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Birth
John Tyndall was born into a poor Protestant family in Leighlinbridge, Ireland. His father (John Tyndall) was a county policeman and his mother (Sarah Tyndall) was disinherited for marrying him. Even in their unfortunate situation, John's family promised him the best education which circumstances would allow. -
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Basic Education
After initial schooling, John attended the National School at Ballinabranagh where, under the wing of the mathematician John Conwill, he began to develop a very impressive foundation in many fields of mathematics. His knowledge of pure mathematics, such as algebra, plane and solid geometry and conic sections, was added experience in the art of surveying which proved very beneficial in the years to come. -
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Early Employment
After leaving the National School at Ballinabranagh, John found employment as a draftsman with the Ordnance Survey of Ireland. His superior enabled John to acquire practical knowledge of every branch of survey work and, in turn, he progressed from a draughtsman, to a computor, to a surveyor, and then a trigonometrical observer. -
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Early Employment: Part Two
In August 1842, he was transferred to Preston, England. There, John became fascinated with an experiment conducted by the Mechanics' Institute, which dealt with the presence of carbon dioxide in exhaled air. However, he soon began to notice how meager his pay and free time was, which became a great hindrance in his aspiration for knowledge. This ultimately led him to leave the Ordinance Survey of Great Britain after only a couple of years. -
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Early Employment: Part Three
John's expertise and knowledge of surveying was highly coveted, and at the height of the railway movement in Great Britain, he secured a job with Manchester firm of Nevins and Lawton,
railway engineers as a railway surveyor. He enjoyed a significantly larger salary compared to the years prior. -
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Later Employment and Further Education
In August, John accepted a teaching occupation at Queenwood College, Hamphire where he was was exceptionally successful. A colleague of his, Edward Franklin, exposed John to the significance of chemistry. John would attend Franklin's lectures on botany, geology, hydrostatics, and heat. The two of them felt the need for a more thorough scientific culture so, in October 1848, they left Queenwood College and took their aspirations to the University of Marburg, Germany. -
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Return to England
After receiving his doctorates, John traveled back to England in pursuit of employment, eventually accepting a position at Queenwood College yet again. Before returning, however, he was in correspondence with Dr. Benee Jones, who was the
Secretary at the Royal Institution. Dr. Benee Jones invited John to a discourse at the Royal Institution, which proved extremely successful. John's discourse took the audience by storm, and
he received a tremendous ovation. -
Elected into the Royal Society
After submitting the titles of four papers to the British
Association at Ipswich a year prior, John was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. These young scientists' policy was advance the cause of science through their research. -
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Final Employment
After the success of his earlier meeting, John was offered a position as a Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution. He accepted the position and after two years, he'd earned himself respect around the scientific world. He gave lectures to the most aristocratic and intellectual minds of the world and stayed at the Royal Insitution until retirement. In his years at the Institution he progress from a professor, to a Superintendent of the House, and then Director to the Laboratory. -
On Radiation Through The Earth's Atmosphere
John's lecture to the Royal Institution detailed Greenhouse Effect and it's effect on the environment. -
Contributions to Molecular Physics in the Domain of Radiant Heat
John's work detailed infrared radiation, which is the absorption of radiant heat by various gases, using the newly invented thermopile and John's very own ratio spectrophotometer. -
Sound
Chapter VII of John's introductory book was regarding sound propagation and its reflection on different temperatures of air masses. This contributed to the development of foghorns in Britain. -
The Floating-matter of the Air
His book, which is an account of many of his experiments, includes a way to create an optically-pure area. In his experiment, he coated the edges with glycerin and, with gentle currents, floating particles gradually adhered to the surfaces. -
Death
John Tyndall passed away at the age of 73 due to an unintended overdose of cholera hydrate, which he used to treat his insomnia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljHCiyrLwh4&ab_channel=MichaelKelly
