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Harald Sack

philosophy
Ockham’s Razor

Ockham’s Razor

Harald Sack
Probably on April 10, 1347, English Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopher and theologian William of Ockham passed away. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of the fourteenth century. He is commonly known for Occam’s razor, the methodological principle that bears his name, and also produced significant works on logic, physics, and theology. Probably…
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chemistry
Johann Rudolf Glauber – the first Chemical Engineer

Johann Rudolf Glauber – the first Chemical Engineer

Harald Sack
On March 10, 1604, German-Dutch alchemist and chemist Johann Rudolf Glauber was born. His discovery of sodium sulfate in 1625 led to the compound being named after him: “Glauber‘s salt“. He also noted the formation of nitric acid from potassium nitrate and sulphuric acid. Glauber prepared many substances, made useful observations on dyeing, and described the preparation of tartar emetic. Early Years Johann Rudolf Glauber was born in Karlstadt am Main, the Kingdom…
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medical science
Avicenna – The Most Significant Polymath of the Islamic Golden Age

Avicenna – The Most Significant Polymath of the Islamic Golden Age

Harald Sack
At about 980, Persian polymath bū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sīnā, also known as Avicenna, was born. Avicenna is regarded as one of the most significant thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age. His most famous works are The Book of Healing – a philosophical and scientific encyclopedia, and The Canon of Medicine – a medical encyclopedia, which became a standard medical text at many medieval…
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mathematics
Omar Khayyam – Mathematics and Poetry

Omar Khayyam – Mathematics and Poetry

Harald Sack
On December 4, 1131, Persian mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and poet, Omar Khayyam; born Ghiyāth ad-Dīn Abu’l-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm al-Khayyām Nīshāpūrī, passed away. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential scientists of the middle ages. He wrote numerous treatises on mechanics, geography, mineralogy and astronomy. “Whoever thinks algebra is a trick in obtaining unknowns has thought it in vain. No attention should be paid to the fact that…
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physics
Ernst Chladni – The Father of Acoustics

Ernst Chladni – The Father of Acoustics

Harald Sack
On November 30, 1756, German physicist and musician Ernst Florens Friedrich Chladni was born. His most important work, for which he is sometimes labeled the father of acoustics, included research on vibrating plates and the calculation of the speed of sound for different gases. He also undertook pioneering work in the study of meteorites and so is also regarded by some as the father of meteoritics. Ernst Chladni – Early Years Although…
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philosophy
Albertus Magnus and the Merit of Personal Observation

Albertus Magnus and the Merit of Personal Observation

Harald Sack
On November 15, 1280, German scholar, Dominican friar, Catholic bishop, and Catholic Saint, Albert, Count von Bollstädt a.k.a Abertus Magnus, Albert the Great passed away. As a philosopher Albertus Magnus championed Aristotle‘s philosophy, but adapted it to the medieval outlook, and held that there was merit in the addition of personal observation. He often is referred to as the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages. Even more so than…
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physics
Edmond Halley besides the Eponymous Comet

Edmond Halley besides the Eponymous Comet

Harald Sack
On November 8, 1656, English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist Sir Edmond Halley was born. Of course everybody has heard of Halley’s comet. We too already had an article on that topic [1]. But, Edmond Halley did much more than calculating the orbit of the eponymous comet. He compiled a catalogue of the stars of the Southern hemisphere, he also improved the sextant, and made observations about the ocean and the…
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computer science
The Pentium FDIV Bug

The Pentium FDIV Bug

Harald Sack
On October 30, 1994, Thomas Nicely, a professor of mathematics at Lynchburg College, published his findings about a serious bug in the arithmetic unit of Intel’s latest Pentium processor, known as the Pentium FDIV Bug. Because of the bug, the processor can return incorrect decimal results, an issue troublesome for the precise calculations needed in fields like math and science. How the FDIV Bug was discovered The Pentium FDIV bug is the…
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medical science
Thomas Hodgekin – a Pioneer in Preventive Medicine

Thomas Hodgekin – a Pioneer in Preventive Medicine

Harald Sack
On August 17, 1798, British physician Thomas Hodgkin was born. Hodgkin is considered one of the most prominent pathologists of his time and a pioneer in preventive medicine. Today, he is best known for the first account of Hodgkin’s disease, a form of lymphoma and blood disease, in 1832. Born into a Quaker family Thomas Hodgkin was born to a devout Quaker family in Pentonville, St. James Parish, Middlesex, England, the son of John…
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space
Neil Armstrong – the First Man of the Moon

Neil Armstrong – the First Man of the Moon

Harald Sack
On August 5, 1930, American astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong was born, the first person to walk on the Moon. He was also an aerospace engineer, naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. Armstrong was mission commander of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, in July 1969.[4] Armstrong’s Youth and Education Neil Armstrong was born in Auglaize County, near Wapakoneta, Ohio to Stephen Koenig Armstrong, an an auditor for the Ohio state government and…
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