Allan Chapman

FRAS FRAS may refer to: * Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, post-nominal letters * Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Fellows of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland are individuals who have bee ...

(born 30 May 1946) is a British historian of science.

Biography

Allan Chapman was born in Swinton, Lancashire, England and grew up in the

Pendlebury Pendlebury is a town in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 13,069. It lies north-west of Manchester city centre, north-west of Salford and south-east of Bolton. Historically in Lancash ...

and

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

districts of the then Swinton and Pendlebury borough. Having attended the local Cromwell Road Secondary Modern School for Boys, Sefton Road, Pendlebury (1957–1962), he then gained his first degree from the

University of Lancaster , mottoeng = Truth lies open to all , established = , endowment = £13.9 million , budget = £317.9 million , type = Public , city = Bailrigg, City of Lancaster , country = England , coor = , campus = Bailrigg , faculty = 1 ...

. Subsequently, he undertook a history of science

DPhil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

. He is a historian by training and his special interests are

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

and scientific biography. AllanChapmanbyCarlosFuentesyEspinosa

Chapman has been based at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

for most of his career, as a member of the Faculty of History, based at

Wadham College Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

. He is an accomplished lecturer and public speaker (including as visiting professor at

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England. It does not enroll students or award degrees. It was founded in 1596 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, and hosts ove ...

in London). In January 1994, he delivered the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

history of science Wilkins Lecture, on the subject of

Edmund Halley Edmond (or Edmund) Halley (; – ) was an English astronomer, mathematician and physicist. He was the second Astronomer Royal in Britain, succeeding John Flamsteed in 1720. From an observatory he constructed on Saint Helena in 1676–77, Ha ...

. He is also a television presenter, notably '' Gods in the Sky'', covering astronomical religion in early civilisations, and ''Great Scientists'', presenting the lives of five of the greatest thinkers. Not averse to other forms of television, he also participated in the TV quiz ''

University Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...

– The Professionals'' as part of the

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NGO ...

team, broadcast in June–July 2006. Chapman teaches for the study abroad programme of Eurospring for Minnesota State University, Moorhead,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, USA and

Bemidji State University Bemidji State University (BSU) is a public university in Bemidji, Minnesota. Founded as a preparatory institution for teachers in 1919, it provides higher education to north-central Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Univ ...

Bemidji, Minnesota Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 15,279, making it ...

, USA. He has written many books including biographies such as ''England's Leonardo'' on

Robert Hooke Robert Hooke FRS (; 18 July 16353 March 1703) was an English polymath active as a scientist, natural philosopher and architect, who is credited to be one of two scientists to discover microorganisms in 1665 using a compound microscope that ...

. Chapman is a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NGO ...

. He is a founder member and president of the

Society for the History of Astronomy The Society for the History of Astronomy is an organisation based in the United Kingdom that promotes research into the history of astronomy. It publishes a research journal called ''The Antiquarian Astronomer'' and a regular ''Bulletin''. The s ...

(SHA). He received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from the

University of Central Lancashire , mottoeng = "From the Earth to the Sun" , established = as Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledgere-established 1992 (University status granted) , type = Public , chancellor ...

in 2004. He is the Honorary President and a member of Salford Astronomical Society, Honorary President of Reading Astronomical Society, Honorary President of the

Mexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society J A Jones Hoober Observatory is a privately owned observatory located in South Yorkshire, England near to the villages of Hoober and Wentworth, North-northwest of Rotherham. It can be found about east of Hoober Stand. The observatory is own ...

, Honorary President of Orwell Astronomical Society (Ipswich) and Vice-President of the Newbury Astronomical Society.Newbury Astronomical Society
/ref> President of Preston and District Astronomical Society

Selected bibliography

* ''

William Crabtree William Crabtree (1610–1644) was an astronomer, mathematician, and merchant from Broughton, then in the Hundred of Salford, Lancashire, England. He was one of only two people to observe and record the first predicted transit of Venus in 16 ...

1610–1644:

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

's First Mathematician'', Allan Chapman.

Manchester Statistical Society The Manchester Statistical Society is a learned society founded in 1833 in Manchester, England. It has a distinguished history, having played an important part in researching economic and social conditions using social surveys. It continues to ...

, 1996. . * ''The Victorian Amateur Astronomer: Independent Astronomical Research in Britain, 1820–1920'', Allan Chapman.

Praxis Praxis may refer to: Philosophy and religion * Praxis (process), the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, embodied, or realised * Praxis model, a way of doing theology * Praxis (Byzantine Rite), the practice of fai ...

Publishing, Wiley-Praxis Series in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 1996. . Second edition, Publisher, Gracewing. -100. 2017. * ''Astronomical Instruments and Their Users:

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was k ...

William Lassell William Lassell (18 June 1799 – 5 October 1880) was an English merchant and astronomer.Ashgate Ashgate Publishing was an academic book and journal publisher based in Farnham (Surrey, United Kingdom). It was established in 1967 and specialised in the social sciences, arts, humanities and professional practice. It had an American office in ...

, Variorum Collected Studies, 1996. . * ''Patrick Moore's Millennium Yearbook: The View from AD 1001'',

Patrick Moore Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was president of the Brit ...

and Allan Chapman.

Springer-Verlag Springer Science+Business Media, commonly known as Springer, is a German multinational publishing company of books, e-books and peer-reviewed journals in science, humanities, technical and medical (STM) publishing. Originally founded in 1842 in ...

, 1999. . * ''Gods in the Sky: Astronomy from the Ancients to the Enlightenment'', Allan Chapman.

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

Books, 2002. . * ''

Mary Somerville Mary Somerville (; , formerly Greig; 26 December 1780 – 29 November 1872) 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 ...

: And the World of Science'', Allan Chapman.

Canopus Canopus is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Carina (constellation), Carina and the list of brightest stars, second-brightest star in the night sky. It is also Bayer designation, designated α Carinae, which is Lat ...

Publishing, 2004. . * ''England's

Leonardo Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate ...

and the Seventeenth-century Scientific Revolution'', Allan Chapman.

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

Publishing, 2004. . * ''

and the English Renaissance'', Allan Chapman and Paul Kent (editors). Gracewing, 2005. . * ''Slaying the Dragons: Destroying Myths in the History of Science and Faith'', Allan Chapman. Lion Hudson, 2013. . *
Physicians, Plagues and Progress: the History of Western Medicine from Antiquity to Antibiotics
', Allan Chapman. Lion Hudson, 2016. .

References

External links

University of Oxford History Faculty entry

Society for the History of Astronomy

Books from Amazon.co.uk
*

' lecture (

) *
England's Leonardo
' book review in the

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...

magazine *
Gods in the Sky
' on

*
University of Central Lancashire Honorary Doctorate 2004
', including a short biography
'Scientists and Craftsmen in Sir Christopher Wren's London'
lecture given at

, 23 April 2008 (available in text, audio and video formats).
Mexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society
website
Orwell Astronomical Society (Ipswich)
web site.
Newbury Astronomical Society
web site.
Reading Astronomical Society
web site.
Audio podcast on www.astrotalkuk.org
on Science and Religion. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Allan 1946 births English historians English television presenters Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford Alumni of Lancaster University People from Swinton, Greater Manchester People from Pendlebury Living people Historians of astronomy Historians of science Fellows of Wadham College, Oxford Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society

Biography

Selected bibliography

See also

References

External links