Today in Technology History

(To receive "Today in Technology History"
by e-mail, click here. To read past issues click here.)

March 12

A multitalented British scientist who made important contributions to technology was born 212 years ago.

John Frederic Daniell was born in London on March 12, 1790. Since his father was a prominent lawyer (a "bencher of the Inner Temple"), Daniell was afforded an excellent classical education. He showed a proclivity for science -- its tools, methods and experiments -- and so as a young man was given a position in a relative's sugar-refining plant. By the time he left this first job after a few years, he had introduced several technical improvements in the refining process.

Click the image to see a picture of the hygrometer Daniell designed.

With a friend, Daniell then made several scientific trips through Europe; these trips resulted in papers in chemistry which were of sufficient quality and originality to attract significant attention. After his marriage in 1817, Daniell took a job with the Continental Gas Company, a British firm involved in the new gas lighting industry. Again he toured Europe, visiting French and German cities to suggest how they might best use gas illumination. He also developed a new process for generating gas from resin and turpentine.

In 1823 he published an immensely popular book of essays about weather; it was one of the first works of modern meteorology. Daniell invented a new hygrometer (a device for measuring humidity) and a new pyrometer (a thermometer used for measuring very high temperatures). Both these devices came into wide use. In a prize-winning essay for the Horticultural Society, he became the first person to point out that hothouses needed to be regulated with regard to moisture, not just temperature.

None of the aforementioned accomplishments approaches in importance Daniell's contribution to the study of electricity. We shall tell that story tomorrow.

To be continued...

 

| Biotechnology | Convergence | Creativity | Culture | E-conomics | Education |

| Equity | Gov't & Politics | Innovation | National Security | Personal Security |

For errors, broken links, questions or comments,
contact webmaster@tecsoc.org.