Edward Bullard is a geophysicist born into a wealthy brewing family in Norwich on September 21, 1907. Those who knew him referred to him as "Teddy." In the 1930s he received his PhD as a nuclear physicist. He studied under Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson at the Cavendish Laboratory. Geophysics, the study of the earth by quantitative physical methods, especially by seismic reflection and refraction, geodesy, gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, and radioactivity methods. ... Norwich (pronounced variously Norritch, Norridge) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England, and the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... // Events and trends A public speech by Benito Mussolini, founder of the Fascist movement The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ... Ernest Rutherford Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson, PC, OM, FRS (August 30, 1871 – October 19, 1937), was a New Zealand nuclear physicist. ... Plaque The Cavendish Laboratory is Cambridge Universitys Department of Physics, and is part of the universitys School of Physical Sciences. ...

As it was the Depression and he was married he had to find a career to survive on. In the 1930s nuclear physics did not seem to be it so he switched to geophysics. He became one of the most important geophysicists of his day. He also did studies of the ocean floor even though he suffered from seasickness and could rarely take scientific trips on the ocean.

He was important to dynamo theory, hence his most important work concerned the source of the Earth's magnetic field. He was often frustrated by efforts to increase geophysical interest at the University of Cambridge. In his career he won the Hughes Medal and the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. The Dynamo theory proposes a mechanism by which a celestial body such as the Earth generates a magnetic field. ... The University of Cambridge, located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The Hughes Medal, named for microphone inventor David Edward Hughes, is one of several medals awarded by the Royal Society, Englands reigning academy of science. ... Gold Medal awarded to Asaph Hall The Gold Medal is the highest award of the Royal Astronomical Society. ...

After retiring from Cambridge he settled to a position in California where he died in 1980.

External links

• University of California San Diego obit
• Cambridge article