Harlow Shapley

Wikipedia Biographical Summary:

"...Harlow Shapley (November 2, 1885 – October 20, 1972) was an American astronomer...."

"...He was born on a farm in Nashville, Missouri, and dropped out of school with only the equivalent of a fifth-grade education. After studying at home and covering crime stories as a newspaper reporter, Shapley returned to complete a six-year high school program in only two years, graduating as class valedictorian..."

"...In 1907, at the age of 22, Harlow Shapley went to study journalism at University of Missouri. When he learned that the opening of the School of Journalism had been postponed for a year, he decided to study the first subject he came across in the course directory. Rejecting Archaeology, which Harlow later explained he couldn't pronounce, Harlow chose the next subject, Astronomy..."

"...Post-graduation, Shapley received a fellowship to Princeton University for graduate work, where he studied under Henry Norris Russell..."

"...Shapley participated in the "Great Debate" with Heber D. Curtis on the nature of nebulae and galaxies and the size of the Universe..."

"...After the debate, however, he was hired to replace the recently deceased Edward Charles Pickering as director of the Harvard College Observatory..."

"...He married Martha Betz in April 1914. She assisted her husband in astronomical research both at Mount Wilson and at Harvard Observatory. She produced numerous articles on eclipsing stars and other astronomical objects. They had one daughter and four sons, one of whom is mathematician and economist Lloyd Shapley..."

SOURCE: Wikipedia contributors, 'Harlow Shapley', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 9 September 2011, 04:02 UTC, <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harlow_Shapley&oldid=4492...> [accessed 22 September 2011]