Fame is a curious thing, especially when it isn't exactly clear why it's happened.
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erin men, keys cabinet of curiosity is a production of I radio and grim and mild our world is full of the unexplainable and of history is an open book
All of these amazing tales are right there on display just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the cabinet of curiosity
george was born in england on July. Fourth of seventeen. Ninety fourteen years after america had first declared independence from great britain, George had five other siblings
younger and three older than his father was an upstanding member of the community, serving as the local justice of the peace. George started his professional life as a cadet with the east india company in eighteen,
six and after graduating from the royal military college and marlowe. He was sent to india itself, but were not exactly sure why we do know that he was made a second lieutenant with the bengal army and that he was quite gifted in astronomy and mathematics, but around eighteen fourteen. Georgia's.
work, begins to come into focus more that year, while on secondment. In java off the coast of indonesia, he was given the job of surveying the entire island. This lead to more survey
work in india, as he mapped a four hundred mile line between calcutta and benares. Eventually, Georgia's dedication and work ethic was
just by a man named william lamped and who had been heading up a project called the great triggering a metrical survey or the gps. The gps was a plan to me
the entirety of india with a kind of detail and precision that had never been done before the kind of precision the george had come to be known for lamson had started the survey in eighteen, oh too, in my address, but it really kicked into gear once he brought george on board as his chief assistant is, he George was assessed with accuracy. He didn't just survey the lad. He took matters into his own hands to verify all the readings were as true as pie.
The boy you modified, the equipment, keyed tweak the calculations and he made every effort to reduce errors brought on by weather and changes in the landscape. Then, in eighteen, twenty
colonel william lamp and died leaving george in charge of the g s project going forward, he made his mission to see
they are meridian arc or longitude a line that his predecessor had been working on. Unfortunately, George fell seriously ill suffering from a fever and rheumatism, which partially paralysed him and prevented him from continuing his work. He returned to england in eighteen, twenty five and rested for the next five years, during which time he pestered the east india company for more advanced equipment. He returned to the projects in eighteen. Thirty
at which point he was made surveyor general of india. He then appointed a second in command in Andrews Scott, while an officer in the british army while led this
ray team over the next eleven years to complete the map of the meridian arc from cape coumarin in the south, tipp of india all the way to the himalayas. A distance of about fifteen hundred miles. George didn't do much field work during this time, as the survey or general his days were sped behind a desk.
he wound up resigning from his position. One year later in november of eighteen. Forty two but george continued on writing about,
his work in india and earning awards
from the royal astronomical society he passed away at his home in eighteen, sixty six when he was seventy six years old. Now George had done a lot during his
but his legacy would not be the meridian arc that he had helped map. Nor would it be his awards from the various societies of which he was a member inside
his greatest honour, came one year before his death in eighteen. Sixty five, you see a decade earlier. His successor,
drew while had noted a mountain in the himalayas. Its height had been calculated. Previously
by an indian mathematician name rod had not sick dar in eighteen. Fifty two while took this information,
and wrote a letter to the royal geographical society back in england, claiming that this was in fact the tallest mountain in the world.
It had originally been named peak, be, but while
and a better name in mind, one that would honor
and who had given him the job of a lifetime napping india back in eighteen, thirty, the name for the peak was debated for years with different academic and scholarly groups vying for the right to christened the mountain with an appropriate moniker. But in the end, while one out,
in eighteen, sixty five peak be was given the name, it would be known by forever onward. It was named after george george everest about his last dame got butchered over time, which is why we know it today as MT everest
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com for terms and conditions. He was as enigmatic
as he was brilliant. He has remembered, as a first rate, oddity an eccentric genius whose contributions to electromagnetism shaped how we understand the world today from
early age. He showed a remarkable aptitude for mathematics at a deep curiosity about
natural world, but he was not
in ordinary child by any means. Often spending hours engrossed in books and scientific experiments considered a loner preferred the company of his thoughts and ideas over that of his peers ass. He grew older. His passions for mathematics intensified. He delved into the works of great thinkers like James clerk maxwell, whose theories on electromagnetism captivated his imagination inspired by Maxwell's ideas. He embarked on a journey to revolutionize the field of electromagnetism and solve the complex problems that
ig scientists of his time. It could be said that his mind was a whirlwind of ideas and innovations. He invented many mathematical techniques that are still widely used today, such as an operational calculus and a step function that allowed scientists and engineers to tackle complex electromagnetic problems with greater ease and precision. It's like having a super toolkit for solving complex equations in mathematics. If you're wondering who we're talking about no its, not tony stark, although our historical superhero was a trailblazer, paving the way for future breakthroughs in the field, but our inventors brilliance came with a price, he was a prickly character known for his car,
ankara's nature and his disdain for the conventional. He had little patience for social norms and niceties often alienating those around him. Despite his gruff exterior, however, he remained deeply dedicated to his work. He spent countless hours immersed
in his studies, rarely leaving his house and sometimes forgetting to eat or sleep legend has it that he would work late into the night with his room illuminated only by flickering candle light as he pushed on toward morning. His desk was piled high, with books written by some of the world's most prestigious experts in their given fields, papers with wildly scribbled notes and equations littered his desk
I guess you could say that he was a true embodiment of the seine mad scientist, but matter not his contributions to electromagnetism were monumental. He developed a new form of vector notation, which simplified the mathematical description of electromagnetic fields. He also propose the existence of a layer in the earth's atmosphere note as the eye on a sphere which plays a crucial role in the long distance communication used by radios and speaking of communication
his work was groundbreaking when it came to the telephone if you're still guessing, who are inventor is no its, not alexander, Graham bell or even thomas edison. For about nine years, he worked on electric charges, velocity and elements of albert einstein. Theory of relativity, so if you were thinking.
of that great inventor. Sorry, and although I have mentioned radio waves, though it is not marconi either. No,
our little known inventors work was met with both admiration and scepticism from the scientific community. Some hailed him as a visionary, while others dismissed him as an eccentric with unconventional ideas, but our visionary soldiers,
undeterred, by the opinions of others. He knew his ideas were groundbreaking and would eventually be recognised for their true worth. We ve all heard of the genius of Nikola tesla and isaac newton other, given our inventors breakthroughs, though his name doesn't appear among them. In fact, our adventure never stepped inside a college is, he grew up poor and couldn't afford a higher education. He was self taught as a mathematician and also as a physicist, an electrical engineer. His achievement,
Rivalled those who studied at harvard oxford or other prestigious universities, the man I have been describing to you, the enigmatic genius who d
I'd societal norms and transformed our understanding of electromagnetism. Is british born oliver heavy side, one of the world's most prolific and lesser known inventors whose works will go on to infinity and beyond. I hope you ve enjoyed today's guided tour of the cabinet of curiosities. Subscribe for free on apple pon casts or learn more about the show by visiting curiosities, podcast dont come the show was created by me, Erin monkey in partnership with how stuff
I make another award winning show called lore witches upon cast book series and television show, and you can learn all about it over at the world of lore. Dont come until next time stay curious,.
Transcript generated on 2023-12-28.