Notable people · Science
Albert A. Michelson
Prussian-born physicist; with Edward Morley he ran the 1887 null-result ether experiment in Cleveland while professor at Case School of Applied Science. First American Nobel laureate in science (1907).
At a glance
- Born
- 1852-12-19
- Died
- 1931-05-09
- Education
- U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, to 1873, BS
- University of Berlin, Berlin
- Ecole polytechnique, Paris
- Known as
- Science
- Organizations
- Case School of Applied Science
Life story
Albert Michelson was born in Strelno, Prussia, in 1852 and came to the US at two. He grew up in mining towns in California and Nevada, where his father was a merchant.
He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1873, studied in Berlin and Paris, and measured the speed of light with growing precision.
In 1883 he became professor of physics at Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland. There in 1887, with Edward Morley, he ran the experiment that found no sign of an ether wind.
He later worked at Clark University and the University of Chicago, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1907 as the first American to win a science Nobel, and died in Pasadena in 1931.
Timeline
- 1852-12-19: Born (Strelno, Prussia) source
- 1873: BS, U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD) source
- 1879: Measured the speed of light (Annapolis, MD) source
- 1883: Professor of physics, Case School (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1887: Michelson-Morley experiment with Edward Morley (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1890: Moved to Clark University (Worcester, MA) source
- 1892: Founded the University of Chicago physics department (Chicago, IL) source
- 1907: Nobel Prize in Physics (Stockholm) source
- 1931-05-09: Died (Pasadena, CA) source
What Albert is known for
- Michelson-Morley experiment April-July 1887, Cleveland
- Nobel Prize in Physics 1907, first American in a science
- Light Waves and Their Uses (1907)
- Michelson-Morley experiment (1887)
Honors and things named for them
- Nobel Prize in Physics (1907)
- Copley Medal
- Franklin Medal
- Rumford Prize
Family
- spouse: Margaret Hemingway
- spouse: Edna Stanton
Ohio places
Where Albert A. Michelson was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Worked: Cleveland (Case School of Applied Science), Cuyahoga County (10900 Euclid Ave (present Case Western campus)) ZIP 44106 · Cleveland · Cuyahoga County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Albert A. Michelson (Wikipedia) born Strelno Prussia, died Pasadena, Case from 1883, Nobel 1907