Albert A. Michelson

Albert Michelson
FRS
Albert Michelson FRS
	Michelson in 1907
Born	Albert Abraham Michelson; December 19, 1852; Strelno, Province of Posen, Kingdom of Prussia
Died	May 9, 1931 (aged 78); Pasadena, California, US
Nationality	American
Education	US Naval Academy
Alma mater	University of Berlin; École polytechnique;
Known for	Michelson–Morley experiment (1887)
Spouses	; Margaret Hemingway (m. 1877; div. 1898) Edna Stanton (m. 1899)
Children	6 (3 with Margaret, 3 with Edna)
Relatives	Miriam Michelson (sister); Harriet Lane Levy (cousin);
Awards	Rumford Prize (1888); Matteucci Medal (1903); Copley Medal (1907); Nobel Prize in Physics (1907); Elliott Cresson Medal (1912); Henry Draper Medal (1916); Prix Jules Janssen (1922); RAS Gold Medal (1923); Franklin Medal (1923); RSA Albert Medal (1920); Duddell Medal and Prize (1929);
	Scientific career
Fields	Optics
Institutions	Case School of Applied Science (1883–89); Clark University (1889–92); University of Chicago (from 1892);
Academic advisors	Marie Alfred Cornu; Hermann von Helmholtz;
Notable students	Henry G. Gale; Frank B. Jewett;
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Navy US Navy Reserve; ;
Service years	1873–1881; 1918–1921
Rank	Commander
Signature

Albert Abraham Michelson (December 19, 1852 – May 9, 1931) was an American experimental physicist known for his work on measuring the speed of light and especially for the Michelson–Morley experiment. In 1907, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics, becoming the first American to win the Nobel Prize in a science. He was the founder and the first head of the physics departments of the Case School of Applied Science and the University of Chicago.^[3]^[4]^[5]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Albert Abraham Michelson - Physics Tree". academictree.org. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Albert A. Michelson, Physics". www.lib.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
^ "Guide to the Albert A. Michelson Papers 1891–1969". www.lib.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on September 7, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
^ "Michelson, Albert A. (Albert Abraham), 1852-1931". history.aip.org. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.

[PhysicsTree-1] "Albert Abraham Michelson - Physics Tree". academictree.org. Retrieved July 14, 2025.

[:0-2] Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] "Albert A. Michelson, Physics". www.lib.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2019.

[4] "Guide to the Albert A. Michelson Papers 1891–1969". www.lib.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on September 7, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.

[5] "Michelson, Albert A. (Albert Abraham), 1852-1931". history.aip.org. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.

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