Airy was an interesting character, who was perhaps a little obsessive. However, as the seventh astronomer royal appointed to oversee the Greenwich Observatory he had the vision, ability and dogged determination to turn it into a centre of astronomical excellence at a time when certain continental astronomers were doing important work. Airy was not going to let them be undisputed leaders in the field. More can be found on Airy in PHYSICS REVIEW Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 32–33.
The name Nobel is now associated with the prizes awarded each year for excellence in various areas of research or endeavour. Alfred Nobel (1833–1896) made his fortune by accidentally discovering how to make the explosive nitroglycerine safer.
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