Category Archives: History of science

The Anniversary of the Laser at Cambridge University Press – Part 1!

Posted on April 28, 2020 by

On May 16, 1960, Theodore Maiman of Hughes Research Laboratories was the first person to create the now ubiquitous and important source of light that we know as the LASER – Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. This year … Continue reading →

Posted in History of science, Optics | Leave a comment

The first news report of the laser (1960)

Posted on April 18, 2020 by

So this year is the 60 year anniversary of the invention of the laser, which was finally accomplished by Theodore Maiman on May 16, 1960 (mark your calendar!).  I recently wrote a blog post about the physics and history of … Continue reading →

Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Optics | 2 Comments

Forgotten Milestones in the History of Optics: video!

Posted on March 29, 2020 by

Okay, here’s one more classic video from my regular seminar series: Forgotten Milestones in the History of Optics! This was one of the earliest semi-popular seminars I put together. More videos and posts to come!

Posted in History of science, Optics | 1 Comment

Ruby Payne-Scott and the mystery of sunspots

Posted on March 9, 2020 by

This post is in belated honor of International Women’s Day 2020, March 8th, and highlights an important woman physicist who I was unaware of until recently! I think almost everybody is familiar with the phenomenon of sunspots: relatively dark patches … Continue reading →

Posted in History of science, Physics, Women in science | Leave a comment

A few more Falling Felines bits of news!

Posted on January 8, 2020 by

If you’re still not tired of Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics news, yesterday was a good day for new posts, which I thought I’d compile here, along with some earlier stuff I forgot to share! The Curiosity Daily Podcast interviewed … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, History of science, Personal | Leave a comment

A decade of history of science!

Posted on December 31, 2019 by

I’ve picked up a significant number of new followers on the blog lately, and this combined with the wrap-up of the decade seems like a good time to share some of my favorite history of science posts of the past … Continue reading →

Posted in History of science, Personal, Physics | Leave a comment

A chat with H.G. Wells (1897)!

Posted on December 7, 2019 by

Now that Falling Felines is out, I’m doing research for my next popular science book, which I will talk more about soon! In the meantime, I will share interesting tidbits that I come across in my explorations, such as this … Continue reading →

Posted in History of science, Science fiction | 4 Comments