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Academic research is an ongoing conversation between authors. by Sadie Davenport

Seventy two of France's notable scientists and engineers are remembered today on the Eiffel Tower. You can find the names engraved on the four sides of the tower near its four arches toward the ground. This list contains only men who contributed to science and invention between the French Revolution (1789) and the construction of the Eiffel Tower (1887). Here are screen shots from "La Tour Eiffel" (the site is linked below), where you can read whose name is engraved, their profession, and their location on the Eiffel Tower.  

Read more about these scientists: 

• Augustin-Jean Fresnel (Created the Fresnel lens, which creates huge, bright beams of light and is used in lighthouses -- has saved countless lives)
• Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (Discovered that water contains 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen molecules)
• Henry Louis Le Chatelier (Created Le Chatelier's principle of chemical equilibrium) 
• Xavier Bichat (Anatomist, considered the father of modern histology, proposed "tissue" as an important element in human anatomy)

Read more about the Eiffel Tower's 72 names: 

• Wikipedia: List of the 72 names on the Eiffel Tower.
• Tour Eiffel: Whose are the 72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower and why are they there (see the names up close!) 
• Harriss, Joseph (1975). The Tallest Tower: Eiffel And The Belle Epoque. Houghton Mifflin. pp. 100–101.
• La Tour Eiffel. "The 72 Scientists." (Webpage saved by The Wayback Machine.) 
• Mozen, H. J. (pseud.) (1913). Women in Science: With an Introductory Chapter on Women's Long Struggle for Things of the Mind. D. Appleton. pp. 154–157.

Left: Caroline Herschel. Middle: Caroline's discoveries, in space. (You can view this more closely at this Sky & Telescope link, also listed below.) Right: Caroline & her brother, William Herschel. 

Caroline Herschel and her brother William worked together as astronomers in a small house in Datchet, England. Both Caroline and William were talented musicians who pursued astronomy as a hobby, became increasingly interested in astronomy, and then somewhat accidentally built successful, flourishing careers in the field.

Initially, Caroline worked as William's assistant and did grunt work (looking through the telescope for strange things). But through this grunt work, she made her own discoveries and published them. This way, she was able to make a name for herself as a scientist and able to earn her own income. 

Her discoveries include: a nebula, then Messier 110 (a satellite galaxy near the Andromeda galaxy), followed by eight comets. Her discoveries pushed William to improve his own searching techniques and telescope-building methods. 

Caroline's unusual lifestyle was partially motivated by her childhood. She had smallpox as a child which stunted her growth, and her parents believed this would make it difficult for her to marry. This led to her parents supporting Caroline's education, to William and Caroline arranging to live together, and to Caroline's own drive to provide a living for herself. 

Caroline Herschel was the first woman to earn a salary as a scientist in England. She earned the Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society in 1828. She and Mary somerville were honored as the first female members of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1835. And the King of Prussia granted Caroline the Gold Medal for Science in 1846. 

Read more: 

• Wikipedia: Caroline Herschel
• Sky & Telescope: Explore Caroline Herschel's Celestial Showpieces
• Herschel Museum of Astronomy: Website
• NASA: Caroline Herschel

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