Henry Hennessy facts for kids
Henry Joseph Hennessy (born March 19, 1826 – died March 8, 1901) was an Irish scientist who studied physics. He was also a member of the important Royal Society.
Life of Henry Hennessy
Henry Hennessy was born in Cork, Ireland, on March 19, 1826. He was the second son of John Hennessy and Elizabeth Casey. His younger brother was John Pope Hennessy. Henry was taught in Cork by Michael Healy. Because he was Roman Catholic in the 1840s, he didn't go to a university. Instead, he became an engineer.
In 1849, Hennessy became the librarian at Queen's College, Cork. Later, in 1855, he was invited by John Henry Newman to become a physics professor at the Catholic University of Ireland. In 1874, he moved to the Royal College of Science, Dublin. There, he became a professor of applied mathematics. He was also the dean of the college in 1880 and again in 1888. Hennessy joined the Royal Irish Academy in 1851 and was its vice-president from 1870 to 1873. He was also chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1858.
In 1890, Hennessy retired from his teaching job at age 65. This was due to new rules for government workers. People protested his retirement, but it didn't change anything. He went abroad for a while because of money issues. But he came back to Ireland for health reasons and passed away on March 8, 1901, in Bray, County Wicklow.
Henry Hennessy's Scientific Work
In his first paper in 1845, Henry Hennessy suggested using photography to record weather readings like air pressure and temperature. In another important paper from 1851, he wrote about how the Earth and other planets might have started as liquids. He believed they had a hot, liquid center covered by a solid outer layer.
He also studied meteorology (the study of weather) and climatology (the study of climate). He figured out rules for how temperature is spread out on islands. His work on "The Influence of the Gulf Stream" led to him being asked to report on the temperature of the seas around the British Isles in 1870. This was for a committee studying Irish fisheries.
Hennessy also suggested a new decimal system for weights and measures. His idea was based on the length of the Earth's polar axis, not the Earth's quadrant like the metric system. He created standards like the polar foot and the polar pound. A full set of his weights and measures was kept at the Museum of the Royal College of Science in Dublin. The museum also had models of his inventions. One showed the best way to build sewers to clean them well and handle storm water.
He also published several books and papers, including:
- On the Study of Science in its Relation to Individuals and Society, Dublin, 1858.
- On the Freedom of Education (a paper given in Liverpool in 1858), 1859.
- The Relation of Science to Modern Civilisation, 1862.
Family Life
Henry Hennessy married Rosa Corri (1836-1926). They had one daughter, Mary Rosa Hennessy (1873–1949).
