Count rumford contribution

American-born British military officer and scientist

For other people named Benjamin Thompson, see Benjamin Thompson (disambiguation).

ColonelSir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, FRS (26 March &#;&#; 21 August ), was an American-born British military officer, forskare, inventor and nobleman. Born in Woburn, Massachusetts, he supported the Loyalist cause during the American War of Independence, commanding the King's American Dragoons during the conflict. After the war ended in , Thompson moved to London, where he was recognised for his administrative talents and received a knighthood from George III in

A prolific scientist and inventor, Thompson also created several new warship designs. He subsequently moved to the Electorate of Bavaria and entered into the employ of the Bavarian government, heavily reorganising the Bavarian Army. Thompson was rewarded for his efforts by being made an Imperial Count in before dying in Paris in ^[1]

Early ye

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One of the most incredible men associated with science was Benjamin Thompson, later titled Count Rumford. Aside from making as many enemies as friends, this man amassed a large list of honorary titles and contributed significantly to scientific knowledge. He never let an opportunity for advancement escape him and many claimed he had no real love or regard for his fellow men. Nevertheless he was one of the first American scientists and his career was probably the strangest of all American success stories.

Thompson was born into a Massachusetts farming family in He was a strange boy who fancied he could build a perpetual motion machine and took great interest in eclipses. He became an itinerant teacher and was hired by a wealthy family in Rumford, Massachusetts. After endearing himself to nearly everyone, Benjamin married the daughter of the household and was accepted into high society. So favorably did he impress the local military officers that he was made a major at age This un

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American Independence & Innovation

Not all residents of s New England were swept up in the spirit of revolution. Benjamin Thompson, later known as Count Rumford, was less-than-enthusiastic about the cries for freedom that rang out among his peers. His peers, as it turned out, were less-than-enthusiastic about Thompson, who was rumored to be a British spy. In , a committee of Thompson’s Concord, New Hampshire neighbors grew fed up with his British loyalism, and charged him with “being unfriendly to the cause of liberty.” When Thompson remained steadfast in his support of the Tory cause, a mob attacked his home. Thompson fled, ultimately deserting his wife and small daughter for the safety of the British lines. But under the protection of the crown, Thompson’s lot improved considerably.

Thompson became a founding member of the King&#;s American Dragoons, a loyalist military unit where he served as a colonel and an advisor to General Gage and Lord George Germain. Thompson proved