Pioneers of Science


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(4.5 stars; 92 reviews)

This book takes its origin in a course of lectures on the history and progress of Astronomy arranged for Sir Oliver Lodge in the year 1887. The first part of this book is devoted to the biographies and discoveries of well known astronomers like Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo and Newton. In the second part, the biographies take a back seat, while scientific discoveries are discussed more extensively, like the discovery of Asteroids and Neptune, a treatise on the tides and others. (Summary by Availle)

Chapters

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Preface 2:24 Read by Availle
Lecture I: Copernicus and the Motion of the Earth 41:43 Read by Kathleen Nelson
Lecture II: Tycho Brahe and the Earliest Observatory 32:12 Read by James Christopher
Lecture III: Kepler and the Laws of Planetary Motion 51:15 Read by Utek
Lecture IV: Galileo and the Invention of the Telescope 40:22 Read by Megan Argo
Lecture V: Galileo and the Inquisition 41:51 Read by Megan Argo
Lecture VI: Descartes and his Theory of Vortices 46:41 Read by Availle
Lecture VII: Sir Isaac Newton 38:15 Read by Amy Gramour
Lecture VIII: Newton and the Law of Gravitation 37:26 Read by Edward W. LaBonte
Lecture IX: Newton's "Principia" 55:27 Read by John Kooz
Lecture X: Roemer and Bradley and the Velocity of Light 39:09 Read by Mark F. Smith
Lecture XI: Lagrange and Laplace - The Stability of the Solar System, and the Nebular Hypothesis 33:07 Read by Michael Lipschultz
Lecture XII: Herschel and the Motion of the Fixed Stars 32:14 Read by Kathleen Nelson
Lecture XIII: The Discovery of the Asteriods 16:15 Read by Ali Kazerani
Lecture XIV: Bessel - The Distance of the Stars, and the Discovery of Stellar Planets 29:08 Read by Availle
Lecture XV: The Discovery of Neptune 23:27 Read by Ali Kazerani
Lecture XVI: Comets and Meteors 34:02 Read by John Kooz
Lecture XVII: The Tides 37:42 Read by J. M. Smallheer
Lecture XVIII: The Tides, and Planetary Evolution 41:37 Read by Simon Dexter

Reviews

pioneers of science


(5 stars)

this is the man who invented radio, he was sending signals in Liverpool well before marconi , incidently Marconi had to buy the patent for tuning a radio off Oliver lodge.

Great lecture series!


(4 stars)

Fascinating look at the state of the art of astronomy in the late 1800s. This is of course pre relativity, pre plate tectonics, pre radio telescopes, etc. The reading and audio quality are generally very good.


(5 stars)

Very interesting, thorough presentationbof both historical and scientific facts! I recommend to listen this all the way through.


(4 stars)

truly worth the listen so much to learn

interesting overview & most readers are very good


(4 stars)