St John's College News
Ptolemy's Ancient Geography
Ptolemy's Ancient GeographyPtolemy was the greatest geographer of ancient times. The map on the bottom left shows the world as Ptolemy described it. Ptolemy lived and worked in Alexandria, the Greek and Roman administrative capital of Egypt. His great work on geography and mapmaking, called the Geography, appeared around the year 150 AD. It influenced philosophers and scientists for 1500…read moreMarco Polo and the riches of Asia
Marco Polo and the riches of AsiaIn the Middle Ages, spices and other luxuries from the East came to Europe through a network of traders. The goods travelled across Asia and through the Middle East before they finally reached Mediterranean ports like Venice. Each trader put the price up a bit in order to take a cut. By the time the goods arrived in Europe they were expensive. Marco Polo was born in Venice in about 1254.…read moreSebastian Münster's Cosmographia
Sebastian Münster's CosmographiaSebastian Münster’s Cosmographia is an encyclopaedia of the world as Europeans knew it in 1544. Its descriptions of far off places are illustrated with pictures and maps. Münster was the first map-maker to make separate maps of each continent. He was also the first to list the sources he used. These included other maps, books and explorers’ reports. Münster's Africa Münster’s map of…read moreGerard Mercator
Gerard MercatorThe map above shows the Mercator projection used in a 1917 atlas. Find Greenland (Groenland) on the map from de Isle's atlas of c.1740 (below). How do the two maps compare? Bear in mind that some of the differences will be because people had mapped the world more accurately by 1917 than they had by 1740. Click on the pictures to see the full world maps. Gerard Mercator is one of the most…read moreFerdinand Magellan
Ferdinand MagellanFerdinand Magellan discovered a sea passage from the Atlantic Ocean, through the Americas, to the Pacific Ocean. Magellan was born in Portugal. He moved to Spain around 1516. The Spanish had been looking for a passage past the Americas to the riches of Asia ever since Christopher Columbus’s voyages. The King of Spain gave Magellan five ships and he set off for South America in 1519. He sailed…read moreDavid Livingstone
David LivingstoneA picture of Livingstone from 'Dr Livingstone's Cambridge Lectures' published in 1860. Click on it to see the rest of the title page. Livingstone always thought of himself as a missionary. The dedication above is printed in the front of his Cambridge Lectures. It encourages young men to go to Africa to convert the people there to Christianity. Click on it to see a larger version.As a child…read moreMartin Frobisher
Martin Frobisher(Above) Martin Frobisher: Explorer, Naval Commander and Privateer. Click on the image to see more. (Right) A map showing Martin Frobisher's voyage to find the Northwest Passage.Martin Frobisher started his sailing career in 1553 on trading ships going to Africa. He then made his living as a privateer and a double-agent. He was arrested several times for piracy. In 1574 Frobisher and a business…read moreFrancis Drake
Francis DrakeFrancis Drake became the first Englishman to sail through the Strait of Magellan in 1577. He was on his way to raid Spanish colonies on the Pacific coast of America in his ship, The Golden Hind. He was acting as a privateer for England against her Spanish enemy. A privateer is a pirate with permission to loot. On his voyage Drake also explored the waters south of Tierra del Fuego at the tip…read moreBartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama
Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da GamaMünster’s map on the right reflects the discoveries of Portuguese explorers, Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama. More about Münster’s book, Cosmographia. Bartolomeu Dias In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias sailed around the southern tip of Africa (the Cape of Good Hope). His voyage showed that the Atlantic and Indian Oceans flowed into each other. Ptolemy had been wrong to think that the Indian Ocean was…read moreJames Cook
James CookJames Cook was the son of a Yorkshire farm worker. He was apprenticed to a ship owner, joined the Royal Navy, and eventually became a famous explorer of the Pacific. He made three Pacific voyages over about ten years. The portrait of Cook on the left is from a book about his second voyage published in London in 1777. Click on the picture to see the title page. First Voyage (1768-1771): New…read moreChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus"In our own times by the wonderful enterprise of Christopher Columbus of Genoa another world has been found and added to the Christian community" These words begin the first writing about Christopher Columbus to appear in a printed book. It is found in Psalter (a book of the Psalms from the Bible) in Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, and Chaldaic. The editor has put a note about Christopher Columbus…read moreVitus Bering
Vitus BeringThe titlepage and text above come from a book about Russian discoveries. It was written in 1780 by a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. It starts with Vitus Bering's discoveries, claiming that they led to all the others. Click on the pictures to see more."This expedition led the way to all the important discoveries since made by the Russians." The Danish explorer Vitus Bering…read moreThe Craik Scholarship
The Craik ScholarshipIn March the College proposes to elect a graduate student studying Physiological Psychology to the Craik Scholarship, tenable from the following October.Eligibility:(i) members of the College: (a) engaged in study which will count towards the requirements of the PhD degree in Physiological Psychology; (b) currently…read moreCurious People: A History of Exploration
Curious People: A History of ExplorationThe Old Library at St John's College has many books, maps and letters that tell the story of how Europeans explored the rest of the world. These webpages will show you some of the highlights through the exploits of these travellers and their exotic destinations.Explore the site using the links below to pages about people, places, or wider topics.Copyright in the images used in this resource…read moreMcMahon Law Studentships
McMahon Law StudentshipsA candidate must be a member of the College who bona fide intends to prepare for practice in the profession of the law, and intends to commence a course for the Bar or Law Society final examinations or for the Common Professional Examination. A member of the College who has been placed in the first or upper second class (or is judged to have reached that standard) in each Approved…read moreFred Hoyle: An Online Exhibition
Fred Hoyle: An Online ExhibitionExhibition Overview Click on any image to find out more. A History of Hoyle in 10 Objects 10 highlights from the Hoyle Collection. Hoyle's Youth | Hoyle in Cambridge | Steady-State Universe | Stellar Nucleosynthesis | Hoyle vs Ryle | Institute of Theoretical Astronomy | Hoyle on the Radio | Hoyle the…read moreFred Hoyle: An Online Exhibition
Fred Hoyle: An Online ExhibitionA History of Hoyle in 10 Objects 9: Controversial Hoyle and the Origins of Life This photograph was taken in May 1957 at a study week on 'The problem of stellar population' organised by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Hoyle was not someone who would defer to anyone simply because they held a position of authority. He was committed to assessing ideas and theories according to their own…read moreFred Hoyle: An Online Exhibition
Fred Hoyle: An Online ExhibitionA History of Hoyle in 10 Objects 8: Hoyle's Family The Hoyle Collection includes many personal and family items that reveal the details of Hoyle's everyday life. These X-rays show the wisdom teeth of Barbara Hoyle, Fred's wife. The dentist's letter accompanying them X-rays notes that 'One day it might be necessary to consider removing them but for the present I feel inclined to advise you…read moreFred Hoyle: An Online Exhibition
Fred Hoyle: An Online ExhibitionA History of Hoyle in 10 Objects 7: Mountain Climbing and Other Hobbies Hoyle was a keen hill walker and mountain climber, who 'bagged' all of the Scottish Munros (mountains over 3,000 feet in height). In 1998 the Scottish Mountaineering Club wrote to Hoyle to ask if he would like to be included on the list of those who have completed all of the Munros (see the letter). Hoyle's reply…read moreFred Hoyle: An Online Exhibition
Fred Hoyle: An Online ExhibitionA History of Hoyle in 10 Objects 6: Musical Endeavours This is part of the score to an opera written by Fred Hoyle (libretto) and Leo Smit (music). The Alchemy of Love, or the Daemon Servant's Retribution was premiered in New York in 1969. The opera starts with an alchemist discovering the true way to make gold from base metals. This gold has magical powers which affect anyone who holds it.…read moreFred Hoyle: An Online Exhibition
Fred Hoyle: An Online ExhibitionA History of Hoyle in 10 Objects 5: Dear Dr Hoyle This letter was written to Fred Hoyle by a young fan who had read his popular science book Highlights in Astronomy, published in 1975. Hoyle was the author of several scientific books, as well as nineteen published science fiction works. Find out more: Hoyle's writing. Hoyle in 10 Objects: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 Hoyle's …read moreFred Hoyle: An Online Exhibition
Fred Hoyle: An Online ExhibitionA History of Hoyle in 10 Objects 4: The Institute of Theorteical Astronomy and Hoyle's life in Cambridge This is Hoyle's own design for a new building on Madingley Road in Cambridge. In 1966 the University of Cambridge and several external funding bodies came to an agreement to create an Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (IoTA), of which Hoyle would be the Director. Construction of the…read moreFred Hoyle: An Online Exhibition
Fred Hoyle: An Online ExhibitionA History of Hoyle in 10 Objects 3: Stellar Nucleosynthsis and the Nobel Prize Pasadena, CA November 3, 1983 Dear Fred, After the initial elation and excitement I have had a heavy heart for two weeks. It is impossible to understand why the prize was not given to you or shared between us. I realize that nothing I can write will help but this personal note to you helps relieve my own feelings…read moreFred Hoyle: An Online Exhibition
Fred Hoyle: An Online ExhibitionA History of Hoyle in 10 Objects 3: Stellar Nucleosynthsis and the Nobel Prize This letter was written to Fred Hoyle by his close friend and colleague Willy Fowler after the announcement that Fowler had been awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize for Physics. Fowler worked at the Kellogg Radiation Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, and was awarded the prize for his work on stellar…read moreFred Hoyle: An Online Exhibition
Fred Hoyle: An Online ExhibitionA History of Hoyle in 10 Objects 2: An Annotated Book In January and February 1950 Hoyle gave a series of five lectures about astronomy on BBC radio. The series, titled The Nature of the Universe, was immensely popular; the lectures were immediately published as a book and were re-broadcast several times over the next ten years. The Nature of the Universe made Fred Hoyle a household name, and…read more