“British laws are adverse to women”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #quote
Figure timeline
Mary Somerville
Mary Somerville was a Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath. She studied mathematics and astronomy, and in 1835 she and Caroline Herschel were elected as the first female Honorary Members of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
science · Scottish scientist (1780–1872) · mathematician · writer · scientist · physicist · geologist · astronomer · also Mary Somerville, Mrs. Mary Somerville, Mary Fairfax, Mary Greig, Mary Fairfax Greig Somerville, Mary Fairfax Somerville
Born 26 December 1780 · Died 28 November 1872 · Q268702
23 published statements · 0 followers
See & hear
Photos & media
14 photos
Media from Wikimedia Commons, hotlinked at the source under its own licence — see each file for author and terms.
Live now
In the news
Pulling headlines from trusted outlets — this usually takes a few seconds
Checking the wires…
Feed scan
These are live links, not archived citations — they only join the timeline once a collect run verifies and archives them.
Live pulse
Recent highlights
Most recent outstanding titles, awards, and quotes
- Quote
- Quote
s work gave her the confidence to persevere in her mathematical studies. She extended her studies to astronomy, chemistry, geography, microscopy, electricity and magnetism. At the age of 33 she bought herself a library of scientific books. These included Louis-Benjamin Francœur
2026· 2 entries
“s work gave her the confidence to persevere in her mathematical studies. She extended her studies to astronomy, chemistry, geography, microscopy, electricity and magnetism. At the age of 33 she bought herself a library of scientific books. These included Louis-Benjamin Francœur”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #quote
2017· 1 entry
Along with a quotation from On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1878· 1 entry
In London, by 1887 it was re-established as the New Somerville Club, and it disappeared by 1908
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1875· 1 entry
Astronomer Maria Mitchell was told by a college president that he "would hire a woman scientist if she was as good as Mary Somerville"
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1872· 2 entries
Died 1872-11-28.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #death
The Morning Post declared in her obituary that "Whatever difficulty we might experience in the middle of the nineteenth century in choosing a king of science, there could be no question whatever as to the queen of scienc
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1869· 1 entry
Won Patron’s Medal (1869).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #trophy
- #achievement
1868· 1 entry
Four years before her death a month before her 92nd birthday, she was the first person to sign John Stuart Mill's unsuccessful petition for female suffrage
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1857· 1 entry
And the Italian Geographical Society in 1870, and was made a member of the American Philosophical Society
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1848· 1 entry
And was the first English textbook on the subject
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1846· 1 entry
With the discovery of Neptune revolving at a distance of 3,000,000,000 miles from the Sun
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1835· 2 entries
And Caroline Herschel were elected as the first female Honorary Members of the Royal Astronomical Society
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
And named for Mary Somerville
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1831· 1 entry
Under the title of The Mechanism of the Heavens, and it immediately made her famous
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1829· 1 entry
That Mary Somerville was "certainly the most extraordinary woman in Europe – a mathematician of the very first rank with all the gentleness of a woman"
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1823· 1 entry
The Somervilles' youngest daughter died after an illness
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1819· 1 entry
Somerville's husband was appointed physician to Chelsea Hospital and the family moved into a government house at Hanover Square
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1817· 1 entry
Her husband was elected to the Royal Society and together they moved in the leading social circles of the day
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1812· 1 entry
Married another cousin, Dr William Somerville (1771–1860), inspector of the Army Medical Board, with whom she had four children
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1807· 1 entry
Was still nursing their youngest child and she returned to Scotland
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1804· 1 entry
Somerville met her first husband, Lieutenant Samuel Greig
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1780· 1 entry
Born 1780-12-26.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #birth