1753-1814

British Physicist, Inventor, and Diplomat

As a scientist, Benjamin Thompson, also known as Count Rumford, is best remembered for his discoveries that provided the foundation for modern theories of heat and for a number of practical inventions that improved living and working conditions.

Thompson was a most intriguing individual. His life was characterized by ambition and opportunism. Throughout his career, his contributions to science and society were always interwoven with political schemes. It is fortunate that the significant results of his work were not ultimately harmed by the motives that led him to their accomplishment.

Benjamin Thompson, better known as Count Rumford. (Corbis Corporation. Reproduced with permission.)

At the age of 19 he married a wealthy widow and, through her influence, was appointed a major in the New Hampshire militia. Because he spied for the royal governor against the colonists, he was forced to flee with...