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The Beginning
John Tyndall is born in the small Irish town of Leighlinbridgeis. Tyndall's family was relatively poor. Although he was not part of the upper-class he strived to better himself. He continued his public education until he was approximately 17 to 18 years old. -
Tyndall's Work Begins
Tyndall did not start off with a career in science. His first job was as a surveyor in Ireland. Eventually he continued the work as a surveyor in England. -
Tyndall's Climb
Tyndall started his climb not as a scientist but as a mountaineer. During his time as a mountaineer he began to study glaciers. -
Conquering the Mountains
In 1857 Tyndall conquered Mont Blanc. In 1861 he became the first to climb the Weisshorn. He was almost the first person the Climb the Matterhorn. He did manage to be the eighth person to climb it. He proved to be one of pioneers of mountaineering which is now a well practiced sport. One of the many successfully climbs he completed was of a minor summit that sits below the Matterhorn that is now known Pic Tyndall named after him. -
Tyndall and the Greenhouse Effect
Tyndall conducted many experiments on how water vapor and invisible gasses such as carbon dioxide can absorb solar heat. Through these experiments Tyndall was able to show how the solar heating of atmospheric water and gases contribute to global warming. Part of these experiments included making the first ratio spectrophotometer. Another result of these experiments was discovering that atmospheric gases scatter blue lights making the sky is blue. -
The Death of Tyndall
Tyndall suffered insomnia for much of his life. He died as a result of an overdose of chloral hydrate used as a sleeping medication. The sleeping medication was given to him by his wife Louisa so he was basically accidentally poisoned by his wife. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObZ_ymaM4BY&t=279s
