Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2010.4 |
Object Name |
Medal |
Title |
Societa Italiana Delle Scienze Gold Medal Award |
Date |
1993 |
Description |
Matteucci Medal awarded to Dr. John A. Wheeler by the Società Italiana delle Scienze in 1993. Obverse: Societa Italiana Delle Scienze" around perimeter. Phoenix with open wings, standing atop fire, at center. Image of sun at top. Reverse: "J. A. Wheeler 1993" at center. "Premio Matteucci" at top perimeter. Two branches tied together by bow at bottom perimeter. |
Label |
The Matteucci Medal was established in 1870 to award physicists for scientific contributions. Recipients include Albert Einstien and Niels Bohr. John Archibald Wheeler was a professor and physicist, perhaps best known for coining the term "black hole" at a New York conference in 1967. After receiving a PhD in physics from Johns Hopkins University, Wheeler worked at Princeton University from 1938 to 1976 and at the University of Texas from 1976 to 1986. He helped make Princeton the center of research on gravity and Einstein's theory of relativity. Part of the Manhattan Project to build an atomic bomb during World Word II, he continued to do work for the government, including on missile defense. Wheeler collaborated with Niels Bohr and Robert Oppenheimer, and inspired a younger generation of physicists. |
Material |
Gold |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society. Gift of Dr. James E. Wheeler, 2010. |
Search Terms |
20th century twentieth century award scientist |