science in 1927 -- 4/15/2026

15 Apr 2026

science in 1927 -- 4/15/2026

0 COMMENTS

Today's selection -- from Science by Year by DK. Scientific breakthroughs in the year 1927:

“The year started with a milestone in communication technology. On January 7, a collaboration between the American Telephone Company and Britain's General Post Office opened the first transatlantic telephone service. On its first day 31 calls were made between New York and London.”

“A further development came in the field of quantum physics. Erwin Schrodinger had laid the foundations for quantum mechanics with his description of the wavelike characteristics of particles. Now, German physicist Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976) reasoned that the wave function of a particle could not be localized to a specific point in space and have a definable wavelength. Heisenberg developed this as his uncertainty principle. Its consequences are extraordinary: The more accurately a particle’s position is measured, the less accurately it is possible to determine its movement, and vice versa. Later, the Copenhagen Interpretation stated that it is impossible to experimentally measure wavelike and particlelike properties at the same time.

Solvay Conference on Quantum Mechanics

“While Baird worked in London on his television, the American Bell Company was also developing the technology. In April, Bell had a breakthrough when the company sent the first long-distance TV transmission using the semimechanical television from Washington to New York. Five months later, American inventor Philo Farnsworth (1906-71) introduced a way of scanning and transmitting electronically. Russian-American inventor Vladimir Zworykin (1888-1982) was working on similar technology at the same time, but it was Farnsworth who made it a reality.

“In April, Belgian astronomer Georges Lemaitre [1894-1966) published a scientific paper containing a revolutionary theory: that the universe is expanding. Lemaitre elaborated upon his theory in a presentation to the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1931, suggesting that the universe had originated from a primeval atom. His 'exploding cosmic egg' model anticipated the work of American astronomer Edwin Hubble [see 1929) and was the forerunner of the Big Bang theory [see pp.344-45].”