John Tyndall

John Tyndall was born on 2 August 1820 in Leighlin-Bridge (Ireland). He came from a modest background: he initially trained as a surveyor, then became a railway surveyor and, at the age of 27, a maths teacher at Queenswood College. Between 1848 and 1850, he studied mathematics, chemistry and physics at the university in Marburg (Germany) and obtained his doctorate in 1850.

Research and findings
In 1852, he was admitted to the Royal Academy for his research into magnetism and the polarisation of light. In 1853, Tyndall was appointed Professor of Physics and Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution in London. He also continued to be involved in research and worked on electromagnetism, thermodynamics, bacteriology and glacier movements. The Irish researcher was awarded honorary doctorates by several universities, and numerous scientific societies accepted him as an honorary member.

Stays in Switzerland and on the Belalp
After his first trip to Switzerland in 1849, Tyndall spent every summer in the Alps between 1857 and 1869. In 1861, together with Johann Joseph Benet and Ulrich Wenger, he made the first ascent of the Weisshorn. In 1862, he narrowly failed to make the first ascent of the Matterhorn.

Between 1877 and 1893, Tyndall spent the summer months with his wife Louisa Charlotte in the Villa Alp Lusgen on the Belalp, which he had built. In 1887, the municipality of Naters awarded him the title of honorary burgher. John Tyndall retired at the same time as he was appointed honorary burgess of Naters. He died on 4 December 1893 in Hindhead, a small village between London and the south-west coast of England.