Francis Ronalds (1788 1873) The First Electrical Engineer? [Scanning Our Past]
In this month's article, the author takes a look at Francis Ronalds' many contributions during his lifetime such as his documentation of important theoretical insights in electrical science and generation of valuable data sets, and the creation of a world leading observatory and a large engineering institution. He was, in fact, a prolific inventor of electrical, mechanical, and meteorological devices, but not much is known about him. The author contemplates whether Ronalds deserves to be credited as the first electrical engineer.
Proceedings of the IEEE