University Circle in Cleveland in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Michelson-Morley Experiment
Photographed By Grant & Mary Ann Fish, July 22, 2023
1. The Michelson-Morley Experiment Marker
Inscription.
The Michelson-Morley Experiment, conducted at Western Reserve University in July 1887, provides the earliest direct evidence that would later support Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. Albert A. Michelson, professor of physics at the Case School of Applied Sciences, and Edward Morley, professor of chemistry at Western Reserve University, tested the prevailing scientific theory that light waves travel faster downwind and slower against an upwind as they travel through a substance once thought to permeate space called aether. Finding no differences in the velocity of light waves traveling in different directions with respect to Earth’s motion around the sun, the experiment’s results baffled a generation of scientists until Einstein solved the riddle by formulating a new understanding of time and space. In 1907, Michelson, then head of the physics department at the University of Chicago, became the first American scientist to earn the Nobel Prize; he did so in physics.
The Michelson-Morley Experiment, conducted at Western Reserve University in July 1887, provides the earliest direct evidence that would later support Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. Albert A. Michelson, professor of physics at the Case School of Applied Sciences, and Edward Morley, professor of chemistry at Western Reserve University, tested the prevailing scientific theory that light waves travel faster downwind and slower against an upwind as they travel through a substance once thought to permeate space called aether. Finding no differences in the velocity of light waves traveling in different directions with respect to Earth’s motion around the sun, the experiment’s results baffled a generation of scientists until Einstein solved the riddle by formulating a new understanding of time and space. In 1907, Michelson, then head of the physics department at the University of Chicago, became the first American scientist to earn the Nobel Prize; he did so in physics.
Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, International Paper Company Foundation, Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 34-18.)
series list. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1887.
Location. 41° 30.259′ N, 81° 36.417′ W. Marker is in Cleveland, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It is in University Circle. Marker is at the intersection of Adelbert Road and Euclid Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Adelbert Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2080 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland OH 44106, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 1, 2023, by Grant & Mary Ann Fish of Galloway, Ohio. This page has been viewed 58 times since then and 15 times this year. Photo1. submitted on August 1, 2023, by Grant & Mary Ann Fish of Galloway, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.