Who was Mary Somerville?
TODAY’S Google Doodle is honouring Scottish astrophysicist genius Mary Somerville.
But who is she and what makes her such an incredible person?
Who was Mary Somerville?
Mary Somerville was a groundbreaking Scottish astronomer who was the first woman to be published by the Royal Society of London on February 2, 1826.
Born in Jedburgh, Scotland, on 26th December, 1790, into a middle-class family, Sommerville spent her childhood helping her mum and enjoying nature in the family garden.
At the age of 10, her father returned from overseas and decided to send her to a boarding school for a proper education, something that was rare for a woman at the time.
At school she became a good painter and learned about geometry.
Spurred on by Euclid’s ‘Elements of Geometry’, she started teaching herself astronomy and maths before publishing her own works.
What is Mary Somerville famous for?
Somerville is the joint-first female member of the Royal Astronomical Society and the first person to ever be described as a ‘Scientist’.
She wrote the first physics paper to be published by a female author in the prestigious Philosophical Transactions, the world’s oldest science publication, which is still active today.
She was subject to coining the term “Scientist”, a word a reviewer made up to describe her multi-disciplinary approach.
Her works revolutionised astronomy and physics. Her work even lead to the discovery of the planet Neptune.
Somerville was also a vocal advocate for equal rights and the first person to sign the 1866 women’s suffrage petition.
She has the Mary Somerville Medal and Prize named after for scientists who engage the public through their work.
What were Mary Somerville’s most notable achievements?
Aside from technically being the worlds first ‘Scientist’, her most notable works are:
- The Connection of the Physical Sciences (1834), which became among the best selling science books of the 19th century, where she revealed the underlying links between the different disciplines of physical science.
- The Mechanism of the Heavens (1831), an essay that revolutionized the existing understanding of the solar system.
- She is credited with discovering Neptune due to her suggestions that there is a planet near Uranus.
When did the Royal Bank of Scotland issue notes featuring Mary Somerville?
The RBS issued a £10 plastic note with her on it on October 4, 2017, following a public vote.
The note followed the 2016 release of Scottish novelist and poet Nan Shepherd, who appeared on the fiver.
It was the first new version of the note circulated in 30 years.
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What is a Google Doodle?
A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google’s homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures.
It was originally made by co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to tell users that they were going to Burning Man and wouldn’t be there to help if the servers crashed.