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Cargando... Fitzroy: The Remarkable Story of Darwin's Captain and the Invention of the Weather Forecastpor John Gribbin, Mary Gribbin
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The sadness of Robert FitzRoy's life lies in the subtitle of this superb and moving biography: "the remarkable story of Darwin's captain and the invention of the weather forecast". A brilliant mariner, FitzRoy was an MP, governor of New Zealand, and the pioneer of weather forecasting. Yet history has come to see him simply as "Darwin's captain", master of the Beagle and her most famous passenger. This is natural, given the importance of Darwin's time on the ship for his theory of natural selection. But John and Mary Gribbin point out that, had it not been for FitzRoy, we would all refer to "Wallacian theory", after Alfred Russel Wallace's identical ideas.
Admiral FitzRoy made his name as a captain on the HMS Beagle. It was for his second voyage on the ship (1831-36) that he decided to ask Charles Darwin to accompany him, and it was during this time that Darwin began to develop the ideas that would lead him to his theory of evolution by natural selection. But there was so much more to FitzRoy than this: he was an MP, he was the second Governor of New Zealand from 1843-45 when he made himself unpopular with the settlers by upholding Maori rights, and in 1854 he set up the Meteorological Office. For the first time sailors were informed what weather to expect when they set sail. John and Mary Gribbin's portrait of this multi-talented man whose impact on modern life is still felt will fascinate all who read it. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — Cargando... GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)551.5092Natural sciences and mathematics Earth sciences & geology Geology, Hydrology Meteorology Meteorology; ClimateClasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:
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He rounded out an impressive career by virtually inventing the (still regrettably unreliable) science of Weather Forecasting and Weather Maps particularly for Naval safety. Descended from an illustrious family, including one of the English Kings he terminated his own life, as did his father, by locking himself in his bathroom and slitting his throat with his razor.
Gribbin has created a masterly account of this man of genius.