Biography of John Dalton

Stunning colors

6 September 1766
27 July 1844
John Dalton was born on 6 September 1766 at Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, England, from a Quaker family. His childhood and his adolescence are influenced by the thought of Meteorologist Elihu Robinson, a prominent Quaker of his city, which it does excite the problems of meteorology and mathematics. Studying in Kendal, John helps to resolve questions and issues on various themes of "Gentlemen's and ladies ' diaries", and in 1787 began keeping a journal forecast (which will build for the next 57 years, with more than 200 thousand observations). At this time approaching the so-called "Hadley cell", i.e. the theory of George Hadley on the atmospheric circulation. Around twenty years of age takes into consideration the idea to study medicine or law, but his plans do not meet the support of parents: so, stays at home until, in 1793, doesn't move in Manchester.
In that year he published "Meteorological observations and essays" (meteorological observations and essays), where the seeds of many of his later discoveries: the Treaty, however, received little attention on the part of academics, in spite of the originality of the content. John Dalton was appointed teacher of natural philosophy and mathematics at New College, thanks to the intervention of the blind philosopher John Gough and, in 1794, he was elected a member of the Manchester Literary and philosophical society ", the" Lit & Phil "; shortly after writes "Extraordinary facts relating to the vision of colours" (extraordinary Facts relating to the vision of colours), in which he argues that poor colour perception depends on the eyeball fluid discoloration; Moreover, since both he and his brother colorblind, claims that that condition is hereditary. Although his theory loses scientific credibility in the following years, its importance-even from the point of view of the research method-as part of the study of the problems of vista is recognized to the extent that the disorder gets its name from him: color blindness .
In fact, John Dalton is not color blind, but suffers from deuteroanopia, an ailment for which he is able to recognize, in addition to Fuchsia and blue, only the yellow, that is what he calls "the part of the image that others call it red, and that to me seems little more than a shadow. For this reason, the Orange, yellow and green seem to me to be a single color, resulting in a uniform from yellow, more or less intense". Maintains the role of teacher in college until 1800, when the precarious economic situation of the structure causes it to abandon the place and to embark on a new career as a private teacher. The following year he published his second work, "Elements of English grammar" (elements of English grammar). In 1803 Dalton seeks, first, to describe the atom, from two of the three fundamental laws of chemistry, and sets out the law of multiple proportions, which will become the third.
According to the British scholar, the atom is a sort of sphere of microscopic size, full and indivisible (actually later finds out that the atom can be broken down, separating the electrons and the nucleus). In the theories of Dalton there are errors (for example, he believes that the pure elements are composed of individual atoms, which occurs only in the noble gases), but the fact remains that, in the early nineteenth century, he gains a significant reputation in science, and in 1804 he was chosen to give courses in natural philosophy at the Royal Institution in London.
Sir Humphry Davy in 1810 he propose to apply to enter the Royal Society, but Dalton refuses the invitation, probably for financial reasons; twelve years later, however, he was nominated without his knowledge. Remained celibate since 1833 the British Government awarded him a pension of £ 150, which becomes of 300 pounds three years later. Lived for over a quarter of a century in George Street, in Manchester, with his friend Reverend Johns, interrupts his search routine in the lab and teaching only for annual trips to the Lake District and sporadic visits to London. In 1837 he suffered stroke once the event repeats the following year, menomandolo and depriving it of the ability to speak (but not preventing him from continuing his experiments). In may 1844 John Dalton suffers another stroke, and on 26 July of that year marks the latest meteorological observations in her diary of her life; He died the next day, after falling out of bed.
The news of his death provokes dismay in the academic environment, and his corpse, exposed at Manchester City Hall, is visited by over 40,000 people. Buried in Ardwick in Manchester, Dalton is also commemorated with a bust at the entrance of the Royal Manchester Institution.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.