Henry Tizard facts for kids

Sir Henry Thomas Tizard (23 August 1885 – 9 October 1959) was an important English chemist and inventor. He was also the head of Imperial College London. He is well-known for creating the modern "octane rating" system for petrol. He also played a big part in developing radar during World War II. Later, he led the first serious government studies of UFOs.

Life Story

Henry Tizard was born in Gillingham, Kent, England, in 1885. He was the only son of Thomas Henry Tizard, who was a naval officer. Henry wanted to join the navy too, but his poor eyesight stopped him.

Instead, he went to Westminster School and then Magdalen College, Oxford. There, he studied mathematics and chemistry. He graduated in 1908. After college, he worked as a researcher at the Royal Institution. In 1911, he went back to Oxford as a teacher. He later became the President of Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1942, a role he held until 1946.

In 1915, Henry Tizard married Kathleen Eleanor. They had three sons. His son, Peter Tizard, became a professor of children's health. His son, Richard Henry Tizard, became an engineer.

Career Highlights

Henry Tizard once said that the secret of science is to "ask the right question." He believed that choosing the right problem was what made a scientist a genius. For him, that problem was how planes fly.

First World War Contributions

When World War I began, Tizard joined the army in 1914. He later moved to the Royal Flying Corps, which was the early air force. His eyesight got better, and he learned to fly planes. He became an officer who tested new equipment for aircraft. He even acted as his own test pilot to see how planes moved in the air. He ended the war as a temporary lieutenant colonel in the Royal Air Force.

Between the World Wars

After the war, Tizard taught at Oxford University. He worked on different types of fuel. He wanted to find fuels that would not freeze easily and were less likely to explode. This led him to create the idea of "toluene numbers," which we now call octane ratings. This system helps classify different types of petrol.

In 1920, he started working for the government again. He helped set up the Chemical Research Laboratory. In 1929, he became the head of Imperial College London, a position he held until 1942.

A very important moment came in 1935. Tizard's committee started working on radar development in the UK. Radar uses radio waves to detect objects. This early work was done at Orfordness and then at Bawdsey Research Station. In 1938, Tizard encouraged scientists at Birmingham University to focus on creating a better source of short-wave radiation. This led to the invention of the cavity magnetron. This was a huge step forward for radar technology. It made it possible for planes to use radar to find other aircraft.

Second World War Efforts

In 1940, Tizard led a group called the Tizard Mission to the United States. This was a very secret trip. They shared important British inventions with the US. These included the new cavity magnetron for radar and the Whittle jet engine. They also shared information about the British Tube Alloys project, which was about nuclear weapons. This sharing of scientific knowledge was very important for the war effort.

After the War

After World War II, Tizard continued to work for the government. He led committees that focused on scientific research for defense. From 1947 to 1952, he also chaired the Advisory Council on Scientific Policy.

In 1948, Tizard became the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence. He held this job until 1952. During this time, he became interested in reports of UFO sightings. He believed that these sightings should be properly investigated and not just ignored.

Because of his insistence, the Ministry of Defence set up a special group in 1950. This group was called the "Flying Saucer Working Party." Their job was to look into reports of unexplained flying objects. This was one of the first official government studies of UFOs.

Awards and Honours

Henry Tizard received many awards for his important work.

• In 1918, he was given the Air Force Cross for his contributions during World War I.
• In 1926, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists.
• He was also made a Knight in the Order of the Bath in different ranks: Companion (1927), Knight Commander (1937), and Knight Grand Cross (1949).
• In 1946, he received the Franklin Medal for his work in engineering.

Death

Sir Henry Tizard passed away in Fareham, Hampshire, in 1959. His important papers and documents are kept at the Imperial War Museum in London.

See also

• Dehousing