| LC control no. | n 86847215 |
|---|---|
| Descriptive conventions | rda |
| Personal name heading | Short, James, 1710-1768 |
| Associated country | Scotland England |
| Located | London (England) |
| Birth date | 1710 -06-10 |
| Death date | 1768-06-14 |
| Place of birth | Edinburgh (Scotland) |
| Place of death | London (England) |
| Field of activity | Mathematics Optical instruments Telescopes Astronomy Optics |
| Affiliation | Royal High School (Edinburgh, Scotland) University of Edinburgh |
| Profession or occupation | Telescope makers Mathematicians Astronomers Opticians |
| Found in | A narrative of the proceedings relative to the discovery of the longitude at sea, by Mr. John Harrison's time-keeper, 1765. DNB (Short, James (1710-1768), optician) Wikipedia, viewed Oct.11, 2024: James Short (mathematician) (James Short FRS (10 June O.S. (21 June N.S.) 1710 - 14 June 1768) was a Scottish mathematician and manufacturer of optical instruments, principally telescopes. During his 35-year career as a telescope-maker he produced approximately 1,360 scientific instruments. Short was born in Edinburgh in 1710 to Margaret Grierson and William Short, a carpenter. When he was orphaned at about the age of 10, he was accepted into the Heriot's Hospital, an orphanage, and at 12 transferred to the Royal High School where he excelled in the study of the classics. In 1726 he entered the University of Edinburgh to study divinity, however after being inspired by lectures given by professor of mathematics Colin Maclaurin, he transferred to astronomy and mathematics. Short then adopted telescope-making as his profession, which he practised first in Edinburgh up until 1738, after which he transferred to London. In March 1737 Short was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and in 1758 became a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He was a founder member of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in 1754. Short died in Newington Butts, London in 1768, having made a considerable fortune from his profession.) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Short_(mathematician)> Britannica (website), viewed Oct.11, 2024: James Short, British optician and astronomer (James Short (born June 10, 1710, Edinburgh, Scot.--died June 14, 1768, London, Eng.) was a British optician and astronomer who produced the first truly parabolic--hence nearly distortionless--mirrors for reflecting telescopes. Short entered the University of Edinburgh as a candidate for the ministry, but he was inspired to study optics instead by the lectures of the Scottish mathematician Colin Maclaurin. Maclaurin, realizing Short's mathematical talents, encouraged his interest in mathematics and optics, even providing him with an optical workshop. Short settled in London in 1738 and soon gained renown and wealth for his fine work. He manufactured metallic mirrors for more than 1,000 reflecting telescopes that were among the best then available. (The British mathematician John Hadley had experimented with parabolization of mirrors, but Short invented a better technique, the details of which are not precisely known.) Secretive about his craft, he ordered his tools destroyed shortly before he died.) <https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Short> |
| Associated language | eng |
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