The year1947 inscienceandtechnologyinvolved some significant events, listed below.
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Anthropology
edit- August 7 –Thor Heyerdahl'sbalsa-woodraft, theKon-Tiki,smashes into thereefatRaroiain theTuamotu Islandsafter a 101-day, 4300-mile (6900-km) journey across the Pacific Ocean, demonstrating that prehistoric peoples could have traveled from South America.[1]
Astronomy and space exploration
edit- February 12 –Sikhote-Alin meteoritefalls to Earth inSiberia,the largestiron meteoriteknown to have impacted.[2]
- February 20 – The first living things sent into space (and returned) arefruit flies,accompanied by rye and cotton seeds, aboard aV-2rocket launched by theU.S. Army Ordnance Corpswhich reaches an altitude of 68 miles (109 km).[3][4][5]
- Bok globulesare reported.[6]
Biology
edit- TheOxfordSwiftResearch Project, based on the colony at theOxford University Museum of Natural History,is started byDavid and Elizabeth Lack.It will still be running more than sixty years later.[7][8]
- David LackpublishesDarwin's Finches.
- Zika virusfirst isolated from arhesus macaquein theZika ForestofUganda.
- Influenza C virusfirst isolated.[9]
Computer science
edit- January 25 –Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr.and Estle Ray Mann file aUnited States patentrequest for an invention described as a "cathode-ray tube amusement device",[10]probably thefirst video game.
- July 29 – After being shut off on November 9, 1946, for a refurbishment and relocation,ENIAC,one of the world's first digitalcomputers,is turned on after a memory upgrade atAberdeen Proving Ground,Maryland. It will remain in continuous operation until October 2, 1955.[11]
- August 18 – Official start of construction ofAutomatic Computing Enginein the United Kingdom.
- September 9 – Amothlodged in arelayis found to be the cause of a malfunction in theHarvard Mark IIelectromechanical computer, logged as "First actual case ofbugbeing found. "[12][13]
- October – First recorded use of the wordcomputerin its modern sense, referring to an electronic digital machine.[14]
Mathematics
edit- John CrankandPhyllis Nicolsondescribe theCrank–Nicolson methodinnumerical analysis.[15]
- George Dantzigpublishes thesimplex algorithmforlinear programming.[16][17][18][19][20][21]
Medicine
edit- The firstantithyroid drug,propylthiouracil,is introduced in the United States.[22]
- The first use ofdefibrillationon a human subject is performed by Claude Beck, professor of surgery atCase Western Reserve University.[23]
- Mary Barberpublishes her classic paper onantibiotic resistanceinStaphylococcusbacteria.[24][25][26]
Metrology
edit- February 23 – TheInternational Organization for Standardization(ISO) is founded.
Paleontology
edit- April 18 – "Mrs. Ples"(STS 5), the most complete skull of anAustralopithecus africanusspecimen ever found inSouth Africa,is discovered atSterkfontein(Transvaal) byRobert BroomandJohn T. Robinson.
Physics
edit- June – TheDoomsday Clockof theBulletin of the Atomic Scientistsis introduced.
- June 2 – TheShelter Island Conferenceon the Foundations ofQuantum Mechanicsconvenes inNew York State.[27]
- August 15 – 'GLEEP' (the Graphite Low Energy Experimental Pile) experimentalnuclear reactorruns for the first time at theAtomic Energy Research Establishment,Harwell, Oxfordshire,the first reactor to operate inWestern Europe.
- December 20 – The discovery ofkaonis published inNature(journal).
- Harold Urey,Jacob Bigeleisen,andMaria Mayerintroduce theUrey–Bigeleisen–Mayer equation,a model for approximatingisotope fractionation.[28][29][30]
Technology
edit- February 21 –Edwin H. Landdemonstrates the first practicalinstant camera,theLand Camera,in New York City. It will first be on commercial sale in December 1948.
- November 13 – FirstAK-47selective-fire,gas-operatedassault rifleproduced in the Soviet Union byMikhail Kalashnikov.
- November 17–December 23 –John BardeenandWalter Brattainworking underWilliam ShockleyatAT&T'sBell Labsin the United States demonstrate thetransistoreffect.[31]
- December 11 – A hexagonalcellular telephonenetwork is proposed byDouglas H. RingandW. Rae YoungofBell Labsfor mobile phones in vehicles.[32]
- Theclaviolineis invented byConstant Martin.
- Thedisposable nappyis invented byValerie Hunter Gordon.
- Raytheonproduces the first commercialmicrowave oven.
Awards
editBirths
edit- January 24 –Michio Kaku,Americantheoretical physicistandpopularizer of science.
- January 29 –Linda B. Buck,Americanbiologist,recipient of theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine,2004.
- February 4 –John Campbell Brown(died2019),Scottishastronomer.[34]
- March 16 –Keith Devlin,English-bornmathematicianand popularizer of science.
- April 18 –Chris Rapley,British climate scientist.
- May 9 –Michael Levitt,South African-borncomputational biologist,recipient of theNobel Prize in Chemistry,2013.
- June 8 –Eric F. Wieschaus,American biologist, recipient of theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine,1995.
- June 15 –Alain Aspect,French quantum physicist, recipient of theNobel Prize in Physics[35]
- June 25 –Will Steffen,American-born Australian chemist (died2023)[36]
- July 5 –Lalji Singh,Indianbiotechnologistandcytogeneticist.
- July 30 –Françoise Barré-Sinoussi,French virologist, recipient of theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine,2008.
- August 21 –Margaret Chan,Hong Kong-born physician.
- December 6 –Geoffrey Hinton,English-borncognitive psychologistandcomputer scientist,"godfather of AI", recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2024.
- December 16 –Martyn Poliakoff,Britishchemistand popularizer of science.
- Stuart W. Jamieson,Rhodesian-born cardiothoracic surgeon.
Deaths
edit- February 12 –Moses Gomberg(born1866), American chemist.
- February 25 –Friedrich Paschen(born1865), Germanphysicist.
- August 23 –Roy Chadwick(born1893), Englishaircraft designer(aircraft accident).
- September 15 –Annie Maunder(born1868),Anglo-Irishastronomer.
- October 2 –P. D. Ouspensky(born1878), Russian-born philosopher.
- October 4 –Max Planck(born1858), Germanquantum physicist.
- November 17 –Emil Racoviță(born1868),Romanianbiologist,speleologistandpolar explorer.
- December 1
- John Fraser(born1885),Scottishsurgeon.
- G. H. Hardy(born1877), Englishmathematician.[37]
- December 17 –J. N. Brønsted(born1879),Danishphysical chemist.
References
edit- ^"Wood Raft Makes 4,300-Mile Voyage".This Day in History.BBC.Retrieved4 July2010.
- ^Orton, O. Richard (1998).Rocks From Space(2nd ed.). Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing. p. 103.ISBN0-87842-373-7.
- ^"Upper Air Rocket Summary V-2 No. 20".Retrieved11 May2011.
- ^"The Beginnings of Research in Space Biology at the Air Force Missile Development Center, 1946-1952".History of Research in Space Biology and Biodynamics.NASA.Archivedfrom the original on 25 January 2008.Retrieved2008-01-31.
- ^"V-2 Firing Tables".White Sands Missile Range.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-01-25.Retrieved2008-01-31.
- ^Bok, Bart J.;Reilly, Edith F. (March 1947). "Small Dark Nebulae".The Astrophysical Journal.105:255.Bibcode:1947ApJ...105..255B.doi:10.1086/144901.
- ^"The swifts in the tower".Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-03-11.Retrieved2011-03-17.
- ^Lack, Andrew;Overall, Roy (2002).The Museum Swifts: the story of the swifts in the tower of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.Oxford University Museum of Natural History.ISBN0-9542726-0-9.
- ^Asha, Kumari; Kumar, Binod (2019-02-05)."Emerging Influenza D Virus Threat: What We Know so Far!".Journal of Clinical Medicine.8(2): 192–.doi:10.3390/jcm8020192.PMC6406440.PMID30764577.
- ^US 2455992,Goldsmith Jr., Thomas T. & Estle Ray, Mann, "Cathode-ray tube amusement device", published 1948-12-14, assigned to Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories Inc.
- ^"July 29, 1947".Britannica.Retrieved4 July2010.
- ^"bug:n ".The Jargon File.Retrieved2012-01-20.
- ^"Log Book With Computer Bug".National Museum of American History.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-09-27.Retrieved2013-01-16.
- ^"computer,n".Oxford English Dictionaryonline version.Oxford University Press. September 2011.Retrieved2011-11-29.(subscription orparticipating institution membershiprequired)
- ^Crank, J.; Nicolson, P. (1947). "A practical method for numerical evaluation of solutions of partial differential equations of the heat conduction type".Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.43(1): 50–67.doi:10.1007/BF02127704.S2CID16676040.
- ^Murty, Katta G. (1983).Linear programming.New York: Wiley.ISBN0-471-09725-X.MR0720547.
- ^Dantzig, George B. (2003). Cottle, Richard W (ed.).The Basic George B. Dantzig.Stanford University Press.
- ^Dantzig, George B.; Thapa, Mukund N. (1997).Linear programming 1: Introduction.Springer.
- ^Dantzig, George B.; Thapa, Mukund N. (2003).Linear Programming 2: Theory and Extensions.Springer.
- ^Todd, Michael J. (February 2002). "The many facets of linear programming".Mathematical Programming.91(3): 417–436.doi:10.1007/s101070100261.S2CID6464735.
- ^Computing in Science and Engineering2(1) (2000).
- ^Skugor, Mario; Wilder, Jesse Bryant (2009).The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Thyroid Disorders.New York: Kaplan Publishing. p.71.ISBN978-1-4277-9969-2.Retrieved13 September2011.
propylthiouracil introduced 1947.
- ^"Claude Beck, defibrillation and CPR".Case Western Reserve University. 2010.Retrieved2012-06-13.
- ^Barber, Mary (1947-11-29)."Staphylococcal Infection due to Penicillin-Resistant Strains".British Medical Journal.2(4534): 863–865.doi:10.1136/bmj.2.4534.863.PMC2056216.PMID20272443.
- ^Pennington, Hugh(2010-02-09)."Rooting out the villains".Public Service.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-02-28.Retrieved2012-12-06.
- ^Haines, Catharine M. C. (2001).International Women in Science: A Biographical Dictionary to 1950.Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.ISBN1-57607-090-5.
- ^"The Shelter Island Conference".The National Academies. Archived fromthe originalon 1 April 2010.Retrieved4 July2010.
- ^Richet, P.; Bottinga, Y.; Javoy, M. (1977). "A Review of Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur, and Chlorine Stable Isotope Fractionation Among Gaseous Molecules".Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences.5:65–110.Bibcode:1977AREPS...5...65R.doi:10.1146/annurev.ea.05.050177.000433.
- ^Urey, H.C. (1947). "The Thermodynamic Properties of Isotopic Substances".Journal of the Chemical Society:562–581.doi:10.1039/JR9470000562.PMID20249764.
- ^Bigeleisen, J.; Mayer, M.G. (1947). "Calculation of Equilibrium Constants for Isotopic Exchange Reactions".The Journal of Chemical Physics.15(5): 261–267.Bibcode:1947JChPh..15..261B.doi:10.1063/1.1746492.hdl:2027/mdp.39015074123996.
- ^"November 17 – December 23, 1947: Invention of the First Transistor".American Physical Society.Retrieved2013-01-16.
- ^Ring, D. H. (1947-12-11)."Mobile Telephony – Wide Area Coverage"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2012-02-07.Retrieved2018-07-10.
- ^"Nobel Laureates 1947."Nobelprize.
- ^"Obituary: Professor John Brown OBE, Astronomer Royal for Scotland who used magic tricks to share wonder of the cosmos".www.scotsman.com.Retrieved27 May2021.
- ^"The Nobel Prize in Physics 2022".Nobel Prize(Press release).The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.2022-10-04.Retrieved2022-10-06.
- ^Will Steffen, ‘courageous’ climate scientist, dies in Canberra aged 75
- ^GRO Register of Deaths: December 1947 4a 204 Cambridge – Godfrey H. Hardy, aged 70.