Tapestry Themes #13: Manchester's Enduring Impact on Science, Economics & Peace

 

Theme Thirteen: Manchester's Enduring Impact on Science, Economics & Peace

Manchester has proven itself to be a place of monumental progress and discovery in science, economics & peace. The University of Manchester was the place in which the first woman gained a degree in Chemistry, and this legacy continues, as one can find a memorial for Alan Turing in Sackville Gardens, unveiled in 2001, and researchers in Manchester continue to push boundaries, make discoveries and win prizes for their efforts.

We couldn't believe how many incredible discoveries and brilliant developments in science have been made in Manchester. 

One of the most important people to have been in Manchester, in both scientific and LGBTQ+ history is Alan Turing. The team found lots of information about Alan Turing and even noted that he could have a whole panel to himself!

'Alan Mathison Turing (1912–1954) was a mathematician, computer scientist and codebreaker. Often dubbed ‘the father of modern computing’, Turing was based at The University of Manchester after his work with the British Intelligence Service at Bletchley Park during World War II. His contribution lead to the breaking of the German Enigma machine, an achievement that sees him chosen as the next face on the £50 note. Despite his remarkable achievements, as a gay man Turing was prosecuted for gross indecency in 1952, at a time when homosexuality was illegal in the UK. An inquest concluded his death from cyanide poisoning two years later was suicide. After a long-fought campaign, he was posthumously pardoned by HM The Queen in 2013.' (University of Manchester)

The team also found lots of information about Rona Robinson, a working-class woman who became the first woman to gain a first-class degree in Chemistry at the University of Manchester in 1905, then becoming a chemist and teacher. Rona very active in the women's suffrage movement and she went on to earn an MSc and became an industrial chemist, earning 3 patents.

'Rona Robinson’s story is striking not only because she was the first woman in the UK to earn a first-class degree in chemistry. Nor because she was an important cog in the suffragette movement. Her tale really resonates because she was an ordinary woman, from a working class background, who worked hard and fought for what she believed in.

“I think in science we tend to have a hero complex, we talk a lot about big names and big discoveries,” Dr Turner adds. “Many of our graduates will go on to have very ordinary lives in science, in industry, academia and other careers. We need to talk more about that.” - We couldn’t agree more.'

(Turner, K. 2020)

Another person of note found by the team is Ernest Rutherford, a recognisable figure in Science.

'Rutherford returned to England in 1907 to become Langworthy Professor of Physics in the University of Manchester.  There he did the experiments with Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden that led to the discovery of the nuclear nature of atoms. Rutherford was knighted in 1914 and 1919 he accepted an invitation to become the Cavendish Professor of Physics at Cambridge.

In 1931 he was created Baron Rutherford of Nelson.  In 1937 he died following an operation for a hernia and he was buried in Westminster Abbey.  This plaque is found on the wall of Manchester Museum  below the Coupland Street sign just off Oxford Road.' (A Manchester View)