Existing comment:
Portrait of Michelson:
In addition to his work with the speed of light, Michelson collaborated with Edward W Morley in a famous experiment to analyze the motion of the Earth relative to the ether, the medium in which light was believed to travel. The experiment could find no evidence of the ether, a finding that paved the way for the acceptance of Einstein's theory of relativity published in 1905.
Albert A. Michelson, USNA 1873
Nobel Prize in Physics:
"I doubt if any scientific man does his work to render distinguished service. I think he does it because it is good for him."
-- Albert A. Michelson, May 16, 1923
Born in Poland, Michelson's parents immigrated to the mining towns of California and Nevada. In 1869, President Ulysses S Grant awarded him a special appointment to the Naval Academy where Michelson excelled in the study of optics, heat, and drawing. Upon graduation, he spent two years at sea, returning to the Academy to teach chemistry and physics. It was at Annapolis that he began a life-long investigation into the speed of light. He resigned his commission in 1881 and spent a career in teaching and research at Case School of Applied Science, Clark University, and the University of Chicago. In 1907, Michelson became the first American to win a Noble Prize in Physics.
During World War I, Michelson resumed his connection with the Navy when he was recommissioned a lieutenant commander and served as a scientific consultant with the Bureau of Ordnance. In May 1919, Michelson was promoted to commander in the Naval Coast Defense Reserve. |