Historedia
Person

James Clerk Maxwell

Events
4
Episodes
8
Years
1861–1889

Every event in Historedia whose sources name James Clerk Maxwell, with the role they cite and all of that event’s episodes. This is not a biography, and mentions are grouped by name, so two people with the same name can share this page.

Events and episodes

  1. Maxwell's three-color method and the first permanent color photograph

    1861

    Role: Physicist and Lecturer

    1. 1861 · Royal InstitutionMaxwell's Royal Institution Lecture

      Maxwell demonstrated color photography at the Royal Institution in 1861, presenting the first durable color photograph using his three-color method.

    2. 1861 · Royal InstitutionSutton's Ribbon Photographs

      Thomas Sutton captured three black-and-white images of a multicolored ribbon through red, green, and blue filters for Maxwell's demonstration.

  2. Maxwell presents 'A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field', 8 December 1864

    1864–1865

    Role: Author

    1. 8 December 1864 · Royal SocietyPresentation to the Royal Society

      Maxwell's paper was read to the Royal Society on 8 December 1864, following its submission on 27 October.

    2. 24 Dec 1864 – 23 Mar 1865 · Royal SocietyPeer Review Process

      The paper underwent peer review, being sent to William Thomson and George Gabriel Stokes in late 1864 and early 1865.

    3. 15–16 June 1865 · Royal SocietyApproval for Publication

      The paper was approved for publication in the Philosophical Transactions on 15 June 1865 and sent to the printer the next day.

  3. Edwin Hall discovers the Hall effect at Johns Hopkins

    1879

    Role: Theoretical basis

    1. 1879 · Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MarylandDiscovery of the Hall Effect

      Edwin Hall discovered the Hall effect in 1879 at Johns Hopkins University, confirming Maxwell's electromagnetic theory.

  4. Heinrich Hertz verifies the existence of electromagnetic waves

    1886–1889

    Role: Theorist

    1. 1886 · University of KarlsruheObservation of Spark in Riess Spirals

      Hertz observed that discharging a Leyden jar into one Riess spiral produced a spark in another, providing a method to test Maxwell's theory.

    2. 1886-1889 · University of KarlsruheVerification of Electromagnetic Waves

      Hertz conducted a series of experiments between 1886 and 1889 to prove that observed effects were results of Maxwell's predicted electromagnetic waves.

Sources

  1. James Clerk Maxwell Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23
  2. Color photography Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-14
  3. A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field Wikipedia, revision of 2025-11-28
  4. Hall effect Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-12
  5. Heinrich Hertz Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28