Brisbane was born in 1775 in Scotland. After a career in the military, Brisbane served as the 6th governor of Australia in his late 40s, from 1821 to 1825. At the time Australia was called “New South Wales” and large portions of the island remained wild and unexplored by colonists. 

Halfway through Brisbane’s term as governor, a keen surveyor explored a winding river on the Eastern half of the island. The surveyor dubbed the river the Brisbane River in the governor’s honor. Years later the city along the Brisbane River would adopt the name as well. 

Brisbane was generally seen as a good governor. He acted in accordance with the rules set forth for the position and governed with a fair hand. However, he was arguably more interested in astronomy.

The location of New South Wales (Australia) afforded Brisbane the opportunity to study the Southern skies. As the incoming governor, he constructed an observatory and brought with him plenty of astronomical instruments and a library of relevant books.

Published studies on the skies of the Southern Hemisphere were few and far between at the time. For the 75 years previous Brisbane’s work, little had been published on the heavens of the South. Brisbane re-published work of his predecessors in the field and built upon it substantially.

When Oxford University awarded Brisbane an honorary degree for his contributions, he could not have been prouder. It was more special to him than any of his military awards or promotions. 

When his term as governor of Australia ended, Brisbane left his instruments and books at the observatory he founded and headed home for Britain. He hoped the observatory would continue the work he started for the “furtherance of Science.”

Once home he promptly set to work on constructing a new observatory near his home to continue pursuing his love of astronomy.

And today is the birthday of Étienne-Louis Malus, French physicist, engineer, and mathematician.

Malus was born in 1775 in Paris and enjoyed a short military career before finding he was drawn to mathematics, particularly physics. He investigated and experimented almost exclusively with light and light waves. He is responsible for identifying Malus’s law, which not being a physicist, I only partially understand. 

His work is the basis for polarized lenses, which are lenses that reduce or eliminate reflection. He discovered the formula for polarization but in the early 1800s, the materials he needed to make such lenses did not exist. 

His work on polarization and light reflection and refraction are also the basis for 3D glasses. 

For his contributions to science, Malus’s name was inscribed on the Eiffel tower along with 71 other significant scientists.

Riding Down from Bangor
Louis Shreve Osborne

Riding down from Bangor, on an eastern train,

After weeks of hunting, in the woods of Maine;
Quite extensive whiskers, beard, moustache as well,
Sat a student fellow, tall and slim and swell

Empty seat behind him, no one at his side,
Into quiet village, eastern train did glide.
Enter aged couple, take the hindmost seat
Enter village maiden, beautiful, petite.

Blushingly she faltered, “Is this seat engaged?”
Sees the aged couple, properly enraged;

Student’s quite ecstatic, sees her ticket through,

Thinks of the long tunnel, thinks what he will do.

Pleasantly they chatted, how the cinders fly!
Till the student fellow, gets one in his eye.

Maiden sympathetic, turns herself about,

“May I if you please sir, try to get it out?”

Then the student fellow, feels a gentle touch

Hears a gentle murmur, “Does it hurt you much?”

Whiz! Slap! Bang! Into tunnel quite,

Into glorious darkness, black as Egypt’s night.

Out into the daylight glides that eastern train,
Student’s hair is ruffled, just the merest grain,
Maiden seen all blushes, when then and there appeared,
A tiny little earring, in that horrid student’s beard.