Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

19th-century French chemists

The 19th century in science saw the birth of science as a profession; the term scientist was coined in 1833 by William Whewell, which soon replaced the older term of (natural) philosopher. Among the most influential ideas of the 19th century were those of Charles Darwin (alongside the independent research of Alfred Russel Wallace), who in 1859 published the book On the Origin of Species, which introduced the idea of evolution by natural selection.

2 episodes

Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:

  1. Louis Pasteur

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and work of Louis Pasteur, microbiologist, developer of vaccines, saviour of the French beer and wine industries and preserver of milk.

    18 May 2017

    listen ↗

    Featuring: Andrew Mendelsohn, Anne Hardy, Michael Worboys

     
  2. The Curies

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the scientific achievements of the Curie family, Marie and Pierre and their daughter Irene Joliot-Curie, all three of whom won Nobel Prizes.

    26 March 2015

    listen ↗

    Featuring: Patricia Fara, Robert Fox, Steven T Bramwell