# Albert A. Michelson

_American physicist (1852–1931)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/albert-a-michelson
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Albert Abraham Michelson was an American experimental physicist known for his work on measuring the speed of light and especially for the Michelson–Morley experiment. In 1907, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics, becoming the first American to win the Nobel Prize in a science. He was the founder and the first head of the physics departments of the Case School of Applied Science and the University of Chicago.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 19 December 1852 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q127234#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Strzelno ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q127234#P19))
- **Died:** 9 May 1931 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q127234#P570))
- **Place of death:** Pasadena ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q127234#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q127234#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; military officer; university teacher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q127234#P106))
- **Education:** United States Naval Academy; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q127234#P69))
- **Spouse:** Margaret Hemingway; Edna Stanton ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q127234#P26))
- **Awards:** Copley Medal; Prix Jules Janssen; Nobel Prize in Physics; Elliott Cresson Medal; Henry Draper Medal; Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society; Matteucci Medal; Rumford Prize; Albert Medal; Franklin Medal; Guthrie Lecture; Foreign Member of the Royal Society; Distinguished Nevadan; Dennis Gabor Medal and Prize; doctor honoris causa from the University of Paris ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q127234#P166))

## Questions

**When was Albert A. Michelson born?**  
Albert A. Michelson was born on 19 December 1852 in Strzelno.

**Where did Albert A. Michelson study?**  
Albert A. Michelson was educated at United States Naval Academy, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

## Related

- [Enrico Fermi](https://diginpl.com/people/enrico-fermi)
- [Maria Goeppert Mayer](https://diginpl.com/people/maria-goeppert-mayer)
- [Robert Millikan](https://diginpl.com/people/robert-millikan)
- [Steven Weinberg](https://diginpl.com/people/steven-weinberg)
- [Wolfgang Pauli](https://diginpl.com/people/wolfgang-pauli)
- [Erwin Schrödinger](https://diginpl.com/people/erwin-schrodinger)
- [Eugene Wigner](https://diginpl.com/people/eugene-wigner)
- [Hendrik Lorentz](https://diginpl.com/people/hendrik-lorentz)
- [Henri Becquerel](https://diginpl.com/people/henri-becquerel)
- [J. J. Thomson](https://diginpl.com/people/j-j-thomson)
- [James Chadwick](https://diginpl.com/people/james-chadwick)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://diginpl.com/people/johannes-diderik-van-der-waals)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Albert A. Michelson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_A._Michelson) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): अल्बर्ट ए. माइकलसन](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F_%E0%A4%8F._%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%87%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%A8) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q127234](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q127234) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Albert Abraham Michelson2.jpg by The original uploader was Bunzil at English Wikipedia . (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Abraham_Michelson2.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Albert A. Michelson, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Albert Abraham Michelson2.jpg — The original uploader was Bunzil at English Wikipedia ., Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Albert A. Michelson". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/albert-a-michelson. Retrieved 5 November 2026.