Thomas Corwin Mendenhall (October 4, 1841 – March 23, 1924) was an autodidact US physicist and meteorologist. October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) is self-education or self-directed learning. ... This article is about the country in North America. ... Physicists working in a government lab A physicist is a scientist who is a practitioner of physics. ... Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. ...

Life

Mendenhall was born in Hanoverton, Ohio, and married Susan Allan Marple in 1870. Though he never attended or graduated college, he was teaching at Columbus Central High School by 1861 and, though he lacked a conventional academic formation, was appointed professor of physics and mechanics at Ohio State University in 1873, the first member of the original faculty. Hanoverton is a village located in Columbiana County, Ohio. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The first few hydrogen atom electron orbitals shown as cross-sections with color-coded probability density. ... The Ohio State University is a coeducational public research university in the U.S. state of Ohio. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1878, on the recommendation of Edward S. Morse, he was recruited to help the modernisation of Meiji Era Japan as one of the o-yatoi gaikokujin (hired foreigners). MENDENHALL POWA! Serving as visiting professor at the University of Tokyo, he helped develop the government's meteorological service. During his time in Japan, he also gave public lectures on scientific topics. 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Edward Sylvester Morse (June 18, 1838 â€“ December 20, 1925) was a US zoologist and orientalist. ... History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei The Meiji period (Japanese: Meiji Jidai 明治時代 ) (1868–1912... The o-yatoi gaikokujin (Japanese: お雇い外国人 — hired foreigners, foreign employees) were foreign specialists, engineers, teachers, mercenaries and more, hired to assist in the modernization of Japan. ... The University of Tokyo (東京大学; Tōkyō Daigaku, abbreviated as 東大 Tōdai) is one of the leading research universities in Japan. ...

Returning to Ohio in 1881, Mendenhall was instrumental in developing the state meteorological service before becoming professor at the US Signal Corps in 1884. Resigning in 1886, Mendenhall took up the presidency of the Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana before becoming superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1889. During his time as superintendent, he issued the Mendenhall Order and oversaw the consequent transition of the USA's weights and measures from the customary system, based on that of England, to the metric system. He was also responsible for defining the exact national boundary between the USA and Canada. Mendenhall was president of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute from 1894 until 1901 when he emigrated to Europe. He served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1889. Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Branch insignia of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, representing Myers Wigwag The U.S. Army Signal Corps was founded in 1861 by United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, a physician by training. ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (or RHIT) is a private non-sectarian college which specializes in teaching engineering, science, and mathematics. ... Terre Haute (pronounced ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana near the states western border with Illinois. ... The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey was established by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807 as the Survey of the Coast. ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Mendenhall Order marked a decision to change the USAs weights and measures from the customary system based on that of England to the metric system. ... Weights and measures is a term used by legal authorities in English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom for a function related to units of measurement in trade. ... The Imperial units or the Imperial system is a collection of English units, first defined in the Weights and Measures Act of 1824, later refined (until 1959) and reduced. ... The International System of Units (symbol: SI) (for the French phrase Syst me International dUnit s) is the most widely used system of units. ... For other Worcester Colleges, see Worcester College (disambiguation). ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1901 (MCMI) 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). ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an organization that supports scientific progress for the betterment of all mankind. ... The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an organization that promotes cooperation between scientists, defends scientific freedom, encourages scientific responsibility and supports scientific education for the betterment of all humanity. ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Mendenhall proposed the ring pendulum as a means of measuring gravity and also worked in the fields of seismology and atmospheric electricity. Gravity is a force of attraction that acts between bodies that have mass. ... Seismology (from the Greek seismos = earthquake and logos = word) is the scientific study of earthquakes and the movement of waves through the Earth. ... Layers of Atmosphere (NOAA) Air redirects here. ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ...

He returned to the US in 1922 and died in Ravenna, Ohio. 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Ravenna is a city located in Portage County, Ohio. ...

Work on stylometry

In 1901 Mendenhall published one of the earliest attempts at stylometry, the quantitative analysis of writing style. Prompted by a suggestion made by the English mathematician Augustus de Morgan in 1851, Mendenhall attempted to characterise the style of different authors via the frequency distribution of words of different length. After extracting the relevant statistics from published works, he applied his "word spectra" methods to a comparison of the works of Shakespeare and Sir Francis Bacon. He found that the results did not support long-standing claims that Bacon was the true "Bard of Avon" writing under the pseudonym of "Shakespeare". It has however since been shown by Williams (see below) that Mendenhall failed to take into account genre differences that could invalidate his conclusions. Stylometry is the application of the study of linguistic style, usually to written language. ... Augustus De Morgan (June 27, 1806 – March 18, 1871) was an Indian-born British mathematician and logician. ... William Shakespeare—born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)—has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English. ... Sir Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans (January 22, 1561 - April 9, 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, and essayist. ...

Honours

• Honorary Ph.D. from Ohio, (1878);
• Member of the National Academy of Sciences, (1887);
• LL.D. from the University of Michigan, (1887);
• The Mendenhall Valley and glacier in Juneau, Alaska was named for him in (1892).
• The Mendenhall Laboratory on the campus of Ohio State University is also named in his honor.
• I would jsut like to point out this guy is kickass because I have his last name, and we're brothas from anotha motha. To all my black homies out there, represent.

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... President Harding and the National Academy of Sciences at the White House, Washington, DC, April 1921 The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... Legum Doctor (English: Doctor of Laws; abbreviated to LL.D.) In the UK the LL.D. is a higher doctorate awarded on the basis of exceptionally insightful and distinctive publications, containing significant and original contributions to the science or study of law. ... This article is about the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. ... Categories: Stub | Alaska geography | Juneau City and Borough, Alaska ... Categories: Stub | Glaciers | Alaska geography | Juneau City and Borough, Alaska ... Juneau redirects here. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Ohio State University is a coeducational public research university in the U.S. state of Ohio. ...

Bibliography

Works by Mendenhall

• Mendenhall, T. C. (1887) A Century of Electricity

Works by others

• Williams, C. B. (1975) Mendenhall's Studies of Word-Length Distribution in the Works of Shakespeare and Bacon. Biometrika. 62 1, 207-212
• Hebra, A. & Hebra, A. J. (2003) Measure for Measure: The Story of Imperial, Metric, and Other Units ISBN 0-8018-7072-0
• Mendenhall, T. C. (Jr.) (1989) American Scientist in Early Meiji Japan: The Autobiographical Notes of Thomas C. Mendenhall ISBN 0-8248-1177-1