Laura Bassi

Born on 31 October 1711 in Bologna (in present-day Italy), Laura Bassi was the first woman to become a physics professor at a European university. At age 20 she received her doctor of philosophy degree, defending several theses regarding Newtonian physics in front of the archbishop of Bologna, Prospero Cardinal Lambertini. She also became an honorary professor of physics at the University of Bologna, though she was not allowed to teach at the school. Instead Bassi delivered public lectures and performed experiments at her home, including early work on electricity. In 1740 Archbishop Lambertini became Pope Benedict XIV, and five years later he organized the Benedettini, a select group of scientists who had to submit at least one paper a year to him. After some lobbying the pope decided to make Bassi the 25th member, and only woman, of the group, although she had less voting power than the men. In 1776, two years before her death, the University of Bologna appointed Bassi to the chair of experimental physics. Bassi’s husband served as her assistant.

Date in History: 31 October 1711