Early Modern (15th-18th Century)

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Ampère, André Marie (1775-1836):
Ampère, a teacher at Paris, has his permanent place in the history of science because it was his name that was given to the unit by which we measure electrical current. He had, of course, an interest in electricity; in addition, Ampère made similar investigations as did Avogadro into the nature of matter in its gaseous state.
Alfven, Hannes Olof Gosta (1908- ):
What I know of Alfven is that he was born in Sweden in 1908; and, while at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, in 1970, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics "for fundamental work and discoveries in magneto-hydrodynamics with fruitful applications in different parts of plasma physics." I first bumped into Alfven when I picked up a small paperback book of his, which I very much enjoyed, Atom, Man, and the Universe, The Long Chain of Complications (San Francisco: Freeman, 1969). It was written simply and plainly for a general audience, and enables us "to view ourselves both as a part of the atomic microcosm and as part of the universe that dwarfs us."

Sir Thomas Browne was born in London on October 19, 1605, educated at Winchester and Oxford, and trained for the practise of medicine. After traveling on the Continent he finally settled as a physician in Norwich, and enjoyed a distinguished professional reputation. Later he became equally famous as a scholar and antiquary, and was knighted by Charles II on the occasion of the King's visit to Norwich in 1671. In 1641 he married, and he was survived by four of his ten children. He died on his seventy-seventh birthday.

From the ancient classics to the masterpieces of the 20th century, the Great Books are all the introduction you’ll ever need to the ideas, stories and discoveries that have shaped modern civilization.

PART ONE: THE GENERAL STRUCTURE OF KANT'S SYSTEM
I. Introductory Guidelines for Interpretation
1. The Systematic Character of Kant's Philosophy
2. Models and Metaphors in Systematic Thinking
3. Kant's Preference for Geometrical Metaphors
4. The Scope of This Study

Cambridge mineralogist, moral philosopher, mystic, educator and polymath. As one contemporary put it, "science is his forte, omniscience is his foible". Although a close friend of the English historicist Richard Jones, William Whewell nonetheless set himself the task of translating a lot of given economic theory into mathematics (1829, 1830, 1850) -- an endeavor that was not warmly welcomed by many contemporaries. However, he did support Jones's inductive methodology in principle. His attempts to fit mathematical demand curves to data and his derivation of an equilibrium in trade in a 1850 article have led some to consider him a proto-Marginalist.

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
ASTRONOMY and ASTROPHYSICS LIBRARY
Women in Astronomy
Those interested in the topic of women on astronomy will find here a list of references that bear mostly on this subject and on that of women computers in astronomy, though it touches also on the presence and role of women in associated scientific fields, such as physics. The mention of some works also reflect my interest in Martha Betz Shapley. In some cases, only short passages in the works referenced deal with women in astronomy, but they are usually worth digging up.

In April 2003 The National Archives was launched bringing together the Public Record Office and the Historical Manuscripts Commission. Over the next 12 months, the National Archives will combine the services and expertise of both the PRO and the HMC. See The National Archives website for further information.

HMC is the UK's central advisory body on archives and manuscripts relating to British history. Established in 1869 HMC is the principal source of information on the nature and location of records and the leading provider of advice on matters relating to them.

What is induction? John Stuart Mill (1874, p. 208) defined induction as the operation of discovering and proving general propositions. William Whewell (in Butts, 1989, p. 266) agrees with Mill’s definition as far as it goes. Is Whewell therefore assenting to the standard concept of induction, which talks of inferring a generalization of the form "All As are Bs" from the premise that "All observed As are Bs"? Does Whewell agree, to use Mill’s example, that inferring "All humans are mortal" from the premise that "John, Peter and Paul, etc., are mortal" is an example of induction? The surprising answer is "no". How can this be?

Technical innovations, a marked increase in written communication even outside monastery walls, attempts to reform the church, a first spread of humanistic thought, as well as new art forms were some of the positive developments of this time. On the negative side however horrible inquisition proceedings and many long-lasting wars were also part of the many contradictions of Johannes Gutenberg’s century.
Only when looking at it within the context of these changing times can Gutenberg’s invention be understood. The schedule of events of the 15th century presents an overview of the political and cultural developments of this era. Further information on the life and work of the inventor can then be found in a comprehensive summary of the most important dates and facts or in the detailed article on Gutenberg and his time

The year 2000 marks the 600th anniversary of the birth of Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of letterpress printing. He has recently been named "Man of the Millenium", a title well-deserved.
To celebrate this anniversary, the State and University Library of Lower Saxony is presenting its priceless vellum Gutenberg Bible along with many other examples of European letterpress printing in an exhibition in the Pauliner Kirche (the church of the former Dominican monastery that until 1811 served as the University Chapel) between 23 June and 29 October, 2000. Prior to the opening of this exhibition the Bible, which was printed in 1454, is made available to a broad international public on the Internet and as a CD-ROM.