Origins & Early Life

William Maurice "Doc" Ewing (May 12, 1906 – May 4, 1974) was an American geophysicist and oceanographer. Ewing has been described as a pioneering geophysicist who worked on the research of seismic reflection and refraction in ocean basins, ocean bottom photography, submarine sound transmission (including the SOFAR channel), deep sea core samples of the ocean bottom, theory and observation of earthquake surface waves, fluidity of the Earth's core, generation and propagation of microseisms, submarine explosion seismology, marine gravity surveys, bathymetry and sedimentation, natural radioactivity of ocean waters and sediments, study of abyssal plains and submarine canyons. Ewing was born in Lockney, Texas, where he was the eldest surviving child of a large farm family. He won a scholarship to attend Rice University, earning a BA with honors in 1926.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He completed his graduate studies at the same institution, earning an MA in 1927 and being awarded his PhD in 1931. In 1928 he was married to Avarilla Hildenbrand, and the couple had a son. The couple divorced in 1941. Ewing worked as an instructor at the Rice Institute while pursuing his PhD before joining the faculty at Lehigh...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

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

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• A. J. P. Taylor — Contemporary (Born in 1906) (1906): Influential English historian specializing in 19th and 20th-century European diplomacy.
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• Adnan Khayr Allah — Shared historical date (05-04 · Died) (1989): Iraqi military officer and Minister of Defense, closely associated with the Ba'ath regime.
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