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Re: [Phys-L] Stigler's law of eponymy




On Nov 13, 2016, at 7:59 PM, John Denker <jsd@av8n.com> wrote:

_Stigler's law of eponymy_ states that no scientific discovery
is named after its original discoverer. I reckon that's an
exaggeration, but still it makes an interesting point.

As you might expect, this law was /not/ originally discovered
by Stigler.

I am always amused by the case of Wheatstone, who appears on
the list twice, once as the beneficiary and once as the victim.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_examples_of_Stigler%27s_law

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I’m pleased to see credit for the Michell balance is given under Cavendish, however Mitchell should be given his own listing for black holes, binary stars, earthquake waves, etc.


"Considered "one of the greatest unsung scientists of all time",[1] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Michell#cite_note-1> he was the first person known to propose the existence of black holes <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole> in publication, the first to suggest that earthquakes travel in waves, the first to explain how to manufacture artificial magnets, and the first to apply statistics to the study of the cosmos, recognizing that double stars were a product of mutual gravitation."


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Michell


bc, justifiably unsung.