North, John 1934-2008 (J.J. North, John D. North, John David North)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born May 19, 1934, in Cheltenham, England; died of cancer, October 31, 2008. Historian of science, museum curator, educator, and author. North was celebrated as a historian of what Americans have termed the "hard" or "pure" sciences, especially astronomy, cosmology, and physics. His success was reportedly fueled by a passion for meticulous research and a fascination for some of the scientific devices and other artifacts that he encountered as an assistant curator of the Museum of the History of Science at Oxford University. North left Oxford in 1977 for the Netherlands, where he worked as a professor of history and philosophy of science from 1977 to 1999. North rose to a position of great esteem at the Dutch university, where he chose to lecture in the Dutch language. He was also welcomed as a visiting professor at other institutions throughout the world, including Yale University. North was described as collegial in nature, participating as an officer of numerous professional organizations, from the Royal Academy of Sciences to the International Astronomical Union. Astronomy was one of North's special interests, along with the related field of cosmology. His most renowned publications were his massive histories, which ranged from analyses of prehistoric cave paintings to explanations of modern astrophysics. North studied primitive civilizations without prejudice, it is said, including evidence that led to his new (and somewhat controversial) interpretation of the neolithic structures at Stonehenge as oriented toward the setting sun at the winter solstice, rather than the rising sun at the summer solstice. He also developed an interest in antiquarian scientific instruments, from astrolabes to astronomical clocks, and in extensions of the so-called hard science of astronomy into the more porous areas of astrology and horoscopes. North's erudition and intellectual integrity were acknowledged at the highest levels. He was awarded the Medaille Alexandre Koyre of l'Académie Internationale d'Histoire des Sciences in 1989 and was decorated a knight of the Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw in 1999. North wrote for the educated, nonspecialist reader, though some of his books demanded the additional prerequisite of tenacity. His writings include The Measure of the Universe: A History of Modern Cosmology (1965; 1990), Chaucer's Universe (1988), Stonehenge: Neolithic Man and the Cosmos (1996), God's Clockmaker: Richard of Wallingford and the Invention of Time (2005), and Cosmos: An Illustrated History of Astronomy and Cosmology (2009).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Nauta, Lodi, and Arjo Vanderjagt, editors, Between Demonstration and Imagination: Essays in the History of Science and Philosophy Presented to John D. North, E.J. Brill (Boston, MA), 1999.

PERIODICALS

Times (London, England), November 12, 2008, p. 59.