Beating the Odds

E A Milne was one of the giants of 20th century astrophysics and cosmology. His bold ideas, underpinned by his Christianity, sparked controversy — he believed two time scales operate in the universe. Struggling against poverty, Milne won five scholarships to Cambridge, but he never finished his degree. In World War I he was invited to develop Horace Darwin's device for anti-aircraft gunnery and after the Armistice his prowess in ballistics took him straight to a Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge. By the age of thirty he was a Manchester professor and a Fellow of the Royal Society. At Oxford he battled to improve the university's attitude towards science, and established a world-centre of astrophysics. He suffered from Parkinsonism in his forties, the consequence of his having had encephalitis lethargica as a young man. However, buoyed by his Christian faith, he did not slacken his pace. When he died, twice widowed, the author — Milne's daughter — was a teenager. This book is born out of curiosity. The author's aim is to show the human face of science, how the course of her father's life was shaped by circumstance and by the influence of illustrious friends and colleagues such as Einstein, Eddington, G H Hardy, J B S Haldane, Hubble, F A Lindemann and Rutherford. Against all odds, Milne emerged as a scientific powerhouse — and a rebellious one at that. Contents:A Foothold on the LadderThe Upheavals of WarAdventures with ReflectionsThe Trials of TrumpetsCambridge RhapsodyRiding on a SunbeamNew HorizonsA Scientific WildernessCut and ThrustFamily versus CollegeCosmic Inspiration Oxford's EnlightenmentThe Pendulum and the AtomLifelineMathematics, Bombs and BureaucracyA InvitationA Race Unfinished Readership: Astronomers, cosmologists, mathematicians, science historians, audiences interested in wartime scientists, the relationship between science and religion, and encephalitis lethargica. Keywords:Astrophysics;Ballistics;Cosmology;Christianity;Encephalitis lethargica;History of 20th Century Science;Stellar Atmospheres;Kinematic Relativity;Time Scales;Anti-Aircraft Gunnery;Listening Trumpets;Armour Plating;Royal Astronomical Society;Royal Meteorological Society;Royal Navy;Radcliffe ObservatoryKey Features:First full length biography of E A Milne, with an introduction by Sir Roger PenroseThe book presents the life of a scientist through his personal interaction with people, e.g. the critical influence of A V Hill and World War I, and with events, e.g. dining at Trinity's High Table took Milne into astrophysics. Well-known figures, such as Einstein, Hubble, Rutherford, Cherwell and Churchill also come in to the storyMilne survived encephalitis lethargica, yet reached intellectual pinnacles. Although later Parkinsonism aged him prematurely, his brain was not affectedReviews: “I highly recommend the book (which contains more than enough references, to both primary and secondary sources, for those wanting to learn more about Milne's work and its influence), because it does everything else very well. I recommend the book to anyone interested in astronomy, academia, or their history, it was a very enjoyable read.”The Observatory “I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the history of science or even just in history itself. It is not technical and so does not require any mathematics background to read. The book itself is deeply personal and yet wholly accessible. It is a terrific homage to a father who sincerely tried his best to provide for his family and to serve his country, college, and students, all while contributing a wealth of ground breaking and enduring ideas to applied mathematics.”Quantum Moxie “It is not just the story of the man by a dutiful daughter, but a true work of scholarship, aided by the countless experts she has consulted. Meg Weston Smith is to be thanked for informing us with such panache of the struggles and truimphs of her remarkable father.”LMS Newsletter