Mary Ward (scientist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Ward
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Mary King
27 April 1827 Ballylin, County Offaly, Ireland
|
| Died | August 31, 1869 (aged 42) Ireland
|
| Occupation |
|
| Family | William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (cousin) |
Mary Ward (born Mary King; 27 April 1827 – 31 August 1869) was an amazing Irish scientist. She loved studying nature, stars, and tiny things you could only see with a microscope. She was also a talented writer and artist.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Mary King was born on April 27, 1827, in Ballylin, near Ferbane, County Offaly. She was the youngest child of Henry and Harriette King. Like most girls at that time, Mary and her sisters learned everything at home.
Mary's family was very interested in science, which was a bit unusual for the time. This meant her education was special. She loved nature from a very young age. When she was just three years old, she was already collecting insects!
Discovering the Stars
Mary Ward was a very keen amateur astronomer. This means she loved studying stars and planets as a hobby. She shared this interest with her cousin, William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse.
Parsons built a giant reflecting telescope called the Leviathan of Parsonstown. This telescope had a huge six-foot mirror! It was the biggest telescope in the world until 1917. Mary often visited Birr Castle, where the telescope was being built. She drew pictures of every step of the building process. Her drawings, along with photos taken by Parsons' wife, Mary Rosse, helped later on when the telescope was restored.
Exploring the Tiny World
Mary also loved to draw insects. One day, the astronomer James South saw her drawing. She was using a magnifying glass to see all the tiny details. He was so impressed by her drawings that he convinced her father to buy her a microscope right away!
This was the start of a lifelong passion for Mary. She read every book she could find about microscopy and taught herself to become an expert. She even made her own slides for the microscope from thin pieces of ivory, because glass was hard to get. She also prepared her own specimens to look at. The famous physicist David Brewster asked her to prepare microscope specimens for him. He even used her amazing drawings in many of his books and articles.
Breaking Barriers in Science
In Mary's time, universities and most scientific groups did not allow women to join. But Mary found ways to get information anyway. She often wrote letters to scientists, asking them about their published papers.
In 1848, her cousin Parsons became the president of the Royal Society, a very important scientific group. When Mary visited his home in London, she got to meet many famous scientists.
Mary was one of only three women on the mailing list for the Royal Astronomical Society. This was a big deal! The other two women were Queen Victoria and Mary Somerville. Mary Somerville was a scientist for whom Somerville College at Oxford University was named.
Family Life
On December 6, 1854, Mary married Henry Ward of Castle Ward, County Down. They had a large family with three sons and five daughters. Her grandson, Edward Ward, became a well-known foreign correspondent. Her great-granddaughter is the actress Lalla Ward, who was in the TV show Doctor Who.
A Tragic Accident
Mary Ward is sadly known as the first person to die in a car accident. William Parsons' sons had built a car that ran on steam. On August 31, 1869, Mary was riding in this car with her husband, Henry, the Parsons boys (Richard Clere Parsons and Charles Algernon Parsons, who later invented the steam turbine), and their tutor.
As the car went around a bend in the road at Parsonstown (now called Birr), Mary was thrown from the vehicle. She fell under its wheel and died almost instantly. It is believed that her grieving family destroyed the car after the accident.
Legacy
Mary Ward's microscope, along with her accessories, slides, and books, are now on display at her husband's home, Castle Ward, in County Down. William Parsons' home, Birr Castle in County Offaly, is also open to the public.
Images for kids
-
Mary Ward with her microscope.
See also
In Spanish: Mary Ward (científica) para niños
