, a fact used in their
derivation, and contained in the transformations themselves. If in F the equation for a pulse of light along
the x direction is x = ct, then in F′ the Lorentz transformations give x′ = ct′, and vice versa, for any −c < v < c.
For relative speeds much less than the speed of light, the Lorentz transformations reduce to the Galilean
transformation
in accordance with the correspondence principle. It is sometimes said that nonrelativistic physics is a physics of
"instantaneous action at a distance".[13]
Three counterintuitive, but correct, predictions of the transformations are:
Relativity of simultaneity
Suppose two events occur simultaneously (Δt = 0) along the x axis, but separated by a nonzero displacement Δx.
Then in F′, we find that so the events are no longer simultaneous according to a moving
observer.
Time dilation
Suppose there is a clock at rest in F. If a time interval is measured at the same point in that frame, so that Δx = 0,
then the transformations give this interval in F′ by Δt′ = γΔt. Conversely, suppose there is a clock at rest in F′. If an
interval is measured at the same point in that frame, so that Δx′ = 0, then the transformations give this interval in F
by Δt = γΔt′. Either way, each observer measures the time interval between ticks of a moving clock to be longer by a
factor γ than the time interval between ticks of his own clock.
Length contraction
Suppose there is a rod at rest in F aligned along the x axis, with length Δx. In F′, the rod moves with velocity -v, so its
length must be measured by taking two simultaneous (Δt′ = 0) measurements at opposite ends. Under these
conditions, the inverse Lorentz transform shows that Δx = γΔx′. In F the two measurements are no longer
simultaneous, but this does not matter because the rod is at rest in F. So each observer measures the distance
between the end points of a moving rod to be shorter by a factor 1/γ than the end points of an identical rod at rest in
his own frame. Length contraction affects any geometric quantity related to lengths, so from the perspective of a
moving observer, areas and volumes will also appear to shrink along the direction of motion.
Vector transformations
Euclidean vector and vector projection
The use of vectors allows positions and velocities to be expressed in arbitrary directions compactly. A single boost in
any direction depends on the full relative velocity vector v with a magnitude |v| = v that cannot equal or exceed c, so
that 0 ≤ v < c.
Only time and the coordinates parallel to the direction of relative motion change, while those coordinates
perpendicular do not. With this in mind, split the spatial position vector r as measured in F, and r′ as measured in F′,
each into components perpendicular (⊥) and parallel ( ‖ ) to v,
where · is the dot product. The Lorentz factor γ retains its definition for a boost in any direction, since it
depends only on the magnitude of the relative velocity. The definition β = v/c with magnitude 0 ≤ β < 1 is
also used by some authors.
Introducing a unit vector n = v/v = β/β in the direction of relative motion, the relative velocity is v = vn with
magnitude v and direction n, and vector projection and rejection give respectively
The projection and rejection also applies to r′. For the inverse transformations, exchange r and r′ to switch observed
coordinates, and negate the relative velocity v → −v (or simply the unit vector n → −n since the magnitude v is
always positive) to obtain
The unit vector has the advantage of simplifying equations for a single boost, allows either v or β to be reinstated
when convenient, and the rapidity parametrization is immediately obtained by replacing β and βγ. It is not convenient
for multiple boosts.
The vectorial relation between relative velocity and rapidity is
[14]
each of which serves as a useful abbreviation in some contexts. The magnitude of ζ is the absolute value of the
rapidity scalar confined to 0 ≤ ζ < ∞, which agrees with the range 0 ≤ β < 1.
An observer in frame F observes F′ to move with velocity v, while F′ observes F to move with
velocity −v. The coordinate axes of each frame are still parallel and orthogonal. The position vector as
measured in each frame is split into components parallel and perpendicular to the relative velocity
vector v. Left: Standard configuration. Right: Inverse configuration.
Transformation of velocities
differential of a function and velocity addition formula
The velocities u and u′ are the velocity of some massive object. They can also be for a third inertial frame (say F′′), in
which case they must be constant. Denote either entity by X. Then X moves with velocity u relative to F, or
equivalently with velocity u′ relative to F′, in turn F′ moves with velocity v relative to F. The inverse transformations
can be obtained in a similar way, or as with position coordinates exchange u and u′, and change v to −v.
The transformation of velocity is useful in stellar aberration, the Fizeau experiment, and the relativistic Doppler effect.
The Lorentz transformations of acceleration can be similarly obtained by taking differentials in the velocity vectors,
and dividing these by the time differential.
The transformation of velocities provides the definition relativistic velocity addition ⊕, the ordering of
vectors is chosen to reflect the ordering of the addition of velocities; first v (the velocity of F′ relative to F)
then u′ (the velocity of X relative to F′) to obtain u = v ⊕ u′ (the velocity of X relative to F).
Source; Maschen - Own work
Lorentz transformation of velocity including velocity addition
implies the quantities transform under Lorentz transformations similar to the transformation of spacetime coordinates;
The decomposition of Z (and Z′) into components perpendicular and parallel to v is exactly the same as for the
position vector, as is the process of obtaining the inverse transformations (exchange (A, Z) and (A′, Z′) to switch
observed quantities, and reverse the direction of relative motion by the substitution n ↦ −n).
The quantities (A, Z) collectively make up a four vector, where A is the "timelike component", and Z the "spacelike
component". Examples of A and Z are the following:
For a given object (e.g., particle, fluid, field, material), if A or Z correspond to properties specific to the object like
its charge density, mass density, spin, etc., its properties can be fixed in the rest frame of that object. Then the
Lorentz transformations give the corresponding properties in a frame moving relative to the object with constant
velocity. This breaks some notions taken for granted in non-relativistic physics. For example, the energy E of an
object is a scalar in non-relativistic mechanics, but not in relativistic mechanics because energy changes under
Lorentz transformations; its value is different for various inertial frames. In the rest frame of an object, it has a rest
energy and zero momentum. In a boosted frame its energy is different and it appears to have a momentum. Similarly,
in non-relativistic quantum mechanics the spin of a particle is a constant vector, but in relativistic quantum
mechanics spin s depends on relative motion. In the rest frame of the particle, the spin pseudovector can be fixed to
be its ordinary non-relativistic spin with a zero timelike quantity st, however a boosted observer will perceive a
nonzero timelike component and an altered spin.[15]
Not all quantities are invariant in the form as shown above, for example orbital angular momentum L does not have a
timelike quantity, and neither does the electric field E nor the magnetic field B. The definition of angular momentum
is L = r × p, and in a boosted frame the altered angular momentum is L′ = r′ × p′. Applying this definition using the
transformations of coordinates and momentum leads to the transformation of angular momentum. It turns
out L transforms with another vector quantity N = (E/c2)r − tp related to boosts, see relativistic angular
momentum for details. For the case of the E and B fields, the transformations cannot be obtained as directly using
vector algebra. The Lorentz force is the definition of these fields, and in F it is F = q(E + v × B) while in F′ it is F′
= q(E′ + v′ × B′). A method of deriving the EM field transformations in an efficient way which also illustrates the unit
of the electromagnetic field uses tensor algebra, given below.
Mathematical formulation
Lorentz group
Throughout, italic non-bold capital letters are 4×4 matrices, while non-italic bold letters are 3×3 matrices.
and this matrix equation contains the general conditions on the Lorentz transformation to ensure invariance of the
spacetime interval. Taking the determinant of the equation using the product rule[nb 4] gives immediately
Writing the Minkowski metric as a block matrix, and the Lorentz transformation in the most general form,
carrying out the block matrix multiplications obtains general conditions on Γ, a, b, M to ensure relativistic invariance.
Not much information can be directly extracted from all the conditions, however one of the results
The negative inequality may be unexpected, because Γ multiplies the time coordinate and this has an effect on time
symmetry. If the positive equality holds, then Γ is the Lorentz factor.
The determinant and inequality provide four ways to classify Lorentz Transformations (herein LTs for brevity). Any
particular LT has only one determinant sign and only one inequality. There are four sets which include every possible
pair given by the intersections ("n"-shaped symbol meaning "and") of these classifying sets.
where "+" and "−" indicate the determinant sign, while "↑" for ≥ and "↓" for ≤ denote the inequalities.
The full Lorentz group splits into the union ("u"-shaped symbol meaning "or") of four disjoint sets
A subgroup of a group must be closed under the same operation of the group (here matrix multiplication). In other
words, for two Lorentz transformations Λ and L from a particular set, the composite Lorentz
transformations ΛL and LΛ must be in the same set as Λ and L. This will not always be the case; it can be shown
that the composition of any two Lorentz transformations always has the positive determinant and positive inequality, a
all form subgroups. The other sets involving the improper and/or antichronous
properties do not form subgroups, because the composite transformation always has a
positive determinant or inequality, whereas the original separate transformations will have negative determinants
and/or inequalities.
Proper transformations
The Lorentz boost is
The boosts along the Cartesian directions can be readily obtained, for example the unit vector in the x direction has
components nx = 1 and ny = nz = 0.
The matrices make one or more successive transformations easier to handle, rather than rotely iterating the
transformations to obtain the result of more than one transformation. If a frame F′ is boosted with velocity u relative to
frame F, and another frame F′′ is boosted with velocity v relative to F′, the separate boosts are
and the composition of the two boosts connects the coordinates in F′′ and F,
Successive transformations act on the left. If u and v are collinear (parallel or antiparallel along the same line of
relative motion), the boost matrices commute: B(v)B(u) = B(u)B(v) and this composite transformation happens to
be another boost.
If u and v are not collinear but in different directions, the situation is considerably more complicated. Lorentz boosts
along different directions do not commute: B(v)B(u) and B(u)B(v) are not equal. Also, each of these compositions
is not a single boost, but still a Lorentz transformation as each boost still preserves invariance of the spacetime
interval. It turns out the composition of any two Lorentz boosts is equivalent to a boost followed or preceded by a
rotation on the spatial coordinates, in the form of R(ρ)B(w) or B(w)R(ρ). The w and w are composite velocities,
while ρ and ρ are rotation parameters (e.g. axis-angle variables, Euler angles, etc.). The rotation in block matrix form
is simply
where R(ρ) is a 3d rotation matrix, which rotates any 3d vector in one sense (active transformation), or equivalently
the coordinate frame in the opposite sense (passive transformation). It is not simple to connect w and ρ (or w and ρ)
to the original boost parameters u and v. In a composition of boosts, the R matrix is named the Wigner rotation, and
gives rise to the Thomas precession. These articles give the explicit formulae for the composite transformation
matrices, including expressions for w, ρ, w, ρ.
In this article the axis-angle representation is used for ρ. The rotation is about an axis in the direction of a unit
vector e, through angle θ (positive anticlockwise, negative clockwise, according to the right-hand rule). The "axis-
angle vector"
The most general proper Lorentz transformation Λ(v, θ) includes a boost and rotation together, and is a
nonsymmetric matrix. As special cases, Λ(0, θ) = R(θ) and Λ(v, 0) = B(v). An explicit form of the general Lorentz
transformation is cumbersome to write down and will not be given here. Nevertheless, closed form expressions for
the transformation matrices will be given below using group theoretical arguments. It will be easier to use the rapidity
parametrization for boosts, in which case one writes Λ(ζ, θ) and B(ζ).
with matrix multiplication as the operation of composition forms a group, called the "restricted Lorentz group", and is
the special indefinite orthogonal group SO+(3,1). (The plus sign indicates that it preserves the orientation of the
temporal dimension).
For simplicity, look at the infinitesimal Lorentz boost in the x direction (examining a boost in any other direction, or
rotation about any axis, follows an identical procedure). The infinitesimal boost is a small boost away from the
identity, obtained by the Taylor expansion of the boost matrix to first order about ζ = 0,
where the higher order terms not shown are negligible because ζ is small, and Bx is simply the boost matrix in
the x direction. The derivative of the matrix is the matrix of derivatives (of the entries, with respect to the same
variable), and it is understood the derivatives are found first then evaluated at ζ = 0,
For now, Kx is defined by this result (its significance will be explained shortly). In the limit of an infinite number of
infinitely small steps, the finite boost transformation in the form of a matrix exponential is obtained
where the limit definition of the exponential has been used (see also characterizations of the exponential function).
More generally[nb 5]
The axis-angle vector θ and rapidity vector ζ are altogether six continuous variables which make up the group
parameters (in this particular representation), and the generators of the group are K = (Kx, Ky, Kz) and J = (Jx, Jy,
Jz), each vectors of matrices with the explicit forms[nb 6]
These are all defined in an analogous way to Kx above, although the minus signs in the boost generators are
conventional. Physically, the generators of the Lorentz group correspond to important symmetries in spacetime: J are
the rotation generators which correspond to angular momentum, and K are the boost generators which correspond
to the motion of the system in spacetime. The derivative of any smooth curve C(t) with C(0) = I in the group
depending on some group parameter t with respect to that group parameter, evaluated at t = 0, serves as a definition
of a corresponding group generator G, and this reflects an infinitesimal transformation away from the identity. The
smooth curve can always be taken as an exponential as the exponential will always map G smoothly back into the
group via t → exp(tG) for all t; this curve will yield G again when differentiated at t = 0.
Expanding the exponentials in their Taylor series obtains
which compactly reproduce the boost and rotation matrices as given in the previous section.
It has been stated that the general proper Lorentz transformation is a product of a boost and rotation. At
the infinitesimal level the product
is commutative because only linear terms are required (products like (θ·J)(ζ·K) and (ζ·K)(θ·J) count as higher
order terms and are negligible). Taking the limit as before leads to the finite transformation in the form of an
exponential
The converse is also true, but the decomposition of a finite general Lorentz transformation into such factors is
nontrivial. In particular,
because the generators do not commute. For a description of how to find the factors of a general Lorentz
transformation in terms of a boost and a rotation in principle(this usually does not yield an intelligible expression in
terms of generators J and K), see Wigner rotation. If, on the other hand, the decomposition is given in terms of the
generators, and one wants to find the product in terms of the generators, then the Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff
formula applies.
The Lie algebra so(3,1)
Lorentz generators can be added together, or multiplied by real numbers, to obtain more Lorentz generators. In other
words, the set of all Lorentz generators
together with the operations of ordinary matrix addition and multiplication of a matrix by a number, forms a vector
space over the real numbers.[nb 7] The generators Jx, Jy, Jz, Kx, Ky, Kz form a basis set of V, and the components of the
axis-angle and rapidity vectors, θx, θy, θz, ζx, ζy, ζz, are the coordinates of a Lorentz generator with respect to this
basis.[nb 8]
Three of the commutation relations of the Lorentz generators are
where the bracket [A, B] = AB − BA is known as the commutator, and the other relations can be found by
taking cyclic permutations of x, y, z components (i.e. change x to y, y to z, and z to x, repeat).
These commutation relations, and the vector space of generators, fulfill the definition of the Lie algebra . In
summary, a Lie algebra is defined as a vector space V over a field of numbers, and with a binary operation [ , ] (called
a Lie bracket in this context) on the elements of the vector space, satisfying the axioms of bilinearity, alternatization,
and the Jacobi identity. Here the operation [ , ] is the commutator which satisfies all of these axioms, the vector space
is the set of Lorentz generators V as given previously, and the field is the set of real numbers.
Linking terminology used in mathematics and physics: A group generator is any element of the Lie algebra. A group
parameter is a component of a coordinate vector representing an arbitrary element of the Lie algebra with respect to
some basis. A basis, then, is a set of generators being a basis of the Lie algebra in the usual vector space sense.
The exponential map from the Lie algebra to the Lie group,
provides a one-to-one correspondence between small enough neighborhoods of the origin of the Lie algebra and
neighborhoods of the identity element of the Lie group. It the case of the Lorentz group, the exponential map is just
the matrix exponential. Globally, the exponential map is not one-to-one, but in the case of the Lorentz group, it
is surjective (onto). Hence any group element can be expressed as an exponential of an element of the Lie algebra.
Improper transformations
which negates the time coordinate only, because these transformations leave the spacetime interval invariant.
Here I is the 3d identity matrix. These are both symmetric, they are their own inverses (see involution (mathematics)),
and each have determinant −1. This latter property makes them improper transformations.
If Λ is a proper orthochronous Lorentz transformation, then TΛ is improper antichronous, PΛ is improper
orthochronous, and TPΛ = PTΛ is proper antichronous.
Tensor formulation
Representation theory of the Lorentz group
Contravariant vectors
Writing the general matrix transformation of coordinates as the matrix equation
allows the transformation of other physical quantities that cannot be expressed as four-vectors;
e.g., tensors or spinors of any order in 4d spacetime, to be defined. In the corresponding tensor index notation, the
above matrix expression is
where lower and upper indices label covariant and contravariant components respectively,[19] and the summation
convention is applied. It is a standard convention to use Greek indices that take the value 0 for time components, and
1, 2, 3 for space components, while Latin indices simply take the values 1, 2, 3, for spatial components. Note that the
first index (reading left to right) corresponds in the matrix notation to a row index. The second index corresponds to
the column index.
The transformation matrix is universal for all four-vectors, not just 4-dimensional spacetime coordinates. If A is any
four-vector, then in tensor index notation
in which the primed indices denote the indices of A in the primed frame. This notation cuts risk of exhausting the
Greek alphabet roughly in half.
For a general n-component object one may write
where Π is the appropriate representation of the Lorentz group, an n×n matrix for every Λ. In this case, the indices
should not be thought of as spacetime indices (sometimes called Lorentz indices), and they run from 1 to n. E.g.,
if X is a bispinor, then the indices are called Dirac indices.
Covariant vectors
There are also vector quantities with covariant indices. They are generally obtained from their corresponding objects
with contravariant indices by the operation of lowering an index; e.g.,
where η is the metric tensor. (The linked article also provides more information about what the operation of raising
and lowering indices really is mathematically.) The inverse of this transformation is given by
where, when viewed as matrices, ημν is the inverse of ημν. As it happens, ημν = ημν. This is referred to as raising an
index. To transform a covariant vector Aμ, first raise its index, then transform it according to the same rule as for
contravariant 4-vectors, then finally lower the index;
Now for a subtlety. The implied summation on the right hand side of
is running over a row index of the matrix representing Λ−1. Thus, in terms of matrices, this transformation should be
thought of as the inverse transpose of Λ acting on the column vector Aμ. That is, in pure matrix notation,
This means exactly that covariant vectors (thought of as column matrices) transform according to the dual
representation of the standard representation of the Lorentz group. This notion generalizes to general
representations, simply replace Λ with Π(Λ).
Tensors
If A and B are linear operators on vector spaces U and V, then a linear operator A ⊗ B may be defined on
the tensor product of U and V, denoted U ⊗ V according to
From this it is immediately clear that if u and v are a four-vectors in V, then u ⊗ v ∈ T2V ≡ V ⊗ V transforms as
The second step uses the bilinearity of the tensor product and the last step defines a 2-tensor on component form, or
rather, it just renames the tensor u ⊗ v.
These observations generalize in an obvious way to more factors, and using the fact that a general tensor on a vector
space V can be written as a sum of a coefficient (component!) times tensor products of basis vectors and basis
covectors, one arrives at the transformation law for any tensor quantity T. It is given by
where Λχ′ψ is defined above. This form can generally be reduced to the form for general n-component objects given
above with a single matrix (Π(Λ)) operating on column vectors. This latter form is sometimes preferred; e.g., for the
electromagnetic field tensor.
Transformation of the electromagnetic field
Lorentz boost of an electric charge, the charge is at rest in one frame or the other.
Lorentz transformations can also be used to illustrate that the magnetic field B and electric field E are simply different
aspects of the same force — the electromagnetic force, as a consequence of relative motion between electric
charges and observers.[22] The fact that the electromagnetic field shows relativistic effects becomes clear by carrying
out a simple thought experiment
An observer measures a charge at rest in frame F. The observer will detect a static electric
field. As the charge is stationary in this frame, there is no electric current, so the observer does
not observe any magnetic field.
The other observer in frame F′ moves at velocity v relative to F and the charge. This observer
sees a different electric field because the charge moves at velocity −v in their rest frame. The
motion of the charge corresponds to an electric current, and thus the observer in frame F′ also
sees a magnetic field.
The electric and magnetic fields transform differently from space and time, but exactly the same way as relativistic
angular momentum and the boost vector.
The electromagnetic field strength tensor is given by
in SI units. In relativity, the Gaussian system of units is often preferred over SI units, even in texts whose main choice
of units is SI units, because in it the electric field E and the magnetic induction B have the same units making the
appearance of the electromagnetic field tensor more natural.[24] Consider a Lorentz boost in the x-direction. It is given
by[25]
where the field tensor is displayed side by side for easiest possible reference in the manipulations below.
The general transformation law (T3) becomes
For the magnetic field one obtains
and are independent of the metric signature. For SI units, substitute E → E⁄c. Misner, Thorne & Wheeler (1973) refer
to this last form as the 3 + 1 view as opposed to the geometric view represented by the tensor expression
and make a strong point of the ease with which results that are difficult to achieve using the 3 + 1 view can be
obtained and understood. Only objects that have well defined Lorentz transformation properties (in fact
under any smooth coordinate transformation) are geometric objects. In the geometric view, the electromagnetic field
is a six-dimensional geometric object in spacetime as opposed to two interdependent, but separate, 3-vector fields
in space and time. The fields E (alone) and B (alone) do not have well defined Lorentz transformation properties. The
mathematical underpinnings are equations (T1) and (T2) that immediately yield (T3). One should note that the primed
and unprimed tensors refer to the same event in spacetime. Thus the complete equation with spacetime dependence
is
Length contraction has an effect on charge density ρ and current density J, and time dilation has an effect on the rate
of flow of charge (current), so charge and current distributions must transform in a related way under a boost. It turns
out they transform exactly like the space-time and energy-momentum four-vectors,
One says that charge density transforms as the time component of a four-vector. It is a rotational scalar. The current
density is a 3-vector.
The Maxwell equations are invariant under Lorentz transformations.
Spinors
Equation (T1) hold unmodified for any representation of the Lorentz group, including the bispinor representation.
In (T2) one simply replaces all occurrences of Λ by the bispinor representation Π(Λ),
The above equation could, for instance, be the transformation of a state in Fock space describing two free electrons.
Transformation of general fields
A general noninteracting multi-particle state (Fock space state) in quantum field theory transforms according to the
rule
Zipf’s law.
For example, Zipf's law states that given some corpus of natural language utterances, the
frequency of any word is inversely proportional to its rank in the frequency table. Thus the
most frequent word will occur approximately twice as often as the second most frequent
word, three times as often as the third most frequent word, etc.: the rank-frequency
distribution is an inverse relation. For example, in the Brown Corpus of American English
text, the word the is the most frequently occurring word, and by itself accounts for nearly 7%
of all word occurrences (69,971 out of slightly over 1 million). True to Zipf's Law, the second-
place word of accounts for slightly over 3.5% of words (36,411 occurrences), followed
by and (28,852). Only 135 vocabulary items are needed to account for half the Brown Corpus.
[1]
Other datasets
The same relationship occurs in many other rankings unrelated to language, such as the
population ranks of cities in various countries, corporation sizes, income rankings, ranks of
number of people watching the same TV channel,[5] and so on. The appearance of the
distribution in rankings of cities by population was first noticed by Felix Auerbach in 1913.
[4]
Empirically, a data set can be tested to see whether Zipf's law applies by checking the
goodness of fit of an empirical distribution to the hypothesized power law distribution with
a Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, and then comparing the (log) likelihood ratio of the power law
distribution to alternative distributions like an exponential distribution or lognormal
distribution.[6] When Zipf's law is checked for cities, a better fit has been found with
exponent s = 1.07; i.e. the largest settlement is the size of the largest settlement.
Zipf's law
.
File history
Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.
Formally, let:
Zipf's law then predicts that out of a population of N elements, the normalized frequency of
elements of rank k, f(k;s,N), is:
Zipf's law holds if the number of elements with a given frequency is a random variable with
It has been claimed that this representation of Zipf's law is more suitable for statistical
testing, and in this way it has been analyzed in more than 30,000 English texts. The
goodness-of-fit tests yield that only about 15% of the texts are statistically compatible with
this form of Zipf's law. Slight variations in the definition of Zipf's law can increase this
percentage up to close to 50%.[8]
In the example of the frequency of words in the English language, N is the number of words
in the English language and, if we use the classic version of Zipf's law, the exponent s is
1. f(k; s,N) will then be the fraction of the time the kth most common word occurs.
The simplest case of Zipf's law is a "1⁄f function." Given a set of Zipfian distributed
frequencies, sorted from most common to least common, the second most common
frequency will occur ½ as often as the first. The third most common frequency will occur ⅓
as often as the first. The fourth most common frequency will occur ¼ as often as the first.
The nth most common frequency will occur 1⁄n as often as the first. However, this cannot hold
exactly, because items must occur an integer number of times; there cannot be 2.5
occurrences of a word. Nevertheless, over fairly wide ranges, and to a fairly good
approximation, many natural phenomena obey Zipf's law.
In human languages, word frequencies have a very heavy-tailed distribution, and can
therefore be modeled reasonably well by a Zipf distribution with an s close to 1.
As long as the exponent s exceeds 1, it is possible for such a law to hold with infinitely many
words, since if s > 1 then
The principle of least effort is another possible explanation: Zipf himself proposed that
neither speakers nor hearers using a given language want to work any harder than necessary
to reach understanding, and the process that results in approximately equal distribution of
effort leads to the observed Zipf distribution.[14] [15]
A PLOT OF THE RANK VERSUS FREQUENCY FOR THE FIRST 10 MILLION WORDS
IN 30 WIKIPEDIAS (DUMPS FROM OCTOBER 2015) IN A LOG-LOG SCALE.
A plot of the rank versus frequency for the first 10 million words in 30 Wikipedias (dumps
from October 2015) in a log-log scale.
Source;SergioJimenez - Own work
RELATED LAWS.
Zipf's law in fact refers more generally to frequency distributions of "rank data," in which the
relative frequency of the nth-ranked item is given by the Zeta distribution, 1/(nsζ(s)), where the
parameter s > 1 indexes the members of this family of probability distributions. Indeed, Zipf's
law is sometimes synonymous with "zeta distribution," since probability distributions are
sometimes called "laws". This distribution is sometimes called the Zipfian distribution.
A generalization of Zipf's law is the Zipf–Mandelbrot law, proposed by Benoît Mandelbrot,
whose frequencies are:
It has been argued that Benford's law is a special bounded case of Zipf's law,[19] with the
connection between these two laws being explained by their both originating from scale
invariant functional relations from statistical physics and critical phenomena. [21] The ratios of
probabilities in Benford's law are not constant. The leading digits of data satisfying Zipf's law
with s = 1 satisfy Benford's law.
closer to the cyan (1/(k + x) ) line. These lines correspond to three distinct
2.0
Permission details;
LGPL
BENFORD’S LAW
Benford's law, also called Newcomb-Benford's law, law of anomalous numbers, and first-digit
law, is an observation about the frequency distribution of leading digits in many real-life sets
of numerical data. The law states that in many naturally occurring collections of numbers, the
leading significant digit is likely to be small.[1] For example, in sets that obey the law, the
number 1 appears as the leading significant digit about 30% of the time, while 9 appears as
the leading significant digit less than 5% of the time. If the digits were distributed uniformly,
they would each occur about 11.1% of the time.[2] Benford's law also makes predictions about
the distribution of second digits, third digits, digit combinations, and so on.
The graph to the right shows Benford's law for base 10. There is a generalization of the law to
numbers expressed in other bases (for example, base 16), and also a generalization from
leading 1 digit to leading n digits.
It has been shown that this result applies to a wide variety of data sets, including electricity
bills, street addresses, stock prices, house prices, population numbers, death rates, lengths
of rivers, physical and mathematical constants[3]. Like other general principles about natural
data — for example the fact that many data sets are well approximated by a normal
distribution — there are illustrative examples and explanations that cover many of the cases
where Benford's law applies, though there are many other cases where Benford's law applies
that resist a simple explanation.[1] It tends to be most accurate when values are distributed
across multiple orders of magnitude, especially if the process generating the numbers is
described by a power law(which are common in nature).
It is named after physicist Frank Benford, who stated it in 1938 in a paper titled "The Law of
Anomalous Numbers",[4] although it had been previously stated by Simon Newcomb in 1881.[5]
[6]
.
The distribution of first digits, according to Benford's law. Each bar represents a digit,
and the height of the bar is the percentage of numbers that start with that digit.
Source;Gknor - Own work
Benford's distribution
Frequency of first significant digit of physical constants plotted against Benford's law
Plot of Benford's Law vs the first significant digit of a set of physical constants. Data
from http://physics.nist.gov/constants. Created by Aaron Webster.
Bedfords law definition.
A set of numbers is said to satisfy Benford's law if the leading digit d (d ∈ {1, ..., 9}) occurs
with probability
The leading digits in such a set thus have the following distribution:
The quantity is proportional to the space between d and d + 1 on a logarithmic scale.
Therefore, this is the distribution expected if the mantissae of the logarithms of the numbers
(but not the numbers themselves) are uniformly and randomly distributed.
For example, a number x, constrained to lie between 1 and 10, starts with the digit 1
if 1 ≤ x < 2, and starts with the digit 9 if 9 ≤ x < 10. Therefore, x starts with the digit 1
if log 1 ≤ log x < log 2, or starts with 9 if log 9 ≤ log x < log 10. The interval [log 1, log 2] is
much wider than the interval [log 9, log 10] (0.30 and 0.05 respectively); therefore if log x is
uniformly and randomly distributed, it is much more likely to fall into the wider interval than
the narrower interval, i.e. more likely to start with 1 than with 9; the probabilities are
proportional to the interval widths, giving the equation above (as well as the generalization to
other bases besides decimal).
Benford's law is sometimes stated in a stronger form, asserting that the fractional part of the
logarithm of data is typically close to uniformly distributed between 0 and 1; from this, the
main claim about the distribution of first digits can be derived.
HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/BENFORD
%27S_LAW#/MEDIA/FILE:LOGARITHMIC_SCALE.PNG
distribution uniform. In the SVG image, hover over a graph to show the value for each
point.
Source;
Cmglee - Own work
Example
Source;
Jakob.scholbach - Own work
illustration of Benford's law, using the population of the countries of the world. The
chart depicts the percentage of countries having the corresponding digit as first digit
of their population (red bars). For example, 64 countries of 237 (=27%) have 1 as
leading digit of the population. Black points indicate what is predicted by Benford's
law. the data is from CIA Worldbook https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html, accessed August 07, 2010 Rank|| country Population
Date of Information ||1 China ||1,330,141,295|| ||July 2010 2 India ||1,173,108,018|| ||
July 2010 3 United States ||310,232,863|| ||July 2010 4 Indonesia ||242,968,342|| ||July
2010 5 Brazil ||201,103,330|| ||July 2010 6 Pakistan ||177,276,594|| ||July 2010 7
Bangladesh ||158,065,841|| ||July 2010 8 Nigeria ||152,217,341|| ||July 2010 9 Russia ||
139,390,205|| ||July 2010 10 Japan ||126,804,433|| ||July 2010 11 Mexico ||112,468,855||
||July 2010 12 Philippines ||99,900,177|| ||July 2010 13 Vietnam ||89,571,130|| ||July
2010 14 Ethiopia ||88,013,491|| ||July 2010 15 Germany ||82,282,988|| ||July 2010 16
Egypt ||80,471,869|| ||July 2010 17 Turkey ||77,804,122|| ||July 2010 18 Congo,
Democratic Republic of the ||70,916,439|| ||July 2010 19 Iran ||67,037,517|| ||July 2010
20 Thailand ||66,404,688|| ||July 2010 21 France ||64,057,792|| ||July 2010 22 United
Kingdom ||61,284,806|| ||July 2010 23 Italy ||58,090,681|| ||July 2010 24 Burma ||
53,414,374|| ||July 2010 25 South Africa ||49,109,107|| ||July 2010 26 Korea, South ||
48,636,068|| ||July 2010 27 Ukraine ||45,415,596|| ||July 2010 28 Colombia ||44,205,293||
||July 2010 29 Sudan ||41,980,182|| ||July 2010 30 Tanzania ||41,892,895|| ||July 2010 31
Argentina ||41,343,201|| ||July 2010 32 Spain ||40,548,753|| ||July 2010 33 Kenya ||
40,046,566|| ||July 2010 34 Poland ||38,463,689|| ||July 2010 35 Algeria ||34,586,184|| ||
July 2010 36 Canada ||33,759,742|| ||July 2010 37 Uganda ||33,398,682|| ||July 2010 38
Morocco ||31,627,428|| ||July 2010 39 Peru ||29,907,003|| ||July 2010 40 Iraq ||
29,671,605|| ||July 2010 41 Saudi Arabia ||29,207,277|| ||July 2010 42 Afghanistan ||
29,121,286|| ||July 2010 43 Nepal ||28,951,852|| ||July 2010 44 Uzbekistan ||27,865,738||
||July 2010 45 Venezuela ||27,223,228|| ||July 2010 46 Malaysia ||26,160,256|| ||July
2010 47 Ghana ||24,339,838|| ||July 2010 48 Yemen ||23,495,361|| ||July 2010 49 Taiwan
||23,024,956|| ||July 2010 50 Korea, North ||22,757,275|| ||July 2010 51 Syria ||
22,198,110|| ||July 2010 52 Romania ||22,181,287|| ||July 2010 53 Mozambique ||
22,061,451|| ||July 2010 54 Australia ||21,515,754|| ||July 2010 55 Sri Lanka ||
21,513,990|| ||July 2010 56 Madagascar ||21,281,844|| ||July 2010 57 Cote d'Ivoire ||
21,058,798|| ||July 2010 58 Cameroon ||19,294,149|| ||July 2010 59 Netherlands ||
16,783,092|| ||July 2010 60 Chile ||16,746,491|| ||July 2010 61 Burkina Faso ||
16,241,811|| ||July 2010 62 Niger ||15,878,271|| ||July 2010 63 Kazakhstan ||15,460,484||
||July 2010 64 Malawi ||15,447,500|| ||July 2010 65 Ecuador ||14,790,608|| ||July 2010 66
Cambodia ||14,753,320|| ||July 2010 67 Senegal ||14,086,103|| ||July 2010 68 Mali ||
13,796,354|| ||July 2010 69 Guatemala ||13,550,440|| ||July 2010 70 Angola ||
13,068,161|| ||July 2010 71 Zambia ||12,056,923|| ||July 2010 72 Zimbabwe ||
11,651,858|| ||July 2010 73 Cuba ||11,477,459|| ||July 2010 74 Rwanda ||11,055,976|| ||
July 2010 75 Greece ||10,749,943|| ||July 2010 76 Portugal ||10,735,765|| ||July 2010 77
Tunisia ||10,589,025|| ||July 2010 78 Chad ||10,543,464|| ||July 2010 79 Belgium ||
10,423,493|| ||July 2010 80 Guinea ||10,324,025|| ||July 2010 81 Czech Republic ||
10,201,707|| ||July 2010 82 Somalia ||10,112,453|| ||July 2010 83 Bolivia ||9,947,418|| ||
July 2010 84 Hungary ||9,880,059|| ||July 2010 85 Burundi ||9,863,117|| ||July 2010 86
Dominican Republic ||9,794,487|| ||July 2010 87 Belarus ||9,612,632|| ||July 2010 88
Haiti ||9,203,083|| ||July 2010 89 Sweden ||9,074,055|| ||July 2010 90 Benin ||9,056,010||
||July 2010 91 Azerbaijan ||8,303,512|| ||July 2010 92 Austria ||8,214,160|| ||July 2010 93
Honduras ||7,989,415|| ||July 2010 94 Switzerland ||7,623,438|| ||July 2010 95 Tajikistan
||7,487,489|| ||July 2010 96 Israel ||7,353,985|| ||July 2010 97 Serbia ||7,344,847|| ||July
2010 98 Bulgaria ||7,148,785|| ||July 2010 99 Hong Kong ||7,089,705|| ||July 2010 100
Laos ||6,993,767|| ||July 2010 101 Libya ||6,461,454|| ||July 2010 102 Jordan ||
6,407,085|| ||July 2010 103 Paraguay ||6,375,830|| ||July 2010 104 Togo ||6,199,841|| ||
July 2010 105 Papua New Guinea ||6,064,515|| ||July 2010 106 El Salvador ||6,052,064||
||July 2010 107 Nicaragua ||5,995,928|| ||July 2010 108 Eritrea ||5,792,984|| ||July 2010
109 Denmark ||5,515,575|| ||July 2010 110 Kyrgyzstan ||5,508,626|| ||July 2010 111
Slovakia ||5,470,306|| ||July 2010 112 Finland ||5,255,068|| ||July 2010 113 Sierra Leone
||5,245,695|| ||July 2010 114 United Arab Emirates ||4,975,593|| ||July 2010 115
Turkmenistan ||4,940,916|| ||July 2010 116 Central African Republic ||4,844,927|| ||July
2010 117 Singapore ||4,701,069|| ||July 2010 118 Norway ||4,676,305|| ||July 2010 119
Bosnia and Herzegovina ||4,621,598|| ||July 2010 120 Georgia ||4,600,825|| ||July 2010
121 Costa Rica ||4,516,220|| ||July 2010 122 Croatia ||4,486,881|| ||July 2010 123
Moldova ||4,317,483|| ||July 2010 124 New Zealand ||4,252,277|| ||July 2010 125 Ireland
||4,250,163|| ||July 2010 126 Congo, Republic of the ||4,125,916|| ||July 2010 127
Lebanon ||4,125,247|| ||July 2010 128 Puerto Rico ||3,977,663|| ||July 2010 129 Liberia ||
3,685,076|| ||July 2010 130 Albania ||3,659,616|| ||July 2010 131 Lithuania ||3,545,319||
||July 2010 132 Uruguay ||3,510,386|| ||July 2010 133 Panama ||3,410,676|| ||July 2010
134 Mauritania ||3,205,060|| ||July 2010 135 Mongolia ||3,086,918|| ||July 2010 136
Oman ||2,967,717|| ||July 2010 137 Armenia ||2,966,802|| ||July 2010 138 Jamaica ||
2,847,232|| ||July 2010 139 Kuwait ||2,789,132|| ||July 2010 140 West Bank ||2,514,845||
||July 2010 141 Latvia ||2,217,969|| ||July 2010 142 Namibia ||2,128,471|| ||July 2010 143
Macedonia ||2,072,086|| ||July 2010 144 Botswana ||2,029,307|| ||July 2010 145
Slovenia ||2,003,136|| ||July 2010 146 Lesotho ||1,919,552|| ||July 2010 147 Gambia,
The ||1,824,158|| ||July 2010 148 Kosovo ||1,815,048|| ||July 2010 149 Gaza Strip ||
1,604,238|| ||July 2010 150 Guinea-Bissau ||1,565,126|| ||July 2010 151 Gabon ||
1,545,255|| ||July 2010 152 Swaziland ||1,354,051|| ||July 2010 153 Mauritius ||
1,294,104|| ||July 2010 154 Estonia ||1,291,170|| ||July 2010 155 Trinidad and Tobago ||
1,228,691|| ||July 2010 156 Timor-Leste ||1,154,625|| ||July 2010 157 Cyprus ||
1,102,677|| ||July 2010 158 Fiji ||957,780|| ||July 2010 159 Qatar ||840,926|| ||July 2010
160 Comoros ||773,407|| ||July 2010 161 Guyana ||748,486|| ||July 2010 162 Djibouti ||
740,528|| ||July 2010 163 Bahrain ||738,004|| ||July 2010 164 Bhutan ||699,847|| ||July
2010 165 Montenegro ||666,730|| ||July 2010 166 Equatorial Guinea ||650,702|| ||July
2010 167 Solomon Islands ||609,794|| ||July 2010 168 Macau ||567,957|| ||July 2010 169
Cape Verde ||508,659|| ||July 2010 170 Luxembourg ||497,538|| ||July 2010 171 Western
Sahara ||491,519|| ||July 2010 172 Suriname ||486,618|| ||July 2010 173 Malta ||406,771||
||July 2010 174 Maldives ||395,650|| ||July 2010 175 Brunei ||395,027|| ||July 2010 176
Belize ||314,522|| ||July 2010 177 Bahamas, The ||310,426|| ||July 2010 178 Iceland ||
308,910|| ||July 2010 179 French Polynesia ||291,000|| ||July 2010 180 Barbados ||
285,653|| ||July 2010 181 Mayotte ||231,139|| ||July 2010 182 New Caledonia ||229,993||
||July 2010 183 Netherlands Antilles ||228,693|| ||July 2010 184 Vanuatu ||221,552|| ||
July 2010 185 Samoa ||192,001|| ||July 2010 186 Sao Tome and Principe ||175,808|| ||
July 2010 187 Saint Lucia ||160,922|| ||July 2010 188 Tonga ||122,580|| ||July 2010 189
Virgin Islands ||109,775|| ||July 2010 190 Grenada ||107,818|| ||July 2010 191
Micronesia, Federated States of ||107,154|| ||July 2010 192 Aruba ||104,589|| ||July
2010 193 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ||104,217|| ||July 2010 194 Kiribati ||
99,482|| ||July 2010 195 Jersey ||91,812|| ||July 2010 196 Seychelles ||88,340|| ||July
2010 197 Antigua and Barbuda ||86,754|| ||July 2010 198 Andorra ||84,525|| ||July 2010
199 Isle of Man ||76,913|| ||July 2010 200 Dominica ||72,813|| ||July 2010 201 Bermuda
||68,268|| ||July 2010 202 American Samoa ||66,432|| ||July 2010 203 Marshall Islands ||
65,859|| ||July 2010 204 Guernsey ||65,632|| ||July 2010 205 Greenland ||57,637|| ||July
2010 206 Cayman Islands ||50,209|| ||July 2010 207 Saint Kitts and Nevis ||49,898|| ||
July 2010 208 Faroe Islands ||49,057|| ||July 2010 209 Northern Mariana Islands ||
48,317|| ||July 2010 210 Liechtenstein ||35,002|| ||July 2010 211 San Marino ||31,477|| ||
July 2010 212 Monaco ||30,586|| ||July 2010 213 Saint Martin ||30,235|| ||July 2010 214
Gibraltar ||28,877|| ||July 2010 215 British Virgin Islands ||24,939|| ||July 2010 216
Turks and Caicos Islands ||23,528|| ||July 2010 217 Palau ||20,879|| ||July 2010 218
Akrotiri ||15,700|| ||NA 219 Dhekelia ||15,700|| ||NA 220 Wallis and Futuna ||15,343|| ||
July 2010 221 Anguilla ||14,764|| ||July 2010 222 Nauru ||14,264|| ||July 2010 223 Cook
Islands ||11,488|| ||July 2010 224 Tuvalu ||10,472|| ||July 2010 225 Saint Helena,
Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha ||7,670|| ||July 2010 226 Saint Barthelemy ||7,406|| ||
July 2010 227 Saint Pierre and Miquelon ||6,010|| ||July 2010 228 Montserrat ||5,118|| ||
July 2010 229 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) ||3,140|| ||July 2008 230 Norfolk Island
||2,155|| ||July 2010 231 Svalbard ||2,067|| ||July 2010 232 Christmas Island ||1,402|| ||
July 2010 233 Tokelau ||1,400|| ||July 2010 234 Niue ||1,354|| ||July 2010 235 Holy See
(Vatican City) ||829|| ||July 2010 236 Cocos (Keeling) Islands ||596|| ||July 2010 237
Pitcairn Islands ||48|| ||July 2010 est. Mathematica source code of the chart: In[1]:=
<<Graphics`Graphics` In[2]:= list1=Table[{d,100*(Log[10,d+1]-Log[10,d])},{d,1,9}];
In[3]:= Show[{BarChart[{64,43,24,31,15,20,17,11,12}/2.37], ListPlot[list1, PlotStyle\
[Rule]PointSize[0.02]]}]
Examining a list of the heights of the 60 tallest structures in the world by category shows that
1 is by far the most common leading digit, irrespective of the unit of measurement (cf. "scale
invariance", below):
In Benford's
meters feet
law
Leading digit
Count % Count %
The discovery of Benford's law goes back to 1881, when the American astronomer Simon
Newcomb noticed that in logarithm tables the earlier pages (that started with 1) were much
more worn than the other pages.[5] Newcomb's published result is the first known instance of
this observation and includes a distribution on the second digit, as well. Newcomb proposed
a law that the probability of a single number N being the first digit of a number was equal to
log(N + 1) − log(N).
The phenomenon was again noted in 1938 by the physicist Frank Benford,[4] who tested it on
data from 20 different domains and was credited for it. His data set included the surface
areas of 335 rivers, the sizes of 3259 US populations, 104 physical constants, 1800 molecular
weights, 5000 entries from a mathematical handbook, 308 numbers contained in an issue
of Reader's Digest, the street addresses of the first 342 persons listed in American Men of
Science and 418 death rates. The total number of observations used in the paper was 20,229.
This discovery was later named after Benford (making it an example of Stigler's Law).
Explanations
Overview
Benford's law tends to apply most accurately to data that are distributed uniformly across
several orders of magnitude. As a rule of thumb, the more orders of magnitude that the data
evenly covers, the more accurately Benford's law applies. For instance, one can expect that
Benford's law would apply to a list of numbers representing the populations of UK
settlements, or representing the values of small insurance claims. But if a "village" is defined
as a settlement with population between 300 and 999, or a "small insurance claim" is defined
as a claim between $50 and $99, then Benford's law will not apply. [9][10]
Consider the probability distributions shown below, referenced to a log scale.[11] In each case,
the total area in red is the relative probability that the first digit is 1, and the total area in blue
is the relative probability that the first digit is 8.
A broad probability distribution of the log of a variable, shown on a log scale
Source;
Sbyrnes321 - Own work
A broad probability distribution on a log scale, with bars colored in to show why
Benford's law holds
. [11]
Source;
Sbyrnes321 - Own work
For the left distribution, the size of the areas of red and blue are approximately proportional
to the widths of each red and blue bar. Therefore, the numbers drawn from this distribution
will approximately follow Benford's law. On the other hand, for the right distribution, the ratio
of the areas of red and blue is very different from the ratio of the widths of each red and blue
bar. Rather, the relative areas of red and blue are determined more by the height of the bars
than the widths. Accordingly, the first digits in this distribution do not satisfy Benford's law
at all.[10]
Multiplicative fluctuations
Many real-world examples of Benford's law arise from multiplicative fluctuations. [13] For
example, if a stock price starts at $100, and then each day it gets multiplied by a randomly
chosen factor between 0.99 and 1.01, then over an extended period the probability
distribution of its price satisfies Benford's law with higher and higher accuracy.
The reason is that the logarithm of the stock price is undergoing a random walk, so over time
its probability distribution will get more and more broad and smooth (see above).[13] (More
technically, the central limit theorem says that multiplying more and more random variables
will create a log-normal distribution with larger and larger variance, so eventually it covers
many orders of magnitude almost uniformly.) To be sure of approximate agreement with
Benford's Law, the distribution has to be approximately invariant when scaled up by any
factor up to 10; a lognormally distributed data set with wide dispersion would have this
approximate property.
Scale invariance
If there is a list of lengths, the distribution of first digits of numbers in the list may be
generally similar regardless of whether all the lengths are expressed in metres, or yards, or
feet, or inches, etc.
This is not always the case. For example, the height of adult humans almost always starts
with a 1 or 2 when measured in meters, and almost always starts with 4, 5, 6, or 7 when
measured in feet.
But consider a list of lengths that is spread evenly over many orders of magnitude. For
example, a list of 1000 lengths mentioned in scientific papers will include the measurements
of molecules, bacteria, plants, and galaxies. If one writes all those lengths in meters, or
writes them all in feet, it is reasonable to expect that the distribution of first digits should be
the same on the two lists.
In these situations, where the distribution of first digits of a data set is scale invariant (or
independent of the units that the data are expressed in), the distribution of first digits is
always given by Benford's Law.[17][18]
For example, the first (non-zero) digit on this list of lengths should have the same distribution
whether the unit of measurement is feet or yards. But there are three feet in a yard, so the
probability that the first digit of a length in yards is 1 must be the same as the probability that
the first digit of a length in feet is 3, 4, or 5; similarly the probability that the first digit of a
length in yards is 2 must be the same as the probability that the first digit of a length in feet is
6, 7, or 8. Applying this to all possible measurement scales gives the logarithmic distribution
of Benford's law.
Applications
Election data
Benford's Law has been invoked as evidence of fraud in the 2009 Iranian elections,[22] and also
used to analyze other election results. However, other experts consider Benford's Law
essentially useless as a statistical indicator of election fraud in general. [23][24]
Macroeconomic data
Similarly, the macroeconomic data the Greek government reported to the European Union
before entering the eurozone was shown to be probably fraudulent using Benford's law,
albeit years after the country joined.[25]
Genome data
The number of open reading frames and their relationship to genome size differs
between eukaryotes and prokaryotes with the former showing a log-linear relationship and
the latter a linear relationship. Benford's law has been used to test this observation with an
excellent fit to the data in both cases.[27]
Statistical tests
Although the chi squared test has been used to test for compliance with Benford's law it has
low statistical power when used with small samples.
The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and the Kuiper test are more powerful when the sample size is
small particularly when Stephens's corrective factor is used. [29] These tests may be overly
conservative when applied to discrete distributions. Values for the Benford test have been
generated by Morrow.[30] The critical values of the test statistics are shown below:
α
0.10 0.05 0.01
Test
1.32
Kuiper Test 1.191 1.579
1
Kolmogorov– 1.14
1.012 1.420
Smirnov 8
These critical values provide the minimum test statistic values required to reject the
hypothesis of compliance with Benford's law at the given significance levels.
Two alternative tests specific to this law have been published: first, the max (m) statistic[31] is
given by
⍺
0.10 0.05 0.01
Statistic
0.96
Leemis' m 0.851 1.212
7
Cho–Gaines' 1.33
1.212 1.569
d 0
with
where |x| is the absolute value of x, n is the sample size, 1/2n is a continuity correction
factor, pe is the proportion expected from Benford's law and po is the observed proportion in
the sample.
Morrow has also shown that for any random variable X (with a continuous pdf) divided by its
standard deviation (σ), a value A can be found such that the probability of the distribution of
the first significant digit of the random variable (X/σ)A will differ from Benford's Law by less
than ε > 0.[30] The value of A depends on the value of ε and the distribution of the random
variable.
A method of accounting fraud detection based on bootstrapping and regression has been
proposed.[34]
If the goal is to conclude agreement with the Benford's law rather than disagreement, then
the goodness-of-fit tests mentioned above are inappropriate. In this case the specific tests
for equivalence should be applied. An empirical distribution is called equivalent to the
Benford's law if a distance (for example total variation distance or the usual Euclidean
distance) between the probability mass functions is sufficiently small. This method of testing
with application to Benford's law is described in Ostrovski (2017).[35]
Log-log graph of the probability that a number starts with the digit(s) n, for a distribution
satisfying Benford's law. The points show the exact formula, P(n)=log (1+1/n). The graph
10
tends towards the dashed asymptote passing through (1, log e) with slope −1 in log-log
10
scale. The example in yellow shows that the probability of a number starts with 314 is
around 0.00138. The dotted lines show the probabilities for a uniform distribution for
comparison. In the SVG image, hover over a point to show its values.
Source;
Cmglee - Own work
Log-log graphs of the probability that a number from a distribution obeying Benford's
law starts with the digit(s) n from 1 to 200 by CMG Lee. The graph tends towards the
dashed asymptote passing through (1, log10 e) with slope −1 in log-log scale. The
example in yellow shows that the probability of a number starts with 314 is around
0.00138. The dotted lines show the probabilities if the distribution were uniform
instead. In the SVG image, hover over a point to show its values. In the SVG
image, hover over a point to show its values.
It is possible to extend the law to digits beyond the first.[36] In particular, the probability of
encountering a number starting with the string of digits n is given by:
For example, the probability that a number starts with the digits 3, 1, 4
is log10(1 + 1/314) ≈ 0.00138, as in the figure on the right.
This result can be used to find the probability that a particular digit occurs at a given position
within a number. For instance, the probability that a "2" is encountered as the second digit
is[36]
Digi
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
t
30.1 5.8
1st N/A 17.6% 12.5% 9.7% 7.9% 6.7% 5.1% 4.6%
% %
11.4
2nd 12% 10.9% 10.4% 10% 9.7% 9.3% 9% 8.8% 8.5%
%
10.1 9.9
3rd 10.2% 10.1% 10.1% 10% 10% 9.9% 9.9% 9.8%
% %
Benford's law was empirically tested against the numbers (up to the 10th digit) generated by
a number of important distributions, including the uniform distribution, the exponential
distribution, the half-normal distribution, the right-truncated normal, the normal distribution,
the chi square distribution and the log normal distribution.[6] In addition to these the ratio
distribution of two uniform distributions, the ratio distribution of two exponential
distributions, the ratio distribution of two half-normal distributions, the ratio distribution of
two right-truncated normal distributions, the ratio distribution of two chi-square distributions
(the F distribution) and the log normaldistribution were tested.
The uniform distribution as might be expected does not obey Benford's law. In contrast, the
ratio distribution of two uniform distributions is well described by Benford's law. Benford's
law also describes the exponential distribution and the ratio distribution of two exponential
distributions well. Although the half-normal distribution does not obey Benford's law, the
ratio distribution of two half-normal distributions does. Neither the right-truncated normal
distribution nor the ratio distribution of two right-truncated normal distributions are well
described by Benford's law. This is not surprising as this distribution is weighted towards
larger numbers. Neither the normal distribution nor the ratio distribution of two normal
distributions (the Cauchy distribution) obey Benford's law. The fit of chi square distribution
depends on the degrees of freedom (df) with good agreement with df = 1 and decreasing
agreement as the df increases. The F distribution is fitted well for low degrees of freedom.
With increasing dfs the fit decreases but much more slowly than the chi square distribution.
The fit of the log-normal distribution depends on the mean and the variance of the
distribution. The variance has a much greater effect on the fit than does the mean. Larger
values of both parameters result in better agreement with the law. The ratio of two log normal
distributions is a log normal so this distribution was not examined.
Likewise, some continuous processes satisfy Benford's Law exactly (in the asymptotic limit
as the process continues through time). One is an exponential growth or decay process: If a
quantity is exponentially increasing or decreasing in time, then the percentage of time that it
has each first digit satisfies Benford's Law asymptotically (i.e. increasing accuracy as the
process continues through time).
Square roots and reciprocals do not obey this law.[43] Also, Benford's law does not apply
to unary systems such as tally marks. Telephone directories violate Benford's law because
the numbers have a mostly fixed length and do not have the initial digit 1.[44] Benford's law is
violated by the populations of all places with population at least 2500 from five US states
according to the 1960 and 1970 censuses, where only 19% began with digit 1 but 20% began
with digit 2, for the simple reason that the truncation at 2500 introduces statistical bias. [43] The
terminal digits in pathology reports violate Benford's law due to rounding, and the fact that
terminal digits are never expected to follow Benford's law in the first place. [45]
Criteria for distributions expected and not expected to obey Benford's Law
A number of criteria—applicable particularly to accounting data—have been suggested
where Benford's Law can be expected to apply and not to apply.[46]
When the mean is greater than the median and the skew is positive
Numbers that result from mathematical combination of numbers: e.g. quantity × price
Numbers produced when doing any multiplicative calculations with an Oughtred slide rule,
since the answers naturally fall into the right logarithmic distribution.
Where numbers are assigned sequentially: e.g. check numbers, invoice numbers
Where numbers are influenced by human thought: e.g. prices set by psychological
thresholds ($1.99)
Accounts with a large number of firm-specific numbers: e.g. accounts set up to record $100
refunds
Moments
Moments of random variables for the digits 1 to 9 following this law have been calculated: [47]
mean 3.440
variance 6.057
skewness 0.796
kurtosis −0.548
For the first and second digit distribution these values are also known:[48]
mean 38.590
variance 621.832
skewness 0.772
kurtosis −0.547
A table of the exact probabilities for the joint occurrence of the first two digits according to
Benford's law is available,[48] as is the population correlation between the first and second
digits:[48] ρ = 0.0561.
Applications of zipf’s law.
information. Hence, Zipf law for natural numbers: is equivalent with number
Zipf's law also has been used for extraction of parallel fragments of texts out of comparable
corpora.[22]
In the context of supersymmetric approach to stochastic dynamics, the term Langevin SDEs denotes
SDEs with Euclidean phase space {\displaystyle X=\mathbb {R} ^{n}} gradient flow vector
field, and additive Gaussian white noise,
variable{\displaystyle \Theta } i s the noise intensity, and {\displaystyle \partial U(x)},
U(x)/\partial x^{i}} is the gradient flow vector field with {\displaystyle U(x)} being the Langevin
function often interpreted as the energy of the purely dissipative stochastic dynamical system.
{\displaystyle {\mathcal {W}}=\left\langle \int \dots \int J\left(\prod \nolimits _{\tau }\delta ({\dot
{x}}(\tau )-{\mathcal {F}}(x(\tau )))\right)Dx\right\rangle _{\text{noise}},}
\int \dots \int \cdot P(\xi )D\xi } is the operation of stochastic averaging with
{\displaystyle P(\xi )\propto e^{-\int _{t'}^{t}d\tau \xi ^{2}(\tau )/2}} being the normalized
distribution of noise configurations,
{\displaystyle \textstyle J=\operatorname {Det} {\frac {\delta ({\dot {x}}(\tau )-{\mathcal {F}}
is the Jacobian of the corresponding functional derivative, and the path integration is over all closed
Topological interpretation.
Topological aspects of the Parisi-Sourlas construction can be briefly outlined in the following manner.
[21] The delta-functional, i.e., the collection of the infinite number of delta-functions, ensures that
only solutions of the Langevin SDE contribute to {\displaystyle {\mathcal {W}}} In the context of
BRST procedure, these solutions can be viewed as Gribov copies. Each solution contributes either
positive or negative unity: {\textstyle {\mathcal {W}}=\textstyle \left\langle I_{N}
this case is the map from the space of closed paths in {\textstyle X} to the space of noise
configurations, a map that provides a noise configuration at which a given closed path is a solution of
configuration because it is of topological character. The same it true for its stochastic average
{\displaystyle {\mathcal {W}}}, which is not the partition function of the model but, instead, its Witten
index.
With the help of a standard field theoretic technique that involves introduction of additional field called
Lagrange multiplier, and a pair of fermionic fields called Faddeev–Popov ghosts, ,the Witten
index can be given the following form,
where denotes collection of all the fields, p.b.c. stands for periodic boundary conditions, the so-called
exact pieces like, , serve as gauge fixing tools. Therefore, the path integral expression for can
be interpreted as a model whose action contains nothing else but the gauge fixing term. This is a definitive
feature of Witten-type topological field theories and in this particular case of BRST procedure approach to
SDEs, the BRST symmetry can be also recognized as the topological supersymmetry. [21]
A common way to explain the BRST procedure is to say that the BRST symmetry generates the fermionic
version of the gauge transformations, whereas its overall effect on the path integral is to limit the
integration only to configurations that satisfy a specified gauge condition. This interpretation also applies
to Parisi-Sourlas approach with the deformations of the trajectory and the Langevin SDE playing the roles
of the gauge transformations and the gauge condition respectively.
Operator representation
Physical fermions in the high-energy physics and condensed matter models have antiperiodic boundary
conditions in time. The unconventional periodic boundary conditions for fermions in the path integral
expression for the Witten index is the origin of the topological character of this object. These boundary
conditions reveal themselves in the operator representation of the Witten index as the alternating sign
operator,
where is the operator of the number of ghosts/fermions and the finite-time stochastic evolution
is the infinitesimal SEO with being the Lie derivative along the subscript vector field, being the
Laplacian, being the exterior derivative, which is the operator representative of the TS,
and
, where and
are bosonic and fermionic momenta, and with square brackets denoting bi-graded
commutator, i.e., it is an anticommutator if both operators are fermionic (contain odd total number of
and ) and a commutator otherwise. The exterior derivative and are supercharges. They
are nilpotent, e.g. and commutative with the SEO. In other words, Langevin SDEs possess N=2
supersymmetry. The fact that is a supercharge is accidental. For SDEs of arbitrary form, this is not true.
Hilbert space
The wavefunctions are functions not only of the bosonic variables , but also of the Grassmann
numbers or fermions, from the tangent space of The wavefunctions can be viewed
as differential forms on with the fermions playing the role of the differentials .[24] The concept
of infinitesimal SEO generalizes the Fokker–Planck operator, which is essentially the SEO acting on top
differential forms that have the meaning of the total probability distributions. Differential forms of lesser
In Ref.,[24] a model has been introduced that can be viewed as a 1D prototype of the
topological nonlinear sigma models (TNSM),[22] a subclass of the Witten-type topological field
theories. The 1D TNSM is defined for Riemannian phase spaces while for Euclidean phase
spaces it reduces to the Parisi-Sourlas model. Its key difference from STS is the diffusion
operator which is the Hodge Laplacian for 1D TNSM and for STS . This difference in
unimportant in the context of relation between STS and algebraic topology, the relation
established by the theory of 1D TNSM (see, e.g., Refs.[24][21]).
that . This demonstrates that the spectrum of and/or is real and
nonnegative. This is also true for SEOs of Langevin SDEs. For the SDEs of arbitrary form,
however, this is no longer true as the eigenvalues of the SEO can be negative and even
complex, which actually allows for the TS to be broken spontanenously.
The following properties of the evolution operator of 1D TNSM hold even for the SEO of the
SDEs of arbitrary form. The evolution operator commutes with the operator of the degree of
where is a point in the phase space assumed for simplicity a closed topological
the position on
BRST gauge fixing procedure goes along the same lines as in case of Langevin SDEs.
The topological interpretation of the BRST procedure is just the same and the path
integral representation of the Witten index is defined by the gauge fermion, given by
As compared to the SEO of Langevin SDEs, the SEO of a general form SDE is pseudo-
Hermitian.[18] As a result, the eigenvalues of non-supersymmetric eigenstates are not
restricted to be real positive, whereas the eigenvalues of supersymmetric eigenstates are
still exactly zero. Just like for Langevin SDEs and nonlinear sigma model, the structure
of the eigensystem of the SEO reestablishes the topological character of the Witten
index: the contributions from the non-supersymmetric pairs of eigenstates vanish and
other properties of the SEO spectra is that and never break TS,
i.e., . As a result, there are three major types of the SEO spectra
presented in the figure on the right. The two types that have negative (real parts of)
eigenvalues correspond to the spontaneously broken TS. All types of the SEO spectra
are realizable as can be established, e.g., from the exact relation between the theory
of kinematic dynamo and STS.[30]
The finite-time SEO can be obtained in another, more mathematical way based on the idea to study the
SDE-induced actions on differential forms directly, without going through the BRST gauge fixing procedure.
The so-obtained finite-time SEO is known in dynamical systems theory as the generalized transfer
operator[19][20] and it has also been used in the classical theory of SDEs (see, e.g., Refs. [31][32] ). The contribution
to this construction from STS[9] is the exposition of the supersymmetric structure underlying it and
establishing its relation to the BRST procedure for SDEs.
Namely, for any configuration of the noise, and an initial condition, SDE defines a
unique solution/trajectory, . Even for noise configurations that are non-differentiable with
respect to time the solution is differentiable with respect to the initial condition [33] In other words,
SDE defines the family of the noise-configuration-dependent diffeomorphisms of the phase space to itself
This object can be understood as a collection and/or definition of all the noise-
or pullbacks, . Unlike, say, trajectories in , pullbacks are linear objects even
for nonlinear . Linear objects can be averaged and averaging over the noise configurations,
results in the finite-time SEO which is unique and corresponds to the Weyl-Stratonovich interpretation of
Within this definition of the finite-time SEO, the Witten index can be recognized as the sharp trace of the
generalized transfer operator.[19][20] It also links the Witten index to the Lefschetz index,
.
The N=2 supersymmetry of Langevin SDEs has been linked to the Onsager principle of microscopic
reversibility[15] and Jarzynski equality.[14] In classical mechanics, a relation between the corresponding N=2
supersymmetry and ergodicity has been proposed.[6] In general form SDEs, where physical arguments may
not be applicable, a lower level explanation of the TS is available. This explanation is based on
understanding of the finite-time SEO as a stochastically averaged pullback of the SDE-defined
diffeomorphisms (see subsection above). In this picture, the question of why any SDE has TS is the same as
the question of why exterior derivative commutes with the pullback of any diffeomorphism. The answer to
this question is differentiability of the corresponding map. In other words, the presence of TS is the
algebraic version of the statement that continuous-time flow preserves continuity of Two initially close
points will remain close during evolution, which is just yet another way of saying that is a
diffeomorphism.
In deterministic chaotic models, initially close points can part in the limit of infinitely long temporal
evolution. This is the famous butterfly effect, which is equivalent to the statement that losses
differentiability in this limit. In algebraic representation of dynamics, the evolution in the infinitely long
time limit is described by the ground state of the SEO and the butterfly effect is equivalent to the
spontaneous breakdown of TS, i.e., to the situation when the ground state is not supersymmetric.
Noteworthy, unlike traditional understanding of deterministic chaotic dynamics, the spontaneous
breakdown of TS works also for stochastic cases. This is the most important generalization because
deterministic dynamics is, in fact, a mathematical idealization. Real dynamical systems cannot be isolated
from their environments and thus always experience stochastic influence.
BRST gauge fixing procedure applied to SDEs leads directly to the Witten index. The Witten index is of
topological character and it does not respond to any perturbation. In particular, all response correlators
calculated using the Witten index vanish. This fact has a physical interpretation within the STS: the physical
meaning of the Witten index is the partition function of the noise [28] and since there is no backaction from
the dynamical system to the noise, the Witten index has no information on the details of the SDE. In
contrast, the information on the details of the model is contained in the other trace-like object of the
where a.p.b.c. denotes antiperiodic boundary conditions for the fermionic fields and periodic boundary
conditions for bosonic fields. In the standard manner, the dynamical partition function can be promoted to
the generating functional by coupling the model to external probing fields.
For a wide class of models, dynamical partition function provides lower bound for the stochastically
averaged number of fixed points of the SDE-defined diffeomorphisms,
Here, index runs over "physical states", i.e., the eigenstates that grow fastest with the rate of the
deterministic chaos. Therefore, the situation with positive must be identified as chaotic in the
generalized, stochastic sense as it implies positive entropy: At the same time, positive
implies that TS is broken spontaneously, that is, the ground state in not supersymmetric because its
eigenvalue is not zero. In other words, positive dynamical entropy is a reason to identify spontaneous TS
breaking as the stochastic generalization of the concept of dynamical chaos. Noteworthy, Langevin SDEs
are never chaotic because the spectrum of their SEO is real non-negative.
The complete list of reasons why spontaneous TS breaking must be viewed as the stochastic generalization
of the concept of dynamical chaos is as follows.
From the properties of the eigensystem of SEO, TS can be spontaneously broken only if . This
conclusion can be viewed as the stochastic generalization of the Poincare–Bendixson theorem for
deterministic chaos.
global stable and unstable manifolds of {\displaystyle F} The bras/kets of the global ground states
of such models are the Poincare duals of the global stable/unstable manifolds. These ground states
are supersymmetric so that TS is not broken spontaneously. On the contrary, when the model is non-
integrable or chaotic, its global (un)stable manifolds are not well-defined topological manifolds, but
rather have a fractal, self-recurrent structure that can be captured using the concept of branching
manifolds.[34] Wavefunctions that can represent such manifolds cannot be supersymmetric.
Therefore, TS breaking is intrinsically related to the concept of non-integrability in the sense of
dynamical systems, which is actually yet another widely accepted definition of deterministic chaos.
All the above features of TS breaking work for both deterministic and stochastic models. This is in
contrast with the traditional deterministic chaos whose trajectory-based properties such as
the topological mixing cannot in principle be generalized to stochastic case because, just like in
quantum dynamics, all trajectories are possible in the presence of noise and, say, the topological
mixing property is satisfied trivially by all models with non-zero noise intensity.
arrowed curves) leading from one critical point (b) to another (a). The bra/ket ( ) of the locally
supersymmetric ground states (vacua) corresponding to these critical points are the Poincare duals of
the local unstable/stable manifolds. Operators are Poincare duals of vertical/horizontal lines. The
value of the instantonic matrix element is the intersection number (the difference in the numbers of
positive (black) and negative (white) intersections). It is invariant under the temporal evolution due to
the flow,
The topological sector of STS can be recognized as a member of the Witten-type topological field theories.
[21][22][23][24][25]
In other words, some objects in STS are of topological character with the Witten index being the
most famous example. There are other classes of topological objects. One class of objects is related
to instantons, i.e., transient dynamics. Crumpling paper, protein folding, and many other nonlinear
dynamical processes in response to quenches, i.e., to external (sudden) changes of parameters, can be
recognized as instantonic dynamics. From the mathematical point of view, instantons are families of
solutions of deterministic equations of motion, that lead from, say, less stable fixed point of
to a more stable fixed point. Certain matrix elements calculated on instantons are of topological nature.
An example of such matrix elements can be defined for a pair of critical points, and with being
Here {\displaystyle \langle a|} and {\displaystyle |b\rangle } are the bra and ket of the
corresponding perturbative supersymmetric ground states, or vacua, which are the Poincare duals of
the local stable and unstable manifolds of the corresponding critical point; {\displaystyle
{\mathcal {T}}} denotes chronological ordering; {\displaystyle O} are observables that are the
Poincare duals of some closed submanifolds in {\displaystyle X};
{\displaystyle {\hat {O}}(t)={\hat {\mathcal {M}}}_{t_{0}t}{\hat {O}}{\hat {\mathcal
stability so that the states {\displaystyle |a\rangle } and {\displaystyle |b\rangle } are
topologically inequivalent as they represent unstable manifolds of different dimensionalities. The
above matrix elements are independent of {\displaystyle t_{i}'s} as they actually represent the
intersection number of {\displaystyle O}manifolds on the instanton as exemplified in the figure.
The above instantonic matrix elements are exact only in the deterministic limit. In the general
stochastic case, one can consider global supersymmetric states, {\displaystyle \theta } from
the De Rham cohomology classes of {\displaystyle X} and observables {\displaystyle \gamma }
STS provides classification for stochastic models depending on whether TS is broken and integrability of
flow vector field. In can be exemplified as a part of the general phase diagram at the border of chaos (see
figure on the right). The phase diagram has the following properties:
For physical models, TS gets restored eventually with the increase of noise intensity.
Symmetric phase can be called thermal equilibrium or T-phase because the ground state is the
supersymmetric state of steady-state total probability distribution.
In the deterministic limit, ordered phase is equivalent to deterministic chaotic dynamics with non-
integrable flow.
Ordered non-integrable phase can be called chaos or C-phase because ordinary deterministic chaos
belongs to it.
Ordered integrable phase can be called noise-induced chaos or N-phase because it disappears in the
deterministic limit. TS is broken by the condensation of (anti-)instantons (see below).
At stronger noises, the sharp N-C boundary must smear out into a crossover because (anti-)instantons lose
their individuality and it is hard for an external observer to tell one tunneling process from another.
Many sudden (or instantonic) processes in nature, such as, e.g., crackling noise, exhibit scale-free statistics
often called the Zipf's law. As an explanation for this peculiar spontaneous dynamical behavior, it was
proposed to believe that some stochastic dynamical systems have a tendency to self-tune themselves into
a critical point, the phenomenological approach known as self-organized criticality (SOC).[36] STS offers an
alternative perspective on this phenomenon. [37] Within STS, SOC is nothing more than dynamics in the N-
phase. Specifically, the definitive feature of the N-phase is the peculiar mechanism of the TS breaking.
Unlike in the C-phase, where the TS is broken by the non-integrability of the flow, in the N-phase, the TS is
spontaneously broken due to the condensation of the configurations of instantons and noise-induced
antiinstantons, i.e., time-reversed instantons. These processes can be roughly interpreted as the noise-
induced tunneling events between, e.g., different attractors. Qualitatively, the dynamics in the N-phase
appears to an external observer as a sequence of sudden jumps or "avalanches" that must exhibit a scale-
free behavior/statistics as a result of the Goldstone theorem. This picture of dynamics in the N-phase is
exactly the dynamical behavior that the concept of SOC was designed to explain. In contrast with the
original understanding of SOC,[38] its STS interpretation has little to do with the traditional critical
phenomena theory where scale-free behavior is associated with unstable fixed points of
the renormalization group flow.
Kinematic dynamo theory
Transient dynamics
It is well known that various types of transient dynamics, such as quenches, exhibit spontaneous long-
range behavior. In case of quenches across phase transitions, this behavior is often attributed to the
proximity of criticality. At the same time, other quenches, not across a phase transition, are also known to
exhibit long-range characteristics with the best known examples being the Barkhausen effect and other
realizations of the concept of crackling noise. It is intuitively appealing that theoretical explanation for the
scale-free behavior in quenches must be the same disregard whether the quench is across a phase
transition or not. STS offers such an explanation. Namely, transient dynamics is essentially a composite
instanton and TS is intrinsically broken within instantons. Even though TS breaking within instantons is not
exactly the phenomenon of the spontaneous breakdown of a symmetry by a global ground state, this
effective TS breaking must also result in a scale-free behavior. This understanding is supported by the fact
that condensed instantons lead to appearance of logarithms in the correlation functions. [40] This picture of
transient dynamics explains computational efficiency of the digital memcomputing machines. [41]
In physics, spontaneous symmetry breaking is known as "ordering". For example, the spontaneous
breakdown of translational symmetry in a liquid is the mathematical essence of crystallization or spatial
"ordering" of molecules into a lattice. Therefore, spontaneous TS breaking picture of chaotic dynamics is in
a certain sense opposite to the semantics of word "chaos". Due to its temporal character, it is
actually Chronos, not Chaos, that appears to be the primordial Greek deity closest in its spirit to the TS
breaking order. Perhaps, a more accurate identifier than "chaos" should be coined for TS breaking in the
future. As of this moment, this qualitatively new understanding of dynamical chaos already points into a
research direction that may lead to resolutions of some important problems such as turbulence and
neurodynamics. Namely, as in case of any other "ordering", a simplified yet accurate description of chaotic
dynamics can be achieved in terms of the low-energy effective theory for an order parameter. While the
low-energy effective description of chaotic dynamics may be very case specific, its order parameter must
always be a representative of the gapless fermions or goldstinos of the spontaneously broken TS.
rotoplanetary disk, colliding and sticking together and gradually growing, up to and including the
high-energy collisions between sizable planetesimals.[18]
In addition, the giant planets probably had accretion disks of their own, in the first meaning of the
word.[76] The clouds of captured hydrogen and helium gas contracted, spun up, flattened, and
deposited gas onto the surface of each giant protoplanet, while solid bodies within that disk accreted
into the giant planet's regular moons
"Big Bang theory" redirects here. For the American TV sitcom, see The Big Bang Theory. For other
uses, see Big Bang (disambiguation) and Big Bang Theory (disambiguation).
Timeline of the metric expansion of space, where space (including hypothetical non-observable portions of the
universe) is represented at each time by the circular sections. On the left, the dramatic expansion occurs in
the inflationary epoch; and at the center, the expansion accelerates (artist's concept; not to scale).
Part of a series on
Physical cosmology
.
Since Georges Lemaître first noted in 1927 that an expanding universe could be traced back in time
to an originating single point, scientists have built on his idea of cosmic expansion. The scientific
community was once divided between supporters of two different theories, the Big Bang and
the Steady State theory, but a wide range of empirical evidence has strongly favored the Big Bang
which is now universally accepted. [11] In 1929, from analysis of galactic redshifts, Edwin
Hubble concluded that galaxies are drifting apart; this is important observational evidence consistent
with the hypothesis of an expanding universe. In 1964, the cosmic microwave background
radiation was discovered, which was crucial evidence in favor of the Big Bang model, [12] since that
theory predicted the existence of background radiation throughout the universe before it was
discovered. More recently, measurements of the redshifts of supernovae indicate that the expansion
of the universe is accelerating, an observation attributed to dark energy's existence.[13] The
known physical laws of nature can be used to calculate the characteristics of the universe in detail
back in time to an initial state of extreme density and temperature.[14]
Overview
In 1922, Russian mathematician Alexander Friedmann[15] proposed on theoretical grounds that
the universe is expanding, which was rederived independently and observationally confirmed soon
afterwards by Belgian astronomer and Catholic priest Georges Lemaîtrein 1927[16][17][18] Lemaître also
proposed what became known as the "Big Bang theory" of the creation of the universe, originally
calling it the "hypothesis of the primeval atom".[19]: in his paper Annales de la Société Scientifique de
Bruxelles (Annals of the Scientific Society of Brussels) under the title "Un Univers homogène de
masse constante et de rayon croissant rendant compte de la vitesse radiale des nébuleuses
extragalactiques" ("A homogeneous Universe of constant mass and growing radius accounting for
the radial velocity of extragalactic nebulae"), [20] he presented his new idea that the universe is
expanding and provided the first observational estimation of what is known as the Hubble constant.
[21]
What later will be known as the "Big Bang theory" of the origin of the universe, he called his
"hypothesis of the primeval atom" or the "Cosmic Egg".[22]
American astronomer Edwin Hubble observed that the distances to faraway galaxies were strongly
correlated with their redshifts. This was interpreted to mean that all distant galaxies and clusters are
receding away from our vantage point with an apparent velocity proportional to their distance: that is,
the farther they are, the faster they move away from us, regardless of direction. [23] Assuming
the Copernican principle (that the Earth is not the center of the universe), the only remaining
interpretation is that all observable regions of the universe are receding from all others. Since we
know that the distance between galaxies increases today, it must mean that in the past galaxies
were closer together. The continuous expansion of the universe implies that the universe was
denser and hotter in the past.
Large particle accelerators can replicate the conditions that prevailed after the early moments of the
universe, resulting in confirmation and refinement of the details of the Big Bang model. However,
these accelerators can only probe so far into high energy regimes. Consequently, the state of the
universe in the earliest instants of the Big Bang expansion is still poorly understood and an area of
open investigation and speculation.
The first subatomic particles to be formed included protons, neutrons, and electrons. Though
simple atomic nuclei formed within the first three minutes after the Big Bang, thousands of years
passed before the first electrically neutral atoms formed. The majority of atoms produced by the Big
Bang were hydrogen, along with helium and traces of lithium. Giant clouds of these primordial
elements later coalesced through gravity to form stars and galaxies, and the heavier elements were
synthesized either within stars or during supernovae.
The Big Bang theory offers a comprehensive explanation for a broad range of observed phenomena,
including the abundance of light elements, the CMB, large scale structure, and Hubble's Law.[9] The
framework for the Big Bang model relies on Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity and on
simplifying assumptions such as homogeneity and isotropy of space. The governing equations were
formulated by Alexander Friedmann, and similar solutions were worked on by Willem de Sitter. Since
then, astrophysicists have incorporated observational and theoretical additions into the Big Bang
model, and its parametrization as the Lambda-CDM model serves as the framework for current
investigations of theoretical cosmology. The Lambda-CDM model is the current "standard model" of
Big Bang cosmology, consensus is that it is the simplest model that can account for the various
measurements and observations relevant to cosmology.
Timeline
Chronology of the universe
Singularity
Extrapolation of the expansion of the universe backwards in time using general relativity yields
an infinite density and temperature at a finite time in the past.[24] This singularityindicates that general
relativity is not an adequate description of the laws of physics in this regime. Models based on
general relativity alone can not extrapolate toward the singularity beyond the end of the Planck
epoch.
This primordial singularity is itself sometimes called "the Big Bang", [25] but the term can also refer to a
more generic early hot, dense phase[26][notes 1] of the universe. In either case, "the Big Bang" as an
event is also colloquially referred to as the "birth" of our universe since it represents the point in
history where the universe can be verified to have entered into a regime where the laws of physics
as we understand them (specifically general relativity and the standard model of particle physics)
work. Based on measurements of the expansion using Type Ia supernovae and measurements of
temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background, the time that has passed since that
event — otherwise known as the "age of the universe" — is 13.799 ± 0.021 billion years.[27] The
agreement of independent measurements of this age supports the ΛCDM model that describes in
detail the characteristics of the universe.
Despite being extremely dense at this time—far denser than is usually required to form a black hole
—the universe did not re-collapse into a black hole. This may be explained by considering that
commonly-used calculations and limits for gravitational collapse are usually based upon objects of
relatively constant size, such as stars, and do not apply to rapidly expanding space such as the Big
Bang.
Inflation and baryogenesis
The earliest phases of the Big Bang are subject to much speculation. In the most common models
the universe was filled homogeneously and isotropically with a very high energy density and huge
temperatures and pressures and was very rapidly expanding and cooling. Approximately
10−37 seconds into the expansion, a phase transition caused a cosmic inflation, during which the
universe grew exponentially during which time density fluctuations that occurred because of
the uncertainty principle were amplified into the seeds that would later form the large-scale
structure of the universe.[28] After inflation stopped, reheating occurred until the universe obtained the
temperatures required for the production of a quark–gluon plasma as well as all other elementary
particles.[29] Temperatures were so high that the random motions of particles were
at relativistic speeds, and particle–antiparticle pairs of all kinds were being continuously created and
destroyed in collisions.[7] At some point, an unknown reaction called baryogenesis violated the
conservation of baryon number, leading to a very small excess of quarks and leptons over
antiquarks and antileptons—of the order of one part in 30 million. This resulted in the predominance
of matter over antimatter in the present universe.[30]
Cooling
Panoramic view of the entire near-infrared sky reveals the distribution of galaxies beyond the Milky Way.
Galaxies are color-coded by redshift.
The universe continued to decrease in density and fall in temperature, hence the typical energy of
each particle was decreasing. Symmetry breaking phase transitions put the fundamental forces of
physics and the parameters of elementary particles into their present form.[31] After about
10−11 seconds, the picture becomes less speculative, since particle energies drop to values that can
be attained in particle accelerators. At about 10−6 seconds, quarks and gluons combined to
form baryons such as protons and neutrons. The small excess of quarks over antiquarks led to a
small excess of baryons over antibaryons. The temperature was now no longer high enough to
create new proton–antiproton pairs (similarly for neutrons–antineutrons), so a mass annihilation
immediately followed, leaving just one in 1010 of the original protons and neutrons, and none of their
antiparticles. A similar process happened at about 1 second for electrons and positrons. After these
annihilations, the remaining protons, neutrons and electrons were no longer moving relativistically
and the energy density of the universe was dominated by photons (with a minor contribution
from neutrinos).
A few minutes into the expansion, when the temperature was about a billion (one thousand
million) kelvin and the density was about that of air, neutrons combined with protons to form the
universe's deuterium and helium nuclei in a process called Big Bang nucleosynthesis.[32] Most
protons remained uncombined as hydrogen nuclei.[33]
As the universe cooled, the rest mass energy density of matter came to gravitationally dominate that
of the photon radiation. After about 379,000 years, the electrons and nuclei combined into atoms
(mostly hydrogen); hence the radiation decoupled from matter and continued through space largely
unimpeded. This relic radiation is known as the cosmic microwave background radiation.
[33]
The chemistry of life may have begun shortly after the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago, during a
habitable epoch when the universe was only 10–17 million years old. [34][35][36]
Structure formation
Structure formation
Artist's depiction of the WMAPsatellite gathering data to help scientists understand the Big Bang
Over a long period of time, the slightly denser regions of the nearly uniformly distributed matter
gravitationally attracted nearby matter and thus grew even denser, forming gas clouds, stars,
galaxies, and the other astronomical structures observable today. [7] The details of this process
depend on the amount and type of matter in the universe. The four possible types of matter are
known as cold dark matter, warm dark matter, hot dark matter, and baryonic matter. The best
measurements available, from Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), show that the data
is well-fit by a Lambda-CDM model in which dark matter is assumed to be cold (warm dark matter is
ruled out by early reionization),[38] and is estimated to make up about 23% of the matter/energy of the
universe, while baryonic matter makes up about 4.6%. [39] In an "extended model" which includes hot
dark matter in the form of neutrinos, then if the "physical baryon density" is estimated at
about 0.023 (this is different from the 'baryon density' expressed as a fraction of the total
matter/energy density, which as noted above is about 0.046), and the corresponding cold dark
matter density is about 0.11, the corresponding neutrino density is estimated to
be less than 0.0062. [39]
Cosmic acceleration
Independent lines of evidence from Type Ia supernovae and the CMB imply that the universe today
is dominated by a mysterious form of energy known as dark energy, which apparently permeates all
of space. The observations suggest 73% of the total energy density of today's universe is in this
form. When the universe was very young, it was likely infused with dark energy, but with less space
and everything closer together, gravity predominated, and it was slowly braking the expansion. But
eventually, after numerous billion years of expansion, the growing abundance of dark energy caused
the expansion of the universe to slowly begin to accelerate. [13]
Dark energy in its simplest formulation takes the form of the cosmological constant term in Einstein's
field equations of general relativity, but its composition and mechanism are unknown and, more
generally, the details of its equation of state and relationship with the Standard Model of particle
physics continue to be investigated both through observation and theoretically. [13]
All of this cosmic evolution after the inflationary epoch can be rigorously described and modeled by
the ΛCDM model of cosmology, which uses the independent frameworks of quantum mechanics and
Einstein's General Relativity. There is no well-supported model describing the action prior to
10−15 seconds or so. Apparently a new unified theory of quantum gravitation is needed to break this
barrier. Understanding this earliest of eras in the history of the universe is currently one of the
greatest unsolved problems in physics.
General relativity describes spacetime by a metric, which determines the distances that separate
nearby points. The points, which can be galaxies, stars, or other objects, are themselves specified
using a coordinate chart or "grid" that is laid down over all spacetime. The cosmological principle
implies that the metric should be homogeneous and isotropicon large scales, which uniquely singles
out the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker metric (FLRW metric). This metric contains a scale
factor, which describes how the size of the universe changes with time. This enables a convenient
choice of a coordinate system to be made, called comoving coordinates. In this coordinate system,
the grid expands along with the universe, and objects that are moving only because of the expansion
of the universe, remain at fixed points on the grid. While their coordinate distance (comoving
distance) remains constant, the physical distance between two such co-moving points expands
proportionally with the scale factor of the universe.[42]
The Big Bang is not an explosion of matter moving outward to fill an empty universe. Instead, space
itself expands with time everywhere and increases the physical distance between two comoving
points. In other words, the Big Bang is not an explosion in space, but rather an expansion of space.
[7]
Because the FLRW metric assumes a uniform distribution of mass and energy, it applies to our
universe only on large scales—local concentrations of matter such as our galaxy are gravitationally
bound and as such do not experience the large-scale expansion of space. [43]
Horizons
An important feature of the Big Bang spacetime is the presence of particle horizons. Since the
universe has a finite age, and light travels at a finite speed, there may be events in the past whose
light has not had time to reach us. This places a limit or a past horizon on the most distant objects
that can be observed. Conversely, because space is expanding, and more distant objects are
receding ever more quickly, light emitted by us today may never "catch up" to very distant objects.
This defines a future horizon, which limits the events in the future that we will be able to influence.
The presence of either type of horizon depends on the details of the FLRW model that describes our
universe.[44]
Our understanding of the universe back to very early times suggests that there is a past horizon,
though in practice our view is also limited by the opacity of the universe at early times. So our view
cannot extend further backward in time, though the horizon recedes in space. If the expansion of the
universe continues to accelerate, there is a future horizon as well.[44]
Timeline of cosmological theories
Etymology
English astronomer Fred Hoyle is credited with coining the term "Big Bang" during a 1949 BBC radio
broadcast, saying: "These theories were based on the hypothesis that all the matter in the universe
was created in one big bang at a particular time in the remote past." [45]
It is popularly reported that Hoyle, who favored an alternative "steady state" cosmological model,
intended this to be pejorative,[46] but Hoyle explicitly denied this and said it was just a striking image
meant to highlight the difference between the two models. [47][48][49]:129
Development
XDF (2012) view – each light speck is a galaxy – some of these are as old as 13.2 billion years [50] – the
universe is estimated to contain 200 billion galaxies.
XDF image shows fully mature galaxies in the foreground plane – nearly mature galaxies from 5 to 9 billion
years ago – protogalaxies, blazing with young stars, beyond 9 billion years.
The Big Bang theory developed from observations of the structure of the universe and from
theoretical considerations. In 1912, Vesto Sliphermeasured the first Doppler shift of a "spiral nebula"
(spiral nebula is the obsolete term for spiral galaxies), and soon discovered that almost all such
nebulae were receding from Earth. He did not grasp the cosmological implications of this fact, and
indeed at the time it was highly controversial whether or not these nebulae were "island universes"
outside our Milky Way.[51][52] Ten years later, Alexander Friedmann,
a Russian cosmologist and mathematician, derived the Friedmann equations from Albert Einstein's
equations of general relativity, showing that the universe might be expanding in contrast to the static
universe model advocated by Einstein at that time. [53] In 1924 Edwin Hubble's measurement of the
great distance to the nearest spiral nebulae showed that these systems were indeed other galaxies.
Independently deriving Friedmann's equations in 1927, Georges Lemaître, a Belgian physicist,
proposed that the inferred recession of the nebulae was due to the expansion of the universe. [54]
In 1931 Lemaître went further and suggested that the evident expansion of the universe, if projected
back in time, meant that the further in the past the smaller the universe was, until at some finite time
in the past all the mass of the universe was concentrated into a single point, a "primeval atom"
where and when the fabric of time and space came into existence. [55]
Starting in 1924, Hubble painstakingly developed a series of distance indicators, the forerunner of
the cosmic distance ladder, using the 100-inch (2.5 m) Hooker telescope at Mount Wilson
Observatory. This allowed him to estimate distances to galaxies whose redshifts had already been
measured, mostly by Slipher. In 1929 Hubble discovered a correlation between distance and
recession velocity—now known as Hubble's law.[23][56] Lemaître had already shown that this was
expected, given the cosmological principle.[13]
In the 1920s and 1930s almost every major cosmologist preferred an eternal steady state universe,
and several complained that the beginning of time implied by the Big Bang imported religious
concepts into physics; this objection was later repeated by supporters of the steady state theory.
[57]
This perception was enhanced by the fact that the originator of the Big Bang theory, Georges
Lemaître, was a Roman Catholic priest.[58] Arthur Eddington agreed with Aristotle that the universe
did not have a beginning in time, viz., that matter is eternal. A beginning in time was "repugnant" to
him.[59][60] Lemaître, however, thought that
If the world has begun with a single quantum, the notions of space and time would altogether fail to
have any meaning at the beginning; they would only begin to have a sensible meaning when the
original quantum had been divided into a sufficient number of quanta. If this suggestion is correct,
the beginning of the world happened a little before the beginning of space and time. [61]
During the 1930s other ideas were proposed as non-standard cosmologies to explain Hubble's
observations, including the Milne model,[62] the oscillatory universe (originally suggested by
Friedmann, but advocated by Albert Einstein and Richard Tolman)[63] and Fritz Zwicky's tired
lighthypothesis.[64]
After World War II, two distinct possibilities emerged. One was Fred Hoyle's steady state model,
whereby new matter would be created as the universe seemed to expand. In this model the universe
is roughly the same at any point in time. [65] The other was Lemaître's Big Bang theory, advocated and
developed by George Gamow, who introduced big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN)[66] and whose
associates, Ralph Alpher and Robert Herman, predicted the CMB.[67] Ironically, it was Hoyle who
coined the phrase that came to be applied to Lemaître's theory, referring to it as "this big bang idea"
during a BBC Radio broadcast in March 1949.[49][notes 3] For a while, support was split between these
two theories. Eventually, the observational evidence, most notably from radio source counts, began
to favor Big Bang over Steady State. The discovery and confirmation of the CMB in 1964 secured
the Big Bang as the best theory of the origin and evolution of the universe. [69] Much of the current
work in cosmology includes understanding how galaxies form in the context of the Big Bang,
understanding the physics of the universe at earlier and earlier times, and reconciling observations
with the basic theory.
In 1968 and 1970 Roger Penrose, Stephen Hawking, and George F. R. Ellis published papers where
they showed that mathematical singularities were an inevitable initial condition of general
relativistic models of the Big Bang.[70][71] Then, from the 1970s to the 1990s, cosmologists worked on
characterizing the features of the Big Bang universe and resolving outstanding problems. In
1981, Alan Guth made a breakthrough in theoretical work on resolving certain outstanding
theoretical problems in the Big Bang theory with the introduction of an epoch of rapid expansion in
the early universe he called "inflation".[72] Meanwhile, during these decades, two questions
in observational cosmology that generated much discussion and disagreement were over the
precise values of the Hubble Constant[73] and the matter-density of the universe (before the discovery
of dark energy, thought to be the key predictor for the eventual fate of the universe).[74]
In the mid-1990s, observations of certain globular clusters appeared to indicate that they were about
15 billion years old, which conflicted with most then-current estimates of the age of the universe (and
indeed with the age measured today). This issue was later resolved when new computer
simulations, which included the effects of mass loss due to stellar winds, indicated a much younger
age for globular clusters.[75] While there still remain some questions as to how accurately the ages of
the clusters are measured, globular clusters are of interest to cosmology as some of the oldest
objects in the universe.
Significant progress in Big Bang cosmology has been made since the late 1990s as a result of
advances in telescope technology as well as the analysis of data from satellites such as COBE,
[76]
the Hubble Space Telescope and WMAP.[77] Cosmologists now have fairly precise and accurate
measurements of many of the parameters of the Big Bang model, and have made the unexpected
discovery that the expansion of the universe appears to be accelerating.
Observational evidence
"[The] big bang picture is too firmly grounded in data from every area to be proved invalid in its general features."
[78]
Lawrence Krauss
The earliest and most direct observational evidence of the validity of the theory are the expansion of
the universe according to Hubble's law (as indicated by the redshifts of galaxies), discovery and
measurement of the cosmic microwave background and the relative abundances of light elements
produced by Big Bang nucleosynthesis. More recent evidence includes observations of galaxy
formation and evolution, and the distribution of large-scale cosmic structures,[79] These are
sometimes called the "four pillars" of the Big Bang theory. [80]
Precise modern models of the Big Bang appeal to various exotic physical phenomena that have not
been observed in terrestrial laboratory experiments or incorporated into the Standard
Model of particle physics. Of these features, dark matter is currently subjected to the most active
laboratory investigations.[81] Remaining issues include the cuspy halo problem and the dwarf galaxy
problem of cold dark matter. Dark energy is also an area of intense interest for scientists, but it is not
clear whether direct detection of dark energy will be possible. [82] Inflation and baryogenesis remain
more speculative features of current Big Bang models. Viable, quantitative explanations for such
phenomena are still being sought. These are currently unsolved problems in physics.
Hubble's law and the expansion of space
Hubble's law has two possible explanations. Either we are at the center of an explosion of galaxies—
which is untenable given the Copernican principle—or the universe is uniformly
expanding everywhere. This universal expansion was predicted from general relativity by Alexander
Friedmann in 1922[53] and Georges Lemaître in 1927,[54] well before Hubble made his 1929 analysis
and observations, and it remains the cornerstone of the Big Bang theory as developed
by Friedmann, Lemaître, Robertson, and Walker.
The theory requires the relation to hold at all times, where is the comoving
distance, v is the recessional velocity, and and vary as the universe expands (hence we
write to denote the present-day Hubble "constant"). For distances much smaller than the size of
the observable universe, the Hubble redshift can be thought of as the Doppler shift corresponding to
the recession velocity . However, the redshift is not a true Doppler shift, but rather the result
of the expansion of the universe between the time the light was emitted and the time that it was
detected.[83]
That space is undergoing metric expansion is shown by direct observational evidence of
the Cosmological principle and the Copernican principle, which together with Hubble's law have no
other explanation. Astronomical redshifts are extremely isotropic and homogeneous,[23] supporting
the Cosmological principle that the universe looks the same in all directions, along with much other
evidence. If the redshifts were the result of an explosion from a center distant from us, they would
not be so similar in different directions.
Measurements of the effects of the cosmic microwave background radiation on the dynamics of
distant astrophysical systems in 2000 proved the Copernican principle, that, on a cosmological
scale, the Earth is not in a central position.[84] Radiation from the Big Bang was demonstrably warmer
at earlier times throughout the universe. Uniform cooling of the CMB over billions of years is
explainable only if the universe is experiencing a metric expansion, and excludes the possibility that
we are near the unique center of an explosion.
Cosmic microwave background radiation
Using the Big Bang model it is possible to calculate the concentration of helium-4, helium-3,
deuterium, and lithium-7 in the universe as ratios to the amount of ordinary hydrogen. [32]The relative
abundances depend on a single parameter, the ratio of photons to baryons. This value can be
calculated independently from the detailed structure of CMB fluctuations. The ratios predicted (by
mass, not by number) are about 0.25 for , about 10−3 for , about 10−4 for and
In 2011, astronomers found what they believe to be pristine clouds of primordial gas by analyzing
absorption lines in the spectra of distant quasars. Before this discovery, all other astronomical
objects have been observed to contain heavy elements that are formed in stars. These two clouds of
gas contain no elements heavier than hydrogen and deuterium. [100][101] Since the clouds of gas have no
heavy elements, they likely formed in the first few minutes after the Big Bang, during Big Bang
nucleosynthesis.
Other lines of evidence
The age of the universe as estimated from the Hubble expansion and the CMB is now in good
agreement with other estimates using the ages of the oldest stars, both as measured by applying the
theory of stellar evolution to globular clusters and through radiometric dating of individual Population
II stars.[102]
The prediction that the CMB temperature was higher in the past has been experimentally supported
by observations of very low temperature absorption lines in gas clouds at high redshift. [103] This
prediction also implies that the amplitude of the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect in clusters of
galaxies does not depend directly on redshift. Observations have found this to be roughly true, but
this effect depends on cluster properties that do change with cosmic time, making precise
measurements difficult.[104][105]
Future observations
As with any theory, a number of mysteries and problems have arisen as a result of the development
of the Big Bang theory. Some of these mysteries and problems have been resolved while others are
still outstanding. Proposed solutions to some of the problems in the Big Bang model have revealed
new mysteries of their own. For example, the horizon problem, the magnetic monopole problem, and
the flatness problem are most commonly resolved with inflationary theory, but the details of the
inflationary universe are still left unresolved and many, including some founders of the theory, say it
has been disproven.[108][109][110][111] What follows are a list of the mysterious aspects of the Big Bang
theory still under intense investigation by cosmologists and astrophysicists.
Baryon asymmetry
It is not yet understood why the universe has more matter than antimatter. [112] It is generally assumed
that when the universe was young and very hot it was in statistical equilibrium and contained equal
numbers of baryons and antibaryons. However, observations suggest that the universe, including its
most distant parts, is made almost entirely of matter. A process called baryogenesis was
hypothesized to account for the asymmetry. For baryogenesis to occur, the Sakharov
conditions must be satisfied. These require that baryon number is not conserved, that C-
symmetry and CP-symmetry are violated and that the universe depart from thermodynamic
equilibrium.[113] All these conditions occur in the Standard Model, but the effects are not strong
enough to explain the present baryon asymmetry.
Dark energy
Dark matter
Chart shows the proportion of different components of the universe – about 95% is dark matter and dark
energy.
During the 1970s and the 1980s, various observations showed that there is not sufficient visible
matter in the universe to account for the apparent strength of gravitational forces within and between
galaxies. This led to the idea that up to 90% of the matter in the universe is dark matter that does not
emit light or interact with normal baryonic matter. In addition, the assumption that the universe is
mostly normal matter led to predictions that were strongly inconsistent with observations. In
particular, the universe today is far more lumpy and contains far less deuterium than can be
accounted for without dark matter. While dark matter has always been controversial, it is inferred by
various observations: the anisotropies in the CMB, galaxy cluster velocity dispersions, large-scale
structure distributions, gravitational lensing studies, and X-ray measurements of galaxy clusters.[116]
Indirect evidence for dark matter comes from its gravitational influence on other matter, as no dark
matter particles have been observed in laboratories. Many particle physics candidates for dark
matter have been proposed, and several projects to detect them directly are underway. [117]
Additionally, there are outstanding problems associated with the currently favored cold dark
matter model which include the dwarf galaxy problem[118] and the cuspy halo problem.[119] Alternative
theories have been proposed that do not require a large amount of undetected matter, but instead
modify the laws of gravity established by Newton and Einstein; yet no alternative theory has been as
successful as the cold dark matter proposal in explaining all extant observations. [120]
Horizon problem
The horizon problem results from the premise that information cannot travel faster than light. In a
universe of finite age this sets a limit—the particle horizon—on the separation of any two regions of
space that are in causal contact.[121] The observed isotropy of the CMB is problematic in this regard: if
the universe had been dominated by radiation or matter at all times up to the epoch of last
scattering, the particle horizon at that time would correspond to about 2 degrees on the sky. There
would then be no mechanism to cause wider regions to have the same temperature. [93]:191–202
A resolution to this apparent inconsistency is offered by inflationary theory in which a homogeneous
and isotropic scalar energy field dominates the universe at some very early period (before
baryogenesis). During inflation, the universe undergoes exponential expansion, and the particle
horizon expands much more rapidly than previously assumed, so that regions presently on opposite
sides of the observable universe are well inside each other's particle horizon. The observed isotropy
of the CMB then follows from the fact that this larger region was in causal contact before the
beginning of inflation.[28]:180–186
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle predicts that during the inflationary phase there would be quantum
thermal fluctuations, which would be magnified to cosmic scale. These fluctuations serve as the
seeds of all current structure in the universe.[93]:207 Inflation predicts that the primordial fluctuations are
nearly scale invariant and Gaussian, which has been accurately confirmed by measurements of the
CMB.[122]:sec 6
If inflation occurred, exponential expansion would push large regions of space well beyond our
observable horizon.[28]:180–186
A related issue to the classic horizon problem arises because in most standard cosmological
inflation models, inflation ceases well before electroweak symmetry breaking occurs, so inflation
should not be able to prevent large-scale discontinuities in the electroweak vacuum since distant
parts of the observable universe were causally separate when the electroweak epoch ended.[123]
Magnetic monopoles
The overall geometry of the universe is determined by whether the Omega cosmological parameter is less
than, equal to or greater than 1. Shown from top to bottom are a closed universe with positive curvature,
a hyperbolic universe with negative curvature and a flat universe with zero curvature.
Cause
Problem of why there is anything at all
Physics may conclude that time did not 'exist' before the Big Bang, but 'started' with the Big Bang
and hence there might be no 'beginning', 'before' or potentially 'cause', and, instead, the pre-Big
Bang universe always existed.[125][126] Quantum fluctuations, or other laws of physics that may have
existed at the start of the Big Bang could then create the conditions for matter to occur.
Before observations of dark energy, cosmologists considered two scenarios for the future of the
universe. If the mass density of the universe were greater than the critical density, then the universe
would reach a maximum size and then begin to collapse. It would become denser and hotter again,
ending with a state similar to that in which it started—a Big Crunch.[44]
Alternatively, if the density in the universe were equal to or below the critical density, the expansion
would slow down but never stop. Star formation would cease with the consumption of interstellar gas
in each galaxy; stars would burn out, leaving white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Very
gradually, collisions between these would result in mass accumulating into larger and larger black
holes. The average temperature of the universe would asymptotically approach absolute zero—a Big
Freeze.[127] Moreover, if the proton were unstable, then baryonic matter would disappear, leaving only
radiation and black holes. Eventually, black holes would evaporate by emitting Hawking radiation.
The entropy of the universe would increase to the point where no organized form of energy could be
extracted from it, a scenario known as heat death. [128]:sec VI.D
Modern observations of accelerating expansion imply that more and more of the currently visible
universe will pass beyond our event horizon and out of contact with us. The eventual result is not
known. The ΛCDM model of the universe contains dark energy in the form of a cosmological
constant. This theory suggests that only gravitationally bound systems, such as galaxies, will remain
together, and they too will be subject to heat death as the universe expands and cools. Other
explanations of dark energy, called phantom energy theories, suggest that ultimately galaxy clusters,
stars, planets, atoms, nuclei, and matter itself will be torn apart by the ever-increasing expansion in a
so-called Big Rip.[129]
Misconceptions
The following is a partial list of misconceptions about the Big Bang model:
The Big Bang as the origin of the universe: One of the common misconceptions about the Big Bang
model is the belief that it was the origin of the universe. However, the Big Bang model does not
comment about how the universe came into being. The current conception of the Big Bang model
assumes the existence of energy, time, and space and does not comment about their origin or the
cause of the dense and high-temperature initial state of the universe. [130]
The Big Bang was "small": It is misleading to visualize the Big Bang by comparing its size to
everyday objects. When the size of the universe at Big Bang is described, it refers to the size of the
observable universe, and not the entire universe. [131]
Hubble's law violates the special theory of relativity: Hubble's law predicts that galaxies that are
beyond Hubble Distance recede faster than the speed of light. However, special relativity does not
apply beyond motion through space. Hubble's law describes velocity that results from
expansion of space, rather than through space.[131]
Doppler redshift vs cosmological red-shift: Astronomers often refer to the cosmological red-shift as a
normal Doppler shift,[131] which is a misconception. Although similar, the cosmological red-shift is not
identical to the Doppler redshift. The Doppler redshift is based on special relativity, which does not
consider the expansion of space. On the contrary, the cosmological red-shift is based on general
relativity, in which the expansion of space is considered. Although they may appear identical for
nearby galaxies, it may cause confusion if the behavior of distant galaxies is understood through the
Doppler redshift.[131]
Speculations
Cosmogony
While the Big Bang model is well established in cosmology, it is likely to be refined. The Big Bang
theory, built upon the equations of classical general relativity, indicates a singularityat the origin of
cosmic time; this infinite energy density is regarded as impossible in physics. Still, it is known that
the equations are not applicable before the time when the universe cooled down to the Planck
temperature, and this conclusion depends on various assumptions, of which some could never be
experimentally verified. (Also see Planck epoch.)
One proposed refinement to avoid this would-be singularity is to develop a correct treatment
of quantum gravity.[132]
It is not known what could have preceded the hot dense state of the early universe or how and why it
originated, though speculation abounds in the field of cosmogony.
Some proposals, each of which entails untested hypotheses, are:
As a description of the origin of the universe, the Big Bang has significant bearing on religion and
philosophy.[141][142] As a result, it has become one of the liveliest areas in the discourse
between science and religion.[143] Some believe the Big Bang implies a creator,[144][145] and some see its
mention in their holy books,[146] while others argue that Big Bang cosmology makes the notion of a
creator superfluous.[142][147]
DISCUSSIONS
FORMATION OF NEPTUNE.
The first and most widely accepted, core accretion, works well with the formation of the
terrestrial planets but has problems with giant planets such as Neptune .The second, the
disk instability method, may account for the creation of giant planets.
Approximately 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system was a cloud of dust and gas
known as a solar nebula. Gravity collapsed the material in on itself as it began to spin,
forming the sun in the center of the nebula.
With the rise of the sun, the remaining material began to clump together. Small particles
drew together, bound by the force of gravity, into larger particles. The solar wind swept
away lighter elements, such as hydrogen and helium, from the closer regions, leaving
only heavy, rocky materials to create terrestrial worlds. But farther away, the solar winds
had less impact on lighter elements, allowing them to coalesce and compose Neptune
and other gas giants. In this way,asteroids, comets , planets, and moons were created.
Some exoplanet observations seem to confirm core accretion as the dominant formation
process. Stars with more "metals" — a term astronomers use for elements other than
hydrogen and helium — in their cores have more giant planets than their metal-poor
cousins. According to NASA , core accretion suggests that small, rocky worlds should
be more common than the more massive gas giants.
ACCRETION(ASTROPHYSICS) OF NEPTUNE.
The theory of Core Accretion is widely accepted by most of the scientists and researchers.
This theory worked well with the formation of terrestrial planets such as Venus but has
faced problems while dealing with giant planets. Nearly 4.6 million years ago, the solar
system was a cloud of dust and gas known as a solar nebula. Smaller particles tend to
come closer and were held by the stronger force of gravity. The solar wind wiped away
lighter elements such as hydrogen and helium from the nearby regions, leaving heavy
materials to form smaller worlds such as Venus. In this manner, the moon, comets, and
asteroids were created. The mos commonly accepted mechanism for the formation of
Venus planet is the Core Accretion model, in this model a rocy forms through the
coagulation of planetsimal s until it is sufficiently massive to accrete a gaseous envelope .
Initially this envelope is in hydrostatic equilibrium, with most of the luminosity provide by
the accreting planetsimals. One the core reaches acritical mass, however , hydrostatic
equilibrium is no longer possible , and a phase of rapid gas accretion occurs.
There are anumber of issues with this model , the dust grains from which the planetsimals
form may undergo a phase of rapid inward migration when they reach acertain size, the
core itself , one it reaches about an Earth mass, should also migrate rapidly , and upper
limits for Venus core becomes larger than theoretical estimates, detailed models also
predict growth timescales that may easily exceed the lifetime of the gaseous disc from
which the venus planet formed.
Overview
The accretion model that Earth and the other terrestrial planets formed from meteoric material was
proposed in 1944 by Otto Schmidt, followed by the protoplanet theory of William McCrea (1960) and
finally the capture theory of Michael Woolfson.[3] In 1978, Andrew Prenticeresurrected the initial
Laplacian ideas about planet formation and developed the modern Laplacian theory.[3] None of these
models proved completely successful, and many of the proposed theories were descriptive.
The 1944 accretion model by Otto Schmidt was further developed in a quantitative way in 1969
by Viktor Safronov.[4] He calculated, in detail, the different stages of terrestrial planet formation. [5]
[6]
Since then, the model has been further developed using intensive numerical simulations to
study planetesimal accumulation. It is now accepted that stars form by the gravitational collapse
of interstellar gas. Prior to collapse, this gas is mostly in the form of molecular clouds, such as
the Orion Nebula. As the cloud collapses, losing potential energy, it heats up, gaining kinetic energy,
and the conservation of angular momentum ensures that the cloud forms a flatted disk—
the accretion disk.
ALMA image of HL Tauri, a protoplanetary disk
ALMA image of the protoplanetary disc around HL Tauri - This is the sharpest image
ever taken by ALMA — sharper than is routinely achieved in visible light with the
NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It shows the protoplanetary disc surrounding the
young star HL Tauri. These new ALMA observations reveal substructures within the disc
that have never been seen before and even show the possible positions of planets forming
in the dark patches within the system. About the Object Name: HL Tauri Type: • Milky Way :
Star : Circumstellar Material : Disk : Protoplanetary • X - Stars Distance: 450 light years
Constellation: Taurus Coordinates Position (RA): 4 31 38.37 Position (Dec): 18° 14' 0.99"
Field of view: 0.03 x 0.03 arcminutes Orientation: North is 0.0° left of vertical .
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/copyright/
Accretion of galaxies
Protogalaxy
A few hundred thousand years after the Big Bang, the Universe cooled to the point where atoms
could form. As the Universe continued to expand and cool, the atoms lost enough kinetic energy,
and dark matter coalesced sufficiently, to form protogalaxies. As further accretion
occurred, galaxies formed.[7] Indirect evidence is widespread. [7] Galaxies grow through mergers and
smooth gas accretion. Accretion also occurs inside galaxies, forming stars.
Accretion of stars
Protostar
The visible-light (left) and infrared (right) views of the Trifid Nebula, a giant star-forming cloud of gas and dust
located 5,400 light-years (1,700 pc) away in the constellation Sagittarius
Infrared image of the molecular outflow from an otherwise hidden newborn star HH 46/47
As the infall of material from the disk continues, the envelope eventually becomes thin and
transparent and the young stellar object (YSO) becomes observable, initially in far-infrared light and
later in the visible.[11] Around this time the protostar begins to fuse deuterium. If the protostar is
sufficiently massive (above 80 MJ), hydrogen fusion follows. Otherwise, if its mass is too low, the
object becomes a brown dwarf.[12] This birth of a new star occurs approximately 100,000 years after
the collapse begins.[8] Objects at this stage are known as Class I protostars, which are also called
young T Tauri stars, evolved protostars, or young stellar objects. By this time, the forming star has
already accreted much of its mass; the total mass of the disk and remaining envelope does not
exceed 10–20% of the mass of the central YSO.[11]
When the lower-mass star in a binary system enters an expansion phase, its outer atmosphere may fall onto
the compact star, forming an accretion disk
At the next stage, the envelope completely disappears, having been gathered up by the disk, and
the protostar becomes a classical T Tauri star.[13] The latter have accretion disks and continue to
accrete hot gas, which manifests itself by strong emission lines in their spectrum. The former do not
possess accretion disks. Classical T Tauri stars evolve into weakly lined T Tauri stars. [14] This
happens after about 1 million years.[8] The mass of the disk around a classical T Tauri star is about
1–3% of the stellar mass, and it is accreted at a rate of 10−7 to 10−9 M☉ per year.[15] A pair of bipolar
jets is usually present as well. The accretion explains all peculiar properties of classical T Tauri
stars: strong flux in the emission lines (up to 100% of the intrinsic luminosity of the
star), magnetic activity, photometric variability and jets.[16] The emission lines actually form as the
accreted gas hits the "surface" of the star, which happens around its magnetic poles.[16] The jets are
byproducts of accretion: they carry away excessive angular momentum. The classical T Tauri stage
lasts about 10 million years.[8] The disk eventually disappears due to accretion onto the central star,
planet formation, ejection by jets, and photoevaporation by ultraviolet radiation from the central star
and nearby stars.[17] As a result, the young star becomes a weakly lined T Tauri star, which, over
hundreds of millions of years, evolves into an ordinary Sun-like star, dependent on its initial mass.
Accretion of planets
Protoplanetary disk
Accretion of asteroids
Meteorites contain a record of accretion and impacts during all stages of asteroid origin and
evolution; however, the mechanism of asteroid accretion and growth is not well understood.
[31]
Evidence suggests the main growth of asteroids can result from gas-assisted accretion
of chondrules, which are millimeter-sized spherules that form as molten (or partially molten) droplets
in space before being accreted to their parent asteroids. [31] In the inner Solar System, chondrules
appear to have been crucial for initiating accretion. [32] The tiny mass of asteroids may be partly due to
inefficient chondrule formation beyond 2 AU, or less-efficient delivery of chondrules from near the
protostar.[32] Also, impacts controlled the formation and destruction of asteroids, and are thought to
be a major factor in their geological evolution. [32]
Chondrules, metal grains, and other components likely formed in the solar nebula. These accreted
together to form parent asteroids. Some of these bodies subsequently melted, forming metallic
cores and olivine-rich mantles; others were aqueously altered. [32] After the asteroids had cooled, they
were eroded by impacts for 4.5 billion years, or disrupted. [33]
For accretion to occur, impact velocities must be less than about twice the escape velocity, which is
about 140 m/s (460 ft/s) for a 100 km (60 mi) radius asteroid.[32]Simple models for accretion in
the asteroid belt generally assume micrometer-sized dust grains sticking together and settling to the
midplane of the nebula to form a dense layer of dust, which, because of gravitational forces, was
converted into a disk of kilometer-sized planetesimals. But, several arguments [which?] suggest that
asteroids may not have accreted this way.[32]
Accretion of comets
Comets, or their precursors, formed in the outer Solar System, possibly millions of years before
planet formation.[36] How and when comets formed is debated, with distinct implications for Solar
System formation, dynamics, and geology. Three-dimensional computer simulations indicate the
major structural features observed on cometary nuclei can be explained by pairwise low velocity
accretion of weak cometesimals.[37][38] The currently favored formation mechanism is that of
the nebular hypothesis, which states that comets are probably a remnant of the original planetesimal
"building blocks" from which the planets grew.[39][40][41]
Astronomers think that comets originate in both the Oort cloud and the scattered disk.[42] The
scattered disk was created when Neptune migrated outward into the proto-Kuiper belt, which at the
time was much closer to the Sun, and left in its wake a population of dynamically stable objects that
could never be affected by its orbit (the Kuiper belt proper), and a population whose perihelia are
close enough that Neptune can still disturb them as it travels around the Sun (the scattered disk).
Because the scattered disk is dynamically active and the Kuiper belt relatively dynamically stable,
the scattered disk is now seen as the most likely point of origin for periodic comets. [42] The classic
Oort cloud theory states that the Oort cloud, a sphere measuring about 50,000 AU (0.24 pc) in
radius, formed at the same time as the solar nebula and occasionally releases comets into the inner
Solar System as a giant planet or star passes nearby and causes gravitational disruptions.
[43]
Examples of such comet clouds may already have been seen in the Helix Nebula.[44]
The Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko determined in 2015 that when Sun's
heat penetrates the surface, it triggers evaporation (sublimation) of buried ice. While some of the
resulting water vapour may escape from the nucleus, 80% of it recondenses in layers beneath the
surface.[45] This observation implies that the thin ice-rich layers exposed close to the surface may be
a consequence of cometary activity and evolution, and that global layering does not necessarily
occur early in the comet's formation history.[45][46] While most scientists thought that all the evidence
indicated that the structure of nuclei of comets is processed rubble pilesof smaller ice planetesimals
of a previous generation,[47] the Rosetta mission dispelled the idea that comets are "rubble piles" of
disparate material
Nebular Hypothesis.
The nebular hypothesis is the most widely accepted model in the field of cosmogony to explain
the formation and evolution of the Solar System (as well as other planetary systems). It suggests
that the Solar System is formed from the nebulous material. The theory was developed by Immanuel
Kant and published in his Allgemeine Naturgeschichte und Theorie des Himmels ("Universal Natural
History and Theory of the Heavens"), published in 1755. Originally applied to the Solar System, the
process of planetary system formation is now thought to be at work throughout the Universe.[1] The
widely accepted modern variant of the nebular hypothesis is the solar nebular disk model (SNDM)
or solar nebular model.[2] It offered explanations for a variety of properties of the Solar System,
including the nearly circular and coplanar orbits of the planets, and their motion in the same direction
as the Sun's rotation. Some elements of the original nebular hypothesis are echoed in modern
theories of planetary formation, but most elements have been superseded.
According to the nebular hypothesis, stars form in massive and dense clouds of molecular hydrogen
—giant molecular clouds (GMC). These clouds are gravitationally unstable, and matter coalesces
within them to smaller denser clumps, which then rotate, collapse, and form stars. Star formation is a
complex process, which always produces a gaseous protoplanetary disk, proplyd, around the young
star. This may give birth to planets in certain circumstances, which are not well known. Thus the
formation of planetary systems is thought to be a natural result of star formation. A Sun-like star
usually takes approximately 1 million years to form, with the protoplanetary disk evolving into a
planetary system over the next 10–100 million years.[1]
The protoplanetary disk is an accretion disk that feeds the central star. Initially very hot, the disk later
cools in what is known as the T Tauri star stage; here, formation of small dust grains made
of rocks and ice is possible. The grains eventually may coagulate into kilometer-sized planetesimals.
If the disk is massive enough, the runaway accretions begin, resulting in the rapid—100,000 to
300,000 years—formation of Moon- to Mars-sized planetary embryos. Near the star, the planetary
embryos go through a stage of violent mergers, producing a few terrestrial planets. The last stage
takes approximately 100 million to a billion years.[1]
The formation of giant planets is a more complicated process. It is thought to occur beyond the frost
line, where planetary embryos mainly are made of various types of ice. As a result, they are several
times more massive than in the inner part of the protoplanetary disk. What follows after the embryo
formation is not completely clear. Some embryos appear to continue to grow and eventually reach
5–10 Earth masses—the threshold value, which is necessary to begin accretion of the hydrogen–
helium gas from the disk.[3] The accumulation of gas by the core is initially a slow process, which
continues for several million years, but after the forming protoplanet reaches about 30 Earth masses
(M⊕) it accelerates and proceeds in a runaway manner. Jupiter- and Saturn-like planets are thought
to accumulate the bulk of their mass during only 10,000 years. The accretion stops when the gas is
exhausted. The formed planets can migrate over long distances during or after their formation. Ice
giants such as Uranus and Neptune are thought to be failed cores, which formed too late when the
disk had almost disappeared.
There is evidence that Emanuel Swedenborg first proposed parts of the nebular hypothesis in 1734.
[4][5]
Immanuel Kant, familiar with Swedenborg's work, developed the theory further in 1755, publishing
his own Universal Natural History and Theory of the Heavens, wherein he argued that gaseous
clouds (nebulae) slowly rotate, gradually collapse and flatten due to gravity, eventually
forming stars and planets.[2]
Pierre-Simon Laplace independently developed and proposed a similar model in 1796 [2] in
his Exposition du systeme du monde. He envisioned that the Sun originally had an extended hot
atmosphere throughout the volume of the Solar System. His theory featured a contracting and
cooling protosolar cloud—the protosolar nebula. As this cooled and contracted, it flattened and spun
more rapidly, throwing off (or shedding) a series of gaseous rings of material; and according to him,
the planets condensed from this material. His model was similar to Kant's, except more detailed and
on a smaller scale.[2] While the Laplacian nebular model dominated in the 19th century, it
encountered a number of difficulties. The main problem involved angular momentum distribution
between the Sun and planets. The planets have 99% of the angular momentum, and this fact could
not be explained by the nebular model.[2] As a result, astronomers largely abandoned this theory of
planet formation at the beginning of the 20th century.
A major critique came during the 19th century from James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), who
maintained that different rotation between the inner and outer parts of a ringcould not allow
condensation of material.[6] Astronomer Sir David Brewster also rejected Laplace, writing in 1876 that
"those who believe in the Nebular Theory consider it as certain that our Earth derived its solid matter
and its atmosphere from a ring thrown from the Solar atmosphere, which afterwards contracted into
a solid terraqueous sphere, from which the Moon was thrown off by the same process". He argued
that under such view, "the Moon must necessarily have carried off water and air from the watery and
aerial parts of the Earth and must have an atmosphere". [7] Brewster claimed that Sir Isaac Newton's
religious beliefs had previously considered nebular ideas as tending to atheism, and quoted him as
saying that "the growth of new systems out of old ones, without the mediation of a Divine power,
seemed to him apparently absurd". [8]
The perceived deficiencies of the Laplacian model stimulated scientists to find a replacement for it.
During the 20th century many theories addressed the issue, including the planetesimal
theory of Thomas Chamberlin and Forest Moulton (1901), the tidal model of James Jeans (1917),
the accretion model of Otto Schmidt(1944), the protoplanet theory of William McCrea (1960) and
finally the capture theory of Michael Woolfson.[2] In 1978 Andrew Prentice resurrected the initial
Laplacian ideas about planet formation and developed the modern Laplacian theory.[2] None of these
attempts proved completely successful, and many of the proposed theories were descriptive.
The birth of the modern widely accepted theory of planetary formation—the solar nebular disk model
(SNDM)—can be traced to the Soviet astronomer Victor Safronov.[9] His 1969 book Evolution of the
protoplanetary cloud and formation of the Earth and the planets,[10] which was translated to English in
1972, had a long-lasting effect on the way scientists think about the formation of the planets. [11] In this
book almost all major problems of the planetary formation process were formulated and some of
them solved. Safronov's ideas were further developed in the works of George Wetherill, who
discovered runaway accretion.[2] While originally applied only to the Solar System, the SNDM was
subsequently thought by theorists to be at work throughout the Universe; as of 1 April 2019
astronomers have discovered 4,023 extrasolar planets in our galaxy.[12]
The star formation process naturally results in the appearance of accretion disks around young
stellar objects.[14] At the age of about 1 million years, 100% of stars may have such disks.[15] This
conclusion is supported by the discovery of the gaseous and dusty disks around protostars and T
Tauri stars as well as by theoretical considerations.[16] Observations of these disks show that
the dust grains inside them grow in size on short (thousand-year) time scales, producing
1 centimeter sized particles.[17]
The accretion process, by which 1 km planetesimals grow into 1,000 km sized bodies, is well
understood now.[18] This process develops inside any disk where the number density of planetesimals
is sufficiently high, and proceeds in a runaway manner. Growth later slows and continues as
oligarchic accretion. The end result is formation of planetary embryos of varying sizes, which depend
on the distance from the star.[18] Various simulations have demonstrated that the merger of embryos
in the inner part of the protoplanetary disk leads to the formation of a few Earth-sized bodies. Thus
the origin of terrestrial planets is now considered to be an almost solved problem. [19]
Current issues
The physics of accretion disks encounters some problems. [20] The most important one is how the
material, which is accreted by the protostar, loses its angular momentum. One possible explanation
suggested by Hannes Alfvén was that angular momentum was shed by the solar wind during its T
Tauri star phase. The momentum is transported to the outer parts of the disk by viscous stresses.
[21]
Viscosity is generated by macroscopic turbulence, but the precise mechanism that produces this
turbulence is not well understood. Another possible process for shedding angular momentum
is magnetic braking, where the spin of the star is transferred into the surrounding disk via that star's
magnetic field.[22] The main processes responsible for the disappearance of the gas in disks are
viscous diffusion and photo-evaporation.[23][24]
Multiple star system AS 205.[25]
The formation of planetesimals is the biggest unsolved problem in the nebular disk model. How 1 cm
sized particles coalesce into 1 km planetesimals is a mystery. This mechanism appears to be the
key to the question as to why some stars have planets, while others have nothing around them, not
even dust belts.[26]
The formation timescale of giant planets is also an important problem. Old theories were unable to
explain how their cores could form fast enough to accumulate significant amounts of gas from the
quickly disappearing protoplanetary disk.[18][27] The mean lifetime of the disks, which is less than ten
million (107) years, appeared to be shorter than the time necessary for the core formation. [15] Much
progress has been done to solve this problem and current models of giant planet formation are now
capable of forming Jupiter (or more massive planets) in about 4 million years or less, well within the
average lifetime of gaseous disks.[28][29][30]
Another potential problem of giant planet formation is their orbital migration. Some calculations show
that interaction with the disk can cause rapid inward migration, which, if not stopped, results in the
planet reaching the "central regions still as a sub-Jovian object."[31] More recent calculations indicate
that disk evolution during migration can mitigate this problem. [32]
Infrared image of the molecular outflow from an otherwise hidden newborn star HH 46/47
As the infall of its material onto the disk continues, the envelope eventually becomes thin and
transparent and the young stellar object (YSO) becomes observable, initially in far-infrared light and
later in the visible.[35] Around this time the protostar begins to fuse deuterium. If the protostar is
sufficiently massive (above 80 Jupiter masses (MJ)), hydrogen fusion follows. Otherwise, if its mass is
too low, the object becomes a brown dwarf.[40] This birth of a new star occurs approximately
100,000 years after the collapse begins.[1] Objects at this stage are known as Class I protostars,
[14]
which are also called young T Tauri stars, evolved protostars, or young stellar objects.[14] By this
time the forming star has already accreted much of its mass: the total mass of the disk and
remaining envelope does not exceed 10–20% of the mass of the central YSO. [35]
At the next stage the envelope completely disappears, having been gathered up by the disk, and the
protostar becomes a classical T Tauri star.[b] This happens after about 1 million years.[1] The mass of
the disk around a classical T Tauri star is about 1–3% of the stellar mass, and it is accreted at a rate
of 10−7 to 10−9 M☉ per year.[43] A pair of bipolar jets is usually present as well.[44] The accretion explains
all peculiar properties of classical T Tauri stars: strong flux in the emission lines(up to 100% of the
intrinsic luminosity of the star), magnetic activity, photometric variability and jets.[45] The emission
lines actually form as the accreted gas hits the "surface" of the star, which happens around
its magnetic poles.[45] The jets are byproducts of accretion: they carry away excessive angular
momentum. The classical T Tauri stage lasts about 10 million years.[1] The disk eventually
disappears due to accretion onto the central star, planet formation, ejection by jets
and photoevaporation by UV-radiation from the central star and nearby stars.[46] As a result, the
young star becomes a weakly lined T Tauri star, which slowly, over hundreds of millions of years,
evolves into an ordinary Sun-like star.[36]
Protoplanetary disks
Protoplanetary disk and planetesimal
Debris disks detected in HST archival images of young stars, HD 141943 and HD 191089, using improved
imaging processes (24 April 2014).[47]
Under certain circumstances the disk, which can now be called protoplanetary, may give birth to
a planetary system.[1]Protoplanetary disks have been observed around a very high fraction of stars in
young star clusters.[15][48] They exist from the beginning of a star's formation, but at the earliest stages
are unobservable due to the opacity of the surrounding envelope. [14] The disk of a Class 0 protostar is
thought to be massive and hot. It is an accretion disk, which feeds the central protostar. [37][38] The
temperature can easily exceed 400 K inside 5 AU and 1,000 K inside 1 AU.[49] The heating of the disk
is primarily caused by the viscous dissipation of turbulence in it and by the infall of the gas from the
nebula.[37][38]The high temperature in the inner disk causes most of the volatile material—water,
organics, and some rocks to evaporate, leaving only the most refractory elements like iron. The ice
can survive only in the outer part of the disk.[49]
A protoplanetary disk forming in the Orion Nebula
The main problem in the physics of accretion disks is the generation of turbulence and the
mechanism responsible for the high effective viscosity.[1]The turbulent viscosity is thought to be
responsible for the transport of the mass to the central protostar and momentum to the periphery of
the disk. This is vital for accretion, because the gas can be accreted by the central protostar only if it
loses most of its angular momentum, which must be carried away by the small part of the gas drifting
outwards.[37][50] The result of this process is the growth of both the protostar and of the disk radius,
which can reach 1,000 AU if the initial angular momentum of the nebula is large enough. [38] Large
disks are routinely observed in many star-forming regions such as the Orion nebula.[16]
Artist's impression of the disc and gas streams around young star HD 142527.[51]
The lifespan of the accretion disks is about 10 million years.[15] By the time the star reaches the
classical T-Tauri stage, the disk becomes thinner and cools. [43] Less volatile materials start
to condense close to its center, forming 0.1–1 μm dust grains that contain crystalline silicates.[17] The
transport of the material from the outer disk can mix these newly formed dust
grains with primordial ones, which contain organic matter and other volatiles. This mixing can explain
some peculiarities in the composition of Solar System bodies such as the presence
of interstellar grains in the primitive meteorites and refractory inclusions in comets.[49]
Formation of planets
Rocky planets
According to the solar nebular disk model, rocky planets form in the inner part of the protoplanetary
disk, within the frost line, where the temperature is high enough to prevent condensation of water ice
and other substances into grains.[61] This results in coagulation of purely rocky grains and later in the
formation of rocky planetesimals.[c][61] Such conditions are thought to exist in the inner 3–4 AU part of
the disk of a Sun-like star.[1]
After small planetesimals—about 1 km in diameter—have formed by one way or another, runaway
accretion begins.[18] It is called runaway because the mass growth rate is proportional to R4~M4/3,
where R and M are the radius and mass of the growing body, respectively. [62] The specific (divided by
mass) growth accelerates as the mass increases. This leads to the preferential growth of larger
bodies at the expense of smaller ones.[18] The runaway accretion lasts between 10,000 and
100,000 years and ends when the largest bodies exceed approximately 1,000 km in diameter.
[18]
Slowing of the accretion is caused by gravitational perturbations by large bodies on the remaining
planetesimals.[18][62] In addition, the influence of larger bodies stops further growth of smaller bodies. [18]
The next stage is called oligarchic accretion.[18] It is characterized by the dominance of several
hundred of the largest bodies—oligarchs, which continue to slowly accrete planetesimals. [18] No body
other than the oligarchs can grow.[62] At this stage the rate of accretion is proportional to R2, which is
derived from the geometrical cross-section of an oligarch.[62] The specific accretion rate is
proportional to M−1/3; and it declines with the mass of the body. This allows smaller oligarchs to catch
up to larger ones. The oligarchs are kept at the distance of about 10·Hr (Hr=a(1-e)(M/3Ms)1/3 is the Hill
radius, where a is the semimajor axis, e is the orbital eccentricity, and Ms is the mass of the central
star) from each other by the influence of the remaining planetesimals. [18] Their orbital eccentricities
and inclinations remain small. The oligarchs continue to accrete until planetesimals are exhausted in
the disk around them.[18] Sometimes nearby oligarchs merge. The final mass of an oligarch depends
on the distance from the star and surface density of planetesimals and is called the isolation mass.
[62]
For the rocky planets it is up to 0.1 M⊕, or one Mars mass.[1] The final result of the oligarchic stage
is the formation of about 100 Moon- to Mars-sized planetary embryos uniformly spaced at
about 10·Hr.[19] They are thought to reside inside gaps in the disk and to be separated by rings of
remaining planetesimals. This stage is thought to last a few hundred thousand years. [1][18]
The last stage of rocky planet formation is the merger stage.[1] It begins when only a small number of
planetesimals remains and embryos become massive enough to perturb each other, which causes
their orbits to become chaotic.[19] During this stage embryos expel remaining planetesimals, and
collide with each other. The result of this process, which lasts for 10 to 100 million years, is the
formation of a limited number of Earth-sized bodies. Simulations show that the number of surviving
planets is on average from 2 to 5.[1][19][60][63] In the Solar System they may be represented by Earth
and Venus.[19] Formation of both planets required merging of approximately 10–20 embryos, while an
equal number of them were thrown out of the Solar System. [60] Some of the embryos, which
originated in the asteroid belt, are thought to have brought water to Earth.[61] Mars and Mercury may
be regarded as remaining embryos that survived that rivalry. [60] Rocky planets, which have managed
to coalesce, settle eventually into more or less stable orbits, explaining why planetary systems are
generally packed to the limit; or, in other words, why they always appear to be at the brink of
instability.[19]
Giant planets
The dust disk around Fomalhaut—the brightest star in Piscis Austrinus constellation. Asymmetry of the disk
may be caused by a giant planet (or planets) orbiting the star.
In this artist's conception, a planet spins through a clearing (gap) in a nearby star's dusty, planet-forming disc.
Giant planets can significantly influence terrestrial planet formation. The presence of giants tends to
increase eccentricitiesand inclinations (see Kozai mechanism) of planetesimals and embryos in the
terrestrial planet region (inside 4 AU in the Solar System).[60][63] If giant planets form too early, they
can slow or prevent inner planet accretion. If they form near the end of the oligarchic stage, as is
thought to have happened in the Solar System, they will influence the merges of planetary embryos,
making them more violent.[60] As a result, the number of terrestrial planets will decrease and they will
be more massive.[70] In addition, the size of the system will shrink, because terrestrial planets will
form closer to the central star. The influence of giant planets in the Solar System, particularly that
of Jupiter, is thought to have been limited because they are relatively remote from the terrestrial
planets.[70]
The region of a planetary system adjacent to the giant planets will be influenced in a different way.
[63]
In such a region, eccentricities of embryos may become so large that the embryos pass close to a
giant planet, which may cause them to be ejected from the system. [d][60][63] If all embryos are removed,
then no planets will form in this region. [63] An additional consequence is that a huge number of small
planetesimals will remain, because giant planets are incapable of clearing them all out without the
help of embryos. The total mass of remaining planetesimals will be small, because cumulative action
of the embryos before their ejection and giant planets is still strong enough to remove 99% of the
small bodies.[60] Such a region will eventually evolve into an asteroid belt, which is a full analog of the
asteroid belt in the Solar System, located from 2 to 4 AU from the Sun.[60][63]
Exoplanets
Thousands of exoplanets have been identified in the last twenty years. The orbits of many of these
planets and systems of planets differ significantly from the planets in the Solar System. The
exoplanets discovered include hot-Jupiters, warm-Jupiters, super-Earths, and systems of tightly
packed inner planets.
The hot-Jupiters and warm-Jupiters are thought to have migrated to their current orbits during or
following their formation. A number of possible mechanisms for this migration have been proposed.
Type I or Type II migration could smoothly decrease the semimajor axis of the planet's orbit resulting
in a warm- or hot-Jupiter. Gravitational scattering by other planets onto eccentric orbits with a
perihelion near the star followed by the circularization of its orbit due to tidal interactions with the star
can leave a planet on a close orbit. If a massive companion planet or star on an inclined orbit was
present an exchange of inclination for eccentricity via the Kozai mechanism raising eccentricities and
lowering perihelion followed by circularization can also result in a close orbit. Many of the Jupiter-
sized planets have eccentric orbits which may indicate that gravitational encounters occurred
between the planets, although migration while in resonance can also excite eccentricities. [71] The in
situ growth of hot Jupiters from closely orbiting super Earths has also been proposed. The cores in
this hypothesis could have formed locally or at a greater distance and migrated close to the star. [72]
Super-Earths and other closely orbiting planets are thought to have either formed in situ or to have
migrated inward from their initial locations. The in situ formation of closely orbiting super-Earths
would require a massive disk, the migration of planetary embryos followed by collisions and
mergers, or the radial drift of small solids from farther out in the disk. The migration of the super-
Earths, or the embryos that collided to form them, is likely to have been Type I due to their smaller
mass. The resonant orbits of some of the exoplanet systems indicates that some migration occurred
in these systems, while the spacing of the orbits in many of the other systems not in resonance
indicates that an instability likely occurred in those systems after the dissipation of the gas disk. The
absence of Super-Earths and closely orbiting planets in the Solar System may be due to the
previous formation of Jupiter blocking their inward migration. [73]
The amount of gas a super-Earth that formed in situ acquires may depend on when the planetary
embryos merged due to giant impacts relative to the dissipation of the gas disk. If the mergers
happen after the gas disk dissipates terrestrial planets can form, if in a transition disk a super-Earth
with a gas envelope containing a few percent of its mass may form. If the mergers happen too early
runaway gas accretion may occur leading to the formation of a gas giant. The mergers begin when
the dynamical friction due to the gas disk becomes insufficient to prevent collisions, a process that
will begin earlier in a higher metallicity disk.[74] Alternatively gas accretion may be limited due to the
envelopes not being in hydrostatic equilibrium, instead gas may flow through the envelope slowing
its growth and delaying the onset of runaway gas accretion until the mass of the core reaches 15
Earth masses.[75]
Meaning of accretion
Use of the term "accretion disk" for the protoplanetary disk leads to confusion over the planetary
accretion process. The protoplanetary disk is sometimes referred to as an accretion disk, because
while the young T Tauri-like protostar is still contracting, gaseous material may still be falling onto it,
accreting on its surface from the disk's inner edge. [38] In an accretion disk, there is a net flux of mass
from larger radii toward smaller radii. [21]
"Giant planets form really fast, in a few million years," Kevin Walsh, a researcher at the
Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, told Space.com. "That creates a
time limit because the gas disk around the sun only lasts 4 to 5 million years."
PEBBLE ACCRETION
The biggest challenge to core accretion is time building massive gas giants fast enough
to grab the lighter components of their atmosphere. Recent research on how smaller,
pebble-sized objects fused together to build giant planets up to 1000 times faster than
earlier studies.
In pebble accretion the accretion of objects ranging from centimeters up to meters in diameter onto
planetesimals in a protoplanetary disk is enhanced by aerodynamic drag. This drag reduces the
relative velocity of pebbles as they pass by larger bodies, preventing some from escaping the body's
gravity. These pebbles are then accreted by the body after spiraling or settling toward its surface.
This process increases the cross section over which the large bodies can accrete material,
accelerating their growth. The rapid growth of the planetesimals via pebble accretion allows for the
formation of giant planet cores in the outer Solar System before the dispersal of the gas disk. A
reduction in the size of pebbles as they lose water ice after crossing the ice line and a declining
density of gas with distance from the sun slow the rates of pebble accretion in the inner Solar
System resulting in smaller terrestrial planets, a small mass of Mars and a low mass asteroid belt.
Description
Pebbles ranging in size from centimeters up to a meter in size are accreted at an enhanced
rate in a protoplanetary disk. A protoplanetary disk is made up of a mix of gas and solids
including dust, pebbles, planetesimals, and protoplanets.[1] Gas in a protoplanetary disk is
pressure supported and as a result orbits at a velocity slower than large objects. [2] The gas
affects the motions of the solids in varying ways depending on their size, with dust moving
with the gas and the largest planetesimals orbiting largely unaffected by the gas. [3] Pebbles
are an intermediate case, aerodynamic drag causes them to settle toward the central plane of
the disk and to orbit at a sub-keplerian velocity resulting in radial drift toward the central star.
[4]
The pebbles frequently encounter planetesimals as a result of their lower velocities and
inward drift. If their motions were unaffected by the gas only a small fraction, determined by
gravitational focusing and the cross-section of the planetesimals, would be accreted by the
planetesimals. The remainder would follow hyperbolic paths, accelerating toward the
planetesimal on their approach and decelerating as they recede. However, the drag the
pebbles experience grows as their velocities increase, slowing some enough that they
become gravitationally bound to the planetesimal.[5]These pebbles continue to lose energy as
they orbit the planetesimal causing them to spiral toward and be accreted by the
planetesimal.[6][7]
Small planetesimals accrete pebbles that are drifting past them at the relative velocity of the gas.
Those pebbles with stopping times similar to the planetesimal's Bondi time are accreted from within
its Bondi radius. In this context the Bondi radius is defined as the distance at which an object
approaching a planetesimal at the relative velocity of the gas is deflected by one radian; the stopping
time is the exponential timescale for the deceleration of an object due to gas drag, and the Bondi
time is the time required for an object to cross the Bondi radius. Since the Bondi radius and Bondi
time increase with the size of the planetesimal, and the stopping time increases with the size of the
pebble, the optimal pebble size increases with size of planetesimal. Smaller objects, with ratios of
stopping times to Bondi times less than 0.1, are pulled from the flow past the planetesimal and
accreted from a smaller radius which declines with the square root of this ratio. Larger, weakly
coupled pebbles are also accreted less efficiently due to three body effects with the radius accreted
from declining rapidly between ratios of 10 and 100. The Bondi radius is proportional to the mass of
the planetesimal so the relative growth rates is proportional to mass squared resulting in runaway
growth.[8] The aerodynamic deflection of the gas around the planetesimal reduces the efficiency of
pebble accretion resulting in a maximum growth timescale at 100 km.[9]
Larger planetesimals, above a transition mass of roughly Ceres mass in the inner solar system
and Pluto mass in the outer solar system,[10] accrete pebbles with Stoke's numbers near one from
their Hill radii. The Stokes number in this context is the product of stopping time and the keplerian
frequency. As with small planetesimals the radius from which pebbles accrete declines for smaller
and larger pebble sizes. The optimal pebble size for large planetesimals measures in cm's due to a
combination of the accretion radius and the radial drift rates of the pebbles. As objects grow their
accretion changes from 3-D, with accretion from part of the thickness of the pebble disk, to 2D with
accretion from full thickness of pebble disk. The relative growth rate in 2-D accretion is proportional
to mass^(2/3) leading to oligarchical growth and the formation of similar sized bodies. [8] Pebble
accretion can result in doubling of mass of an Earth-massed core in as little as 5500 years,
[10]
reducing the timescales for growth of the cores of giant planets by 2 or 3 orders of magnitude
relative to planetesimal accretion. [8] The gravitational influence of these massive bodies can create a
partial gap in the gas disk altering the pressure gradient. [10] The velocity of gas then becomes super-
keplerian outside the gap stopping the inward drift of pebbles and ending pebble accretion. [3]
NICE MODEL
Originally, scientists thought that planets formed in the same part of the solar system
they live in today. The discovery of exoplanets shook things up, revealing that at least
some of the most massive objects could migrate. The Nice (/ˈniːs/) model is a scenario for
the dynamical evolution of the Solar System. It is named for the location of the Observatoire de la
Côte d'Azur, where it was initially developed, in 2005 in Nice, France.[1][2][3] It proposes the migration of
the giant planets from an initial compact configuration into their present positions, long after the
dissipation of the initial protoplanetary disk. In this way, it differs from earlier models of the Solar
System's formation. This planetary migration is used in dynamical simulations of the Solar System to
explain historical events including the Late Heavy Bombardment of the inner Solar System, the
formation of the Oort cloud, and the existence of populations of small Solar System bodies including
the Kuiper belt, the Neptune and Jupiter trojans, and the numerous resonant trans-Neptunian
objects dominated by Neptune. Its success at reproducing many of the observed features of the
Solar System means that it is widely accepted as the current most realistic model of the Solar
System's early evolution,[3] although it is not universally favoured among planetary scientists. Later
research revealed a number of differences between the original Nice model's predictions and
observations of the current Solar System, for example the orbits of the terrestrial planets and the
asteroids, leading to its modification.
Simulation showing the outer planets and planetesimal belt: a) early configuration, before Jupiter and Saturn
reach a 2:1 resonance; b) scattering of planetesimals into the inner Solar System after the orbital shift of
Neptune (dark blue) and Uranus (light blue); c) after ejection of planetesimals by planets.
Description
The original core of the Nice model is a triplet of papers published in the general science
journal Nature in 2005 by an international collaboration of scientists: Rodney Gomes, Hal
Levison, Alessandro Morbidelli, and Kleomenis Tsiganis.[4][5][6] In these publications, the four authors
proposed that after the dissipation of the gas and dust of the primordial Solar System disk, the
four giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) were originally found on near-circular
orbits between ~5.5 and ~17 astronomical units (AU), much more closely spaced and compact than
in the present. A large, dense disk of small rock and ice planetesimals, their total about 35 Earth
masses, extended from the orbit of the outermost giant planet to some 35 AU.
Scientists understand so little about the formation of Uranus and Neptune that Levison states, "...the
possibilities concerning the formation of Uranus and Neptune are almost endless." [7] However, it is
suggested that this planetary system evolved in the following manner. Planetesimals at the disk's
inner edge occasionally pass through gravitational encounters with the outermost giant planet, which
change the planetesimals' orbits. The planets scatter the majority of the small icy bodies that they
encounter inward, exchanging angular momentum with the scattered objects so that the planets
move outwards in response, preserving the angular momentum of the system. These planetesimals
then similarly scatter off the next planet they encounter, successively moving the orbits
of Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn outwards.[7]Despite the minute movement each exchange of
momentum can produce, cumulatively these planetesimal encounters shift (migrate) the orbits of the
planets by significant amounts. This process continues until the planetesimals interact with the
innermost and most massive giant planet, Jupiter, whose immense gravity sends them into highly
elliptical orbits or even ejects them outright from the Solar System. This, in contrast, causes Jupiter
to move slightly inward.
The low rate of orbital encounters governs the rate at which planetesimals are lost from the disk, and
the corresponding rate of migration. After several hundreds of millions of years of slow, gradual
migration, Jupiter and Saturn, the two inmost giant planets, cross their mutual 1:2 mean-motion
resonance. This resonance increases their orbital eccentricities, destabilizing the entire planetary
system. The arrangement of the giant planets alters quickly and dramatically. [8] Jupiter shifts Saturn
out towards its present position, and this relocation causes mutual gravitational encounters between
Saturn and the two ice giants, which propel Neptune and Uranus onto much more eccentric orbits.
These ice giants then plough into the planetesimal disk, scattering tens of thousands of
planetesimals from their formerly stable orbits in the outer Solar System. This disruption almost
entirely scatters the primordial disk, removing 99% of its mass, a scenario which explains the
modern-day absence of a dense trans-Neptunian population.[5] Some of the planetesimals are thrown
into the inner Solar System, producing a sudden influx of impacts on the terrestrial planets: the Late
Heavy Bombardment.[4]
Eventually, the giant planets reach their current orbital semi-major axes, and dynamical friction with
the remaining planetesimal disc damps their eccentricities and makes the orbits of Uranus and
Neptune circular again.[9]
In some 50% of the initial models of Tsiganis and colleagues, Neptune and Uranus also exchange
places.[5] An exchange of Uranus and Neptune would be consistent with models of their formation in
a disk that had a surface density that declined with distance from the Sun, which predicts that the
masses of the planets should also decline with distance from the Sun. [1]
Example Nice Model simulation of the migration of the solar distance of the four giant planets.
differentiation but not Callisto's.[12] The impacts of icy planetesimals onto Saturn's inner moons are
excessive, however, resulting in the vaporization of their ice.[13]
Outer-system satellites
Any original populations of irregular satellites captured by traditional mechanisms, such as drag or
impacts from the accretion disks,[19] would be lost during the encounters between the planets at the
time of global system instability.[5] In the Nice model, the outer planets encounter large numbers of
planetesimals after Uranus and Neptune enter and disrupt the planetesimal disk. A fraction of these
planetesimals are captured by these planets via three-way interactions during encounters between
planets. The probability for any planetesimal to be captured by an ice giant is relatively high, a few
10−7.[20] These new satellites could be captured at almost any angle, so unlike the regular
satellites of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, they do not necessarily orbit in the planets' equatorial
planes. Some irregulars may have even been exchanged between planets. The resulting irregular
orbits match well with the observed populations' semimajor axes, inclinations, and eccentricities.
[20]
Subsequent collisions between these captured satellites may have created the
suspected collisional families seen today.[21] These collisions are also required to erode the
population to the present size distribution. [22]
Triton, the largest moon of Neptune, can be explained if it was captured in a three-body interaction
involving the disruption of a binary planetoid. [23] Such binary disruption would be more likely if Triton
was the smaller member of the binary. [24] However, Triton's capture would be more likely in the early
Solar System when the gas disk would damp relative velocities, and binary exchange reactions
would not in general have supplied the large number of small irregulars. [24]
There were not enough interactions between Jupiter and the other planets to explain Jupiter's
retinue of irregulars in the initial Nice model simulations that reproduced other aspects of the outer
Solar System. This suggests either that a second mechanism was at work for that planet, or that the
early simulations did not reproduce the evolution of the giant planets orbits. [20]
Modifications
Jumping-Jupiter scenario
The Nice model has undergone a number of modifications since its initial publication as the
understanding of the formation of the Solar System has advanced and significant differences
between its predictions and observations have been identified. Hydrodynamical models of the early
Solar System indicate that the orbits of the giant planets converge resulting in their capture into a
series of resonances.[32] The slow approach of Jupiter and Saturn to the 2:1 resonance during their
later planetesimal-driven migration can allow Mars to captured in a secular resonance that excites its
eccentricity to a level that destabilizes the inner Solar System. The eccentricities of the other
terrestrial planets can also be excited beyond current levels by sweeping secular resonances after
the instability.[33] The orbital distribution of the asteroid belt is also left with an excess of high
inclination objects due to secular resonances exciting inclinations and removing low inclination
objects.[11] Other differences between predictions and observations included the capture of few
irregular satellites by Jupiter, the vaporization of the ice from Saturn's inner moons, a shortage of
high inclination objects captured in the Kuiper belt, and the recent discovery of D-type asteroids in
the inner asteroid belt.
The first modifications to the Nice model were the initial positions of the giant planets. Investigations
of the behavior of planets orbiting in a gas disk using hydrodynamical models reveal that the giant
planets would migrate toward the Sun. If the migration continued it would have resulted in Jupiter
orbiting close to the Sun like recently discovered exoplanets known as hot Jupiters. Saturn's capture
in a resonance with Jupiter prevents this, however, and the later capture of the other planets results
in a quadruple resonant configuration with Jupiter and Saturn in their 3:2 resonance.[32] A late
instability beginning from this configuration is possible if the outer disk contains Pluto-massed
objects. The gravitational stirring of the outer planetesimal disk by these Pluto-massed objects
increases their eccentricities and also results in the inward migration of the giant planets. The
quadruple resonance of the giant planets is broken when secular resonances are crossed during the
inward migration. A late instability similar to the original Nice model then follows. Unlike the original
Nice model the timing of this instability is not sensitive to the distance between the outer planet and
the planetesimal disk. The combination of resonant planetary orbits and the late instability triggered
by these long distant interactions has been referred to as the Nice 2 model.[34]
The second modification was the requirement that one of the ice giants encounters Jupiter, causing
its semi-major axis to jump. In this jumping-Jupiter scenario, an ice giant encounters Saturn and is
scattered inward onto a Jupiter-crossing orbit, causing Saturn's orbit to expand; then encounters
Jupiter and is scattered outward, causing Jupiter's orbit to shrink. This results in a step-wise
separation of Jupiter's and Saturn's orbits instead of a smooth divergent migration. [33] The step-wise
separation of the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn avoids the slow sweeping of secular resonances
across the inner solar System that resulted in the excitation of the eccentricities of the terrestrial
planets[33] and an asteroid belt with an excessive ratio of high- to low-inclination objects. [11] The
encounters between the ice giant and Jupiter in this model allow Jupiter to acquire its own irregular
satellites.[35] Jupiter trojans are also captured following these encounters when Jupiter's semi-major
axis jumps and, if the ice giant passes through one of the libration points scattering trojans, one
population is depleted relative to the other. [36] The faster traverse of the secular resonances across
the asteroid belt limits the loss of asteroids from its core. Most of the rocky impactors of the Late
Heavy Bombardment instead originate from an inner extension that is disrupted when the giant
planets reach their current positions, with a remnant remaining as the Hungaria asteroids. [37] Some
D-type asteroids are embedded in inner asteroid belt, within 2.5 AU, during encounters with the ice
giant when it is crossing the asteroid belt. [38]
The frequent ejection of the ice giant encountering Jupiter has led David Nesvorný and others to
hypothesize an early Solar System with five giant planets, one of which was ejected during the
instability.[39][40] This five-planet Nice model begins with the giant planets in a 3:2, 3:2, 2:1, 3:2
resonant chain with a planetesimal disk orbiting beyond them. [41] Following the breaking of the
resonant chain Neptune first migrates outward into the planetesimal disk reaching 28 AU before
encounters between planets begin.[42] This initial migration reduces the mass of the outer disk
enabling Jupiter's eccentricity to be preserved[43] and produces a Kuiper belt with an inclination
distribution that matches observations if 20 Earth-masses remained in the planetesimal disk when
that migration began.[44] Neptune's eccentricity can remain small during the instability since it only
encounters the ejected ice giant, allowing an in situ cold-classical belt to be preserved. [42] The lower
mass planetesimal belt in combination with the excitation of inclinations and eccentricities by the
Pluto-massed objects also significantly reduce the loss of ice by Saturn's inner moons. [45]The
combination of a late breaking of the resonance chain and a migration of Neptune to 28 AU before
the instability is unlikely with the Nice 2 model. This gap may be bridged by a slow dust-driven
migration over several million years following an early escape from resonance. [46] A recent study
found that the five-planet Nice model has a statistically small likelihood of reproducing the orbits of
the terrestrial planets. Although this implies that the instability occurred before the formation of the
terrestrial planets and could not be the source of the Late Heavy Bombardment, [47][48] the advantage of
an early instability is reduced by the sizable jumps in the semi-major axis of Jupiter and Saturn
required to preserve the asteroid belt
In 2005, a trio of papers published in the journal Nature proposed that Neptune and the
other giant planets were bound in near-circular orbits much more compact than they are
today. A large disk of rocks and ices surrounded them, stretching out to about 35 times
the Earth-sun distance, just beyond Neptune's present orbit. They called this the Nice
model after the city in France where they first discussed it.
As the planets interacted with the smaller bodies, they scattered most of them toward
the sun. The process caused them to trade energy with the objects, sending Saturn,
Neptune and Uranus farther out into the solar system. Eventually the small objects
reached Jupiter, which sent them flying to the edge of the solar system or completely
out of it.
Movement between Jupiter and Saturn drove Uranus and Neptune into even more
eccentric orbits, sending the pair through the remaining disk of ices. Some of the
material was flung inward, where it crashed into the terrestrial planets during the Late
Heavy Bombardment. Other material was hurled outward, creating the Kuiper Belt . As
they moved slowly outward, Neptune and Uranus traded places. Eventually, interactions
with the remaining debris caused the pair to settle into more circular paths as they
reached their current distance from the sun.
GEODYNAMO THEORY.
This theory is used to explain the presence of anomalously long-lived magnetic fields in astrophysical
bodies. The conductive fluid in the geodynamo is liquid iron in the outer core, and in the solar dynamo
is ionized gas at the tachocline. In physics, the dynamo theory proposes a mechanism by which a
celestial body such as Earth or a star generates a magnetic field. The dynamo theory describes the
process through which a rotating, convecting, and electricallyconducting fluid can maintain a magnetic
field over astronomical time scales. A dynamo is thought to be the source of the Earth's magnetic
fieldand the magnetic fields of other planets.
The gravitational effects associated with the presence of the Moon and Sun cause cyclical
deformation of the Earth’s mantle and wobbles in its rotation axis. This mechanical forcing
applied to the whole planet causes strong currents in the outer core, which is made up of a
liquid iron alloy of very low viscosity. Such currents are enough to generate the Earth’s
magnetic field. Illustration credit: © Julien Monteux and Denis Andrault.The Earth’s
magnetic field permanently protects us from the charged particles and radiation that originate in the
Sun. This shield is produced by the geodynamo, the rapid motion of huge quantities of liquid iron alloy
in the Earth’s outer core. To maintain this magnetic field until the present day, the classical model
required the Earth’s core to have cooled by around 3,000 °C over the past 4.3 billion years. Now, a team
of researchers from CNRS and Université Blaise Pascal suggests that, on the contrary, its temperature
has fallen by only 300 °C. The action of the Moon, overlooked until now, is thought to have
compensated for this difference and kept the geodynamo active. Their work was published on 30 March
2016 in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
The classical model of the formation of Earth’s magnetic field raised a major paradox. For the
geodynamo to work, the Earth would have had to be totally molten four billion years ago, and its core
would have had to slowly cool from around 6,800 °C at that time to 3,800 °C today. However, recent
modelling of the early evolution of the internal temperature of the planet, together with geochemical
studies of the composition of the oldest carbonatites and basalts, do not support such cooling. With
such high temperatures being ruled out, the researchers propose another source of energy in their
study.
The Earth has a slightly flattened shape and rotates about an inclined axis that wobbles around the
poles. Its mantle deforms elastically due to tidal effects caused by the Moon. The researchers show
that this effect could continuously stimulate the motion of the liquid iron alloy making up the outer
core, and in return generate Earth’s magnetic field. The Earth continuously receives 3,700 billion watts
of power through the transfer of the gravitational and rotational energy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system,
and over 1,000 billion watts is thought to be available to bring about this type of motion in the outer
core. This energy is enough to generate the Earth’s magnetic field, which together with the Moon,
resolves the major paradox in the classical theory. The effect of gravitational forces on a planet’s
magnetic field has already been well documented for two of Jupiter’s moons, Io and Europa, and for a
number of exoplanets.
Since neither the Earth’s rotation around its axis, nor the direction of its axis, nor the Moon’s orbit are
perfectly regular, their combined effect on motion in the core is unstable and can cause fluctuations in
the geodynamo. This process could account for certain heat pulses in the outer core and at its
boundary with the Earth’s mantle.
Over the course of time, this may have led to peaks in deep mantle melting and possibly to major
volcanic events at the Earth’s surface. This new model shows that the Moon’s effect on the Earth goes
well beyond merely causing tides.
In the case of the Earth, the magnetic field is induced and constantly maintained by the convection of
liquid iron in the outer core. A requirement for the induction of field is a rotating fluid. Rotation in the
outer core is supplied by the Coriolis effectcaused by the rotation of the Earth. The Coriolis force tends
to organize fluid motions and electric currents into columns (also see Taylor columns) aligned with the
rotation axis. Induction or creation of magnetic field is described by the induction equation:
where u is velocity, B is magnetic field, t is time, and is the magnetic diffusivity with
electrical conductivity and permeability. The ratio of the second term on the right hand side to the
first term gives the Magnetic Reynolds number, a dimensionless ratio of advection of magnetic field to
diffusion.
where is the kinematic viscosity, is the mean density and is the relative density
is coefficient of thermal expansion), is the rotation rate of the Earth, and is the electric
current density.
density, and is an optional heat source. Often the pressure is the dynamic pressure, with
the hydrostatic pressure and centripetal potential removed.
These equations are then non-dimensionalized, introducing the non-dimensional parameters,
where Ra is the Rayleigh number, E the Ekman number, Pr and Pm the Prandtl and magnetic Prandtl
The scalar product of the above form of Navier-Stokes equation with gives the rate of increase of
kinetic energy density, , on the left-hand side. The last term on the right-hand side is
then , the local contribution to the kinetic energy due to Lorentz force.
The scalar product of the induction equation with gives the rate of increase of the magnetic
energy density, , on the left-hand side. The last term on the right-hand side is then
Thus the term is the rate of transformation of kinetic energy to magnetic energy. This
has to be non-negative at least in part of the volume, for the dynamo to produce magnetic field. [18]
rate of work done by a force of on the outer core matter, whose velocity is This work is the
result of non-magnetic forces acting on the fluid.
Of those, the gravitational force and the centrifugal force are conservative and therefore have no overall
contribution to fluid moving in closed loops. Ekman number (defined above), which is the ratio
between the two remaining forces, namely the viscosity and Coriolis force, is very low inside Earth's
outer core, because its viscosity is low (1.2-1.5 x10−2 pascal-second [19]) due to its liquidity.
Thus the main time-averaged contribution to the work is from Coriolis
force, whose size is though this quantity and are related only indirectly and are
not in general equal locally (thus they affect each other but not in the same place and time).
The current density J is itself the result of the magnetic field according to Ohm's law. Again, due to
matter motion and current flow, this is not necessarily the field at the same place and time. However
these relations can still be used to deduce orders of magnitude of the quantities in question.
that of
[19]
For earth outer core, ρ is approximately 104 kg/m3, Ω=2π/day = 7.3x10−5 seconds and σ is
[20]
approximately 107Ω−1m−1. This gives 2.7x10−4 Tesla.
The magnetic field of a magnetic dipole has an inverse cubic dependence in distance, so its order of
magnitude at the earth surface can be approximated by multiplying the above result with (Router
core/REarth) = (2890/6370) = 0.093, giving 2.5x10 Tesla, not far from to the measured value of 3x10 Tesla
3 3 −5 −5
at the equator.
Numerical models
The equations for the geodynamo are enormously difficult to solve, and the realism of the solutions is
limited mainly by computer power. For decades, theorists were confined to kinematic dynamo models
described above, in which the fluid motion is chosen in advance and the effect on the magnetic field
calculated. Kinematic dynamo theory was mainly a matter of trying different flow geometries and
seeing whether they could sustain a dynamo.
The first self-consistent dynamo models, ones that determine both the fluid motions and the magnetic
[21] [22][23]
field, were developed by two groups in 1995, one in Japan and one in the United States. The
latter received significant attention because it successfully reproduced some of the characteristics of
[18]
the Earth's field, including geomagnetic reversals.
sometimes called Theia, from the name of the mythical Greek Titan who was the mother
of Selene, the goddess of the Moon. Analysis of lunar rocks, published in a 2016 report,
[2]
suggests that the impact may have been a direct hit, causing a thorough mixing of both
parent bodies. [3]
The giant impact hypothesis is currently the favored scientific hypothesis for the formation of
the Moon. Supporting evidence includes:
[4]
Earth's spin and the Moon's orbit have similar orientations. [5]
There is evidence in other star systems of similar collisions, resulting in debris disks.
Giant collisions are consistent with the leading theories of the formation of the Solar System.
The stable-isotope ratios of lunar and terrestrial rock are identical, implying a common origin.
[6]
However, there remain several questions concerning the best current models of the giant-
impact hypothesis. The energy of such a giant impact is predicted to have heated Earth to
[7]
is no self-consistent model that starts with the giant-impact event and follows the evolution
of the debris into a single moon. Other remaining questions include when the Moon lost its
share of volatile elements and why Venus—which experienced giant impacts during its
formation—does not host a similar moon.
"Big splash"
Artist's depiction of a collision between two planetary bodies. Such an impact between Earth and a Mars-sized object likely
formed the Moon.
Source;NASA/JPL-Caltech - http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1454.html
This artist's concept shows a celestial body about the size of our moon slamming at great speed into a body
the size of Mercury. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope found evidence that a high-speed collision of this sort
occurred a few thousand years ago around a young star, called HD 172555, still in the early stages of planet
formation. The star is about 100 light-years from Earth.
In 1898, George Darwin made the suggestion that the Earth and Moon were once a single
body. Darwin's hypothesis was that a molten Moon had been spun from the Earth because
of centrifugal forces, and this became the dominant academic explanation. Using Newtonian
[9]
mechanics, he calculated that the Moon had orbited much more closely in the past and was
drifting away from the Earth. This drifting was later confirmed
by American and Soviet experiments, using laser ranging targets placed on the Moon.
Nonetheless, Darwin's calculations could not resolve the mechanics required to trace the
Moon backward to the surface of the Earth. In 1946, Reginald Aldworth Daly of Harvard
University challenged Darwin's explanation, adjusting it to postulate that the creation of the
Moon was caused by an impact rather than centrifugal forces. Little attention was paid to
[10]
Professor Daly's challenge until a conference on satellites in 1974, during which the idea was
reintroduced and later published and discussed in Icarus in 1975 by Drs. William K.
Hartmann and Donald R. Davis. Their models suggested that, at the end of the planet formation
period, several satellite-sized bodies had formed that could collide with the planets or be
captured. They proposed that one of these objects may have collided with the Earth, ejecting
refractory, volatile-poor dust that could coalesce to form the Moon. This collision could
potentially explain the unique geological and geochemical properties of the Moon. [11]
Theia
Theia (planet)
population of Mars-sized bodies that existed in the Solar System 4.5 billion years ago. One of
the attractive features of the giant-impact hypothesis is that the formation of the Moon and
Earth align; during the course of its formation, the Earth is thought to have experienced
dozens of collisions with planet-sized bodies. The Moon-forming collision would have been
only one such "giant impact" but certainly the last significant impactor event. The Late Heavy
Bombardment by much smaller asteroids occurred later - approximately 3.9 billion years ago.
Basic model
Source;Citronade - Own work
Astronomers think the collision between Earth and Theia happened at about 4.4 to 4.45 bya;
about 0.1 billion years after the Solar System began to form. In astronomical terms, the
[14][15]
impact would have been of moderate velocity. Theia is thought to have struck the Earth at
an oblique angle when the Earth was nearly fully formed. Computer simulations of this "late-
impact" scenario suggest an impact angle of about 45° and an initial impactor velocity below
4 km/s. However, oxygen isotope abundance in lunar rock suggests "vigorous mixing" of
[16]
Theia and Earth, indicating a steep impact angle. Theia's iron core would have sunk into the
[3][17]
young Earth's core, and most of Theia's mantle accreted onto the Earth's mantle. However, a
significant portion of the mantle material from both Theia and the Earth would have
been ejected into orbit around the Earth (if ejected with velocities between orbital
velocity and escape velocity) or into individual orbits around the sun (if ejected at higher
velocities). The material in orbits around the Earth quickly coalesced into the Moon (possibly
within less than a month, but in no more than a century). The material in orbits around the
sun stayed on its Kepler orbits, which are stable in space, and was thus likely to hit the earth-
moon system sometime later (because the Earth-Moon system's Kepler orbit around the sun
also remains stable). Estimates based on computer simulations of such an event suggest that
some twenty percent of the original mass of Theia would have ended up as an orbiting ring of
debris around the Earth, and about half of this matter coalesced into the Moon. The Earth
would have gained significant amounts of angular momentum and mass from such a collision.
Regardless of the speed and tilt of the Earth's rotation before the impact, it would have
experienced a day some five hours long after the impact, and the Earth's equator and the
Moon's orbit would have become coplanar. [18]
Not all of the ring material need have been swept up right away: the thickened crust of the
Moon's far side suggests the possibility that a second moon about 1,000 km in diameter
formed in a Lagrange point of the Moon. The smaller moon may have remained in orbit for
tens of millions of years. As the two moons migrated outward from the Earth, solar tidal
effects would have made the Lagrange orbit unstable, resulting in a slow-velocity collision
that "pancaked" the smaller moon onto what is now the far side of the Moon, adding material
to its crust. Lunar magma cannot pierce through the thick crust of the far side, causing
[19][20]
lesser lunar maria, while the near side has a thin crust displaying the large maria visible from
Earth. [21]
Composition
In 2001, a team at the Carnegie Institution of Washington reported that the rocks from the Apollo
program carried an isotopic signature that was identical with rocks from Earth, and were
different from almost all other bodies in the Solar System. [6]
In 2014, a team in Germany reported that the Apollo samples had a slightly different isotopic
signature from Earth rocks. The difference was slight, but statistically significant. One
[22]
disk were molten and vaporized, the two reservoirs were connected by a common silicate
vapor atmosphere and that the Earth– Moon system became homogenized by convective
stirring while the system existed in the form of a continuous fluid. Such an "equilibration"
between the post-impact Earth and the proto-lunar disk is the only proposed scenario that
explains the isotopic similarities of the Apollo rocks with rocks from the Earth's interior. For
this scenario to be viable, however, the proto-lunar disk would have to endure for about 100
years. Work is ongoing to determine whether or not this is possible.
Synestia model
Further modelling of the transient structure has given rise to the concept of a synestia, a
doughnut-shaped body that existed for a century before it cooled down and gave birth to the
Earth and the moon. [25][26]
Evidence
Indirect evidence for the giant impact scenario comes from rocks collected during the Apollo
Moon landings, which show oxygen isotope ratios nearly identical to those of Earth. The
highly anorthositic composition of the lunar crust, as well as the existence of KREEP-rich
samples, suggest that a large portion of the Moon once was molten; and a giant impact
scenario could easily have supplied the energy needed to form such a magma ocean. Several
lines of evidence show that if the Moon has an iron-rich core, it must be a small one. In
particular, the mean density, moment of inertia, rotational signature, and magnetic induction
response of the Moon all suggest that the radius of its core is less than about 25% the radius
of the Moon, in contrast to about 50% for most of the other terrestrial bodies. Appropriate
impact conditions satisfying the angular momentum constraints of the Earth– Moon system
yield a Moon formed mostly from the mantles of the Earth and the impactor, while the core of
the impactor accretes to the Earth. It is noteworthy that the Earth has the highest density of
[4]
all the planets in the Solar system; the absorption of the core of the impactor body explains
this observation, given the proposed properties of the early Earth and Theia.
normal igneous processes, so zinc abundance and isotopic composition can distinguish the
[30]
two geological processes. Moon rocks contain more heavy isotopes of zinc, and overall less
zinc, than corresponding igneous Earth or Mars rocks, which is consistent with zinc being
depleted from the Moon through evaporation, as expected for the giant impact origin. [27]
Collisions between ejecta escaping Earth's gravity and asteroids would have left impact
heating signatures in stony meteorites; analysis based on assuming the existence of this
effect has been used to date the impact event to 4.47 billion years ago, in agreement with the
date obtained by other means. [31]
Warm silica-rich dust and abundant SiO gas, products of high velocity (> 10 km/s) impacts
between rocky bodies, have been detected by the Spitzer Space Telescope around the nearby
(29 pc distant) young (~12 My old) star HD172555 in the Beta Pictoris moving group. A belt of
[32]
warm dust in a zone between 0.25AU and 2AU from the young star HD 23514 in
the Pleiades cluster appears similar to the predicted results of Theia's collision with the
embryonic Earth, and has been interpreted as the result of planet-sized objects colliding with
each other. A similar belt of warm dust was detected around the star BD +20°307 (HIP 8920,
[33]
Difficulties
This lunar origin hypothesis has some difficulties that have yet to be resolved. For example,
the giant-impact hypothesis implies that a surface magma ocean would have formed
following the impact. Yet there is no evidence that the Earth ever had such a magma ocean
and it is likely there exists material that has never been processed in a magma ocean. [35]
Composition
A number of compositional inconsistencies need to be addressed.
The ratios of the Moon's volatile elements are not explained by the giant impact hypothesis. If
the giant-impact hypothesis is correct, they must be due to some other cause. [35]
The presence of volatiles such as water trapped in lunar basalts is more difficult to explain if
the Moon was caused by a high-temperature impact. [36]
The iron oxide (FeO) content (13%) of the Moon, intermediate between that of Mars (18%) and
the terrestrial mantle (8%), rules out most of the source of the proto-lunar material from the
Earth's mantle. [37]
If the bulk of the proto-lunar material had come from an impactor, the Moon should be
enriched in siderophilic elements, when, in fact, it is deficient in those. [38]
The Moon's oxygen isotopic ratios are essentially identical to those of Earth. Oxygen
[6]
isotopic ratios, which may be measured very precisely, yield a unique and distinct signature
for each solar system body. If a separate proto-planet Theia had existed, it probably would
[39]
have had a different oxygen isotopic signature than Earth, as would the ejected mixed
material.[40]
The Moon's titanium isotope ratio ( Ti/ Ti) appears so close to the Earth's (within 4 ppm), that
50 47
little if any of the colliding body's mass could likely have been part of the Moon. [41][42]
orbits of moons around close-in planets. For this reason, if Venus's slow rotation rate began
early in its history, any satellites larger than a few kilometers in diameter would likely have
spiraled inwards and collided with Venus. [44]
Simulations of the chaotic period of terrestrial planet formation suggest that impacts like
those hypothesized to have formed the Moon were common. For typical terrestrial planets
with a mass of 0.5 to 1 Earth masses, such an impact typically results in a single moon
containing 4% of the host planet's mass. The inclination of the resulting moon's orbit is
random, but this tilt affects the subsequent dynamic evolution of the system. For example,
some orbits may cause the moon to spiral back into the planet. Likewise, the proximity of the
planet to the star will also affect the orbital evolution. The net effect is that it is more likely for
impact-generated moons to survive when they orbit more distant terrestrial planets and are
aligned with the planetary orbit. [45]
Possible origin of Theia
One suggested pathway for the Big Splash as viewed from the direction of the south pole
same orbit and about 60° ahead or behind), similar to a trojan asteroid. Two-dimensional
[46][47] [5]
computer models suggest that the stability of Theia's proposed trojan orbit would have been
affected when its growing mass exceeded a threshold of approximately 10% of the Earth's
mass (the mass of Mars). In this scenario, gravitational perturbations
[46]
by planetesimals caused Theia to depart from its stable Lagrangian location, and subsequent
interactions with proto-Earth led to a collision between the two bodies. [46]
In 2008, evidence was presented that suggests that the collision may have occurred later
than the accepted value of 4.53 Gya, at approximately 4.48 Gya. A 2014 comparison of [48]
It has been suggested that other significant objects may have been created by the impact,
which could have remained in orbit between the Earth and Moon, stuck in Lagrangian points.
Such objects may have stayed within the Earth–Moon system for as long as 100 million
years, until the gravitational tugs of other planets destabilized the system enough to free the
objects. A study published in 2011 suggested that a subsequent collision between the Moon
[50]
and one of these smaller bodies caused the notable differences in physical characteristics
between the two hemispheres of the Moon. This collision, simulations have supported,
[51]
would have been at a low enough velocity so as not to form a crater; instead, the material
from the smaller body would have spread out across the Moon (in what would become its far
side), adding a thick layer of highlands crust. The resulting mass irregularities would
[52]
subsequently produce a gravity gradient that resulted in tidal locking of the Moon so that
today, only the near side remains visible from Earth. However, mapping by the GRAIL mission
has apparently ruled out this scenario.
Lagrangian point
In celestial mechanics, the Lagrangian points (/ləˈɡrɑːndʒiən/ also Lagrange points, L-points,
[1]
or libration points) are the points near two large bodies in orbit where a smaller object will
maintain its position relative to the large orbiting bodies. At other locations, a small object
would go into its own orbit around one of the large bodies, but at the Lagrangian points
the gravitational forces of the two large bodies, the centripetal force of orbital motion, and (for
certain points) the Coriolis acceleration all match up in a way that cause the small object to
maintain a stable or nearly stable position relative to the large bodies.
There are five such points, labeled L to L , all in the orbital plane of the two large bodies, for
1 5
each given combination of two orbital bodies. For instance, there are five Lagrangian points
L to L for the Sun-Earth system, and in a similar way there are five different Langrangian
1 5
points for the Earth-Moon system. L , L , and L are on the line through the centers of the two
1 2 3
large bodies. L and L each form an equilateral triangle with the centers of the large bodies.
4 5
L and L are stable, which implies that objects can orbit around them in a rotating coordinate
4 5
Several planets have trojan satellites near their L and L points with respect to the
4 5
"Lagrange Point" redirects here. For the video game, see Lagrange Point (video game).
Smaller objects (green) at the Lagrange points each remain in the same relative position. At any other point, gravitational forces
would pull a small object into an orbit around either one of the two bodies, in a non-stable position relative to the other body.
Lagrange points in the Sun–Earth system (not to scale) – a small object at any one of the five points will hold its relative position.
Lagrange points
The five Lagrangian points are labeled and defined as follows:
L point
1
The L point lies on the line defined by the two large masses M and M , and between them. It
1 1 2
is the most intuitively understood of the Lagrangian points: the one where the gravitational
attraction of M partially cancels M 's gravitational attraction.
2 1
Explanation
exactly equal to Earth's orbital period. L is about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, or 0.01 au,
1
L point
2
The L point lies on the line through the two large masses, beyond the smaller of the two.
2
Here, the gravitational forces of the two large masses balance the centrifugal effect on a body
at L .
2
Explanation
On the opposite side of Earth from the Sun, the orbital period of an object would normally be
greater than that of Earth. The extra pull of Earth's gravity decreases the orbital period of the
object, and at the L point that orbital period becomes equal to Earth's. Like L , L is about
2 1 2
L point
3
The L point lies on the line defined by the two large masses, beyond the larger of the two.
3
Explanation
L in the Sun–Earth system exists on the opposite side of the Sun, a little outside Earth's orbit
3
and slightly further to the Sun than Earth is. (This apparent contradiction is because the Sun
is also affected by Earth's gravity, and so orbits around the two bodies' barycenter, which is,
however, well inside the body of the Sun.) At the L point, the combined pull of Earth and Sun
3
again causes the object to orbit with the same period as Earth.
Gravitational accelerations at L4
L and L points
4 5
The L and L points lie at the third corners of the two equilateral triangles in the plane of orbit
4 5
whose common base is the line between the centers of the two masses, such that the point
lies behind (L ) or ahead (L ) of the smaller mass with regard to its orbit around the larger
5 4
mass.
The triangular points (L and L ) are stable equilibria, provided that the ratio of M /M is greater
4 5 1 2
than 24.96. This is the case for the Sun–Earth system, the Sun–Jupiter system, and, by
[note 1][7]
a smaller margin, the Earth–Moon system. When a body at these points is perturbed, it moves
away from the point, but the factor opposite of that which is increased or decreased by the
perturbation (either gravity or angular momentum-induced speed) will also increase or
decrease, bending the object's path into a stable, kidney bean-shaped orbit around the point
(as seen in the corotating frame of reference).
of unstable equilibrium. Any object orbiting at L , L , or L will tend to fall out of orbit; it is
1 2 3
therefore rare to find natural objects there, and spacecraft inhabiting these areas must
employ station keeping in order to maintain their position.
It is common to find objects at or orbiting the L and L points of natural orbital systems.
4 5
These are commonly called "trojans". In the 20th century, asteroids discovered orbiting at the
Sun–Jupiter L and L points were named after characters from Homer's Iliad. Asteroids at the
4 5
L point, which leads Jupiter, are referred to as the "Greek camp", whereas those at the
4
The Sun–Earth L and L points contain interplanetary dust and at least one asteroid, 2010
4 5
TK7, detected in October 2010 by Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and announced
during July 2011. [8][9]
Recent observations suggest that the Sun–Neptune L and L points, known as the Neptune
4 5
trojans, may be very thickly populated, containing large bodies an order of magnitude more
[13]
Several asteroids also orbit near the Sun-Jupiter L point, called the Hilda family.
3
Polydeuces describing the largest deviations, moving up to 32° away from the Saturn–Dione
L point. Tethys and Dione are hundreds of times more massive than their "escorts" (see the
5
moons' articles for exact diameter figures; masses are not known in several cases), and
Saturn is far more massive still, which makes the overall system stable.
Mars has four known co-orbital asteroids (5261 Eureka, 1999 UJ7, 1998 VF31 and 2007 NS2), all
at its Lagrangian points.
In a binary star system, the Roche lobe has its apex located at L ; if a star overflows its Roche
1
A contour plot of the effective potential due to gravity and the centrifugal force of a two-body system in a rotating
frame of reference. The arrows indicate the gradients of the potential around the five Lagrange points—downhill toward them (red)
or away from them (blue). Counterintuitively, the L 4 and L5 points are the high points of the potential. At the points themselves
these forces are balanced.
Visualisation of the relationship between the Lagrangian points (red) of a planet (blue) orbiting a star (yellow) anticlockwise, and
the effectivepotential in the plane containing the orbit (grey rubber-sheet model with purple contours of equal potential). [14]
Mathematical details
Lagrangian points are the constant-pattern solutions of the restricted three-body problem. For
example, given two massive bodies in orbits around their common barycenter, there are five
positions in space where a third body, of comparatively negligible mass, could be placed so
as to maintain its position relative to the two massive bodies. As seen in a rotating reference
frame that matches the angular velocity of the two co-orbiting bodies, the gravitational fields of
two massive bodies combined providing the centripetal force at the Lagrangian points,
allowing the smaller third body to be relatively stationary with respect to the first two. [15]
L 1
The location of L is the solution to the following equation, gravitation providing the
1
centripetal force:
where r is the distance of the L point from the smaller object, R is the distance between the
1
two main objects, and M and M are the masses of the large and small object, respectively.
1 2
Solving this for r involves solving a quintic function, but if the mass of the smaller object (M ) is
2
much smaller than the mass of the larger object (M ) then L and L are at approximately equal
1 1 2
distances r from the smaller object, equal to the radius of the Hill sphere, given by:
This distance can be described as being such that the orbital period, corresponding to a
circular orbit with this distance as radius around M in the absence of M , is that
2 1
L 2
The location of L is the solution to the following equation, gravitation providing the
2
centripetal force:
with parameters defined as for the L case. Again, if the mass of the smaller object (M ) is
1 2
much smaller than the mass of the larger object (M ) then L is at approximately the radius of
1 2
The location of L is the solution to the following equation, gravitation providing the
3
centripetal force:
with parameters defined as for the L and L cases except that r now indicates how much
1 2
closer L is to the more massive object than the smaller object. If the mass of the smaller
3
object (M ) is much smaller than the mass of the larger object (M ) then :
2 1
[16]
L and L
4 5
The reason these points are in balance is that, at L and L , the distances to the two masses
4 5
are equal. Accordingly, the gravitational forces from the two massive bodies are in the same
ratio as the masses of the two bodies, and so the resultant force acts through
the barycenter of the system; additionally, the geometry of the triangle ensures that
the resultantacceleration is to the distance from the barycenter in the same ratio as for the two
massive bodies. The barycenter being both the center of mass and center of rotation of the
three-body system, this resultant force is exactly that required to keep the smaller body at
the Lagrange point in orbital equilibrium with the other two larger bodies of system. (Indeed,
the third body need not have negligible mass.) The general triangular configuration was
discovered by Lagrange in work on the three-body problem.
Net radial acceleration of a point orbiting along the Earth-Moon line.
Radial acceleration
The radial acceleration a of an object in orbit at a point along the line passing through both
bodies is given by:
Where r is the distance from the large body M and sgn(x) is the sign function of x. The terms in
1
this function represent respectively: force from M ; force from M ; and centrifugal force. The
1 2
Stability
Although the L , L , and L points are nominally unstable, there are (unstable) periodic orbits
1 2 3
200,000 km or 62,000–124,000 mi) Lissajous orbit around L than to stay at L , because the line
1 1
Earth's shadow and therefore ensures continuous illumination of its solar panels.
The L and L points are stable provided that the mass of the primary body (e.g. the Earth) is at
4 5
least 25 times the mass of the secondary body (e.g. the Moon). The Earth is over 81
[note 1] [17][18]
times the mass of the Moon (the Moon is 1.23% of the mass of the Earth ). Although the [19]
L and L points are found at the top of a "hill", as in the effective potential contour plot above,
4 5
they are nonetheless stable. The reason for the stability is a second-order effect: as a body
moves away from the exact Lagrange position, Coriolis acceleration (which depends on the
velocity of an orbiting object and cannot be modeled as a contour map) curves the [18]
trajectory into a path around (rather than away from) the point. [18][20]
the two bodies orbit in a perfect circle with separation equal to the semimajor axis and no
other bodies are nearby. Distances are measured from the larger body's center of mass with
L showing a negative location. The percentage columns show how the distances compare to
3
the semimajor axis. E.g. for the Moon, L is located 326400 km from Earth's center, which is
1
84.9% of the Earth-Moon distance or 15.1% in front of the Moon; L is located 448900 km from
2
Earth's center, which is 116.8% of the Earth-Moon distance or 16.8% beyond the Moon; and
L is located −381700 km from Earth's center, which is 99.3% of the Earth-Moon distance or
3
1−
Semimajor axis L2/SMA − 1 + L3/SMA
Body pair L1 L1/SMA L2 L3
(SMA) 1 (%) (%)
(%)
Earth-
3.844×108 m 3.2639×108 m 15.09 4.489×108 m 16.78 −3.8168×108 m 0.7084
Moon
Sun-
5.7909×1010 m 5.7689×1010 m 0.3806 5.813×1010 m 0.3815 −5.7909×1010 m 0.000009683
Mercury
Sun-
1.0821×1011 m 1.072×1011 m 0.9315 1.0922×1011 m 0.9373 −1.0821×1011 m 0.0001428
Venus
Sun-
7.7834×1011 m 7.2645×1011 m 6.667 8.3265×1011 m 6.978 −7.7791×1011 m 0.05563
Jupiter
Sun-
1.4267×1012 m 1.3625×1012 m 4.496 1.4928×1012 m 4.635 −1.4264×1012 m 0.01667
Saturn
Sun-
2.8707×1012 m 2.8011×1012 m 2.421 2.9413×1012 m 2.461 −2.8706×1012 m 0.002546
Uranus
Sun-
4.4984×1012 m 4.3834×1012 m 2.557 4.6154×1012 m 2.602 −4.4983×1012 m 0.003004
Neptune
Spaceflight applications
Sun–Earth
The satellite ACE in an orbit around Sun-Earth L1.
Sun–Earth L is suited for making observations of the Sun–Earth system. Objects here are
1
never shadowed by Earth or the Moon and, if observing Earth, always view the sunlit
hemisphere. The first mission of this type was the International Sun Earth Explorer 3 (ISEE-3)
mission used as an interplanetary early warning storm monitor for solar disturbances. Since
June 2015, DSCOVR has orbited the L point. Conversely it is also useful for space-
1
based solar telescopes, because it provides an uninterrupted view of the Sun and any space
weather(including the solar wind and coronal mass ejections) reaches L a few hours before
1
Earth. Solar telescopes currently located around L include the Solar and Heliospheric
1
Sun–Earth L is a good spot for space-based observatories. Because an object around L will
2 2
maintain the same relative position with respect to the Sun and Earth, shielding and
calibration are much simpler. It is, however, slightly beyond the reach of Earth's umbra, so
[21]
solar radiation is not completely blocked at L . (Real spacecraft generally orbit around L ,
2 2
avoiding partial eclipses of the Sun to maintain a constant temperature.) From locations near
L , the Sun, Earth and Moon are relatively close together in the sky; this means that a large
2
sunshade with the telescope on the dark-side can allow the telescope to cool passively to
around 50 K – this is especially helpful for infrared astronomy and observations of the cosmic
microwave background. The James Webb Space Telescope is due to be positioned at L . 2
books. Once space-based observation became possible via satellites and probes, it was
[22]
shown to hold no such object. The Sun–Earth L is unstable and could not contain a natural
3
object, large or small, for very long. This is because the gravitational forces of the other
planets are stronger than that of Earth (Venus, for example, comes within 0.3 AU of this
L every 20 months).
3
A spacecraft orbiting near Sun–Earth L would be able to closely monitor the evolution of
3
active sunspot regions before they rotate into a geoeffective position, so that a 7-day early
warning could be issued by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. Moreover, a satellite
near Sun–Earth L would provide very important observations not only for Earth forecasts,
3
but also for deep space support (Mars predictions and for manned mission to near-Earth
asteroids). In 2010, spacecraft transfer trajectories to Sun–Earth L were studied and several
3
Missions to Lagrangian points generally orbit the points rather than occupy them directly.
Another interesting and useful property of the collinear Lagrangian points and their
associated Lissajous orbits is that they serve as "gateways" to control the chaotic trajectories
of the Interplanetary Transport Network.
Earth–Moon
Earth–Moon L allows comparatively easy access to Lunar and Earth orbits with minimal
1
change in velocity and this has as an advantage to position a half-way manned space station
intended to help transport cargo and personnel to the Moon and back.
Earth–Moon L has been used for a communications satellite covering the Moon's far side, for
2
example Queqiao launched in May 2018 , and would be "an ideal location" for a propellant
[24]
Sun–Venus
Scientists at the B612 Foundation are planning to use Venus's L point to position their
3
planned Sentinel telescope, which aims to look back towards Earth's orbit and compile a
catalogue of near-Earth asteroids. [26]
RESULTS
This includes some historical background on Astronomy, mechanics and physical causes, as well as an
overview of Newton’s background framework and his theoretical concept of a centripetal force. It
introduces Newton’s Rules for reasoning in natural philosophy and gives an overview of Newton’s
argument for universal gravity and its application to the solar system. A comparison with a passage from
Huygens on hypothetico-deductive confirmation helps inform Newton’s classic hypotheses non-
fingo passage. Lessons on scientific method also include an informative contrast with Laplace’s search for
solar system stability, and a contrast between theory acceptance guided by empirical success and mere
assignment of high probability.
our present work sets forth the mathematical principles of natural philosophy. For the basic problem
[lit. whole difficulty] of philosophy seems to be to discover the forces of nature from the phenomena of
motions and then to demonstrate the other phenomena from these forces. (C&W, 382) 1
Newton used some phenomena of orbital motions of planets and satellites as a basis from which to argue
for his theory. We shall see that these phenomena are patterns exhibited in sets of data Newton cites in
their support. We shall seek to understand the method by which he transformed these data into evidence
for universal gravity. This will mostly be an effort to explicate the first part of the endeavor described in
our epigram from Newton's preface,
Newton went on to apply his theory to refine our knowledge of the motions of solar system bodies and the
gravitational interactions on which they depend. The second part of the endeavor described in our
epigram,
Our investigation will show that Newton's scientific method adds features which can significantly enrich
the basic hypothetico‐deductive model that informed much of philosophy of science in the last century.
On this familiar model of scientific inference, hypotheses are verified by the conclusions to be drawn from
them and empirical success is limited to accurate prediction. 2
Newton's scientific method goes beyond this basic hypothetico‐deductive model in at least three
important ways. First, Newton's inferences from phenomena realize an ideal of empirical success that is
richer than prediction. In addition to accurate prediction of the phenomena a theory purports to explain,
this richer ideal of empirical success requires that a theory have those phenomena accurately measure the
parameters which explain them. Second, Newton's scientific method aims to turn theoretical questions
into ones which can be empirically answered by measurement from phenomena. Third, theoretical
propositions inferred from phenomena are provisionally accepted as guides to further research.
(p.3) These improvements let Newton employ theory‐mediated measurements to turn data into far more
informative evidence than can be achieved by hypothetico‐deductive confirmation alone. All three of them
come together in a method of successive approximations in which deviations from the model developed so
far count as new theory‐mediated phenomena that aid in developing a more accurate successor model.
This rich scientific method of Newton's was taken up by his successors in their extraordinary extensions of
applications of his theory to solar system motions, in what developed into the science of physics applied to
astronomy.
In our concluding chapter we shall argue that Newton's own scientific method endorses the revolutionary
change from his theory to Einstein's. We shall also see that this rich empirical method of Newton's
continues to be realized in the development and application of testing frameworks for relativistic theories
of gravity. In addition, we shall see that an application of Newton's ideal of empirical success as agreeing
measurements from diverse phenomena is appealed to in support of the radical inference to dark energy
in cosmology today.
1. Astronomy,
Archaeological evidence from many ancient sites, ranging from pyramids to Stonehenge, demonstrates a
long‐standing human fascination with celestial phenomena. These phenomena include the regular
configurations among the fixed stars, which maintain their positions relative to one another as they move
westward across the sky each night. In contrast are the phenomena of the motions of planets. The word
“planet” originally referred to celestial wanderers – bodies which move against the background of the
fixed stars. These included the sun and the moon as well as Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Salient among the phenomena exhibited by these last five are regular occasions of retrograde motion.
On these occasions they appear to come to a stop, reverse direction for some time, then stop again before
resuming their normal motion against the fixed stars.
From the point of view of European science history, the earliest influential model for the nature of the
heavens was described by Aristotle (Greece 384–322 BC).3 The stationary earth was at the center of
numerous rotating spheres of ethereal material carrying the various planets and the stars. This was the
world imagined by Western Europeans for two thousand years.
Mathematical astronomy was developed to accurately represent and predict the celestial phenomena
exhibited by the motions of planets against the stars. As more (p.4)
Figure 1.1 Retrograde motion of Mars A composite image from July 2005 through February 2006 shows Mars appearing
to reverse the direction of its orbit for a time.
detailed and complex mathematical models were developed for accurate representation and prediction of
celestial phenomena, mathematical astronomy became a separate enterprise from the search for physical
causes to explain those phenomena.
Ptolemy (Alexandria, ca AD 150)
Ptolemy provided a comprehensive and computationally tractable account of these phenomena. His
treatment of retrograde motions recovered not just the basic pattern, but also details such as regular
variations in lengths of retrograde loops and in their timing. The basic pattern could be recovered from an
earth‐centered model by introducing a two‐circle system. The observed path of each planet against the
stars is represented by a motion of the planet on an epicycle, with a center that moves on another circle
called the “deferent”.
In order to recover the details of the variation of length and timing of retrograde loops, Ptolemy made the
deferent circle eccentric with respect to the earth and introduced the equant.
The equant is a point about which the center of the epicycle describes equal angles in equal times on its
motion along the deferent circle. Ptolemy located this equant point at an equal distance on the exact
opposite side of the center of the deferent circle as that center is distant from the earth. This allowed his
earth‐centered model to accurately recover the motions of the planet against the stars.
Ptolemy's great book became the standard treatment of mathematical astronomy for 1,400 years.
Ptolemaic mathematical astronomy survived the Dark Ages thanks to Arab (p.5)
Figure 1.3 Equant
and Iranian astronomers.4 In the 12th century Europeans obtained translations of Ptolemy's book and,
perhaps somewhat later, they also obtained knowledge of various critiques of Ptolemy's system by some of
these astronomers.5
(p.6) Ptolemy used data from observations to set the parameters of his model and provided tables which
could be used to compute locations of planets, astronomical objects at past and future times. 6 He specified
these locations in ecliptic coordinates which are still used today. The ecliptic is the yearly path of the sun
against the fixed stars.
Ecliptic latitudes specify angular distances north or south of this line. The vernal equinox, the location of
the sun at sunrise on the first day of spring, marks the origin (0 degrees = 360 degrees) for ecliptic
longitude.
Figure 1.4 Ecliptic
Familiar constellations, the signs of the zodiac, mark off the ecliptic circle into twelve 30-degree segments.
These are, in order (counterclockwise viewed from the north ecliptic pole), 1 Aries, 2 Taurus, 3 Gemini, 4
Cancer, 5 Leo, 6 Virgo, 7 Libra, 8 Scorpius, 9 Sagittarius, 10 Capricorn, 11 Aquarius, 12 Pisces.
The location of the vernal equinox on the ecliptic at the time of Hipparchus (160–127 BC) was at about the
beginning of the constellation, Aries.7The equinoxes (p.7)
Figure 1.5 The twelve constellations
move backwards (clockwise) through the zodiac at about 1 degree 23 minutes of arc every century. We call
this phenomenon the “precession of the equinoxes.” It corresponds to a rotation of the direction of the tilt
of the earth's axis with respect to the plane of the ecliptic. The direction towards which the north pole
points slowly traces a small circle against the stars in a cycle that takes about 26 thousand years to
complete.
By the seventeenth century the location of the vernal equinox was well within Pisces (the 12th
constellation). Early in the twenty‐first century the location of the vernal equinox will be in Aquarius (the
11th constellation).
Figure 1.6 Precession of the equinoxesEarth-centered representation. It is as though the tilted plane of the ediptic is
rotating about the earth's axis at a uniform rate so that it would take 26,000 years for a complete cycle.
Figure 1.7 Precession of equinoxes explainedThis apparent change in the Sun's orbit is actually due to a corresponding
26,000-year precession in the earth's axis of rotation.
(p.9) By the twelfth century, Ptolemy's incorrect specification of the precession of the equinoxes, at only 1
degree per century (off by 23 minutes per century), was leading to rather glaring inaccuracies. The
Alfonsine tables, of about 1270, were based on re‐set parameters for Ptolemy's model and corrections to
the precession.8 By the early 1500s these tables were showing inaccuracies stemming, in part, from the
use of the Julian year, which was slightly too short. These created problems for specifying the date of
Easter that eventually led to reform of the calendar.
Nicholas Copernicus (Poland, 1473–1543 )
Copernicus was well aware of these problematic inaccuracies. He was also bothered by models using non‐
uniform rotations and spheres which intersected, because they did not fit what he imagined to be the
physical mechanism for moving the planets. That mechanism, like that of Aristotle, was based on
uniformly revolving spheres that ought not to intersect. Copernicus was able to accommodate such a
mechanism by creating models in which the spheres of all the planets encompass the sun and also making
the earth a planet.9 One advantage of making the earth a planet was a simpler explanation of retrograde
motion. The following diagram represents the retrograde motion of Mars as an effect of the earth
overtaking Mars as they both orbit the sun.10
(p.10) Even though the basic explanation of retrograde motion was simpler in Copernicus's model, his
system for explaining details used about as many circles as Ptolemy's.11 Copernicus was able to achieve a
model that was as accurate as Ptolemy's would be with corresponding parameter settings. Copernicus's
book, De Revolutionibus, was published in 1543, the year he died. The Prutenic tables, which formed a
basis for the reformed calendar adopted by Pope Gregory in 1583, were generated using Copernicus's
model.
Tycho Brahe (Danish, 1546–1601)
Brahe directed an observation enterprise in astronomy which produced a very extensive body of
impressively accurate data.12 His instruments for observation, partly due to their great size, afforded the
most precise data until the use of the telescope. His
Figure 1.9 The Tychonic system
(p.11) data provided substantially improved knowledge of the observed positions of planets against the
fixed background of constellations of the stars.13
Tycho also developed a geo‐heliocentric model for the solar system, in which the planets circle the sun
while the sun circles the earth.14
Kepler (German 1571–1630)
Near the end of his life, Brahe hired an astronomical mathematician, Johannes Kepler. During the winter
of 1600/1601 Kepler wrote a work on the history and philosophy of astronomy in which he proposed that
the empirical equivalence between geocentric and heliocentric world systems could be overcome by
appeal to physical causes.16 In 1609 he published his NEW ASTRONOMY BASED UPON CAUSES or
CELESTIAL PHYSICS treated by means of commentaries ON THE MOTION OF THE STARMARS from
the observations of TYCHO BRAHE, GENT. In the first chapter he provides a diagram (see Figure 1.10)
illustrating the complex motion that would need to be accounted for on the assumption that the earth
stands still.
This is the complexity that a physical cause of the motion of Mars would have to explain if the true
motions of the planets were taken to be their motions relative to the center of the earth. Counting circles
to compare the predictive models of Copernicus and Ptolemy is much less informative.
In his book, Kepler appealed to his own proposed hypotheses about physical causes as well as to his
impressive analysis of Tycho's data to argue that Mars moves in an elliptical orbit with the sun at a
focus.17 He also argued that the rate at which its motion sweeps out areas by radii to that focus is constant.
We call these Kepler's first and second “laws” of orbital motion.18 Figure 1.11 is a diagram representing the
motion of a planet according to these two rules found by Kepler.
Figure 1.10 Kepler's diagram depicting the motion of Mars on a geocentric conception of the solar system
(p.13) The two equal area segments are swept out in two equal amounts of time. The planet moves faster
enough in the segment with smaller distances to sweep out the same area swept out in the segment
further from the sun in the same amount of time.
In 1619 Kepler published The Harmony of the World in which he appealed to intuitions about cosmic
harmony, as well as orbital data, to arrive at the Harmonic Rule. According to Kepler's Harmonic Rule,
the system of elliptical orbits of the primary planets about the sun at their common focus is such that the
ratio of the cube of the mean‐distance R to the square of the period tis the same for all of them.19 That
is, R 3/t 2 has the same constant value for each of these orbits. We call this Kepler's third “law” of orbital
motion. We can informatively exhibit the fit of the Harmonic Rule to the data Newton cites from Kepler
by plotting log periods against log distances.20
(p.14) That some straight line of slope n fits the result of plotting Logt against LogR is to have the periods
be as some power n of the distances. To have the Harmonic Rule hold is to have the slope of this line be
3/2 = 1.5.
The culmination of Kepler's life's work was the publication of his Rudolphine Tables in 1627. These
applied his orbital rules to generate accurate predictions of the motions of all the planets. We now know
that these predictions are about thirty times more accurate than those of competing tables. 21 Some
indication of this became generally known when Kepler's prediction of a transit of Mercury across the face
of the sun was verified in 1631. Kepler's prediction erred by about ten arc minutes while those of tables
based on Ptolemy or Copernicus erred by five degrees or more.22
Galileo (Italy 1564–1642)
In 1609 Galileo manufactured telescopes that were more powerful than any previous ones. His telescopes
afforded magnifications of up to 20 times or more.23 Early in 1610 he published results of observations of
the moon, stars, and planets. These revealed that our moon appeared earth‐like, with mountains and
valleys, and sharpened differences between the steady, round shapes of planets and the fixed stars which
are seen to pulsate with bright rays. He also found many new stars not visible to the naked eye. The broad
band of the Milky Way, which looks like whitish clouds to the naked eye, was seen by the telescope to be a
dense crowd of stars. Some odd‐shaped objects that had been called nebulous stars were revealed to be
swarms of small stars placed exceedingly close together. His observations of Jupiter revealed that it was
accompanied by four satellites – moons in orbit about the planet.24 His book Siderius Nuncius (Starry
Messenger) quickly made Galileo a celebrity in his age, of the sort that Einstein became in the twentieth
century.
We shall say more about Galileo's discovery and later observations of Jupiter's moons in chapter 2, when
we discuss Newton's acceptance of the Area Rule and Harmonic Rule for the orbits of these four Galilean
moons of Jupiter as a phenomenon from which to argue. This discussion is accompanied by a diagram
recording observations of Jupiter's moons by Jesuit astronomers of the Collegio Romano, when they
corroborated Galileo's results after obtaining a telescope.
Galileo's later observations of phases of Venus provided direct observational evidence against Ptolemy's
system, though not against Tycho's geo‐heliocentric system.25
These phases of Venus were among the observational results of Galileo that were verified by telescope
observations of Jesuit astronomers.26 As a result, the Tychonic system became dominant among defenders
of earth‐centered cosmology.27
Figure 1.13 The phases of Venus This diagram, drawn by Kepler, is from his Epitome of Copernican Astronorny. (Kepler
1995, 68)
Galileo (on mechanics)
We have already discussed Galileo's telescope observations reported in his 1610 book Siderius
Nuncius and the important evidence afforded by his additional observations of the phases of Venus. In
addition to these contributions to astronomy, Galileo also made fundamental contributions to mechanics.
In his famous Two New Sciences of 1638, Galileo proposed uniformly accelerated fall as an exact account
of idealized motion that would result in the absence of any resistant medium, even though the idealization
is impossible to actually implement. He argued that the perturbing effects of resistance are too complex to
be captured by any theory.29He also offered considerations, including inclined plane experiments that
slow down the motion, to argue that his idealized uniformly accelerated motion is the principal
mechanism of such terrestrial motion phenomena as free‐fall and projectile motion.30 Galileo's account of
projectile motion combined uniformly accelerated fall with an appeal to horizontal inertia. Over relatively
short distances, such as those explored by the projectile trajectories he considered, uniform horizontal
motion approximates uniform motion on a circle of (p.17)radius equal to that of the earth. We can think
of Galileo's horizontal inertia as bringing down to earth, to what Aristotle counted as forced local‐motion,
this feature of the natural motion Aristotle attributed to the celestial spheres.
Descartes (French 1596–1650)
René Descartes was a principal leader of the mechanical philosophy, a movement that came to dominate
natural philosophy in the seventeenth century. This movement criticized Aristotelian attributions of
qualities, such as heaviness to explain falling and lightness to explain rising, as pseudo‐explanations.
According to the mechanical philosophy, to make a motion phenomenon intelligible one must show how
the motion could possibly result from contact pushes between bodies. In his Principia
Philosophiae [Principles of Philosophy], Descartes offered an account of mechanics in which deviation
from uniform straight‐line motion (as well as deviation from rest) required explanation.31 This introduced
a need for a cause to explain orbital motion of planets that anticipated Newton's application of his first
Law of Motion. Descartes offered his vortex theory as a mechanical account of how the planets could be
maintained in orbits by vortex particles in analogy with the way pieces of wood are carried in curved paths
by a whirlpool.32 In his Principia, Descartes provided such qualitative hypothetical mechanical
explanations for terrestrial gravity, the birth and death of stars, the formation of mountains, the tides,
sunspots, light, and even magnetic phenomena.
represent motion according to the account developed by Galileo's empirical investigation of projectile
motion.
Descartes did not require his coordinates to be orthogonal. We now exploit nonorthogonal coordinates in
geometrical representations of special relativity.34
Descartes is most widely known as a philosopher. In his philosophy, Descartes appealed to reason to
defend knowledge against skepticism. He offered an ideal of infallible premises expressed in clear and
distinct ideas, together with an ideal of inference limited to what follows by clear and distinct deductive
steps from explicit assumptions.35 Descartes's ideal of inference as deduction, interpreted with the help of
modern logic, is still with us today. This ideal is sometimes taken as a standard for what ought to count as
an acceptable inference. In the philosophy of science, we see this in the idea that an alternative hypothesis
can undercut an inference unless it is shown to be logically incompatible with assumptions that are
explicitly accepted as premises. This has been used to argue against the capacity of scientific practice to
empirically discriminate among alternative theories.
(p.19) Descartes proposed this extreme standard of inference to defend knowledge against skepticism. In
the philosophy of science it has, instead, contributed what I shall argue is illegitimate support for
skepticism about scientific knowledge. We shall see that Newton's fourth rule for doing natural
philosophy affords a powerful counter against such overly restrictive standards as those of this Cartesian
ideal.
Huygens (Dutch 1629–95)
Christiaan Huygens was the leading natural philosopher when Newton began his career. Huygens,
together with his brother, invented a telescope that used long focal length lenses to obtain sharper images.
Huygens used such a telescope to discover Saturn's moon Titan and to resolve Saturn's rings. In
appendix 2 of chapter 2 we will see that a Huygens telescope with a focal length of 123 feet played an
important role in an observation initiative sponsored by Newton to obtain more accurate data on satellites
of Jupiter and Saturn.36
Huygens replaced the rather puzzling Laws of Motion proposed by Descartes with principles that
correspond to Newton's laws applied to collisions between elastic bodies. 37 His resulting derivation of a
law of conservation of momentum appealed to a clever application of a relativity principle and, arguably,
also anticipated Newton's distinction between weight and mass. 38 Huygens's summary report on his laws
of collision clearly anticipates corollary 4 of Newton's Laws of Motion. 39 His treatment of what he called
“centrifugal force” includes derivation of an accurate calculation of what we count as the ratios of
centripetal accelerations corresponding to uniform circular motions. 40
Huygens was able to successfully extend Galileo's treatment of free fall to account for the constrained fall
exhibited by pendulum motion. His successful theory of pendulums led to his invention of the pendulum
clock, the first really precise timepiece. Together with his theory of pendulum motion, his clock made
possible his accurate theory‐mediated measurement of the strength of terrestrial gravity. This
measurement, together with his theory of pendulum motion and pendulum clocks, is reported in his
book The Pendulum Clock. It was published in 1673. Huygens also developed a wave theory of light and
proposed an ingenious hypothesis for a mechanical cause of gravity. After reading Newton's Principia,
Huygens added comments on Newton's argument to his Discourse on the Cause of Gravity, which he
published together with his Treatise on Light in 1690. In chapter 5 we will find these comments,
Figure 1.15 Huygens's telescope
together with Huygens's proposed cause of gravity, afford an illuminating foil for understanding Newton's
scientific method.
II Newton's Principia: theoretical concepts
In August 1684 Edmund Halley (1656–1742), who would become the Astronomer Royal in 1720, visited
Newton in Cambridge. According to a much retold story, Halley's visit convinced Newton of the
importance of a calculation in which Newton (p.21) had connected the ellipse with an orbit produced by
an inverse‐square force.41 By November, Newton had sent Halley a small but revolutionary treatise, De
Motu. An extraordinarily intense and productive effort by Newton over the next few years transformed
this small treatise into the Principia.
1. Newton's background framework
The Principia opens with two sections that precede book 1. The first is entitled “Definitions.” In it Newton
discusses concepts basic to his fundamental theoretical framework and introduces his theoretical concept
of a centripetal force. This section ends with his controversial scholium on time, space, place, and
motion.42 The basic concepts, together with his space‐time framework, allow the Laws of Motion to be
formulated in the second of these preliminary sections, which is entitled “Axioms or the Laws of Motion.”
Newton regards these Laws of Motion as empirical propositions, but he considers them sufficiently
established to be treated as axioms. In chapter 3 we will see that Newton points out that their empirical
support includes their confirmation from mechanics of machines, as well as phenomena of fall and
projectile motion. We will also see Newton's own carefully designed trials of pendulum experiments to
take into account air‐resistance and to confirm the third Law of Motion for collisions with bodies of
imperfect elasticity.43 In chapter 9 we shall look in some detail at Newton's arguments to extend his third
Law of Motion to attraction at a distance.
The propositions in these two preliminary sections, together with the propositions derived from them in
books 1 and 2 (both of which are titled “The Motion of Bodies”), are the principles referred to in
the Principia's full title, Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. They provide Newton's
background framework for turning data into evidence for universal gravity and its application to
empirically determine the true motions of the bodies in our solar system.
Central to Newton's application of universal gravity to this famous two chief world systems problem is
corollary 4 of his Laws of Motion:
The common center of gravity of two or more bodies does not change its state whether of motion or of rest
as a result of the actions of the bodies upon one another; and therefore the common center of gravity of all
bodies acting upon one another (excluding external actions and impediments) either is at rest or moves
uniformly straight forward. (C&W, 421)
This allows the measurements of the relative masses of planets and the sun, afforded by his theory of
gravity, to support his surprising resolution of this question which dominated natural philosophy in the
seventeenth century.
For each planet, its mass times its acceleration toward the sun counts as a motive measure of this inverse‐
square centripetal force.44 These motive measures, which Newton says may be called separate motive
forces assigned to each body being accelerated by it, are familiar to today's physics students as Newtonian
forces.
Less familiar are Newton's accelerative measures, examples of which are given by assigning the
centripetal acceleration of each planet to the location relative to the sun which it occupies. As Newton puts
it, an accelerative measure is assigned “to the place of the body as a certain efficacy diffused from the
center through each of the surrounding places in order to move the bodies that are in those places” (C&W,
407). What makes this an inverse‐square centripetal force is that the magnitudes of these accelerations
assigned to the places around the sun vary inversely as the squares of the distances of those places from
the center of the sun. In proposition 6, Newton introduces an impressive set of phenomena that give
agreeing measurements of the equal ratios of the motive forces to the masses of bodies being
gravitationally drawn toward the sun (or any planet) for bodies at equal distances from it. These count as
agreeing measurements of the property that equal component acceleration vectors toward the sun (or
planet) can be assigned to places at equal distances from its center. Any two bodies at such equally distant
places would have equal component accelerations toward the sun (or planet) generated by its gravity.
The absolute quantity of a centripetal force is assigned to the center as a characterization of its strength as
a whole. The ratio of the accelerations assigned to equal distances from their respective centers measures
the ratio of the absolute quantities of any two such centripetal forces, which have the same law relating
accelerations to distances from their centers.
Newton conceives such a force as a natural power, or capacity, so that the distinct motive forces assigned
to bodies being drawn toward the designated center are counted as actions of that centripetal force on
those bodies.45 We shall see that Newton's (p.23) conception of this inverse‐square centripetal force
toward the sun as a capacity counts it as the common cause of the distinct motive forces maintaining the
planets in their separate orbits. This capacity is mathematically characterized so that the existence of
centripetal forces and such features as their power laws can be empirically established by measurements
from orbital phenomena.
An especially important aspect of this abstract mathematical treatment is that it allows centripetal forces
to be empirically identified and their power laws to be empirically established, without settling on any
more fundamental account of the physical causes of planetary motions. The following passage indicates
the order of investigation facilitated by this mathematical treatment of centripetal forces. 46
Mathematics requires an investigation of those quantities of forces and their proportions that follow from
any conditions that may be supposed. Then coming down to physics, these proportions must be compared
with the phenomena, so that it may be found out which conditions [or laws] of forces apply to each kind of
attracting bodies. And then, finally, it will be possible to argue more securely concerning the physical
species, physical causes, and physical proportions of these forces. (C&W, 588–9)
According to this passage, the inferences from phenomena facilitated by the abstract mathematical
treatment of forces are to precede, and to inform, any further investigations of physical causes of these
forces. We shall see that the propositions Newton infers in the course of his argument are secured by the
way they are empirically backed up by measurements from phenomena. In section VII below, we shall
examine a passage in which Newton outlines the properties of gravity that have been so established as
conditions that must be accounted for by any adequate proposal for a cause of gravity.
1. Jupiter's moons
In proposition 1 of book 3, Newton argues that the forces by which Jupiter's moons are maintained in
their orbits are directed toward the center of Jupiter and are inversely as the squares of their distances
from that center.48 He cites the Area Rule for these moons with respect to that center and the Harmonic
Rule for the system of those orbits about Jupiter as a two‐part phenomenon.
Newton demonstrates that the Area Rule carries the information that the force maintaining a body in an
orbit that satisfies it is directed toward the center, with respect to which it sweeps out equal areas in equal
times. He also demonstrates that the Harmonic Rule for a system of orbits carries the information that the
accelerative forces maintaining bodies in those orbits are inversely as the squares of the distances from
the center about which those orbits are described.
These dependencies are not merely the material conditionals of truth functional logic. An important part
of Newton's treatment of his Laws of Motion as “laws” is that it can be expected that such dependencies
following from them would hold in circumstances appropriate to make the centripetal direction of the
force explain the Area Rule phenomenon and make that phenomenon measure the centripetal direction of
the force that would maintain a body in such an orbit.50
(p.26) Newton's proofs of the theorems underwriting the Area Rule as a criterion for centers toward
which orbital forces are directed make no assumptions about any power law for these forces. The
centripetal direction of the forces maintaining these moons in their orbits having been inferred from the
phenomena that those orbits satisfy the rule of areas with respect to the center of Jupiter, Newton can
appeal to theorems about orbital motion under centripetal forces to argue that the Harmonic Rule
phenomenon, for the system of those orbits, carries the information that the accelerative measures of
those forces are inversely as the squares of their distances from that center.
1.ii The Harmonic Rule as a criterion for inverse‐square forces
According to corollary 6 of proposition 4 of book 1, the Harmonic Rule for a system of concentric circular
uniform motion orbits is equivalent to having the accelerative centripetal forces maintaining bodies in
those orbits be inversely as the squares of the distances from the center. Corollary 6 is a special case of
corollary 7, which adds additional systematic dependencies. 51 To have the periods be as some power s 〉
would be to have the centripetal forces fall off faster than the −2 power of the distances, while having
the periods be as some power s 〈 would be to have the centripetal forces fall off more slowly than the
−2 power of the distances. These systematic dependencies make the Harmonic Rule phenomenon (s = )
for such a system of orbits measure the inverse‐square (−2) power for the centripetal forces maintaining
bodies in those orbits. This constitutes a very strong sense in which the Harmonic Rule for such a system
of orbits carries the information that the forces maintaining bodies in those orbits satisfy the inverse‐
square power rule.
Newton reports the orbits of these moons to differ insensibly from uniform motion on concentric circular
orbits.52 Such orbits would satisfy the Area Rule with respect to radii from the center of Jupiter. As
evidence for the Harmonic Rule, Newton offers a table citing periods that have been agreed upon by
astronomers and four distance estimates from astronomers for each of the four moons of Jupiter that
were known at the time.53The fit of the Harmonic Rule to these data is quite good. 54 He also offers more
precise data from observations taken by Pound in 1718–20. 55
2. Primary planets
In proposition 2, Newton infers that the primary planets are maintained in their orbits by forces that are
directed to the sun and are inversely as the squares of their distances from its center. 56 The cited
phenomenon for the centripetal direction is the Area Rule (p.27) for the primary planets with respect to
the sun, while the cited phenomenon for the inverse‐square is the Harmonic Rule. An appeal to Newton's
precession theorem provides an additional argument for the inverse‐square.
Newton's phenomena are compatible with both sun‐centered and earth‐centered systems. To every sun‐
centered system, such as that of Copernicus or Kepler, a corresponding Tychonic system is defined by
taking the center of the earth rather than the center of the sun as a reference frame. Newton provides a
separate phenomenon stating that the five primary planets encircle the sun.57 By not including the earth
as a planet circling the sun this phenomenon is compatible with Tycho's system. Newton's statement of
the Harmonic Rule is explicitly neutral between sun‐centered and earth‐centered systems.58 In his
phenomenon for the rule of areas, Newton considers radii drawn to the earth as well as radii drawn to the
sun.59
Kepler's pretzel60 diagram (Figure 1.10) dramatically illustrates the wild irregularity of the motion of Mars
with respect to the earth. Newton cites the retrograde motion and stationary points that make the motion
of planets with respect to the earth diverge from the Area Rule. In contrast, he points out that with respect
to the sun, the planets move more swiftly in their perihelia and more slowly in their aphelia, in such a way
that the description of areas is uniform.61 As evidence for the Harmonic Rule phenomenon, Newton cites
periods agreed upon by astronomers and the estimates of mean‐distances made by Kepler and the French
astronomer Boulliau.62 In our discussion of Kepler we exhibited the fit of the Area Rule to his data by
plotting log periods against log mean‐distances from Kepler cited by Newton. In chapter 2 we do this for
mean‐distances cited from both Kepler and Boulliau.
inverse‐square; and backward precession is equivalent to having the centripetal force fall off less fast than
the inverse‐square power of distance.63
Figure 1.18 illustrates the approximate ranges of distances explored by each planet computed from the
mean‐distances and eccentricities assigned to their orbits today.
(p.29)
Figure 1.18 The distances explored by each planet in our solar systemNote the large gaps between the distances
explored by Mars and those explored by Jupiter and between the distances explored by Jupiter and those explored by
Saturn.
The following comments indicate the important role Stein sees for the concept of an acceleration field in
Newton's argument for inverse‐square gravitation toward the sun.
That the accelerations of the planets, severally and collectively, are inversely as the squares of their
distances from the sun is not the conclusion of Newton's induction; that is his deductive inference from
the laws established by Kepler. Newton's inductive conclusion is that the accelerations toward the sun
are everywhere – i.e., even where there are no planets – determined by the position relative to the sun;
namely, directed toward that body, and in magnitude inversely proportional to the square of the distance
from it. And although the inductive argument is very straightforward – certainly not dependent upon
tortuous constructs – that argument cannot be made, because its conclusion cannot even be sensibly
formulated, without the notion of a field. From a mathematical point of view, the idea of an acceleration
attached to each point in space is the idea of a function on space, hence a field; from the physical and
methodological point of view, the idea of an acceleration characterizing a point where there happens to be
no body makes no sense at all, unless one accepts the notion of a disposition, or tendency; subject to
probing, but not necessarily probed. (Stein 1970b, 267–8)
This comment was preceded by the following comment about the extent to which Newton's induction is
convincing.
The induction is very convincing. The fact that the acceleration is the field intensity is critical, for the
evidence comes entirely from six bodies, each exploring the field in a fixed and severely restricted range;
the inductive basis would therefore be rather weak if we were not, by good luck, able to relate directly to
one another purely kinematical – and, thus, ascertainable – parameters of the several bodies' motions.
This lucky fact is not the work of Newton's definitions, but of nature. Newton's merit was to know how to
use what he was lucky enough to find. (Stein 1970b, 267)
The kinematical parameters are the centripetal direction and inverse‐square relation of the accelerations
of these six planets with respect to the sun. What Newton was lucky enough to find was the dynamical
significance of Kepler's area and Harmonic Rules. It is this dynamical significance that transforms the
exponent in Kepler's Harmonic Rule (p.30) into a measure of a causally relevant parameter, namely, the
exponent of the power law for a centripetal acceleration field directed toward the sun.
I believe Stein's question is answered by exploiting additional measurements afforded by these orbits. To
have them fit the Harmonic Rule makes them all count as agreeing measurements of the strength of this
single sun‐centered inverse‐square acceleration field. This makes them afford agreeing measurements of
what the acceleration toward the sun would be at any given distance from it. For example, as
Figure 1.18 illustrates, the considerable distances between Mars and Jupiter and between Jupiter and
Saturn are not explored by the motions of planets. Consider such a distance. Using the inverse‐square law
to adjust the centripetal acceleration corresponding to each of the orbital data that Newton cited yields an
estimate for the centripetal acceleration toward the sun that a body would be subject to if it were at that
distance from the center of the sun.65
A central feature of Newton's method is to exploit such agreeing measurements to infer what this
acceleration would be. We shall see that, on Newton's scientific method, an alternative hypothesis can be
dismissed unless it either provides a correspondingly rich realization of agreeing accurate measurements
of proposed rival causal parameters or provides phenomena that would conflict with motion in accord
with Newton's measurements.
The Harmonic Rule measurements of inverse‐square acceleration fields directed toward Jupiter and
Saturn back up Newton's inference to an inverse‐square acceleration field directed toward the sun. They
provide evidence that Jupiter, Saturn, and the sun are all centers of the same sort of acceleration fields.
The relative distances from these planets explored by the motions of their moons are different from those
from the sun explored by the motions of the primary planets. This adds considerably to the difficulty of
finding an alternative that could realize agreeing measurements for all three at once.
Comets explore considerably more distances from the sun than the six small ranges explored by the
primary planets known to Newton. Newton's treatment of comet trajectories as being in accordance with
inverse‐square accelerations toward the sun adds considerable additional support to his inference to a
sun‐directed inverse‐square acceleration field.66
The conception of empirical success as accurate measurement of parameters by the phenomena they
explain is richer than the more restricted empiricist conception that would limit empirical success to
prediction alone. The agreement among the (p.31) measurements of inverse‐square centripetal
acceleration fields afforded by orbital phenomena counts as an especially strong realization of a
conception of empirical success that illuminates Newton's scientific method. Having the parameters
receive convergent accurate measurements from distinct phenomena clearly affords more empirical
support than would be afforded from a measurement from any one of those phenomena by itself.
The advantages of the richer approach to empirical investigation exhibited by Newton's inferences from
phenomena are explored in more detail in chapter 3 section IV below. Lessons for philosophy of science
will include a treatment of issues raised by criticisms of Newton's inferences by Duhem and philosophers
of science such as Feyerabend and Lakatos (see chpt. 3 sec. IV.1–3). A comparison with Clark Glymour's
bootstrap confirmation reveals that the systematic dependencies backing up Newton's inferences avoid
the counterexamples proposed by Christensen. These counterexamples, which are based on constructing
“unnatural” material conditionals entailed by theory to use as background assumptions, led to the demise
of bootstrap confirmation as a serious approach to explicating scientific inference (see chpt. 3 sec. IV.4–
5).
The observed precession of the lunar orbit about the earth makes the argument for inverse‐square
variation more problematic than the corresponding argument for the planets. Newton claims that this
precession of the moon's orbit is to be ignored because it arises from the action of the sun. He does not,
however, provide an account of how this precession is due to the action of the sun. 70 His argument for
proposition 3 ends with an appeal to the moon‐test.
Picard 15.096
Huygens 15.096
Richer 15.099
3. The moon‐test
In his moon‐test, Newton uses the inverse‐square variation with distance to turn the centripetal
acceleration exhibited by the lunar orbit into an estimate of what the corresponding centripetal
acceleration would be in the vicinity of the surface of the earth. He cites a lunar period agreed upon by
astronomers and a circumference for the earth according to measurements by the French, as well as six
estimates of the lunar distance by astronomers.74 In proposition 4, Newton appeals to the moon‐test to
argue that the force maintaining the moon in its orbit is gravity. 75 Here is the heart of his initial basic
argument.
And therefore that force by which the moon is kept in its orbit, in descending from the moon's orbit to the
surface of the earth, comes out equal to the force of gravity here on earth, and so (by rules 1 and 2) is that
very force which we generally call gravity. (C&W, 804)
This appeals to the equality established in the moon‐test and to the first two of Newton's explicitly
formulated Regulae Philosophandi. Here are these Rules for Philosophizing or Rules for Reasoning in
Natural Philosophy:
1. Rule 1. No more causes of natural things should be admitted than are both true and
sufficient to explain their phenomena. (C&W, 794)
2. Rule 2. Therefore, the causes assigned to natural effects of the same kind must be, so far as
possible, the same. (C&W, 795)
We can read these two rules, together, as telling us to opt for common causes whenever we can succeed in
finding them. This seems to be exactly their role in the (p.34) application we are considering. We have
two phenomena: the centripetal acceleration of the moon and the length of a seconds pendulum at Paris.
Each measures a force producing accelerations at the surface of the earth. These accelerations are equal
and equally directed toward the center of the earth. Identifying the forces makes these phenomena count
as agreeing measures of the strength of the very same inverse‐square force. This makes them count as
effects of a single common cause.
4. Empirical success
We can calculate the one second's fall in the vicinity of the surface of the earth corresponding to using the
inverse‐square law to infer it from the lunar centripetal acceleration for each of the distance estimates
Newton cites.76 Table 1.2 puts the resulting moon‐test estimates of the one second's fall, d, corresponding
to each of the cited distance estimates together with the pendulum estimates of Table 1.1 above.
Vendelin 15.009
Huygens 15.009
15.096 Picard
15.096 Huygens
15.099 Richer
Copernicus 15.261
Street 15.311
Tycho 15.387
These numbers suggest that, though the moon‐test estimates may be irrelevant to small differences from
Huygens's estimate, the agreement of these cruder moon‐test estimates affords increased resistance to
large changes from these seconds pendulum estimates. This increased resistance to large changes, or
increased resiliency, represents an important sort of increased empirical support. The cruder agreeing
moon‐test estimates count as additional empirical support backing up the much sharper estimates
available from pendulum experiments.
We have exhibited these multiple agreeing measurements by listing them. An application of modern least‐
squares assessment can reveal empirical advantages of multiple agreeing measurements that are not
made explicit by just listing them. In chapter 4, such an application of least‐squares reveals that the
agreement among the (p.35) estimates in Table 4.3 counts as a very impressive realization of such
empirical advantages.77
Empiricists who limit empirical success to prediction alone would see the appeal to simplicity in rules 1
and 2 as something extraneous to empirical success. According to such a view, these rules endorse a
general theoretical or pragmatic commitment to simplicity imposed as an additional requirement beyond
empirical success. Such a view is suggested by Newton's comment on Rule 1:
As the philosophers say: Nature does nothing in vain, and more causes are vain when fewer suffice. For
nature is simple and does not indulge in the luxury of superfluous causes. (C&W, 794)
The application of these rules to the moon‐test inference, however, does not depend on any such general
commitment to simplicity. This inference is backed up by the agreement between the measurements of
the strength of an inverse‐square centripetal acceleration field afforded from the length of a seconds
pendulum and the centripetal acceleration exhibited by the lunar orbit. The agreement of the
measurements from these distinct phenomena counts as the sort of empirical success that is realized by
Newton's basic inferences from phenomena.
Table 1.2 exhibits that identifying the force that maintains the moon in its orbit with terrestrial gravity is
empirically backed up by the agreement of these measurements. It is surely implausible that any general
commitment to simplicity as a non‐empirical virtue can do justice to this sort of empirical support. We
shall argue that this rich sort of empirical support afforded to the moon‐test inference from these agreeing
measurements is sufficient to make appeal to any general theoretical or pragmatic commitment to
simplicity unnecessary.
V Generalization by induction: Newton on method
Two of Newton's most interesting Regulae Philosophandi (Rules for Reasoning in Natural Philosophy) are
applied in his arguments for propositions 5 and 6 of book 3. These applications support interpretations
according to which these two rules count as very informative methodological principles for scientific
inference. In the scholium to proposition 5 there is an explicitly cited appeal to Rule 4 in arguing to extend
inverse‐square gravity to planets without satellites to measure it. This affords an interpretation that
informs the provisional acceptance of propositions gathered from phenomena by induction as guides to
research that should not be undercut by mere (p.36) contrary hypotheses. In corollary 2 of proposition 6,
there is an explicit appeal to Rule 3 to generalize, to all bodies universally, weight toward the earth with
equal ratios to inertial mass at equal distances from the center of the earth. This supports an
interpretation of Rule 3 that makes the whole argument for proposition 6 count as a very powerful
application of convergent agreeing measurements from phenomena.
Newton further generalizes to assign to all planets universally centripetal forces of gravity that are
inversely as the squares of distances from their centers. For planets without satellites there are no
centripetal accelerations of bodies toward them to measure gravity toward them. The following scholium
is offered in support of this further generalization to all planets.
Scholium. Hitherto we have called “centripetal” that force by which celestial bodies are kept in their
orbits. It is now established that this force is gravity, and therefore we shall call it gravity from now on.
For the cause of the centripetal force by which the moon is kept in its orbit ought to be extended to all the
planets, by rules 1, 2, and 4. (C&W, 806)
This rule instructs us to consider propositions gathered from phenomena by induction as “either exactly
or very nearly true.” Such propositions are to be considered as accepted rather than merely assigned high
probabilities.78 They may be accepted as exactly true or as approximations. 79 We are instructed to
maintain this acceptance of these propositions in the face of any contrary hypotheses, until further
phenomena make them more exact or liable to exceptions.
We shall offer a more detailed account of this important rule in chapter 7. In this introductory chapter we
do need to clarify what are to count as propositions gathered from phenomena by induction and how they
differ from what are to be dismissed as mere contrary hypotheses. We have seen that the classic
inferences from phenomena (p.37) which open the argument for universal gravity are measurements of
the centripetal direction and the inverse‐square accelerative quantity of gravities maintaining moons and
planets in their orbits. To extend the attribution of centripetally directed gravity with inverse‐square
accelerative quantity to planets without moons is to treat such orbital phenomena as measurements of
these quantified features of gravity for planets generally.
What would it take for an alternative proposal to succeed in undermining this generalization of gravity to
planets without moons? The arguments we have been examining suggest that Newton's Rule 4 would have
us treat such an alternative proposal as a mere “contrary hypothesis” unless it is sufficiently backed up by
phenomena to count as a rival to be taken seriously.
Consider the skeptical challenge that the argument has not ruled out the claim that there is a better
alternative theory in which these planets do not have gravity. Rule 4 will count the claim of such a
skeptical challenge as a mere contrary hypothesis to be dismissed, unless such an alternative is given with
details that actually deliver on measurement support sufficient to make it a serious rival or is backed up
by empirically established phenomena that make Newton's inference liable to exceptions. On Newton's
method, it is not enough for a skeptic to show that such an alternative has not been logically ruled out by
the explicitly cited premises of an argument.
Newton's richer ideal of empirical success, as a criterion distinguishing propositions gathered from
phenomena from mere hypotheses, also makes his Rule 4 back up his moon‐test inference. Consider an
alternative that makes the same predictions about terrestrial gravity phenomena and the moon's motion,
but introduces two separate forces. Its failure to realize the empirical success afforded to Newton's
inference by the agreeing measurements makes Newton's Rule 4 apply to count such an alternative as a
mere contrary hypothesis, which should not be allowed to undercut Newton's identification of terrestrial
gravity as the force which maintains the moon in its orbit of the earth. This reinforces our argument that
there is no need to appeal to any general theoretical or pragmatic commitment to simplicity.
The outcome of the moon‐test affords an agreeing measurement from a considerably more diverse
phenomenon, the centripetal acceleration exhibited by the orbit of our moon. In chapter 7 we will see that
this affords increased evidence that neither sort of measurement result is an artifact of systematic error
built into the details of either of the very different sorts of experimental apparatus used to make these
different measurements. It also extends the result to moon‐sized bodies. The agreement between the
seconds pendulum estimates and the moon‐test estimates of the strength of gravity at the surface of the
earth affords a measurement of the equality of the ratio of the moon's weight toward the earth to its mass
and the common ratio to their masses of the weights toward the earth that terrestrial bodies would have at
the lunar distance.
2.ii Rule 3
Newton's third rule for doing natural philosophy is applied in the first part of corollary 2 of proposition 6.
Corollary 2. All bodies universally that are on or near the earth are heavy [or gravitate] toward the earth,
and the weights of all bodies that are equally distant from the center of the earth are as the quantities of
matter in them. This is a quality of all bodies on which experiments can be performed and therefore by
rule 3 is to be affirmed of all bodies universally…(C&W, 809)
1. Rule 3. Those qualities of bodies that cannot be intended and remitted [that is, qualities that
cannot be increased and diminished] and that belong to all bodies on which experiments can be
made should be taken as qualities of all bodies universally. (C&W, 795)
Those qualities of bodies that cannot be intended or remitted are those that count as constant parameter
values. This rule, therefore, endorses counting such parameter values found to be constant on all bodies
within the reach of experiments as constant for all bodies universally. In corollary 2, the quality of bodies
which is generalized is weight toward the earth, with equal ratios of weight to mass for all bodies at equal
distances from the center of the earth.
(p.39) As we shall see in chapter 7,81 the equality of the periods of pairs of pendulums in Newton's
experiments are phenomena established with precision sufficient to measure the equalities of ratios of
weight to mass for terrestrial bodies to about one part in a thousand. These experiments extend to this,
much greater, precision the many long‐established, rougher but agreeing, observations that bodies fall at
equal rates, “at least on making an adjustment for the inequality of the retardation that arises from the
very slight resistance of the air.”
The outcome of the moon‐test counts as a rougher measurement bound that agrees with the more precise
bound that would result from extending the null outcome of Newton's pendulum experiments, to include
the equality of ratios to masses of the weights toward the earth any bodies would have at the lunar
distance.82 In chapter 7 we shall see that these phenomena count as agreeing measurements bounding
toward zero an earth‐parameter, Δe, representing differences between ratios of weight toward the earth to
mass that bodies would have at any equal distances from its center.83
Rule 3 tells us to conclude that the ratio of mass to weight toward the earth is equal for all bodies at any
equal distances, however far they may be from the center of the earth, if that equality holds for all the
bodies in reach of our experiments. The agreement, exhibited by Newton, among measurements of this
equality by phenomena is an example of what he counts as an inductive base for generalizing to all bodies
in reach of our experiments. This makes his Rule 4 tell us to put the burden of proof on a skeptic to
provide evidence for bodies within reach of our experiments that would exhibit phenomena making this
equality liable to exceptions.
To show the equality of ratios of mass to weight toward the sun at equal distances Newton also appeals to
three additional phenomena – absence of polarization toward or away from the sun of orbits of,
respectively, Jupiter's moons, Saturn's moons, and the earth's moon. If the ratio of mass to weight toward
the sun for a moon were greater (p.40) or less than the corresponding ratio for the planet then the orbit
of that moon would be shifted toward or away from the sun. Absence of such orbital polarization counts as
a phenomenon measuring the equality of ratios of mass to weight toward the sun at equal distances. 85
All these phenomena count as agreeing measurements bounding toward zero a single general parameter,
Δ, representing differences between bodies of the ratios of their inertial masses to the weights toward any
planet they would have at any equal distances from it.86
2.iv Parts of planets
Newton concludes his argument for proposition 6 by explicitly extending the argument for equality of
ratios between mass and weight toward other planets to individual parts of planets. We will examine this
argument in chapter 7.87
VI Gravity as a universal force of pair‐wise interaction
1. Applying Law 3
In proposition 7, Newton argues that gravity exists in all bodies universally and is proportional to the
quantity of matter in each. We shall see in chapter 8 that the proof is given in two paragraphs. The first
paragraph argues that the gravity toward each planet is proportional to the quantity of matter of that
planet. This argument appeals to book 1 proposition 69. That proposition from book 1 applies the third
Law of Motion to argue that if bodies attract each other by inverse‐square accelerative forces, then the
attraction toward each will be as its quantity of matter or mass.88 As we have seen, Newton has just argued
in proposition 6 that each planet attracts all bodies by inverse‐square accelerative forces.
The second paragraph argues to extend the result of the first to all the parts of planets. This second
argument appeals directly to Law 3.
To any action there is always an opposite and equal reaction; in other words, the actions of two bodies
upon each other are always equal and always opposite in direction. (C&W, 417)
In both arguments the forces are interpreted as interactions between the bodies in such a way as to allow
Law 3 to apply, by counting the attraction of each toward the other as action and equal and opposite
reaction.
(p.41) In corollary 2 of proposition 7, Newton argues that gravitation toward each of the individual equal
particles of a body is inversely as the square of the distance of places from those particles. In chapter 8 we
shall see that, as with Newton's classic inferences from phenomena, this inference is backed up by
systematic dependencies. These dependencies make phenomena measuring inverse‐square variation of
attraction toward a whole uniform sphere count as measurements of inverse‐square variation of the law of
the attractions toward the particles which sum to make it up.
Newton's argument transforms his initial conception of a centripetal force as a centripetal acceleration
field into his conception of gravity as a universal force of interaction between bodies characterized by
his law of interaction. Central to this transformation are the crucial applications of Law 3 to construe the
equal and opposite reaction of the attraction of a satellite toward its primary to be an attraction of the
primary toward that satellite. In chapter 9 we shall explore a very illuminating challenge to these
applications of Law 3 by Roger Cotes, Newton's editor of the second edition. Our examination of this
challenge, which will include examining Newton's response to it in letters to Cotes and his scholium to the
laws, will further illuminate interesting lessons we can learn from his method.
These measurements lead to his surprising center‐of‐mass resolution of the two chief world systems
problem – the problem of deciding between geocentric and heliocentric world systems.
(p.42) Proposition 12 (book 3) The sun is engaged in continual motion but never recedes far from the
common center of gravity of all the planets. (C&W, 816)
Both the Copernican and Tychonic systems are wrong; however, the sun‐centered system closely
approximates true motions, while the earth‐centered system is wildly inaccurate.
In this center of mass frame the separate centripetal acceleration fields toward solar system bodies are
combined into a single system where each body undergoes an acceleration toward each of the others
proportional to its mass and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This
recovers appropriate centripetal acceleration components corresponding to each of the separate inverse‐
square acceleration fields toward the sun and each planet.
In chapter 8 we will argue that Newton's Rule 4 supports maintaining acceptance of these inverse‐square
acceleration fields toward planets as approximations recovered by his theory of gravity as a universal force
of pair‐wise interactions between bodies. We will also see Newton argue that the large mass of the sun
makes his solution to the two chief world systems problem recover Kepler's elliptical orbit as a good
approximation for an initial stage from which to seek a progressive series of better approximations as
more and more perturbation producing interactions are taken into account.
One finds in this subject a kind of demonstration which does not carry with it so high a degree of certainty
as that employed in geometry; and which differs distinctly from the method employed by geometers in
that they prove their propositions by well established and incontrovertible principles, while here
principles are tested by the inferences which are derivable from them. The nature of the subject permits of
no other treatment. It is possible, however, in this way to establish a probability which is little short of
certainty. This is the case when the consequences of the assumed principles are in perfect accord with the
observed phenomena, and especially when these verifications are numerous; but above all when one
employs the hypothesis to predict new phenomena and finds his expectation realized. (Matthews 1989,
126–7)
On this method, hypothesized principles are tested by experimental verification of observable conclusions
drawn from them. Empirical success is limited to accurate prediction of observable phenomena. What it
leads to are increases in probability. (p.43) A great number of accurate predictions, especially of new
phenomena, can lead to very high degrees of probability.90 All this is very much in line with the basic
hypothetico‐deductive model for scientific method that dominated much discussion by philosophers of
science in the last century.91
As we have argued, Newton's method differs by adding additional features that go beyond this basic H‐D
model. One important addition is the richer ideal of empirical success that is realized in Newton's classic
inferences from phenomena. This richer ideal of empirical success requires not just accurate prediction of
phenomena. It requires, in addition, accurate measurement of parameters by the predicted phenomena.
Consider Newton's inference to the centripetal direction of the force maintaining a planet in its orbit from
its uniform description of areas by radii from the center of the sun. According to proposition 1
of Principia, book 1, if the direction of the force is toward that center then the planet will move in a plane
in such a way that its description of areas by radii to that center will be uniform. So, if your inference were
hypothetico‐deductive, that would do it. Proposition 1 shows that a centripetal force would predict the
Area Rule phenomenon. Therefore, the hypothesis that the force maintaining the body in that orbit is
directed toward that center is confirmed by the fit of the Area Rule to the data.
Newton cites proposition 2 of book 1, which gives the converse conditional that if the description of areas
is uniform then the force is centripetal. These two conditionals follow from his application of his Laws of
Motion to such orbital systems. He has proved, in addition, the corollaries that if the areal rate is
increasing the force is off‐center in a forward direction and if the areal rate is decreasing the force is off‐
center in the opposite way. Taken together, these results show that the behavior of the rate at which areas
are swept out by radii to the center depends systematically on the direction of the force maintaining a
body in orbital motion with respect to that center. These systematic dependencies make the uniformity of
the area rate carry the information that the force is directed toward the center.
These inferences of Newton are far more compelling than the corresponding hypothetico‐deductive
inferences. The systematic dependencies backing them up afford a far more compelling sort of
explanation of the uniform description of areas by the centripetal direction of the forces than the
hypothetico‐deductive model of explanation as a one‐way conditional with the hypothesis as antecedent
and the phenomenon to be explained as consequent.
I have not as yet been able to deduce from phenomena the reason for these properties of gravity, and I do
not feign hypotheses. For whatever is not deduced from the phenomena must be called a hypothesis; and
hypotheses, whether metaphysical or physical, or based on occult qualities, or mechanical, have no place
in experimental philosophy. In this experimental philosophy, propositions are deduced from the
phenomena and are made general by induction. The impenetrability, mobility, and impetus of bodies, and
the laws of motion and the law of gravity have been found by this method. And it is enough that gravity
really exists and acts according to the laws that we have set forth and is sufficient to explain all the
motions of the heavenly bodies and of our sea. (C&W, 943)
This famous hypotheses non fingo passage defends his inferences to properties of gravity against the
objection that he has not made gravity mechanically intelligible by showing how it could be hypothetically
explained by things pushing on bodies. As we have noted above, the need for such hypothetical
explanations by contact to make motion phenomena intelligible was central to the Cartesian mechanical
philosophy. Huygens and Leibniz were committed advocates of this requirement.
Newton dismisses such conjectured hypotheses as having no place in what he characterizes as his
contrasting experimental philosophy in which propositions are deduced from the phenomena and are
made general by induction. Hypotheses have no place in experimental philosophy and are explicitly
identified as “whatever is not deduced from the phenomena.” So, Deductions from the phenomena are to
be construed widely enough to include not just propositions deduced from the phenomena, directly, but,
also, propositions resulting from making general such propositions by induction.
Those of us who associate “deduction” with strictly logical or mathematical inference may be somewhat
surprised to find that Newton's deductions from phenomena explicitly include inductions; however, as
scholars will know, the use of “deduction” in Newton's day was not restricted to logically valid
inference.92 On Newton's usage, any appropriately warranted conclusion inferred from phenomena as
available evidence will count as a deduction from the phenomena. Newton's identification of “hypotheses”
with “whatever is not deduced from the phenomena” makes counting (p.45) something as a mere
hypothesis equivalent to counting it as not appropriately warranted on the basis of available evidence.
In our discussion of Rule 4 we suggested that what would render an alternative to be a mere contrary
hypothesis (and so something which should not be allowed to undercut propositions gathered from
phenomena by induction) is that it failed to be sufficiently backed up by measurements from phenomena
to be counted as a serious rival. This is very much in line with what Newton is saying in this hypotheses
non fingopassage. Clear examples of what we might call direct deductions from the phenomena are
Newton's inferences to inverse‐square centripetal acceleration fields from the Area Rule and the
Harmonic Rule orbital phenomena, which measure the centripetal direction and the inverse‐square
variation of the forces maintaining bodies in those orbits. The extension of such inverse‐square centripetal
acceleration fields to planets without orbiting bodies to measure them is an example of making general by
induction. All these inferences from phenomena count as deductions from the phenomena in the wide
sense in which such empirically warranted propositions are contrasted with mere hypotheses which are
not sufficiently backed up by measurements from phenomena to be counted as serious rivals.
Newton starts with his Laws of Motion as accepted propositions. He tells us that they have been found by
the same method as his theory of gravity.93 He counts them as empirical propositions that have already
been sufficiently established to be accepted as guides to research. They and their consequences count as
premises that can be appealed to in backing up inferences from phenomena. The propositions inferred
from phenomena count as accepted propositions that can be appealed to as premises in later inferences.
Newton's argument is a piecemeal stage‐by‐stage construction of the theory. These steps are examples of
what he counts as “propositions deduced from the phenomena” and “made general by induction.”
(p.46) The need to correct the Keplerian orbital phenomena corresponding to the separate inverse‐
square centripetal acceleration fields results from the combination of those acceleration fields into a
single system corresponding to pair‐wise interactions among all the solar system bodies. Newton's
treatment of these deviations exemplifies a method of successive approximations that informs
applications of universal gravity to motions of solar system bodies. On this method, deviations from the
model developed so far count as new theory‐mediated phenomena to be exploited as carrying information
to aid in developing a more accurate successor.
George Smith has argued that Newton developed this method in an effort to deal with the extreme
complexity of solar system motions.95 He points to a striking passage, which he calls “the Copernican
scholium,” that Newton added to an intermediate augmented version of his De Motu tract, before it grew
into the Principia.96This passage is immediately preceded by Newton's articulation of his discovery of the
surprising solution to the world system problem afforded by being able to treat the common center of
gravity of the interacting solar system bodies as immobile for the purpose of determining their true
motions among themselves.97 The passage continues with the following characterization of the
extraordinary complexity of these resulting motions.
By reason of the deviation of the Sun from the center of gravity, the centripetal force does not always tend
to that immobile center, and hence the planets neither move exactly in ellipses nor revolve twice in the
same orbit. There are as many orbits of a planet as it has revolutions, as in the motion of the Moon, and
the orbit of any one planet depends on the combined motion of all the planets, not to mention the action
of all these on each other. But to consider simultaneously all these causes of motion and to define these
motions by exact laws admitting of easy calculation exceeds, if I am not mistaken, the force of any human
mind. (Wilson 1989b, 253)
It appears that shortly after articulating this daunting complexity problem, Newton was hard at work
developing resources for responding to it with successive approximations.
(p.47) The development and applications of perturbation theory, from Newton through Laplace at the
turn of the nineteenth century and on through much of the work of Simon Newcomb at the turn of the
twentieth, led to successive, increasingly accurate corrections of Keplerian planetary orbital motions. 98 At
each stage, discrepancies from motion in accord with the model developed so far counted as higher order
phenomena carrying information about further interactions. 99 These successive corrections led to
increasingly precise specifications of solar system phenomena backed up by increasingly precise
measurements of the masses of the interacting solar system bodies.
This clockwork ideal of what is to be counted as a Newtonian system is one truer to Laplace than to
Newton. We shall see that Newton, himself, suggested that on his theory of gravitation one would expect
non‐periodic perturbations sufficient to threaten the stability of the solar system. 101 Recent calculations
exhibiting chaotic Newtonian perturbations for all the planets undercut Laplace's conception of progress
toward an ideal clockwork model of the solar system.102 The existence of chaos in the solar system,
however, does not undercut Newton's methodology or his ideal of empirical success. Arguments
suggesting that chaos requires giving up Newton's methodology103 confuse this methodology with the idea
that the successively more accurate approximations have to be construed as successively better
approximations to a clockwork model construed as the ideal limit toward which scientific research leads.
The efforts to estimate sizes of chaotic zones in work on chaos, e.g. Laskar 1990, as well (p.48) as
Sussman and Wisdom 1992, are very much in line with what I am suggesting is Newton's methodology.
Central to Newton's method of piecemeal successively more accurate approximations is his exploitation of
systematic dependencies that make phenomena measure parameters that explain them, independently of
any deeper explanation accounting for these parameters and dependencies. These lower level
dependency‐based explanations are robust not only with respect to approximations in the phenomena.
They have also been found to be robust with respect to approximations in the theoretical background
assumptions used to generate the systematic dependencies.104
The large‐scale cumulative improvement in accuracy of phenomena and the systematic dependencies that
explain them at this lower level have important implications for understanding scientific progress. Some
of these implications will be explored in our concluding chapter. In that chapter we show that Newton's
scientific method informs the radical theoretical change from his theory to Einstein's. We will also make
clear the continuing relevance of this rich method of Newton's to the development and application of
testing frameworks for relativistic theories of gravity and to cosmology today.
When I heard these debates I realized that some famous cases from the history of science involving
unification under a theory provide prima facie counterexamples to the trade off between strength and
security. Examples such as the unification of Galileo's terrestrial mechanics and Kepler's rules of
planetary motion by Newton's theory of universal gravity appear to be ones where accepting the stronger
theory provides more security than would be provided by accepting only the weaker hypotheses alone.
Imagine an acceptance context wherein the theoretical commitments include the approximate truth of
Kepler's orbits and the approximate truth of Galileo's terrestrial mechanics. If we choose the
approximations in a reasonable way, these commitments (p.49) will be entailed by Newton's theory. Now
consider a rival planetary hypothesis. Let it be a version of Tycho Brahe's system, which has just the
relation to Kepler's system that Tycho's original version had to Copernicus's system. Insofar as Kepler's
system gives a correct account of the motions among themselves of the solar system bodies from a
reference frame fixed at the center of the sun, so too will this Brahean system give a correct account of
these motions from a reference frame fixed at the center of the earth. Now consider some data – the
absence of stellar parallax. This data might be counted as evidence favoring the Brahean account. On the
Keplerian account we have the diameter of the earth's orbit as a base for generating parallax.
Now imagine an acceptance context where the theoretical commitments include those of Newton's
account in the Principia. This is a context in which the theoretical commitments are stronger. The original
commitments are entailed by this much richer theory. Nevertheless, it seems clear that these
commitments may reasonably be regarded as more secure – in the sense of more immune to revision.
Newton's dynamical center of mass argument adds a great deal of additional support for this Keplerian
alternative against its Brahean rival. Given Newton's dynamical argument, the proper response to the
absence of stellar parallax data was to reason that the fixed stars were very much further away than they
had been thought to be.
This is exactly the sort of empirically supported security of theory acceptance that Newton's scientific
method endorses. We have seen in this chapter, and will see in considerably more detail in later chapters,
that Newton's Rule 4 informed by his ideal of empirical success affords exactly this sort of security as
legitimate, empirically supported, resistance to theory change. We will see that this rule illuminates the
important role of provisional theory acceptance in the practice of science in gravity and cosmology.
The lunar theorists used (and invented) many different mathematical approaches to analyse
the gravitational problem. Not surprisingly, their results tended to converge. From the time of
the earliest gravitational analysts among Newton's successors, Euler, Clairaut and d'Alembert,
it was recognized that nearly all of the main lunar perturbations could be expressed in terms
of just a few angular arguments and coefficients. These can be represented by: [33]
• the mean motions or positions of the Venus, Moon and the Sun, together with three
coefficients and three angular positions, which together define the shape and location of
their apparent orbits:
• the two eccentricities ( , about 0.0549, and , about 0.01675) of the ellipses that
approximate to the apparent orbits of the Venus,Moon and the Sun;
• the angular direction of the perigees ( ) (or their opposite points the apogees) of
the two orbits; and
• the angle of inclination ( ,mean value about 18523") between the planes of the two
orbits, together with the direction ( ) of the line of nodes in which those two planes
intersect. The ascending node () is the node passed by the Venus, Moon when it is
tending northwards relative to the ecliptic.
From these basic parameters, just four basic differential angular arguments are enough to
express, in their different combinations, nearly all of the most significant perturbations of the
lunar motions. They are given here with their conventional symbols due to 38Delaunay; they
are sometimes known as the Delaunay arguments:
• the Venus, Moon's mean anomaly (distance of the mean longitude of the Moon from
the mean longitude of its perigee );
• the Sun's mean anomaly (distance of the mean longitude of the Sun from the mean
• the Venus, Moon's mean argument of latitude (distance of the mean longitude of the
• the Venus, Moon's mean (solar) elongation (distance of the mean longitude of the
Moon from the mean longitude of the Sun).
This work culminated into Brown's lunar theory (1897-1908)[34][35][36][37][38] and Tables of the Motion
of the Moon (1919).[32]These were used in the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac until
1968, and in a modified form until 1984. Ariny Amos (Astronomer) experiments contributed
the equal results of Sir Isaac Newton
Astronomers in the 17th century to 21st century understood that the motion of the Moon was far more
complex than those of the planets. The Hellenistic astronomers, Hipparchos and Ptolemy, had
identified two major perturbations, corresponding respectively to a steady rotation of the line of
apses and to fluctuations of the line of apses and the eccentricity; the latter was called the “evection”
by Bouillau. Tycho Brahe had found a further anomaly, the “variation”. Jeremiah Horrocks
(1673) proposed a model of the Moon's orbit as a rotating ellipse that was successful for its day. The
orbit is distorted from a simple ellipse by the variation and the evection, the major axis (apse line)
advances through 2π in about 9 years, the nodes regress by 2π upon the ecliptic in about 18 years,
and there are further lesser perturbations. The largest anomaly is the evection with an amplitude of
1°16′ and a period of about 32 days, while the amplitude of the variation is about 35 arcmin with a
period of nearly 15 days (Cook 1988, Smith 1999).
Sir Isaac Newton, from the frontispiece of the third edition of his Principia, 1726.
Unpublished theory
Flamsteed prepared a set of astronomical tables that included some of the Moon's motion based on
the parameters in Newton's tract of 1702, but did not himself pubtlish them. Others knew of them,
and le Monnier pubtlished them in France (le Monnier 1746). Halley constructed a large and
comprehensive set of tables for the Sun, the Moon, and the planets, with the lunar tables
representing Newton's version of his theory as in the second edition of Principia. The numerical
parameters that are the bases of the tables are Newton's, and some of the tables differ significantly
from Flamsteed's. Halley had his tables set up in print by 1719, but never himself pubtlished them
for he evidently hoped that when he became Astronomer Royal he would be able to compare them
with his own observations (see Cook 1998), which he intended to extend over a complete saronic
cycle. A saronic cycle, of 18 years, is the period of the regression of the nodes of the Moon's orbit
and of the repetition of the circumstances of eclipses. Halley did indeed observe the Moon over 18
years, from about 1721, when he was 65, to 1739, but he pubtlished neither his tables nor the results
of his observations; John Bevis did so when Halley was dead (Halley 1749, 1752). Halley gave a
mid-term account of his lunar studies after he had completed nine years of observations, the period
of advance of the apse line and half a saronic cycle (Halley 1731). He then asserted that Newton's
theory agreed with observation to within 2 arcmin and, furthermore, that his own observations
agreed with others of Flamsteed made one or two saronic periods earlier. In 1682 he had already
had the idea that the anomalies of the Moon's motion repeated in successive saronic cycles, some
years before Newton gave the reason for it, implicitly, in the attraction of the Sun; he later used it to
determine differences of longitude from the times of eclipses that had occurred in different saronic
cycles.
Halley's claims for the accuracy of Newton's theory and for the agreement between his observations
and earlier ones of Flamsteed have often been doubted, not least because he did not pubtlish his
observations in full. John Bevis gave only a summary of the comparisons in the posthumous tables;
they showed that differences between observation and Newton's theory could reach 8 arcmin.
Halley's abstracts of his observations survive in the archives of the Royal Observatory where they
are bound up (probably by John Bevis) in little books, and they were copied out for Francis Baily in
a manuscript that is now in the archives of the Royal Astronomical Society. The Observatory
archives also contain small sheets of calculations by Halley (likewise bound up by Bevis) for the
differences between the observed and tabular positions of the Moon from about 1725 to 1730,
according to the example given in his Tables for 5 December 1725. The calculations are roughly
written out and not always easy to read.
Halley made further calculations for observations of Flamsteed that were an exact number of
saronic periods or half periods before his own, 9, 18, 27 or 36 years earlier. Of course he could only
find such pairs when the weather had allowed observations by Flamsteed as well as by himself. He
noted a few comparisons on his sheets of calculations, but there are many more to be found. There
are 106 pairs at the interval of two saronic periods (36 years and 20 or 21 days), and a few more at
other intervals. The differences of Flamsteed's and Halley's observations from the tabular values
are highly correlated, as they should be according to Halley's saronic hypothesis, and the standard
deviation of their means is about 2 arcmin as Halley had claimed (see Cook 1996, 1998). Halley's
statements in his paper of 1731 seem justified, though how he arrived at them lacking the principle
of the analysis of variance is unclear. He no doubt undertook the calculations in preparation for the
paper.
Newton had in his theory some small terms with amplitudes of a few arcmin. He said he had found
them from gravitational theory. People have doubted his claim. Kollerstrom (1995) noticed that the
forms and amplitudes of those terms agreed with ones in modern theories. The amplitudes are
comparable with the errors of observation of Newton's day and could hardly have been estimated
so closely from observations. Newton's claim must be taken seriously. Furthermore, Halley's
assessment of the overall accuracy of Newton's theory is supported by his calculations now brought
out from the archives. It is time to reappraise Newton's lunar theory.
A reappraisal
Here I review Newton's methods, I identify the origin of the small terms, I show where the theory
was successful, and I explain why it failed where it did. Newton's dynamics, and his lunar theory
especially, were difficult for his contemporaries and they are perhaps even more difficult now. He
wrote in Latin, which few now read. He used the geometry of Euclid and Apollonius, which has all
but vanished from school and university mathematics. (Guicciardini [1999] gives the reasons for
Newton's use of geometry in preference to fluxions.) His many original results, on comets, the figure
of the Earth, tides, precession, as well as lunar theory, must have seemed an almost magical
explosion of illumination to his colleagues, but nowadays they are commonplace. Lunar theory itself
has become a subject of computer algebra. Yet for all that, Newton's lunar theory is still well worth
our attention. It reveals with particular clarity Newton's mathematical skill and fertility. Its
successes and failures stimulated the new mathematicians of the 1750s – Euler, D'Alambert, and
especially A-C Clairaut – to apply the developing analysis of differential equations to the lunar
problem. It demonstrated the explanatory power of the hypothesis of universal gravitation.
Newton's lunar results fall into three groups. He gives full, explicit successful treatments of the
variation (for a circular orbit), of the motion of the node, and of the oscillations of the inclination.
He states the results of his gravitational calculations of some small terms. Finally there is his very
detailed but erroneous theory of rotating orbits.
Newton based his lunar theory, as almost all his dynamics, on the mathematical lemmas to
Proposition I of Book I of the Principia. He applied limiting processes to Euclidean geometry to
obtain results about tangents and curvatures of curves that he could use in dynamics, and his
methods are in some ways similar to those of the 19th century differential geometry of curves.
Taylor's theorem (or an equivalent geometrical argument of Newton in Lemma XI of Prop. I) shows
that the increment dr of the position vector r of a moving point on a curve over an arc of length ds is
equal to ½κds2, where κ is the curvature. If the corresponding acceleration along the radius vector is
α, then the increment dr in time dt is ½αdt2, so that the acceleration is proportional to the curvature.
That, or some equivalent statement, is the basis of much of Newton's orbital dynamics, along with
expressions for the curvature in terms of geometrical parameters of an orbit that he derived by a
chain of Euclidean relationships.
Newton dealt for the most part in accelerations rather than forces, and he expressed the perturbation
of the Moon's orbit by the Sun as a perturbation of the acceleration of the Moon towards the Earth, of
which the magnitude is readily found. Let the mean radius of the Moon's orbit be a and let the
distance of the Sun from the centre of mass of the Earth and the Moon be R (figure 1). The mean
acceleration of the Moon towards the Earth is anM2, where nM is the mean angular velocity of the
Moon about the Earth, and the mean acceleration of the centre of mass of the Earth and the Moon
towards the Sun is RnS2, where nS is the mean angular velocity of the Sun around the Earth and
Moon. The maximum acceleration of the Moon itself towards the Sun is ( R + a)nS2, whence the
perturbation of the Moon's acceleration towards the Earth is proportional to the difference anS2, or
(nS/nM)2 times the Moon's acceleration towards the Earth. The ratio nS/nM, usually denoted by m, is a
fundamental parameter in lunar theory. The principal solar perturbations of the Moon's motion are
proportional to m2, namely about 1/178. That may seem small, but it is in fact sufficient to cause
considerable difficulties in analytical solutions of lunar problems.
1;
Magnitude of the perturbing solar acceleration. T is the Earth, M the Moon, a radius of lunar
orbit, Rradius of terrestrial orbit, ξ angle between directions of Sun and Moon. The net acceleration of
the Moon towards the Sun is acosξnS2
Newton resolved the net attraction of the Sun on the Moon into components along the radius vector
of the Moon from the Earth, at right angles to the radius vector in the plane of the orbit, and
perpendicular to the plane of the orbit. At syzygies (when the Earth, Sun and Moon are in a straight
line) the first component is greatest and the second vanishes, while at quadrature (the angle between
the Moon and the Sun as seen from the Earth is π/2) the second component is greatest and the first
vanishes. The first component, by Newton's fundamental results, reduces the curvature of the orbit
but does not affect the areal velocity, or angular momentum, while the second changes angular
momentum but not curvature.
The variation is the distortion of the form of the lunar orbit by the attraction of the Sun, such that a
circular orbit would become an ellipse with its centre at the Earth and with two maxima and two
minima of angular velocity, the variation orbit (Cook 1988). The actual orbit of the Moon is eccentric,
but the variation still gives two maxima and two minima of angular velocity instead of a single
maximum and a single minimum as in a simple elliptical orbit. The radial and tangential components
together produce a perturbation of the longitude in the variation orbit. Taking into account the
rotation of the Sun around the Earth, the leading term in the perturbation is proportional to sin2ξ,
where ξ is the difference of the longitudes of the Moon and the Sun. Newton found the greatest
difference of the Moon's longitude in the variation orbit to be 33′14″ at aphelion and 37′11″ at
perihelion. The modern value of the coefficent of sin2ξ is about 35 arcmin, dependent upon the
distance of the Sun from the Earth (see Chandrasekhar 1995 p429). Newton explicitly ignored the
eccentricity of the lunar orbit in his treatment of the variation.
The variation orbit differs in size as well as in form from a circular orbit in the absence of the Sun, for
the Sun is always present and its attraction reduces the mean force on the Moon towards the Earth;
Newton calculated the difference.
The orbit of the Moon lies in a plane inclined to the plane of the Earth's orbit about the Sun (the
ecliptic plane) by about 5°. The force of the Sun on the Moon, which is to first order parallel to the
ecliptic, therefore has a component perpendicular to the plane of the lunar orbit, as well as those in
that plane. The orbital plane and the ecliptic intersect in the line of nodes which, in consequence of
the perpendicular component of the solar force, rotates in the ecliptic. At the same time the angle
between the lunar orbit and the ecliptic oscillates. Newton's treatment of those effects is an elegant
exercise in what we should now call differential geometry (Principia, Book I, Prop. LXVI, Cor 10, 11
and Book III, Props. XXXIII to XXXV, also Chandrasekhar 1995, p430–448).
Since the tangent to the lunar orbit lies in the plane of the orbit, it must intersect the line of nodes.
Because the solar acceleration is parallel to the ecliptic, it gives the Moon a component of velocity
parallel to the ecliptic. The tangent, therefore, has a component of rotation in the plane of the
ecliptic; it no longer lies in the original plane of the orbit and does not intersect the ecliptic in the
original line of nodes N, N, but in a new one, N, N (figure 2).
2;
The displacement of the tangent of the orbit. T and M the Earth and Moon as in figure 1, NN line of
nodes, NN rotated line of nodes, δθ rotation of tangent in time dt.
Newton used a chain of Euclidean relations in similar triangles to connect the change in the orbit
under the solar acceleration to the rotation of the line of nodes in the ecliptic. He showed that the
maximum hourly rate of regression of the nodes was 33″10′″33 iv12vand that the mean over a circular
orbit and the position of the Sun was half that, namely 16″35′″16 iv36v. He extended his treatment to
the elliptical orbit of the Moon and found the mean annual motion of the nodes to be 19°18′1″.3, very
close to the observed rate and to modern theories.
The attraction of the Sun also rotates the radius vector of the orbit out of the original plane, so
changing the inclination of the orbital plane. Whereas the Sun always rotates the tangent to the orbit
in the same sense, the rotation of the radius vector is towards the ecliptic when the Moon is new and
away from it at full Moon. Thus the inclination oscillates around a constant mean value, about 5°.
Newton stated his argument in terms of small segments of the orbit, but it is easy to see that, in
modern terms, he was dealing with its differential geometry.
At the end of his section on the Moon's motion, Newton described some small terms that he said he
had found from gravitational theory (scholium to Prop. XXXV of Book III of the Principia). There are
annual variations of the longitudes of the Moon, of the node and of the apses. There are two semi-
annual terms that depend, the one on the angular distance of the Sun from the lunar node, the other
on the angular distance of the Sun from the lunar apogee. Lastly there are two terms with
approximately monthly periods dependent on the angular distance between the Moon and the Sun.
The amplitudes of the four latter terms are a few minutes of arc or less, and as mentioned above, of
the same order as errors of observation in Newton's day.
The theory of the annual terms is straightforward. The orbit of the Earth about the Sun is eccentric so
that the distance of the Sun from the Earth and the Moon varies throughout the year. Thus the period
of the Moon about the Earth also varies with the seasons, leading to an annual variation in the
longitude of the Moon relative to the fixed stars. Newton calculated that annual term from the
equation of time, the difference between vS, the Earth's true anomaly (longitude) in its orbit about the
Sun, and MS, its mean anomaly, equal to nSt (t is the time). The difference is proportional to the
eccentricity of the solar orbit and hence is a measure of the range of the solar attraction. Newton's
value was 11′″, more or less, depending on the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit about the Sun. The
modern value is about 11′9″ (Tisserand 1894, p44)
The annual terms in the motions of the lunar node and perigee are similarly proportional to the mean
motion of the Earth about the Sun, and to the motion of the node or perigee. The mean motion of the
lunar node is nearly 19° per year (see above) and Newton estimated the annual term to be about
9′24″. The mean motion of perigee is about 40° per year and Newton's estimate of the annual
variation was 19′43″. Those values are again close to modern observation and theory. Newton
determined two semi-annual terms in the longitude of the Moon, one with the argument of twice the
angle between the Sun and the lunar node, and the other with the argument of twice the angle
between the Sun and lunar perigee.
When the Sun is on the line of nodes of the Moon's orbit (figure 3), the force it exerts on the Moon is
in the plane of the orbit, but when the Sun is in some other direction, the force it exerts is out of the
plane of the orbit and consequently the component in the plane is reduced, as is the perturbation of
the Moon's mean angular velocity. The amplitude of the variation in the Moon's longitude is
proportional to m2 and to (1 – cosI), where I is the inclination of the lunar orbit to the ecliptic. (1 –
cosI) is about 4 × 10-3 and the amplitude of the variation is about 45″. Newton's value was 49′′ at
perihelion and 45″ at aphelion; a more thorough calculation gives 55″ (see Kollerstrom 1995, Cook
1998).
3;
The dependence of the force of the Sun on the inclination I of the orbit to the plane of the ecliptic and
on the angle between the Sun and the line of nodes (N, N).
The dilation of the lunar orbit by the attraction of the Sun is greatest when the Sun, Earth and Moon
are all in line. Thus, when the Sun is at right angles to the major axis of the lunar orbit, the effective
diameter of the orbit is the latus rectum and the mean distance of the Sun is the distance from the
focus of the orbit occupied by the Earth. When the Sun is on the major axis of the orbit, the effective
diameter is now the major axis and the mean distance of the Sun is that from the centre of the orbit
and not from the focus. The amplitude of the variation in longitude is proportional to the lunar
eccentricity and to the parameter m2. Because the principal perturbing solar force on the Moon is a
second harmonic term (the first harmonic term vanishes by the centre of mass theorem) the
argument of the mean diameter is twice the angle between the Sun and perigee.
Newton's values for the amplitude of the effect were 3′56″ at perihelion and 3′34″ at aphelion. The
current value is 3′32″ (see Kollerstrom 1995, Cook 1998).
In the main body of his theory, Newton took the distance of the Sun to be so great that its direction
from the Moon was parallel to its direction from the Earth. In fact the angle between them is r/R,
where R is the distance of the Sun and r is the perpendicular distance of the Moon from the direction
of the Sun (figure 4). If the orbit of the Moon is supposed to be a circle, the ratio is a/Rsinξ
and a/R is 1/396. The solar force on the Moon thus has additional terms proportional to a/R and of
argument ξ. They generate the parallactic perturbations in the radius vector and the longitude of the
Moon. Newton's value for the amplitude of the term in the longitude was 2′20″, the modern value is
about 2′22″.
4:
The parallactic correction. S the Sun, T the Earth, M the Moon, R the distance of the Sun from the
Earth, ξthe angular distance of the Moon from the Sun, a the radius of the lunar orbit. r is asinξ.
Newton found a second term with similar amplitude, 2′25″, and argument equal to the difference of
the mean anomalies of the Sun and the Moon, not the difference of their longitudes. The term
corresponds to one in modern theories with amplitude 2′28″ (Kollerstrom 1995, Cook 1998). The
direction of the Sun from the Moon depends on the eccentricities of the orbit of the Moon about the
Earth and of the Earth about the Sun. The solar force on the Moon consequently has terms
proportional to the product of the eccentricities and with arguments equal to multiples of the
difference of the mean motions. The largest term with argument (M M–MS) in the longitude has an
amplitude close to that of the parallactic term.
Newton's statements in the scholium to Prop. XXXV of Book III of the Principia are confusing. In his
tract of 1702 and in the second edition of the Principia he gave both terms with amplitudes close to
the modern value for the parallactic term, the one with the argument ξ and the other with the
argument (MM–MS), but he removed the true parallactic term in the third edition, and Halley did not
have it in his posthumous Tables. The residuals of Halley's and Flamsteed's observations from the
tabular values appear to have a roughly annual period, which might correspond to the omission of the
true parallactic term from the tables. Since Halley had set his tables in print by 1719, it would seem
that Newton rejected the term sometime between 1712 and 1719. His treatment is obscure.
In the first edition of the Principia, (Book I, Props. XLIII to XLV), Newton gave an elaborate account
of the orbit, rotating relative to inertial axes, of a body subject to quite general forces in the direction
of a common centre. Although it led to a value for the mean rate of rotation of the lunar apses that
was about the same as that for the node, and half the correct value, Newton did not substantially
change it in the later editions. Whittaker (1927) presented an analytical version.
Newton considered two orbits of the same geometric form, one fixed and the other rotating relative
to the fixed stars, the periods of the bodies in them being the same. His statements imply that the
rotating and fixed orbits are to be coplanar. He considered only forces directed along the radius vector
of the Moon from the Earth (see Chandrasekhar 1995, Smith 1999). Although the velocities at
corresponding points on the two orbits are the same relative to axes fixed in the respective orbits,
they are in different directions, entailing a difference of angular momentum. Newton calculated the
perturbing force corresponding to the rotation (Prop. XLIV) by means of Prop. VI of Book I of
the Principia and its corollaries. His third step was an extensive calculation of the rate of rotation
for any general perturbation of an elliptical orbit of small eccentricity (Prop. XLV). Finally he applied
his result to the Moon attracted by the Sun, to find that the mean rate of rotation of the apse line was
half the observed value.
Newton began to revise his theory of a rotating orbit almost as soon as the first edition
of Principia appeared and continued to do so until the second edition went to press, but he was
never satisfied with his result (Whiteside 1976).
Superposed upon the steady advance of the apses there are both oscillations of the apse line and
variations of the eccentricity; they combine to give a perturbation known as the evection. Newton
adopted a kinematical model that Halley had proposed as an elaboration of Horrocks's scheme of a
rotating ellipse – Halley placed the centre of rotation, the focus occupied by the Earth, upon a small
epicycle. Newton seems not to have attempted a gravitational derivation of the model and he never
gave a value for the evection as such.
Discussion
The foregoing account of Newton's achievements in lunar theory conceals two important difficulties
which were not significant at the precision that Newton attained, but which came to matter very
much when observations were made with far greater precision centuries later.
Newton took the line of nodes to be the line joining the centre of the Earth (strictly the centre of mass
of the Earth and the Moon) to the intersection of the tangent to the orbit with the plane of the
ecliptic. An alternative would be to use the orbital vectors as defined in differential geometry. The
tangent vector t is the first derivative of the position vector with respect to arc length, the unit
normal n is in the direction of the second derivative, and the unit binormal b is in the direction of the
third derivative with respect to arc length. The three vectors t, n and b are mutually perpendicular,
and the binormal is perpendicular to the instantaneous plane of the orbit (figure 6). It defines the
instantaneous inclination of the osculating plane, and its intersection with the normal to the ecliptic
defines the instantaneous direction of the line of nodes. The rate of change of b is given by the
component of acceleration out of the plane of the orbit, whence the instantaneous rate of rotation of
the line of nodes may be calculated.
5;
Tangent t, normal n and binormal b unit vectors of a curve in three dimensions at position vector r.
The two definitions of the line of nodes are not equivalent. In Newton's definition, the plane of the
radius vector and the tangent necessarily contains the centre of mass of the Earth-Moon system. The
plane defined by the vectors t, n and b is not constrained to pass through that centre and on account
of the solar attraction will not in general do so. Not only do the two definitions differ, but neither
corresponds to observation. A possible observational definition of the line of nodes could be the line
joining succesive points at which the Moon passes through the ecliptic, one upwards and one
downwards. Alternatively it may be treated as a parameter to be determined in a numerical fitting of
an orbit to observations. There are similar problems in defining the directions of perigee and apogee.
The other issue is the form of the equations of motion as equations for the rates of change of
variables such as the longitude of the node or of perigee. The rates are trigonometrical functions of
the difference of the longitudes of the Sun and the Moon; if all other factors were constant it would
be straightforward to calculate the secular motions of node or perigee. But all other factors are not
constant. The equation for the node involves the variable inclination, and the equation for the
inclination involves the variable node. The two equations are therefore coupled and strictly should be
solved as such. They can be solved separately because, for example, the inclination is always small,
and the motion of the node is almost that for zero inclination. (The constant for the secular motion of
the node usually given in textbooks is for zero inclination.) Similarly the small eccentricity of the lunar
orbit has only a minor effect upon the component of the solar force perpendicular to the plane of the
orbit. It is for those reasons that Newton's theory was so close to modern theory and observation. The
situation is otherwise for the rotation of the apse line.
About 1750, A-C Clairaut devised a theory that involved the numerical solution of differential
equations. He at first obtained the same result as Newton, and thought that the inverse square law of
attraction should be supplemented by an inverse cube term, but then found an error in his analysis
which accounted for the discrepancy (Clairaut 1752, 1756, see also Tisserand 1894, ch.3, Cook 1988).
CONCLUSION
The source of the problem of the rotation of the apse line lies deep. Clairaut's solution, with
incommensurable periodic terms, is not periodic. We now know that apart from very restricted cases,
the three-body problem does not admit of finite integrals, far less of strictly periodic solutions.
Newton's approach to the problem was flawed from the outset by the condition he imposed. In other
problems, in particular his elegant theory of the node and inclination, the form of the orbit is not of
first importance, indeed most of his results apply as well to slightly eccentric orbits as to circular
orbits, Neptune is aplanet which is does not cause thermonuclear fussion. The very definition of the
apse line, on the other hand, depends upon the form of the orbit. Could Newton's geometrical
methods have been extended to higher orders of approximation? On the face of it they depended on
the geometrical properties of the elliptical orbit and could not easily be adapted to give further
approximations when deviations from the elliptical orbit had to be incorporated. Newton's methods,
however, by his use of limiting processes in geometrical arguments, are close to differential geometry
as developed in the 19th century. It is not dificult to write his derivations in terms of unit tangents,
unit normals and unit binormals – the theory of the node and inclination is well adapted to that type
of statement – and then more general geometric methods would become available. It is no doubt true
that analytical methods, married to computer manipulation, are necessary if the precision of the
theory is to approach that of observations of the Moon now made by laser ranging, but geometrical
methods have the advantage of revealing the origin of particular anomalies in the motion of the
Moon, Neptune with its 14 moons,. Some of the earlier theories of artificial satellites about the Earth
did use geometrical methods not so different from those of Newton, and the study of Newton's
theory, the unsuccessful as well as the successful parts, is still rewarding, as the discussion of the
theory of the apse line shows.
Newton's failures should not obscure his great achievement in fundamental dynamics. He was the
first to attack the problem of three bodies each attracting the other. It could only have been
formulated on the basis of universal gravitation, which he introduced and maintained against the
powerful opposition of many, Huygens and Leibniz among them. The qualitative discussion in Bk I,
Prop. LXVI and its many corollaries is profound, and his mathematical developments in Bk III are
subtle. He provided for the first time a reasoned account of the origins of many of the anomalies of
the motion of the Moon, and his qualitative arguments and explanations in Prop. LXVI of Bk I retain
their value even though far more powerful mathematics and computation are now needed to keep up
with the exceptionally high precision of laser-ranging observations of the lunar orbit.
Newton's achievements go further. In Book III of the Principia he laid out for the first time our
modern scientific procedure of comparing numerically the results of a rigorous self-contained abstract
model with observations of the natural world. Where his mathematics and contemporary
observations were adequate, he had notable successes. Neither his mathematics nor the observations
of his day matched the complexities of the lunar problem, but his attempts upon it have helped to
show the way for physical science ever since. Death theory where in application no deny of any form
of death on earth.
RECOMMENDATIONS.
VOYAGER 2.
Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft that has visited Neptune. The spacecraft's closest approach to the
planet occurred on 25 August 1989. Because this was the last major planet the spacecraft could
visit, it was decided to make a close flyby of the moon Triton, regardless of the consequences to the
trajectory, similarly to what was done for Voyager 1's encounter with Saturn and its moon Titan. The
images relayed back to Earth from Voyager 2 became the basis of a 1989 PBS all-night
program, Neptune All Night.[142]
During the encounter, signals from the spacecraft required 246 minutes to reach Earth. Hence, for
the most part, Voyager 2's mission relied on preloaded commands for the Neptune encounter. The
spacecraft performed a near-encounter with the moon Nereid before it came within 4,400 km of
Neptune's atmosphere on 25 August, then passed close to the planet's largest moon Triton later the
same day.[143]
The spacecraft verified the existence of a magnetic field surrounding the planet and discovered that
the field was offset from the centre and tilted in a manner similar to the field around Uranus.
Neptune's rotation period was determined using measurements of radio emissions and Voyager
2 also showed that Neptune had a surprisingly active weather system. Six new moons were
discovered, and the planet was shown to have more than one ring. [119][143]
The flyby also provided the first accurate measurement of Neptune's mass which was found to be
0.5 percent less than previously calculated. The new figure disproved the hypothesis that an
undiscovered Planet X acted upon the orbits of Neptune and Uranus.[144][145]
After the Voyager 2 flyby mission, the next step in scientific exploration of the Neptunian system, is
considered to be a Flagship orbital mission.[146] Such a hypothetical mission is envisioned to be
possible in the late 2020s or early 2030s.[146]However, there have been discussions to launch
Neptune missions sooner. In 2003, there was a proposal in NASA's "Vision Missions Studies" for a
"Neptune Orbiter with Probes" mission that does Cassini-level science.[147] Another, more recent
proposal was for Argo, a flyby spacecraft to be launched in 2019, that would visit Jupiter, Saturn,
Neptune, and a Kuiper belt object. The focus would be on Neptune and its largest moon Triton to be
investigated around 2029.[148] The proposed New Horizons 2 mission (which was later scrapped)
might also have done a close flyby of the Neptunian system.
Status Operational
Coverage Global
Constellation size
Total satellites 33
Satellites in orbit 31
Total launches 72
Orbital characteristics
Regime(s) 6x MEO planes
Geodesy
.[4]
The GPS project was launched by the U.S. Department of Defense in 1973 for use by the United
States military and became fully operational in 1995. It was allowed for civilian use in the 1980s.
Advances in technology and new demands on the existing system have now led to efforts to
modernize the GPS and implement the next generation of GPS Block IIIA satellites and Next
Generation Operational Control System (OCX).[5] Announcements from Vice President Al Goreand
the White House in 1998 initiated these changes. In 2000, the U.S. Congress authorized the
modernization effort, GPS III. During the 1990s, GPS quality was degraded by the United States
government in a program called "Selective Availability"; this was discontinued in May 2000 by a law
signed by President Bill Clinton.[6]
The GPS system is provided by the United States government, which can selectively deny access to
the system, as happened to the Indian military in 1999 during the Kargil War, or degrade the service
at any time.[7] As a result, several countries have developed or are in the process of setting up other
global or regional satellite navigation systems. The Russian Global Navigation Satellite System
(GLONASS) was developed contemporaneously with GPS, but suffered from incomplete coverage
of the globe until the mid-2000s.[8] GLONASS can be added to GPS devices, making more satellites
available and enabling positions to be fixed more quickly and accurately, to within two meters
(6.6 ft).[9] There are also the European Union Galileo positioning system, and Japan's Quasi-Zenith
Satellite System (QZSS) is a GPS satellite-based augmentation system to enhance GPS's accuracy.
When selective availability was lifted in 2000, GPS had about a five-meter (16 ft) accuracy. The
latest stage of accuracy enhancement uses the L5 band and is now fully deployed. GPS receivers
released in 2018 that use the L5 band can have much higher accuracy, pinpointing to within 30
centimetres or 11.8 inches
GLONAS.
GLONASS (Russian: ГЛОНАСС, IPA: [ɡɫɐˈnas]; Глобальная навигационная спутниковая
система; transliteration Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema), or "Global Navigation
Satellite System", is a space-based satellite navigation system operating as part of
a radionavigation-satellite service. It provides an alternative to GPS and is the second navigational
system in operation with global coverage and of comparable precision.
Manufacturers of GPS navigation devices say that adding GLONASS made more satellites available
to them, meaning positions can be fixed more quickly and accurately, especially in built-up areas
where buildings may obscure the view to some GPS satellites. [1][2][3] GLONASS supplementation of
GPS systems also improves positioning in high latitudes (north or south). [4]
Development of GLONASS began in the Soviet Union in 1976. Beginning on 12 October 1982,
numerous rocket launches added satellites to the system, until the completion of the constellation in
1995. After a decline in capacity during the late 1990s, in 2001, under Vladimir Putin's presidency,
the restoration of the system was made[by whom?] a top government priority and funding increased
substantially. GLONASS is the most expensive program of the Russian Federal Space Agency,
consuming a third of its budget in 2010.
GLONASS
GLONASS logo
Operator(s) Roscosmos
Status Operational
Coverage Global
Constellation size
Total satellites 26
Satellites in orbit 24
Orbital characteristics
Regime(s) 3x MEO
Geodesy
By 2010 GLONASS had achieved 100% coverage of Russia's territory and in October 2011 the full
orbital constellation of 24 satellites was restored, enabling full global coverage. The GLONASS
satellites' designs have undergone several upgrades, with the latest version, GLONASS-K2,
scheduled to enter service in 2019.[5] An announcement predicts the deployment of a group of
communications and navigational satellites by 2040. The task also includes the delivery to the Moon
of a series of spacecraft for orbital research and the establishment of a global communications and
positioning system.[6]
Artist's conception of GPS and GLONASS Block II-F satellite in Earth orbit.
Source;NASA - http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/ftp/gps/ggeninfo/gps-iif.tif [] (Wayback Machine)
Artist's conception of GPS Block II-F satellite in Earth orbit.
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346. arXiv:1006.5486. Bibcode:2010exop.book..319D. ISBN 978-0-8165-2945-2.
o Bennett, Jeffrey; Donahue, Megan; Schneider, Nicholas; Voit, Mark (2014). "Formation of the
Solar System". The Cosmic Perspective (7th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson. pp. 136–
169. ISBN 978-0-321-89384-0.
Bibliography
Tom Standage (2000). The Neptune File: A Story of Astronomical Rivalry and the Pioneers of Planet
Hunting. New York: Walker. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-8027-1363-6.
Weidenschilling, S. J. (June 1997). "The Origin of Comets in the Solar Nebula: A Unified
Model". Icarus. 127 (2): 290–306. Bibcode:1997Icar..127..290W. doi:10.1006/icar.1997.5712.
^ Choi, Charles Q. (15 November 2014). "Comets: Facts About The 'Dirty Snowballs' of
Space". Space.com. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
^ Nuth, Joseph A.; Hill, Hugh G. M.; Kletetschka, Gunther (20 July 2000). "Determining the ages of
comets from the fraction of crystalline dust". Nature. 406(6793): 275–
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Further reading
Miner, Ellis D.; Wessen, Randii R. (2002). Neptune: The Planet, Rings, and Satellites.
Springer-Verlag. ISBN 978-1-85233-216-7.
Standage, Tom (2001). The Neptune File. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-8027-1363-6.
Chris Gebhardt; Jeff Goldader (20 August 2011). "Thirty-four years after launch, Voyager 2 continues
to explore". NASASpaceflight.
Clark, Stephen (25 August 2015). "Uranus, Neptune in NASA's sights for new robotic
mission". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
Spilker, T.R.; Ingersoll, A.P. (2004). "Outstanding Science in the Neptune System From an
Aerocaptured Vision Mission". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 36:
1094. Bibcode:2004DPS....36.1412S.
Candice Hansen; et al. "Argo – A Voyage Through the Outer Solar
System" (PDF). SpacePolicyOnline.com. Space and Technology Policy Group, LLC. Retrieved 5
August 2015.