William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin

(1824-1907) William Thomson, later Baron Kelvin of Largs was a British scientist who developed the concept of absolute zero and devised a temperature scale based on it, which is now named in his honour. Born in Belfast,he moved with his family to [Glasgow]] in 1831 when his father accepted a position at the university of Glasgow as a professor of mathematics. Thomson would, in turn, become a professor of natural philosophy (physics) at the same university. In addition to his pioneering work in the field of thermodynamics, Thomson was a major contributor to the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable.