* Science in the 20th Century: A Social-Intellectual Survey (36)

As the 19th century drew to a close, the age-old quest to understand the physical world appeared to be complete except for a few minor details. "It seems probable that most of the grand underlying principles have been firmly established," said Albert Michelson, the first American scientist to win a Nobel Prize.

Steven L. Goldman
Lehigh University - Ph.D., Boston University