James Glaisher
Encyclopedia
James Glaisher FRS (7 April 1809 – 7 February 1903), was an English
meteorologist and aeronaut.
Born in Rotherhithe
, the son of a London watchmaker, Glaisher was a Junior assistant at the Cambridge Observatory
from 1833 to 1835 before moving to the Royal Greenwich Observatories, where he served as Superintendent of the Department of Meteorology and Magnetism at Greenwich for thirty-four years.
In 1845, Glaisher published his dew point
tables, for the measurement of humidity
. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1849.
He was a founder member of the Meteorological Society
(1850) and the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain (1866). He was president of the Royal Meteorological Society from 1867 to 1868.
He is most famous, however, as a pioneering balloonist. Between 1862 and 1866, usually with Henry Tracey Coxwell
as his co-pilot, Glaisher made numerous ascents in order to measure the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere at its highest levels. His ascent on September 5, 1862 broke the world record for altitude, but he passed out around 8,800 metres before a reading could be taken. Estimates suggest that he rose to more than 9,500 metres and as much as 10,900 metres above sea-level.
He was president of the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1886–1868 and 1901–1902.
Glaisher lived at 22 Dartmouth Hill, Blackheath, London
, where there is a blue plaque
in his memory. He died in Croydon, Surrey in 1903.
He had married in 1843 Cecilia Louisa, youngest daughter of Henry Belville, Assistant at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich; they had ten children, including the mathematician James Whitbread Lee Glaisher
(1848–1928).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
meteorologist and aeronaut.
Born in Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...
, the son of a London watchmaker, Glaisher was a Junior assistant at the Cambridge Observatory
Cambridge Observatory
Cambridge Observatory is an astronomical observatory at the University of Cambridge in the East of England. It was first established in 1823 and is now part of the site of the Institute of Astronomy...
from 1833 to 1835 before moving to the Royal Greenwich Observatories, where he served as Superintendent of the Department of Meteorology and Magnetism at Greenwich for thirty-four years.
In 1845, Glaisher published his dew point
Dew point
The dew point is the temperature to which a given parcel of humid air must be cooled, at constant barometric pressure, for water vapor to condense into liquid water. The condensed water is called dew when it forms on a solid surface. The dew point is a saturation temperature.The dew point is...
tables, for the measurement of humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1849.
He was a founder member of the Meteorological Society
Royal Meteorological Society
The Royal Meteorological Society traces its origins back to 3 April 1850 when the British Meteorological Society was formed as a society the objects of which should be the advancement and extension of meteorological science by determining the laws of climate and of meteorological phenomena in general...
(1850) and the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain (1866). He was president of the Royal Meteorological Society from 1867 to 1868.
He is most famous, however, as a pioneering balloonist. Between 1862 and 1866, usually with Henry Tracey Coxwell
Henry Tracey Coxwell
Henry Tracey Coxwell , was an English aeronaut. He was the son of a naval officer, educated for the army, but became a dentist. From a boy he had been greatly interested in ballooning, then in its infancy, but his own first ascent was not made until 1844...
as his co-pilot, Glaisher made numerous ascents in order to measure the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere at its highest levels. His ascent on September 5, 1862 broke the world record for altitude, but he passed out around 8,800 metres before a reading could be taken. Estimates suggest that he rose to more than 9,500 metres and as much as 10,900 metres above sea-level.
He was president of the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
in 1886–1868 and 1901–1902.
Glaisher lived at 22 Dartmouth Hill, Blackheath, London
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
, where there is a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
in his memory. He died in Croydon, Surrey in 1903.
He had married in 1843 Cecilia Louisa, youngest daughter of Henry Belville, Assistant at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich; they had ten children, including the mathematician James Whitbread Lee Glaisher
James Whitbread Lee Glaisher
James Whitbread Lee Glaisher son of James Glaisher, the meteorologist, was a prolific English mathematician.He was educated at St Paul's School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was second wrangler in 1871...
(1848–1928).
External links
- Article in 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
- Royal Society citation
- Newspaper cutting from New York Times, 1909.
- Details of 1862 balloon flight.
- NOAA photo library – Illus. from Glaisher's 1871 'Travels in the Air'; see #634–641