History of Physics and Astronomy 1700-1999
History of Physics and Astronomy 1700-1999
(Taken from
1700-1782 / Bernouilli1701 / Newton's law of cooling
1704 / Newton's rings
1704 / Opticks first edition published - Newton
1705 / Electroscope – Haukesbee
1705 / Halley's comet – predicts return
1706-1790 / Franklin
1717 / Opticks published – Newton (date clash?)
1720 / Mercury thermometer – Fahrenheit (?1714)
1724 / Fahrenheit temperature scale
1724 / Supercooling of water - Gabriel Fahrenheit,
1728 / Aberration of light – Bradley
1728-1799 / James Black – fluid theory of heat
1730-1799 / Ingen Hauz
1731-1810 / Cavendish
1732-1811 / Maskelyne – astronomer royal
1733 / Electric charge - distinction between positive and negative - Charles du Fay
1735 / Cobalt discovered – Brandt
1736-1806 / Coulomb
1736-1819 / Watt
1737-1798 / Galvani
1738-1822 / Herschel
1740 / G – Chimborazo in the Andes - Bouguer
1740 / Positive and negative electricity - Franklin
1742 / Celsius scale of temperature
1744 / Gyroscope - Serson
1745 / Leyden jar for storage of static electric charge
1745-1827 / Volta
1746 / Angular momentum conservation
1749-1814 / Bramah
1750 / Inverse square law for magnetic fields – John Michell
1750 / Lightning experiments - Franklin
1752 / Gregorian calendar in Britain
1752 / Viscosity - Jean d'Alembert
1753 / Lightning conductor - Franklin
1753-1814 / Rumford
1755 / Island universes proposed - Kant
1756 / War – Seven years war began
1756-1827 / Chladni
1757 / Cook – voyage to Australia
1758 / Achromatic lens – Dolland
1759 / Quebec captured by Wolfe
1760 / Lambert's cosine law
1760 / Latent and specific heat - Black
1760 / Yard – standard version made – John Bird
1764 / Spinning Jenny – Hargreaves
1766 / Hydrogen – isolation by Cavendish
1766 / Inverse square law for force between electric charges – Joseph Priestley
1766-1832 / Leslie (Leslie's cube)
1766-1844 / Dalton
1767 / Nautical almanac
1768 / Royal Academy founded
1769 / Venus – transit of Venus observed
1769 / Watt patents the steam engine
1770 / Quadrant electrometer
1770 / Torsion balance
1770-1831 / Seebeck
1771 / Force between two charges (law proposed) (see 1766)
1773-1829 / Young
1774 / G – Schiehallion
1775-1836 / Ampere
1777 / Singing flame - Higgins
1777-1835 / Kater (Kater's compound pendulum)
1777-1855 / Gauss
1778-1829 / Davy
1779 / Friction law - Coulomb
1779-1869 / Roget
1781 / Messier's catalogue of nebulae
1781 / Uranus discovered – Herschel
1781-1848 / Stephenson
1782 / Double acting steam engine
1782 / Sun's motion through space - William Herschel,
1783 / Hot air balloon - Montgolfier
1784 / Atwood's machine
1784 / Cepheid variable – delta Cephei – discovered - Goodricke
1784 / Magnetism – inverse square law
1785 / Horse power as a unit of power - Watt
1786 / Frogs legs - Galvani
1786-1853 / Arago
1787 / Charles' Law
1787-1826 / Fraunhofer
1787-1854 / Ohm
1788-1827 / Fresnel
1789 / French Revolution
1789 / Herchel's 49" reflector completed
1790 / Definition of metric system in France
1790-1845 / Daniell – Daniell cell
1791-1867 / Faraday
1792 / Prevost's theory of exchanges – heat
1794 / Colour blindness – Dalton
1796-1832 / Carnot
1798 / Canon boring experiments - Rumford
1798 / G - Cavendish experiment
1798 / Uranium discovered
1799 / Ice blocks rubbed together gives heat energy - Davy
1799 / Interference first mentioned by Young
1799 / Metre – standard version made
1799-1878 / Henry