Count Rumford was originally born
Benjamin Thompson in
Woburn (today
a northern suburb of
Boston),
Massachusetts in 1753. He became an
itinerant teacher and
was hired by a wealthy family in
Rumford, Massachusetts. There, he
married the
daughter of the house and became a member of the
high society.
There are differing accounts of what happened next...
- During the Siege of Boston (1775 - 1776) he attempted to betray the
Americans to the British. He abruptly left the Americas because of loyalist
sympathies.
- He was made a major in the army at age 19, which made him unpopular
with the locals. As the political climate moved to revolution, Thompson
was arrested on suspicion of "being inimical to the liberties of
this country".
Upon release, he left his wife and fled to
England. He returned to
America to command the Queen's Horse
Dragoons. At the age
of 30, he traveled to
Bavaria.
Much of his left he spent as the employee of the Bavarian government
and later received the title "Count of the Holy Roman Empire". He
took the name of the town which he first made a living in.
In England, Rumford applied his knowledge of heat to the creation
and innovation of fireplaces. Most notably, he was able to design
them smaller and shallower with angled coverings so that they were
able to radiate heat better. Furthermore, he was able to design
them so that smoke went up the chimney instead of into the room.
The Rumford fireplace is named after him.
Rumford wrote two essays which detail the improvements upon the
fireplaces in 1796 and 1798. He also wrote on the benefits of
coffee over tea.
In 1800, Count Rumford played a large role in founding the
Royal Institution. He hired Humphrey Davy as a lecture for the
Institution and was key in funding it in the beginning. After it
became too theoretical for Rumford, he moved to France. He died
in 1814 of a fever. Much of his estate was left to Harvard University.