Appleton, Sir Edward Victor, 1892-1965 (physicist and principal of the University of Edinburgh)
Dates
- Existence: 1892 - 1965
Biography
Appleton was born in Bradford and educated at local schools and St John's College, Cambridge where he was awarded first class honours and several prizes in both parts of the Natural Sciences Tripos (1913, 1914). He began research at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge with W.L. Bragg, but during his service in the Army Signals in the First World War he developed the interest in valves and 'wireless' signals which informed his subsequent research career. He returned to the Cavendish Laboratory in 1919, continuing to work on valves and, with B. van der Pol, on non-linearity, and on atmospherics. In 1924, in collaboration with M.F. Barnett, he performed a crucial experiment which enabled a reflecting layer in the atmosphere to be identified and measured; subsequent research indicated the existence of more than one reflecting layer. From 1924 to 1936 Appleton was Wheatstone Professor of Physics at King's College, London, directing research teams and, in 1932, heading an expedition to Tromsö in northern Norway as part of the programme of observations scheduled for the Second International Polar Year
He was President of the International Union of Scientific Radio (URSI), 1934-1952. In 1936 he succeeded C.T.R. Wilson in the Jacksonian Chair of Natural Philosophy at Cambridge, where he continued collaborative research on many ionospheric problems, including solar and lunar tides in the E-layer. From September 1936 he served on the re-constituted Committee for the Scientific Survey of Air Defence (the 'Tizard Committee'), and in October 1938 was appointed successor to Sir Frank Smith as Secretary to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). He remained at the DSIR throughout the Second World War and until 1948 when he was appointed Principal of Edinburgh University. He took up the appointment in May 1949 and remained in office until his death in 1965. Appleton was elected FRS in 1927 (Bakerian Lecture 1937, Hughes Medal 1933, Royal Medal 1950) and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1947 for his investigations into the ionosphere. He was knighted in 1941.
Found in 827 Collections and/or Records:
Appleton's manuscript drafts for sections of a paper under the general title 'Effects of X's on Receivers', no date
Appleton's manuscript drafts for sections of a paper under the general title 'Effects of X's on Receivers', no date.
Appleton's 'National Report to Commission III' (U.R.S.I.) [Union Radio-Scientifique International], c. 1955-1957
Appleton's 'National Report to Commission III' (U.R.S.I.) [Union Radio-Scientifique International]. The material consists of 2 page typescript with manuscript note 'Dr. Lyon. I don't know whether you have seen this?' no date, 1955-56; and 'Note by Sir Edward Appleton' 3 page typescript with a manuscript note (not in Appleton's hand) 'Copy to Mr. Ratcliffe 29/10/57'.
Army notebook, inscribed on cover 'E. V. Appleton ii Lieut [Lieutenant] R. E. Electricity Notes' , c 1914-1921
Army notebook, with only a few pages and front cover remaining, c.1914-1918
Army notebook, with only a few pages and front cover remaining, c.1914-1918. Notes on differential equations, perhaps for lectures as Instructor in R. E. Signals [check what this means] during First World War.
'Atmospheric spectrum' , c. 1943
Folder marked 'Atmospheric spectrum'. It includes manuscript translations of articles on atmospherics, D.S.I.R. [Department of Scientific and Industrial Research] and U.R.S.I. [Union Radio-Scientifique International] reports, National Defense Research Committee report by Jansky and Bailey (1943), etc.
Atmospherics
The material consists of notes, drafts and correspondence. The early material was described by C. S. Gillmor as 'work on pulse characteristics of receivers, and problems of receiving atmospherics'. The later material (from c. 1929) is mainly on the effects of thunderstorms.
'Atomic energy and its applications', c. 1949-1951
The material consists ofdDrafts for Edward Appleton’s chapter to the book ‘Aspects of Modern Science', published in 1951, with some editorial correspondence. It is contained in its original folder, inscribed ‘Atomic Energy'.
Audio recording of Edward Appleton at the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati, Ohio, 3 May 1957
The material consists of an open reel magnetic tape audio recording at the Centennial Exposition, Commemorating a Century of Medical Progress of the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati, Ohio, on 3 May 1957. Edward Appleton gave the Centennial Convocation Address on 'Medicine: a Science and a Humanity'.
Audio recording of Edward Appleton at the U.R.S.I [Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale] conference, Sydney parts 1 and 2 (of 4), August 1952
The material consists of a gramophone audio recording of Edward Appleton parts 1 and 2 (of 4). It is labelled, 'A.B.C. [Australian Broadcasting Corporation?] Guest of Honour Sir Edward Appleton August, 1952’ and ‘Recorded at 78 r.p.m. [revolutions per minute] from tape. Use lightweight pickup'. The original tape was recorded at the U.R.S.I [Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale] conference, Sydney, 1952.
Audio recording of Edward Appleton at the U.R.S.I [Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale] conference, Sydney, parts 3 and 4 (of 4), August 1952
The material consists of a gramophone audio recording of Edward Appleton parts 3 and 4 (of 4). It is labelled, 'A.B.C. [Australian Broadcasting Corporation?] Guest of Honour Sir Edward Appleton August, 1952’ and ‘Recorded at 78 r.p.m. [revolutions per minute] from tape. Use lightweight pickup'. The original tape was recorded at the U.R.S.I [Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale] conference, Sydney, 1952.
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