10th June 1858

Death of the man who coined the term ‘nucleus’

Botanist Robert Brown was born in Montrose in 1773 and studied at the University of Edinburgh. He was posted to Ireland on military service and, in his early 40s, travelled on an expedition to South Africa and Australia where he stayed for several years collecting and cataloguing specimens.

Much of what he collected had never been seen by Europeans before. Upon his return, he wrote several scientific papers, in one of which he named the core of cells the nucleus. We have used that term ever since.

 

 

Other events that occured in June

  • 01

    Miners organise a march on Edinburgh
    With more than 40,000 miners out of work and few prospects for mining towns, the miners organised a march on Edinburgh in 1928.

  • 02

    Encyclopaedia Britannica’s first editor dies
    William Smellie was the first editor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica when it was still being published as a part-work.

  • 03

    Ramsay MacDonald is elected prime minister
    Born in Lossiemouth in October 1866, Labour party leader James Ramsay MacDonald was British prime minister twice.

  • 04

    Scottish-built SS Norge sinks close to Rockall
    Despite the name, SS Norge was built and launched in Scotland. She is also remembered for sinking off the Scottish coast on a transatlantic voyage causing what was, at the time, the largest ever recorded loss of life at sea. SS Norge strikes rocks Her final voyage had started in Copenhagen, bound for New York […]

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