The History of the Department
Studies of physics at King’s College date back to its founding in 1829. The first Professor was Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS (1802–1875) who was at King’s from 1834 until 1875. His greatest achievement was the development of electric telegraphs, which revolutionised communications. For the first time, people kilometres apart and out of sight of each other could “talk” in a reliable way. At a time of expanding rail networks, these communications were essential. Wheatstone also attempted to measure the speed of electric pulses, invented the accordion, and developed stereo photographs.
James Clerk Maxwell FRS (1831–1879), generally regarded as the world’s leading theorist of the 19th century, was at King’s between 1860 and 1865. In this productive period, he developed the unification of the electric and magnetic forces, leading to the theory of electromagnetism and ultimately to things we now take for granted such as television, microwave ovens and mobile phones. He also worked on his theories of thermodynamics and carried out experiments which led to the definition of the unit of electrical resistance. His theoretical work laid down the basis for a deeper understanding of the contemporary technology based on steam power. While at King’s he also demonstrated the world’s first colour photograph and used polarised light to measure stresses in transparent materials. He is rightly regarded as the 19th century equivalent of Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein; Einstein himself said that Maxwell’s work was “the most profound and useful [change] that physics has experienced since the time of Newton”, while another iconic 20th century physicist, Richard Feynman, wrote “From a long view of the history of mankind – seen from, say ten thousand years from now – there can be little doubt that the most significant event of the nineteenth century will be judged as Maxwell’s discovery of the laws of electrodynamics”. A biography of Maxwell “The Man Who Changed Everything” by Basil Mahon was published by John Wiley in 2003, and his contributions to King’s are commemorated through the student Physics society – the Maxwell Society – and a weekly series of “Maxwell Lectures”.