Robert Hooke (18 July 1635 - 3 March 1703)

England’s Leonardo

Robert Hooke is one of the most neglected natural philosophers of all time. The inventor of, amongst other things, the iris diaphragm in cameras, the universal joint used in motor vehicles, the balance wheel in a watch, the originator of the word 'cell' in biology, he was Surveyor of the City of London after the Great Fire of 1666, architect, experimenter, worked in astronomy - yet is known mostly for Hooke's Law. He fell out with Newton, and certainly had a difficult temperament. He deserves more from History than he received in his lifetime.

About the speaker: Dr Allan Chapman

Allan Chapman is a historian by training and his special interests are astronomy and scientific biography, for most of his career he has been based at Wadham College (University of Oxford ).

He is an accomplished author and public speaker and has made many television appearances, presenting Gods in the Sky and Great Scientists and as a guest on The Sky at Night.

Allan is also Honorary President and Patron of the Mexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society.