Remarkable people, radical ideas
Posted on 25 April 2008
The four often braved ridicule and imprisonment to fight for their ideas, and so changed the course of history.
It might seem impossible to establish the size of the earth by measuring the distance between the Tower of London and Clifford's Tower in York, but this is what Richard Norwood achieved. Between 1633 and 1635 he measured this distance between the two monuments partly with a chain and partly by pacing. From his calculations, he discovered the exact length of a degree and nautical mile, 150 years before the use of the theodolite. His findings were an important aid to navigation.
The scientific career of tenth-century Muslim scholar, Ibn Haitham, was a rollercoaster, during which he feigned madness, had his possessions confiscated, and was imprisoned. But his achievements were vast. A leader in the field of optics, he was the first scientist to describe accurately the various parts of the eye and give a scientific explanation of the process of vision, and he is known for the earliest use of the camera obscura. In developing the practice of testing a hypothesis by experiment, he was the founder of modern scientific methods.
Dora Montefiore was a woman ahead of her time. She began an unusual political journey when, newly widowed, she discovered she had no automatic rights of guardianship over her children. She became increasingly radical as she fought for the suffrage, for socialism and then communism and always for women’s rights. She was arrested with Adela Pankhurst and others in the lobby of the House of Commons in 1906 for demanding votes for women.
Oliver Heaviside (1850-1925) was a difficult and eccentric man who cared nothing for the opinions of others, and engaged in some notable arguments with other scientists of his day. His work, which contemporaries found almost impossible to understand, forms the basis of important areas of electrical engineering theory to this day.
"Relatively few historical figures who have played an important role in shaping the world of today are household names," said organiser Tony Tew. "This series plucks out four perhaps less well-known people, each great in their own way, and examines the very different reactions they received to their revolutionary ideas and principles."
Other public lectures taking place at the University include a talk: 'Symmetry: More than pretty pictures' which will explore how mathematical symmetry lies at the heart of our understanding of the world, and the racily titled 'Romeo and Juliet and sex' by Professor Stanley Wells from the University of Birmingham - "this talk promises to be lively, imaginative and entertaining," said lecture organiser, Dr John Roe.
Two events in May - a lecture and site visit - will explore the archaeology of the University's expansion site at Heslington East.
ENDS