Henry Yule Oldham
Encyclopedia
Henry Yule Oldham, was a teacher and geographer who, in 1901, conducted the definitive version of the Bedford Level experiment
, a proof that the Earth is a sphere.
, Germany, the younger son of Thomas Oldham
, the director of the Geological Survey of India
. He was educated at Rugby
and Jesus College, Oxford
, matriculating
at Jesus College as a commoner in 1882. Whilst at Oxford, he rowed in the college boat
and was president of the Debating Society. He graduated in 1886 with a second class
honours degree in Animal Morphology.
and then at Harrow School
. After further post-graduate studies at Berlin University (1891–92) he became a lecturer in Geography at Owens College, Manchester. In 1893 he took up a post at Kings College, Cambridge, where he was to remain for twenty-eight years.
of the Flat Earth Society
had demonstrated that a six-mile length of the Old Bedford River
, Cambridgeshire, had a flat surface and not, as would be expected if the earth were a sphere, a curved one. In 1870 on the same spot the noted explorer Alfred Russel Wallace
, a trained surveyor, soundly disproved the observation, but the mystery was not allowed to rest and Rowbotham's supporters continued to argue their case with great vigour in the courts, in scientific journals and in pamphlets. In 1901 Oldham used a plate camera and theodolite
for his careful observations along the length of the river and he presented his results at an illustrated lecture held at the British Association for the Advancement of Science
. His experiment, because of its photographic proof, is regarded as definitive and was taught in schools as until images taken from orbiting satellites became available.
Bedford Level experiment
The Bedford Level Experiment is a series of observations carried out along a six-mile length of the Old Bedford River on the Bedford Level, Norfolk, England, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was an attempt to determine the shape of the Earth...
, a proof that the Earth is a sphere.
Early life
Oldham was born in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany, the younger son of Thomas Oldham
Thomas Oldham
Thomas Oldham was a Anglo-Irish geologist.He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and studied civil engineering at the University of Edinburgh as well as geology under Robert Jameson....
, the director of the Geological Survey of India
Geological Survey of India
Geological Survey of India , established in 1851 is a government organization in India which is an attached office to the Ministry of Mines of Union Government of India for conducting geological surveys and studies. It is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and the second oldest...
. He was educated at Rugby
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
and Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
, matriculating
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
at Jesus College as a commoner in 1882. Whilst at Oxford, he rowed in the college boat
Jesus College Boat Club (Oxford)
Jesus College Boat Club is a rowing club for members of Jesus College, Oxford, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford...
and was president of the Debating Society. He graduated in 1886 with a second class
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
honours degree in Animal Morphology.
Career
On graduating from Oxford, Oldham took a post as a private tutor in France. This he followed with post-graduate studies at Paris University (1886-7), before becoming in turn an assistant master at Hulme Grammar SchoolHulme Grammar School
Hulme Grammar School is an independent grammar school situated on and around Chamber Road, about three-quarters of a mile south of the centre of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, between Frederick Street and Windsor Road.-History:...
and then at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
. After further post-graduate studies at Berlin University (1891–92) he became a lecturer in Geography at Owens College, Manchester. In 1893 he took up a post at Kings College, Cambridge, where he was to remain for twenty-eight years.
The Bedford Level experiment
In 1838 Samuel RowbothamSamuel Rowbotham
Samuel Birley Rowbotham was an English inventor and writer who wrote Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe under the pseudonym "Parallax". His work was based on his decade-long studies of the earth and was originally published as a 16-page pamphlet , which he later expanded into a 430 page book...
of the Flat Earth Society
Flat Earth Society
The Flat Earth Society is an organization that seeks to further the belief that the Earth is flat instead of an oblate spheroid. The modern organization was founded by Englishman Samuel Shenton in 1956 and was later led by Charles K...
had demonstrated that a six-mile length of the Old Bedford River
Old Bedford River
The Old Bedford River is an artificial, partial diversion of the waters of the River Great Ouse in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, England. It was named after the fourth Earl of Bedford who contracted with the local Commission of Sewers to drain the Great Level of the Fens beginning in 1630.The idea of...
, Cambridgeshire, had a flat surface and not, as would be expected if the earth were a sphere, a curved one. In 1870 on the same spot the noted explorer Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist...
, a trained surveyor, soundly disproved the observation, but the mystery was not allowed to rest and Rowbotham's supporters continued to argue their case with great vigour in the courts, in scientific journals and in pamphlets. In 1901 Oldham used a plate camera and theodolite
Theodolite
A theodolite is a precision instrument for measuring angles in the horizontal and vertical planes. Theodolites are mainly used for surveying applications, and have been adapted for specialized purposes in fields like metrology and rocket launch technology...
for his careful observations along the length of the river and he presented his results at an illustrated lecture held at the British Association for the Advancement of Science
British Association for the Advancement of Science
frame|right|"The BA" logoThe British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between...
. His experiment, because of its photographic proof, is regarded as definitive and was taught in schools as until images taken from orbiting satellites became available.
Selected works
- Geography, Aims and Practice of Teaching
- Discovery of the Cape Verde Islands Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
(1892) - A Pre-Columban Discovery Of America Royal Geographical Society (1894)
- Was America Discovered Before Columbus? Geographical Journal 5 221-339 (1898)
- The Experimental Demonstration of the Curvature of the Earth's Surface, as Recorded by Photography. Year Book of the Royal Society of London (1904)