Topic: World history quiz thread

[Sinitrena]

Maybe one of the namesakes for tempreture scales? Celsius, Fahrenheit or Lord (I think) Kelvin?

[Darth Mandarb]

So could it be Newtons friend Haley as in Haley's comet?

Edmond Halley is the correct answer!

This legendary figure received very little acknowledgement for his myriad accomplishments. The one thing, for which he is almost entirely known for, is something he didn't actually do.

• Often credited with the discovery of the comet that now bears his name Halley didn't actually discover the comet (it had been seen for centuries before his birth). What Halley did do, through an incredible and mind-blowing use of mathematics (using Newton's new laws on gravitational effects), was determine the orbit and conclude that several comet sightings in the past were in fact the same comet that returns roughly every 74-79 years and was able to predict that it would show up again in 1758. He, sadly, died in 1742 so he didn't live to see it return on 25 December 1758 (ironically on what would have been Sir Isaac Newton's 115th birthday) proving his prediction accurate.

Despite being dead for over 250 years his influence can still be felt, if unknowingly, when watching a modern day weather report.

• Halley spent two years on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic to map the stars of the Southern Hemisphere. While on this expedition he also studied trade winds and monsoons and released a paper on the subject in 1686. The symbols he used to represent trailing winds are still used in most modern weather reports/charts.

He was a contemporary (and not a big fan) of Hooke's.

• Halley spent a lot of time with Sir Isaac Newton (who despised Robert Hooke).

[LameNick]

He was a unique thinker during the High Middle Ages(in Christian Europe), among other things he's considered one of the pioneers of the scientific method.

[Darth Mandarb]

My first thought was Francis Bacon but he was a bit later than the high middle ages if I'm remembering correctly.

[Mandle]

Galileo?

[Stupot]

Figaro?

[Sinitrena]

My first thought was Descartes, but he's not exactly High Middle Ages.

Maybe William of Ockham, he lived in the right time period, at least.

[Andail]

Pretty sure it's Thomas of Aquinos (sp)

Edit: ...although Ockham is a very good guess too...

[LameNick]

Nope to all the guesses so far, although, some are really good and I think I should have thought the question through a little better.

@Sinitrena: I forgot about William of Ockham. It is a great guess, like him he was an English Franciscan friar but was born decades earlier.

@Darth: Its not Francis Bacon, but lets just say that they shared more than just their passion for science.

[CaptainD]

Had been going to guess Coppernicus but if he's English... can't think of anyone atm.

[Darth Mandarb]

@Darth: Its not Francis Bacon, but lets just say that they shared more than just their passion for science.

Do they share a last name?

I do remember another famous (not Kevin) Bacon, in scientific circles, but I'll be damned if I can remember the first name... Robert Bacon?

Honestly, though, at this point I'm just guessing.

[LameNick]

Damn Darth, soo close! I mean I think your answer should be accepted as I didn't provide the full correct name once in this thread.
But maybe just for the sake of general comfort try to guess one more time, you got the first two letters right.

[Darth Mandarb]

Hilarious. That was a total shot in the dark.

In the interest of full-disclosure after my last guess I did some googling (as I really didn't know the answer) and discovered how close I'd actually come.

So if anybody else is able to get it from my hail-mary provided clue I'm happy to give it to them!

[Mandle]

Roger Bacon?

[LameNick]

That's correct Mandle, you nailed it!(using Darths nails I assume )

Roger Bacon (1219-1292), mostly known for his study of optics, expanding on Alhazen's work described geometry of refraction and measured the reflection angle of rainbows, also the first in Europe to record the formula of gunpowder.

[Mandle]

That's correct Mandle, you nailed it!(using Darths nails I assume )

Yeah, I just guessed another name that starts with "Ro"... I hand the next round to Darth Mandarb.

[Darth Mandarb]

I humbly accept...

This astronomer pioneered the study of the rotation rates of galaxies by uncovering the discrepancy between the predicted angular motion of galaxies and the observed motion by studying galactic rotation curves.

[milkanannan]

Galileo's great great great ... grandson? (Best I can do! )

[dayowlron]

Edwin Hubble?

[LameNick]

This funny guy, who's name sounded something like Zwicky goes on my mind. Ah, i know, i know, i should probably just hold my peace if i don't know the name.