Benjamin Thompson
Born	March 26, 1753(1753-03-26) Woburn, MA
Died	August 21, 1814 (aged 61)
Fields	Physics

Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford (in German: Reichsgraf von Rumford) (26 March 1753 – 21 August 1814) was an Anglo-American physicist and inventor whose challenges to established physical theory were part of the 19th century revolution in thermodynamics. Benjamin Thompson is the name of: Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford (1753-1814), Anglo-American physicist and inventor Benjamin Thompson (politician) (1798-1852), US congressman from Massachusetts [1] Benjamin Thompson (farmer) (1806-1890) main benefactor of the University of New Hampshire Ben Thompson (1843-1884), Texas gunfighter and city marshall... http://clippix. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1753 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Statue of Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford) outside the library of his hometown, Woburn, Massachusetts. ... is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1814 (MDCCCXIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1753 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1814 (MDCCCXIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... English Americans (occasionally known as Anglo-Americans) are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. ... A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... For other uses, see Inventor (disambiguation). ... Theoretical physics attempts to understand the world by making a model of reality, used for rationalizing, explaining, predicting physical phenomena through a physical theory. There are three types of theories in physics; mainstream theories, proposed theories and fringe theories. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Revolution (disambiguation). ... Thermodynamics (from the Greek θερμη, therme, meaning heat and δυναμις, dynamis, meaning power) is a branch of physics that studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on physical systems at the macroscopic scale by analyzing the collective motion of their particles using statistics. ...

Early life in America

Statue of Thompson outside the library of his hometown, Woburn, Massachusetts. (A copy of the original in Munich.)

Thompson was born in rural Woburn, Massachusetts, on March 26, 1753; his birthplace is preserved to this day as a museum. He was educated mainly at the village school, although he sometimes walked to Cambridge with the older Loammi Baldwin to attend lectures by Professor John Winthrop at Harvard College. At the age of 13 he was apprenticed to John Appleton, a merchant of nearby Salem. Thompson excelled at his trade and, coming in contact with refined and well educated people for the first time, adopted many of their characteristics, including an interest in science. While recuperating in Woburn in 1769 from an injury, Thompson conducted experiments concerning the nature of heat and began to correspond with Loammi Baldwin and others about them. Later that year, he worked for a few months for a Boston shopkeeper and then apprenticed himself briefly, and unsuccessfully, to a doctor in Woburn. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1059 KB) Library in Woburn, Massachusetts. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1059 KB) Library in Woburn, Massachusetts. ... Statue of Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford) outside the library of his hometown, Woburn, Massachusetts. ... Statue of Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford) outside the library of his hometown, Woburn, Massachusetts. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1753 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Benjamin Thompson House, also known as the Count Rumford Birthplace National Historic Landmark, is the birthplace of scientist and inventor Benjamin Thompson (1753-1814), Count Rumford. ... Colonel Loammi Baldwin was an American politician, noted engineer, surveyor and a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. ... John Winthrop (December 19, 1714 – May 3, 1779) (not to be confused with his great-great-grandfather John Winthrop, founder of the Massachusetts Bay colony) was the 2nd Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Harvard College. ... Harvard Yard Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts Legislature. ... A merchant making up the account by Shiatsus Hokusai Merchants function as professionals who deal with trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves, in order to produce profit. ... Nickname: Location in Essex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Essex Settled 1626 Incorporated 1626 A City 1836 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Kimberley Driscoll Area  - Total 18. ... A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Heat (disambiguation) In physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is energy transferred from one body or system to another due to a difference in temperature. ... Colonel Loammi Baldwin was an American politician, noted engineer, surveyor and a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. ...

Thompson's prospects were dim in 1772 but in that year they changed abruptly. He met, charmed and married a rich and well-connected heiress named Sarah Rolfe, moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and through his wife's influence with the governor, was appointed a major in a New Hampshire Militia. Year 1772 (MDCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Location in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Coordinates: , Country State County Rockingham County Incorporated 1653 Government  - Mayor Steve Marchand  - City manager John P. Bohenko Area  - City  16. ... The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in March 1680, by New Hampshire Colonial President John Cutt. ...

When the American Revolution began, Thompson was a man of property and standing in New England, and was opposed to the rebels. He was active in recruiting loyalists to fight the rebels. This earned him the enmity of the popular party, and a mob attacked Thompson's house. He fled to the British lines, abandoning his wife, as it turned out, forever. Thompson was welcomed by the British, to whom he gave valuable information about the American forces, and became an advisor to both General Gage and Lord Germain. This article is about military actions only. ... Britannia offers solace and a promise of compensation for her exiled American born Loyalists. ... This article concerns Patriots in the American Revolutionary War. ... Thomas Gage (1719 – April 2, 1787) was a British general and commander in chief of the North American forces from 1763 to 1775 during the early days of the American Revolution. ... Lord George Germain (1780). ...

While working with the British armies in America, he conducted experiments concerning the force of gunpowder, the results of which were widely acclaimed when eventually published, in 1781, in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. ^[1] Thus, when he moved to London at the conclusion of the war, he already had a reputation as a scientist. 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, or , is the oldest scientific journal printed in the English-speaking world, and was only three months shy of being the oldest in the world. ... For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Bavarian maturity

The beer garden "Am chinesischen Turm" in the Englischer Garten in Munich

In 1785, he moved to Bavaria where he became an aide-de-camp to the Prince-elector Karl Theodor. He spent eleven years in Bavaria, reorganising the army and establishing workhouses for the poor. During his work he also invented the Rumford Soup, a nutritious soup for the poor, and established the cultivation of the potato in Bavaria. He invented the wax candle to replace the smokey tallow or beef fat ones. He also founded the Englischer Garten in Munich which remains today and is known as one of the largest urban public parks in the world. Image File history File links Englischer_garten_fg02. ... Image File history File links Englischer_garten_fg02. ... The Monopteros at dusk The Englischer Garten or English Garden is a large urban public park that stretches from the city center to the northeastern city limits of Munich, Germany. ... 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Bavaria (disambiguation). ... An aide-de-camp (French: camp assistant) is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state. ... The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire — German: Kurfürst (singular) Kurfürsten (plural) — were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Emperors of Germany. ... Karl Theodor Karl Theodor, Prince-Elector, Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria (December, 1724 – February 16, 1799) reigned as Prince-Elector and Count Palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777, until his death. ... Former workhouse at Nantwich, dating from 1780 A workhouse was a place where people who were unable to support themselves could go to live and work. ... Rumfords Soup was an early effort in scientific nutrition. ... The Nutrition Facts table indicates the amounts of nutrients which experts recommend you limit or consume in adequate amounts. ... For other uses, see Soup (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Potato (disambiguation). ... The Monopteros at dusk The Englischer Garten or English Garden is a large urban public park that stretches from the city center to the northeastern city limits of Munich, Germany. ...

Experiments on heat

His experiments on gunnery and explosives led to an interest in heat. He devised a method for measuring the specific heats of solids but was disappointed that Johan Wilcke had priority. This article is about the video game. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... The specific heat capacity (symbol c or s, also called specific heat) of a substance is defined as heat capacity per unit mass. ... This box:      For other uses, see Solid (disambiguation). ... Johan Carl Wilcke (September 6, 1732 – April 18, 1796) was a Swedish physicist. ...

Thompson next investigated the insulating properties of various materials including fur, wool and feathers. He correctly appreciated that the insulating properties of these natural materials arise from the fact that they inhibit the convection of air. He then made the somewhat reckless, and incorrect, inference that air and, in fact, all gases, were perfect non-conductors of heat^[2][3]. He further saw this as evidence of the argument from design, contending that divine providence had arranged for fur on animals in such a way as to guarantee their comfort. Thermal insulation on the Huygens probe The term thermal insulation can refer to materials used to reduce the rate of heat transfer, or the methods and processes used to reduce heat transfer. ... For other uses, see Fur (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Wool (disambiguation). ... Two feathers Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. ... Convection in the most general terms refers to the movement of currents within fluids (i. ... Look up air in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Inference is the act or process of deriving a conclusion based solely on what one already knows. ... For other uses, see Gas (disambiguation). ... Heat conduction or thermal conduction is the spontaneous transfer of thermal energy through matter, from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature, and acts to equalize temperature differences. ... A teleological argument (or an argument from design) is an argument for the existence of God based on evidence of design in nature. ... In theology, Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is the sovereignty, superintendence, or agency of God over events in peoples lives and throughout history. ...

In 1797, he extended his claim about non-conductivity to liquids^[4]. The idea raised considerable objections from the scientific establishment, John Dalton^[5] and John Leslie^[6] making particularly forthright attacks. Instrumentation far exceeding anything available in terms of accuracy and precision would have been needed to verify Thompson's claim. Again, he seems to have been influenced by his theological beliefs^[7] and it is likely that he wished to grant water a privileged and providential status in the regulation of human life^[8]. 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Liquid (disambiguation). ... John Dalton John Dalton (September 6, 1766 – July 27, 1844) was an English chemist and physicist, born at Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth in Cumberland. ... Sir John Leslie (April 10, 1766 - November 3, 1832) was a Scottish mathematician and physicist best remembered for his research into heat Born in Largo, Fife, Leslie gave the first modern account of capillary action in 1802 and froze water using an air-pump in 1810, the first artificial production... “Accuracy” redirects here. ... Theology is literally rational discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, rational discourse). By extension, it also refers to the study of other religious topics. ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ...

However, his most important scientific work took place in Munich, and centred on the nature of heat, which he contended in An Experimental Enquiry Concerning the Source of the Heat which is Excited by Friction (1798) was not the caloric of then-current scientific thinking but a form of motion. Though this work met with a hostile reception, it was subsequently important in establishing the laws of conservation of energy later in the 19th century. For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Heat (disambiguation) In physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is energy transferred from one body or system to another due to a difference in temperature. ... An Experimental Enquiry Concerning the Source of the Heat which is Excited by Friction, (1798), Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society 102 is a scientific paper by Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford that provided a substantial challenge to established theories of heat and began the 19th century revolution in thermodynamics. ... Year 1798 (MDCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... The caloric theory is an obsolete scientific theory that heat consists of a fluid called caloric that flows from hotter to colder bodies. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Look up conservation of energy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Inventions

Thompson was an active inventor, developing improvements for chimneys and fireplaces and inventing the double boiler, a kitchen range, and a drip coffeepot. The Rumford fireplace is considered to be a very thermally efficient way to heat a room. The retention of heat is something of a leitmotif, as he is also credited with the invention of thermal underwear^[9]. Furthermore he was socially active as founder of Munich's Englischer Garten in 1789. The Rumford fireplace is a tall, shallow fireplace designed by Count Rumford, born Benjamin Thompson in Woburn, Massachusetts, an Anglo-American physicist who was known for his investigations of heat. ... A leitmotif (IPA pronunciation: ) (also leitmotiv; lit. ... Long underwear usually refers to a style of two-piece underwear with long arms and long legs that is worn during cold weather. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... The Monopteros at dusk The Englischer Garten or English Garden is a large urban public park that stretches from the city center to the northeastern city limits of Munich, Germany. ... Year 1789 (MDCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Later life

Grave of Count Rumford (Paris)

After 1799, he divided his time between France and England. With Sir Joseph Banks, he established the Royal Institution of Great Britain in 1799. The pair chose Sir Humphry Davy as the first lecturer. He endowed the Rumford medals of the Royal Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and endowed a professorship at Harvard University. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 602 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (631 × 628 pixel, file size: 69 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Personal photo from about 2004; no rights claimed I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 602 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (631 × 628 pixel, file size: 69 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Personal photo from about 2004; no rights claimed I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks (February 13, 1743 - June 19, 1820) was the British naturalist and botanist on Cooks first great voyage (1768-1771) and some 75 species bear Banks name. ... The Royal Institution of Great Britain was set up in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, including Henry Cavendish and its first president George Finch, the 9th Earl of Winchilsea, for diffusing the knowledge, and facilitating the general introduction, of useful mechanical inventions and improvements; and for... Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet FRS (17 December 1778 – 29 May 1829) was a British chemist and physicist. ... In 1796, Benjamin Thompson, known as Count Rumford, gave $5000 separately to the Royal Society of London and the other by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to give awards every two years for outstanding scientific research on heat or light. ... For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ... The House of the Academy, Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... Harvard redirects here. ...

In 1804, he married Marie-Anne Lavoisier, the widow of the great French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, his American wife having died since his emigration. They soon separated, but Thompson settled in Paris and continued his scientific work until his death on August 21, 1814. 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Marie-Anne Pierette Paulze (1758-1836) was the wife and collaborator of Antoine Lavoisier, an 18th century French nobleman and scientist sometimes called the father of modern chemistry. The daughter of one of Lavoisiers co-owners of the Ferme Générale she married him when she was thirteen. ... A chemist pours from a round-bottom flask. ... Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier (August 26, 1743 – May 8, 1794; pronounced ), the father of modern chemistry,[1] was a French nobleman prominent in the histories of chemistry, finance, biology, and economics. ... This article is about the capital of France. ...

Thompson is buried in the small cemetery of Auteuil in Paris, just across from Adrien-Marie Legendre. Adrien-Marie Legendre (September 18, 1752 – January 10, 1833) was a French mathematician. ...

Honours

• Colonel, Kings American Dragoons
• Knighted, 1784.
• Count of the Holy Roman Empire 1791
• The Rumford crater on the Moon is named for him.
• Rumford baking powder (patented 1859) is named after him, having been invented by a former Rumford professor at Harvard University, Eben Norton Horsford (1818-1893), cofounder of the Rumford Chemical Works of East Providence RI.
• Still alive and lives in Australia

A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the medieval empire. ... 1791 (MDCCXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Rumford is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon. ... This article is about Earths moon. ... [[Image:PIPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPbe caused by ingredients like buttermilk, lemon, yoghurt, citrus, or honey. ...

See also

• Benjamin Thompson House

Benjamin Thompson House, also known as the Count Rumford Birthplace National Historic Landmark, is the birthplace of scientist and inventor Benjamin Thompson (1753-1814), Count Rumford. ...

Notes

1. ^ Benjamin Thompson (1781). "New Experiments upon Gun-Powder, with Occasional Observations and Practical Inferences". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 71: 229-328. 
2. ^ Rumford (1786) "New experiments upon heat" Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society p.273
3. ^ Rumford (1792) "Experiments upon heat" Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society p.48-80
4. ^ Rumford (1797) "On the propagation of heat in fluids" Nicholson's Journal 1 pp298-341
5. ^ Cardwell (1971) p.99
6. ^ Leslie, J. (1804). An Experimental Enquiry into the Nature and Propagation of Heat. London. 
7. ^ Rumford (1804) "An enquiry concerning the nature of heat and the mode of its communication" Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society p.77
8. ^ Cardwell (1971) p.102
9. ^ Prof. Michael Fowler of the University of Virginia, lecture notes: [1], and Have I Got News For You, first transmitted 16 December 2005, BBC1.

Cover of Cover of the first volume of , published in 1665 The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, or Phil. ... The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, or , is the oldest scientific journal printed in the English-speaking world, and was only three months shy of being the oldest in the world. ... William Nicholson, (1753-1815), English writer on natural philosophy. ... Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show; produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been running since 1990. ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the oldest United Kingdom, and indeed, the world. ...

Further reading

• Collected Works of Count Rumford, Harvard University Press, Edited by Sanborn C. Brown:
  • Collected Works of Count Rumford, Volume I, The Nature of Heat, (1968).
  • Collected Works of Count Rumford, Volume II, Practical Applications of Heat, (1969).
  • Collected Works of Count Rumford, Volume III, Devices and Techniques, (1969).
  • Collected Works of Count Rumford, Volume IV, Light and Armament, (1970).
  • Collected Works of Count Rumford, Volume V, Public Institutions, (1970).

The Harvard University Press is a publishing house, a division of Harvard University, that is highly respected in academic publishing. ...

Bibliography

• Bradley, D. (1967). Count Rumford. Van Nostrand. ISBN B0000CM48T. 
• Brown, G.I. (2001). Count Rumford: The Extraordinary Life of a Scientific Genius - Scientist, Soldier, Statesman, Spy. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-262-02138-2. 
• Brown, S.C. (1981). Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford. Cambridge USA: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-02138-2. 
• Cardwell, D.S.L. (1971). From Watt to Clausius: The Rise of Thermodynamics in the Early Industrial Age. London: Heinemann, 95-107. ISBN 0-435-54150-1. 
• Larsen, E. (1953). An American in Europe: The life of Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford. Rider. ISBN B0000CII01. 
• Orton, V. (2000). The Forgotten Art of Building a Good Fireplace: The Story of Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, an American Genius & His Principles of Fireplace Design Which Have Remained Unchanged for 174 Years. Alan C. Hood and Company Inc. ISBN 0-911469-17-6. 
• Sparrow, W.J. (1964). Knight of the White Eagle: A biography of Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, 1753-1814. Hutchinson. ISBN B0000CM48T. 

External links

• Eric Weisstein's World of Science. "Rumford, Benjamin Thompson". (1753-1814)
• Dr. Hugh C. Rowlinson "The Contribution of Count Rumford to Domestic Life in Jane Austen’s Time" An article not only detailing the Rumford fireplace, but also Rumford's life and other achievements.
• Works by Benjamin Thompson (Benjamin, Graf von Rumford) at Project Gutenberg
• A Biography of Benjamin Thompson, Jr. Written in 1868
• Escutcheons of Science