From his humble birth on 5th September 1766 in a cottage in the village of Eaglesfield near Cockermouth, John Dalton rose to become an eminent scientist, worthy of a public funeral where 40,000 people filed past his coffin as it lay in Manchester Town Hall.
John Dalton's birthplace in Eaglesfield.
The young John received his first education from his Quaker father Joseph and later from John Fletcher at Pardshaw Meeting House. When Fletcher discontinued his school there, John Dalton promptly opened his own at the tender age of 12.
Two years later he was appointed Assistant Master at a private school in Kendal and later Mathematics and Natural Philosophy Tutor at New College, Manchester.
His studies of the composition of gasses led to the formulation of Daltons Law in 1801 and later publications of his Atomic Theory received worldwide acclaim. He went on to become a member of the Royal Society and received a Doctors degree from Oxford.
A mural and statue to his memory remain at Manchester Town Hall.
| New guide to a walk through Cumbria celebrating John Dalton ... |
Related Links :
- Wikipedia - John Dalton
- Times & Star biography
- Open Directory
- Wikipedia - Manchester Town Hall - with a photo of the John Dalton statue