Thomas Kuhn

Birth of Kuhn

Jul 18, 1922

July 18, 1922 – Thomas Samuel Kuhn or “Tom” as his parents called him was born on July 18, 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born into a very affluent family. His father Samuel and his mother Minette were both highly educated people. He also had a younger brother.

Kuhn's Education

1949

1949 – Kuhn’s education was extended due to World War 2. During the war, Kuhn did some work on countering enemy radar. Once the war was over, he graduated from Harvard with his doctorate in Physics. He wrote his PhD thesis on “The Cohesive Energy Monovalent Metals as a Function of the Atomic Quantum Defects”.

Kuhn's Book

1957

1957 – Thomas Kuhn’s book “The Copernican Revolution” was published. This book was also one of the classes Kuhn offered to students. In his book, Kuhn argues against Nicolaus Copernicus’s book “De Revolutionibus”. Kuhn’s argument against Copernicus is that the earth orbits around the sun.

Thomas Kuhn's Death

Jun 17, 1996

June 17, 1996 – Thomas Kuhn died on June 17, 1996 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He passed away after a long battle with throat and lung cancer. Before his death, his retired from MIT at the age of 69. He also received numerous awards for all of his prestigious work.