William Rowan Hamilton
1805 – 1865 · aged 60
Irish mathematician and astronomer (1805-1865)
- Born
- 4 Aug 1805 · Dublin
- Died
- 2 Sept 1865 · Dublin
Life timeline
Their life from birth to death. On the timeline, world events of the time are shown faintly.
- 4 Aug 1805BornBorn in Dublin
- 1827 – 1865RoleRoyal Astronomer of Ireland
- 1834AwardCunningham Medal
- 1835AwardRoyal Medal
- 1864AwardFellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 2 Sept 1865DiedDied in Dublin
Loading from Wikipedia and Wikidata…
Meanwhile in the world
Major world events during their lifetime (1805 – 1865).
- 1812 – 1815War of 1812
- 1814 – 1815Congress of Vienna
- 1853 – 1856Crimean War
- 1857 – 1858Indian Rebellion of 1857
Biography
Sir William Rowan Hamilton (4 August 1805 – 2 September 1865) was an Irish mathematician, physicist, and astronomer who made numerous major contributions to algebra, classical mechanics, and optics. His theoretical works and mathematical equations are considered fundamental to modern theoretical physics, particularly his reformulation of Lagrangian mechanics. His research included the analysis of geometrical optics, Fourier analysis, and quaternions, the last of which made him one of the founders of modern linear algebra.
Hamilton was Andrews Professor of Astronomy at Trinity College Dublin. He was also the third director of Dunsink Observatory from 1827 to 1865. The Hamilton Institute at Maynooth University is named after him.
He received the Cunningham Medal twice, in 1834 and 1848, and the Royal Medal in 1835. He was also knighted in 1835. Hamilton remains arguably the most influential Irish physicist, along with Ernest Walton. Since his death, he has been commemorated throughout the country, with several institutions, streets, monuments, and stamps bearing his name.
Text from the Wikipedia article William Rowan Hamilton, CC BY-SA 4.0
About this information
Dates and life events come from this person’s Wikidata entry.
We only show events that the sources give a date for. Anything without a date is left out rather than guessed.