Benjamin Thompson
Sign in to saveAlso known as Count Rumford, Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford Benjamin Thompson, Benjamin, Graf von Rumford, Benjamin Rumford Graf von, Benjamin, comte de Rumford, Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, Benjamin, Count Rumford
American-born British physicist and inventor (1753–1814)
Key facts
- Born
- Benjamin Thompson , ( 1753-03-26 ) 26 March 1753, Woburn, Province of Massachusetts Bay , British America
- Died
- 21 August 1814 (1814-08-21) (aged 61), Auteuil, Paris , France
- Known for
- Thermodynamics
- Awards
- Copley Medal (1792) Rumford Medal (1800)
- Fields
- Physics
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Benjamin
- Family name
- Thompson
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Electorate of Bavaria
- Place of birth
- Woburn
- Place of death
- Auteuil
- Occupation
- writer
- Position held
- professor
- Educated at
- Harvard College
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Religion
- Anglicanism
- Noble title
- Imperial Count
- Field of work
- optics
- Image
- Thomas Gainsborough - Sir Benjamin Thompson, later Count Rumford (1753-1814) - 1922.1 - Fogg Museum.jpg
- Residence
- Broadway
Show 9 more facts
- member of
- Royal Society
- Commons category
- Benjamin Thompson
- date of birth
- 1753-03-26
- date of death
- 1814-08-25
- Commons gallery
- Benjamin Thompson
- different from
- Benjamin C. Thompson
- place of burial
- Auteuil Cemetery
- has works in the collection
- National Gallery of Art
- writing language
- English language
via Wikidata · CC0
Works in European collections
6 objects attributed to Benjamin Thompson, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana
~21 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Colonel Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, FRS (26 March 1753 – 21 August 1814), was an American-born British military officer, scientist and inventor. Born in Woburn, Massachusetts, he supported the Loyalist cause during the American War of Independence, commanding the King's American Dragoons during the conflict. After the war ended in 1783, Thompson moved to London, where he was recognised for his administrative talents and received a knighthood from George III in 1784.
A prolific scientist and inventor, Thompson also created several new warship designs. He subsequently moved to the Electorate of Bavaria and entered into the employ of the Bavarian government, heavily reorganising the Bavarian Army. Thompson was rewarded for his efforts by being made an Imperial Count in 1792 before dying in Paris in 1814.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Benjamin Thompson” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.