Hermann von Helmholtz
AUG 31, 2016
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.031298
Today is the birthday of Hermann von Helmholtz, born in Potsdam, Prussia (now Germany) in 1821. He attended Friedrich Wilhelm Medical Institute in Berlin but also sat in on physics lectures. Helmholtz is best known for his 1847 paper “On the Conservation of Force,” which is considered one of the first and clearest statements of a bedrock law of physics: the conservation of energy. Among many other contributions, Helmholtz invented the ophthalmoscope, a device that bounces light off the retina so that doctors can study the structure of a patient’s eye.
Date in History: 31 August 1821
© 2016 American Institute of Physics
