John L. Heilbron
John Lewis Heilbron (March 17, 1934 – November 5, 2023) was an American
Biography
Born in
Heilbron was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.[3] He died on November 5, 2023, at the age of 89.[1]
Author
In additition to his university work, Heilbron authored over 20 books primarily dealing with the history of science; they included studies of phenomena such as geometry, electricity and quantum physics, as well as biographies of scientists such as Galileo and Max Planck.[4] His approach saw him investigating the influence of politics, personalities and institutions on the emergence of new scientific ideas.[2] His study of the relationship between the church and science, The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories, was awarded the profession's highest prize, the Pfizer Prize from the History of Science Society.[1][2]
Awards and honors
- 1988: member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences[5]
- 1988: Honorary degree, University of Bologna.
- 1990: member, American Philosophical Society[6]
- 1993: awarded the George Sarton Medal by the History of Science Society.
- 2000: Honorary degree, University of Pavia.
- 2006: Abraham Pais Prize for History of Physics, a joint award of the American Physical Society and the American Institute of Physics.
- 2006: Wilkins Prize Lecture of the Royal Society of London.[7]
Main books
- 2022: The Incomparable Monsignor: ISBN 9780192856654
- 2021: The Ghost of ISBN 9780198861300
- 2020: ISBN 9780198819264
- 2018: The History of Physics: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199684120
- 2013: Love, Literature, and the ISBN 9780199680283
- 2010: Galileo, Oxford University Press. .)
- 2003: ISBN 0-19-511229-6.
- 2003: ISBN 0-19-512378-6.
- 1999: The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as ISBN 0-674-00536-8.
- 1999: Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics. ISBN 0-486-40688-1.
- 1997: Geometry Civilized: History, Culture, Technique. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-850690-2.
- 1989: ISBN 0-520-06426-7.
- 1986: The Dilemmas of an Upright Man: ISBN 0-520-05710-4
- 1979: Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics, University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03478-3.
- 1974: ISBN 0-520-02375-7.
Notes
- ^ a b c d "In Memoriam, John L. Heilbron, 1934-2023 | Department of History". history.berkeley.edu. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ "The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: John L. Heilbron". Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
- PMID 38263309.
- ^ "John L. Heilbron". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ "Benjamin Franklin in Europe: electrician, academician, politician | Royal Society". royalsociety.org. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ Gingerich, Owen (December 24, 2010). "Starry Messenger (joint review of Galileo by J. L. Heilbron and Galileo: Watcher of the Skies by David Wootton)". NY Times. (See David Wootton.)
References
- Brief biography in AIP Center for History of Physics Newsletter, Volume XXXVIII, No. 1, Spring 2006.
External links
- "What Time Is It in the Transept?" D. Graham Burnett book review of The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories, The New York Times, October 24, 1999.
- Quote from Burnett's review: "How ironic…the church's seemingly backward attitude toward heliocentrism actually nurtured a powerful and emergent scientific method."
- Video of a talk by Heilbron titled "Remarks on the Writing of Biography."