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Google is celebrating Eunice Newton Foote’s birthday with a colorful and interactive graphic doodle of the exceptional scientist.
Today marks what would have been the 204th birthday of the American scientist who devoted her life to understanding the natural world and pushing the boundaries of science.
The search engine hails her as the first person to discover global warming, saying she planted “the seed” for interest in climate change.
Her early contributions were “largely ignored” by the mainstream male sphere of scientists at the time, and were not recognized as “groundbreaking” until a century after they were presented.
But who is Eunice Newton Foote and what were her first discoveries? Here’s everything you need to know about the American scientist.
Google celebrates Eunice Newton Foote’s birthday with a colorful graphic doodle, but who is the American scientist and what did she discover?
Today’s Google Doodle honors the scientist for her discoveries related to climate change, the image suggesting she was the “first to plant an interesting seed” in the issue
Who was Eunice Newton Foote?
Eunice Newton Foote was the first to discover the effects of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 1856, known today as the ‘greenhouse effect’.
She is known for conducting a series of experiments on the relationship between carbon dioxide and the Earth’s temperature.
Foote conducted a series of experiments to investigate the effects of various gases on heat absorption.
By experimenting with bell jars filled with different vapors, she found that the carbon dioxide-filled glass experienced the most significant heating effect in the sun.
Foote’s findings were extraordinary for their time, as she became the first scientist to link rising CO2 levels to atmospheric warming.
Aside from her contributions to science, Foote was married to a lawyer named Elisha Foote and had two children
In her paper, titled “Conditions Affecting the Heat of the Sun’s Rays.” she noted, “An atmosphere of that gas would give our Earth a high temperature; and if, as some suppose, at some period of its history the air had mixed more with it than it does now, a higher temperature, by its own action and by a greater weight, must necessarily have resulted.”
The paper was presented by a male colleague because of gender bias in 1856. He introduced the paper by stating, ‘Science was of no country and of no sex. The sphere of woman encompasses not only the beautiful and the useful, but also the true.’
After publishing her findings, Foote conducted a second study of atmospheric static electricity, which was published in the journal Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
These were the first two studies in physics published by a woman in the US.
Despite Foote’s work being overlooked in her lifetime, her legacy has been revisited in recent years and scientists have recognized her rightful place in the history of climate science.
When did Eunice Newton Foote die?
Born in 1819, Eunice Newton Foote lived a long life and died about September 30, 1888 in Lenox, Massachusetts. She was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
Her father Isaac Newton Jr., a farmer and entrepreneur, was a distant relative of the scientist Isaac Newton who discovered gravity.
In addition to her scientific passion, Foote was also an advocate for women’s rights. She campaigned for women’s suffrage alongside prominent activists such as Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
In addition to her scholarly contributions, Foote was also an advocate for women’s rights and was one of the first signatories to the Declaration of Sentiments, which demanded equal rights.
She attended the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention, and was the fifth signer of the Declaration of Sentiments, a document signed in 1848 by 68 women and 38 men demanding equality for women.
Today, she leaves a legacy for future generations of scientists, especially women, and many continue her work in hopes of understanding climate change.
What is a Google Doodle?
A Google Doodle is a temporary logo change on the Google homepage that is often used to highlight historical events, world issues, and celebrations around the world.
Today, the colorful logo honors Eunice Newton Foote and is paired with an interactive slideshow that allows users to click through illustrations to understand Foote’s discovery.
In honor of Eunice Newton Foote, Google recognizes the scientist as a pioneer in her field.