Firstly, who is John Dalton? We know from Jack’s research [see Why is the balloon called John Dalton?] that John Dalton is a famous scientist who lived in 1766-1844. He is known as the “Father of Atomic Theory” for his brilliant discovery that all matter is made up of indivisible particles called atoms and that each element was made of different atoms. Today, we still base our knowledge of the atom on Dalton’s work. Not bad for a man born in Eaglesfield, West Cumbria (population of 660).
And next, who is Brian Cox?
Brian Cox is an English physicist who is a professor at the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester. He is well known as he has made science accessible through his popular science television and radio programs.
Today, Brian Cox is very important in particle physics; he led the project to instal low-angle proton detectors at CERN (an organisation for nuclear research, which also helped the discovery of the Higgs Boson).
So, both John Dalton and Brian Cox were and are well known in the physics field.
John Dalton and Brian Cox also have strong connections to Manchester and its university. John Dalton attended the University of Manchester, before joining the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society. At the age of 27, John Dalton was appointed Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy (Physics) at the University of Manchester. Brian Cox also studied at Manchester University and was subsequently appointed a Professor at the School of Physics and Astronomy there.
Coincidentally, Manchester University has set up the Dalton Nuclear Institute at West Lakes Science Park in West Cumbria.
Finally, both John Dalton and Brian Cox were and are (respectively) popular during their lifetimes with the general public. John Dalton was the first scientist to have a statue made for him during his lifetime. When John Dalton died, 40,000 people attended his funeral. Brian Cox has increased the population’s interest physics through his BBC series and sales of his science books, which exceed 1.3 million copies. Both John Dalton and Brian Cox have made physics fashionable!
I think it therefore reasonable to say that John Dalton was the original Brian Cox.
References:
What was John Dalton biography atomic theory discovery?
Dalton Nuclear Institute
Brian Cox wikipedia
