Oliver Joseph Lodge, 1851 - 1940

Abstract

From the point of view of the advancement of natural knowledge, the chief standards of attainment are those of original thought and productive discovery based upon it. The results of activities to which these standards are supplied are recorded in the publications of scientific societies and make up the material of specialized history. Clear interpretation of any part of this rich store of knowledge not only directs and stimulates further enquiries, but also extends interest in scientific endeavour and achievement. As a pioneer explorer who added new territories to the realm of science, Sir Oliver Lodge will always occupy a high and honoured place among original investigators. His contributions to the transactions of scientific societies, distinguished as they were and informed by his highly original and distinctive cast of mind, afford, however, no adequate measure of his inspiring influence on the scientific work and thought of his age. It is by the fruits of his spirit, as much as by his additions to knowledge, that he would wish the memory of his life to be cherished. Oliver Joseph Lodge was born at Penkhull, near Stoke-uponTrent, on 12 June 1851.