Charles-Augustin de Coulomb

14 June 1736 – 23 August 1806

Charles-Augustin de Coulomb was a French military engineer and physicist best known for formulating Coulomb's law, describing the electrostatic force between charged bodies. The SI unit of electric charge, the coulomb, is named after him.

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Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Charles-Augustin de Coulomb.

Life events

Born in Angouleme, France
14 June 1736

Coulomb was born into a well-to-do family in Angouleme in southwestern France.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Graduated from the Royal Engineering School of Mezieres
1761

Coulomb trained as a military engineer at the Ecole royale du genie de Mezieres, one of the leading technical schools in Europe.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Supervised fortification works on Martinique
1764 – 1772

As a military engineer Coulomb spent eight years in the West Indies directing the construction of Fort Bourbon on Martinique, work that damaged his health.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Won the Academy of Sciences prize for work on magnetic compasses
1777

Coulomb shared the Paris Academy of Sciences prize for his memoir on the best method of making magnetic compass needles.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Elected to the French Academy of Sciences
1781

Coulomb was elected to the Academie des sciences in Paris on the strength of his engineering and physics memoirs.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published the torsion balance memoirs establishing Coulomb's law
1785 – 1791

In a series of memoirs on electricity and magnetism, Coulomb used his torsion balance to show that the force between electric charges varies inversely with the square of their distance.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Retired from Paris during the French Revolution
c. 1793

During the Revolution Coulomb withdrew from public life to his estate near Blois, continuing his scientific research in retirement.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Appointed inspector general of public instruction
1802

Under Napoleon, Coulomb returned to public service as an inspector general of public instruction, helping to organize the French education system.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Paris
23 August 1806

Coulomb died in Paris at the age of 70; his name was later inscribed among the 72 names on the Eiffel Tower.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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