Origins & Early Life

Edith Anne Stoney (6 January 1869 – 25 June 1938) was an Irish physicist. Born in Dublin in an old-established Anglo-Irish scientific family, she is considered to be the first woman medical physicist. Edith Stoney was born at 40 Wellington Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin; the daughter of George Johnstone Stoney, FRS, an eminent physicist who coined the term electron in 1891 as the 'fundamental unit quantity of electricity', and his wife and cousin, Margaret Sophia Stoney. One of her two brothers, George Gerald, was an engineer and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

One of her two sisters, Florence Stoney, was a radiologist and received an OBE. Her cousin was the Dublin-based physicist George Francis FitzGerald FRS (1851–1901), and her uncle Bindon Blood Stoney FRS was Engineer of Dublin Port, renowned for building a number of the main Dublin bridges, and developing the Quayside. Edith Stoney demonstrated considerable mathematical talent and gained a scholarship at Newnham College, Cambridge, where she achieved a First in the Part I Tripos examination in 1893. However, she was not awarded a University of Cambridge degree as women were excluded from graduation...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• 1869 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1869
• January 6 (01-06) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on January 6
• 1938 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1938
• June 25 (06-25) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on June 25