John Michell
| The Reverend John Michell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
25 December 1724 Eakring, Nottinghamshire |
| Died | 29 April 1793 (aged 68) Thornhill, Yorkshire |
| Nationality | English |
| Fields | Physics, geology |
| Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Black holes, seismology, manufacture of magnets, mass of the Earth |
John Michell (/ˈmɪtʃəl/; 25 December 1724 – 29 April 1793) was an English clergyman and natural philosopher who provided pioneering insights in a wide range of scientific fields, including astronomy, geology, optics, and gravitation. Considered "one of the greatest unsung scientists of all time", he was the first person known to propose the existence of black holes in publication, the first to suggest that earthquakes travel in waves, the first to explain how to manufacture artificial magnets, and the first to apply statistics to the study of the cosmos, recognizing that double stars were a product of mutual gravitation. He also invented an apparatus to measure the mass of the Earth. He has been called both the father of seismology and the father of magnetometry.
According to one source, "a few specifics of Michell's work really do sound like they are ripped from the pages of a twentieth century astronomy textbook." The American Physical Society (APS) has described Michell as being "so far ahead of his scientific contemporaries that his ideas languished in obscurity, until they were re-invented more than a century later." The APS states that while "he was one of the most brilliant and original scientists of his time, Michell remains virtually unknown today, in part because he did little to develop and promote his own path-breaking ideas."
John Michell was born in 1724 in Eakring, in Nottinghamshire, the son of Gilbert Michell, a priest, and Obedience Gerrard. Gilbert was the son of William Michell and Mary Taylor of Kenwyn, Cornwall; Obedience was the daughter of Ralph and Hannah Gerrard of London. He was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge, and later became a Fellow of Queens'. He obtained his M.A. degree in 1752 and B.D. degree in 1761. He was Tutor of the College from 1751 to 1763 ; Praelector in Arithmetic in 1751; Censor in Theology in 1752; Praelector in Geometry in 1753 ; Praelector in Greek in 1755 and 1759; Senior Bursar in 1756; Praelector in Hebrew in 1759 and 1762 ; Censor in Philosophy and Examiner in 1760. "He was nominated Rector of St Botolph's, Cambridge, on 28th March 1760, and held this living until June 1763." From 1762 to 1764, he held the Woodwardian Chair of Geology till he was obliged to relinquish it on his marriage.
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