Founded in 1796, the Rumford Prize, awarded by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is one of the oldest scientific prizes in the United States. The prize recognizes contributions by scientists to the fields of heat and light. These terms are widely interpreted; awards range from discoveries in thermodynamics to improvements in the construction of steam boilers.
Benjamin Thompson, whose grant paid for the formation of the Rumford Prize
Robert Hare, first recipient of the prize in 1839
Samuel Pierpont Langley, 1886 recipient
Thomas Alva Edison, 1895 recipient
John Ericsson was a Swedish-American inventor. He was active in England and the United States.
John Ericsson
John Ericsson
Novelty, Braithwaite and Ericsson's entry for the Rainhill Trials. Illustration from The Mechanics Magazine, 1829.
German drawing (1833) of the steam locomotive Wilhelm IV with scale in feet, built by "Braithwaite und Ericsson".