History and People

Who made the first star map? When did people know that the Earth was round? When were sunspots discovered? The links to the right will lead you to biographies of scientists who lived at different times through history. Discover the people who made science history!

<a href="/people/ancient_epoch/eratosthenes.html">Eratosthenes</a> was a Greek scientist who lived from 276 to 194 B.C. He studied astronomy, geography, and math. Eratosthenes is famous for making the <a href="/the_universe/uts/eratosthenes_calc_earth_size.html">first good measurement of the size of the Earth</a>. This portrait, drawn long after he was dead, shows what the artist thought he might have looked like.<p><small><em>Public domain.</em></small></p>Science educators on a research immersion experience with the <a href="/people/postcards/andrill/andrill_post.html">Antarctic Geological Drilling Project (ANDRILL)</a> sent postcards to Windows to the Universe while they were in <a href="/earth/polar/antarctica.html">Antarctica</a> from October 2007 until January 2008. The team drilled into <a href="/earth/geology/sed_intro.html">sedimentary rocks</a> below the ice of the Ross <a href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_iceshelf1.html">ice shelf</a> to help learn more about the environmental changes that have affected the continent in the past. This image shows what life is like in a field camp on the ice.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Julia Dooley </em></small></p>Jocelyn Bell Burnell is a British <a href="/the_universe/uts/ast_history.html">astronomer</a> who was born in 1943. She discovered <a href="/the_universe/NS.html">pulsars</a> - <a href="/the_universe/Stars.html">stars</a> which emit periodic radio waves - in 1967. Burnell was a graduate student at Cambridge University when she discovered pulsars. Her professor, Antony Hewish, received the Nobel Prize in Physics for her discovery.<p><small><em> The Open University</em></small></p><a href="/people/postcards/vocals/dione_rossiter.html">Dione Rossiter</a> is a scientist that participated in a research expedition to understand the climate of the southeastern Pacific in fall, 2008 - the <a href="/vocals/vocals_intro.html">VOCALS campaign</a>. She got to fly a her scientific instrument aboard a research aircraft above a layer of <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/clouds/stratocumulus.html">stratocumulus</a> cloud that seemed to go on forever.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Dione Rossiter</em></small></p>Although we humans have never experienced fast <a href="/earth/climate/climate.html">global warming</a>, our planet has. And our planet keeps records of what happened. The oldest records that the <a href="/earth/earth.html">Earth</a> keeps are in its <a href="/earth/geology/sed_intro.html">rocks</a>. In this image, <a href="/headline_universe/olpa/methane_28may08.html">geologists Chris von der Borch and Dave Mrofka</a> collect sediment samples in South Australia. These rocks hold clues to help explain why climate changed abruptly 635 million years ago.<p><small><em> Courtesy of Martin Kennedy, UCR</em></small></p>

Explore History and People

Ancient Epoch (before 700)

Learn more about ancient philosophers and scientists like Archimedes and Eratosthenes. ...Read more

Middle Ages (700-1400)

Learn more about the scientists of the Middle Ages like Fibonacci and several Arabic scientists ...Read more

Renaissance (1400-1650)

The Renaissance was a time of great growth in the arts and sciences. ...Read more

Age of Enlightenment (1650-1850)

The age of enlightenment was an exciting time. Science greats like Darwin, Halley and Herschel ...Read more

Modern Era (1850-1950)

Einstein and Edison, Bohr and Bascom, Hale and Hubble, Roentgen and Rutherford ...Read more

Today's Scientists

Who are the scientists that are making history now? ...Read more

Astronauts

A table of information about the lucky few who have ventured into space ...Read more

The Scientific Process

How does scientific research actually work? How do scientists actually come up with explanations ...Read more

More about History and People

Historical Events

Full Earth and Space Science    History Calendar (Members only)

Teacher Opportunities

Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)

Did you know?

Do you know what theorem Pythagoras is famous for?

Did you know that Giovanni Schiaparelli's observations of channels on the surface of Mars was mistranslated, causing people to think there was life on Mars?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Tuff
xTuff : A type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

A Star Is Born... But How?

Created in the first three minutes after the Big Bang, hydrogen and helium gave rise to all other elements in the universe.  Stars made this possible. Through nuclear fusion, stars generated elements such...Read more


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