Thomas S. Kuhn (1922 - 1996)

  • Birth 1922

    Thomas Samuel Kuhn was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on 18 July 1922 His father was Samuel Kuhn an industrial engineer, and his mother Minette.
  • Harvard University 1943

    Kuhn received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics at Harvard University.
  • US Office of Scientific Research and Development

    Thomas Kuhn worked from 1943 - 1945 at the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development.
  • Returned to Harvard

    In 1945 Thomas returned to Harvard University to further his education.
  • Master's degree

    Received his Master's degree
  • Married his first wife

    Married Kathryn Muhs and had three children together
  • Ph.D.

    Earned his Ph.D.
  • Junior Fellow at Harvard (1948- 51)

    Between 1948 - 1951 he was a "junior fellow at Harvard"
  • Period: to

    Career in Academia

    Instructor & Assistant Professor of general education and the History of Science at Harvard. (1951 - 1956) Associate professor of history & philosophy later to become a professor of History of Science at University of California at Berkeley (1961) Professor of History of Science at Princeton University. (1964 - 1979) Professor of Philosophy and History of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1979 – 1983). Retired as professor emeritus from 1981 until his death (1951 – 1984)
  • Published his first work

    Published “The Copernican Revolution.” (1957) Altered the scientific thinking and views of Western scientists in relation to Copernicus’ work in astronomy and cosmology.
  • The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

    Published “The structure of Scientific Revolutions” in he coined the term “paradigm” in History and Philosophy of Science. https://youtu.be/vzo8vnxSARg
  • Divorce

    Divorced from Kathryn Muhs
  • Married his second wife

    Married Jehane Burns
  • Death

    Thomas Kuhn died on 17 June 1996 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Cancer was the cause of death.