Max Planck Timeline

(1858 - 1947)

Max Planck (1858–1947) was a German theoretical physicist who is regarded as the founder of quantum theory. His discovery of energy quanta in 1900 revolutionized physics, earning him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. Planck's work laid the foundation for modern physics, influencing scientists like Einstein and Bohr. More Less

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Early Life and Education

Birth of Max Planck

Apr 23, 1858

Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck was born on 23 April 1858 in Kiel, the son of Johann Julius Wilhelm Planck and his second wife, Emma Patzig. He would grow up to become one of the most influential theoretical physicists in history.

Image source: Max Planck

Prussian troops march into Kiel

1864

War was common during Planck's early years, and among his earliest memories was the marching of Prussian and Austrian troops into Kiel during the Second Schleswig War in 1864.

Image source: Second Schleswig War

Family moves to Munich

1867

In 1867, the Planck family moved to Munich, where Max enrolled at the Maximiliansgymnasium, beginning his formal education in the Bavarian capital.

Enrollment at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

1874

In 1874, Planck enrolled at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München to study physics, beginning his path toward a career in theoretical physics.

Image source: LMU Munich

Year of study in Berlin with Helmholtz and Kirchhoff

1877 - 1878

In 1877, Planck went to the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin for a year of study with physicists Hermann von Helmholtz and Gustav Kirchhoff and mathematician Karl Weierstrass.

Image source: Humboldt University of Berlin

Jolly advises Planck against theoretical physics

1878

In 1878, Philipp von Jolly advised Planck against going into theoretical physics, arguing that physics was almost complete, being a 'highly developed, nearly fully matured science' that would soon take its final stable form. Planck ignored this advice.

Scientific Career

Doctoral thesis defense on the second law of thermodynamics

Feb 1879

In October 1878, Planck passed his qualifying exams, and in February 1879 he defended his thesis 'Über den zweiten Hauptsatz der mechanischen Wärmetheorie' (On the second law of mechanical heat theory). In his thesis, he summarized Clausius' writings, pointing out contradictions and inaccuracies and then clarifying them.

Planck becomes Privatdozent in Munich

1880

By 1880, Planck had obtained the two highest academic degrees offered in Europe. In that year he became a Privatdozent (unsalaried lecturer) at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, waiting until he was offered an academic position.

Appointed associate professor at Kiel University

Apr 1885

In April 1885, Planck was appointed associate professor of Theoretical Physics at Kiel University, his first salaried academic position.

Image source: Kiel University

Treatises 'On the Principle of the Increase of Entropy'

1887

Planck presented his work on entropy in detail in 1887 in a series of treatises entitled 'On the Principle of the Increase of Entropy', building on his earlier analysis of Clausius' formulation of the second law of thermodynamics.

Named successor to Kirchhoff at Berlin; Full Professor by 1892

1889 - 1892

In 1889, Planck was named the successor to Kirchhoff's position at the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin – presumably thanks to Helmholtz's intercession – and by 1892 became Full Professor.

Turns attention to black-body radiation

1894

In 1894, Planck turned his attention to the problem of black-body radiation, which had been stated by Kirchhoff in 1859: how does the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a black body depend on frequency and temperature?

Image source: Black-body radiation

Publication of Treatise on Thermodynamics

1897

Planck published his influential Treatise on Thermodynamics in 1897, consolidating his extensive work on the laws of thermodynamics and entropy.

Image source: Heat

Formation of the German Physical Society

1898

Thanks to Planck's initiative, the various local Physical Societies of Germany merged in 1898 to form the German Physical Society (Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, DPG). From 1905 to 1909 Planck served as its president.

Image source: German Physical Society

Wien–Planck law proposed

1899

Planck's first proposed solution to the black-body problem in 1899 followed from what he called the 'principle of elementary disorder', allowing him to derive Wien's law and create the Wien–Planck law. This derivation did not include energy quantisation, and introduced the Planck constant, also known as Planck's action quantum.

Image source: Wien approximation

Presentation of radiation law to the DPG

Oct 19, 1900

Planck's new radiation law was first proposed in a meeting of the German Physical Society on 19 October 1900 and published in 1901, marking the birth of quantum theory.

Revision relying on Boltzmann's statistical interpretation

Nov 1900

In November 1900, Planck revised his first version of the radiation law, now relying on Boltzmann's statistical interpretation of the second law of thermodynamics as a way of gaining a more fundamental understanding of the principles behind it — introducing energy quanta.

Offered Boltzmann's position in Vienna but declines

1907

In 1907, Planck was offered Ludwig Boltzmann's position in Vienna, but turned it down in order to stay in Berlin.

Image source: University of Vienna

Public rift with Ernst Mach

1908

Planck's philosophical stance on the reality of atoms led to a famous public rift with Ernst Mach in 1908, reflecting deep divisions within physics over the status of atomic theory.

Image source: Ernst Mach

Ernest Kempton Adams Lecturer at Columbia University

1909

During 1909, as a professor at the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin, Planck was invited to become the Ernest Kempton Adams Lecturer in Theoretical Physics at Columbia University in New York City.

Image source: Columbia University

First Solvay Conference organized

1911

Planck and Walther Nernst, seeking to clarify the increasing number of contradictions between classical physics and new quantum phenomena, organized the First Solvay Conference in Brussels in 1911.

Image source: Solvay Conference

Einstein appointed to Berlin through Planck's efforts

1914

Having been appointed dean of the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin, Planck was able to appoint Einstein to Berlin and establish a new professorship for him in 1914.

Image source: Albert Einstein

Founding of the Notgemeinschaft der Deutschen Wissenschaft

Oct 1920

In October 1920, Planck and Fritz Haber established the Notgemeinschaft der Deutschen Wissenschaft (Emergency Association of German Science), aimed at providing financial support for scientific research in postwar Germany.

Image source: Notgemeinschaft der Deutschen Wissenschaft

Retirement from Berlin; succeeded by Schrödinger

Jan 10, 1926

Planck retired from the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin on 10 January 1926, and was succeeded by Erwin Schrödinger.

Image source: Erwin Schrödinger

President of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society

1930 - 1936

Planck became president of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society in 1930, holding leading positions at major German scientific institutions. His term ended in 1936, when the Nazi government pressured him to refrain from seeking another term.

Image source: Max Planck Society

Personal Life

Marriage to Marie Merck

Mar 1887

In March 1887, Planck married Marie Merck (1861–1909), sister of a school fellow, and moved with her into a sublet apartment in Kiel.

Death of Marie Planck

Jul 1909

Marie Planck died in July 1909, possibly of tuberculosis, leaving Max a widower after more than two decades of marriage.

Marriage to Marga von Hoesslin; birth of Hermann

Mar 1911 - Dec 1911

In March 1911, Planck married his second wife, Marga von Hoesslin (1882–1948); in December of that year his fifth child, Hermann, was born.

World War I: Erwin taken prisoner, Karl killed at Verdun

1914 - 1916

During the First World War, Planck's second son Erwin was taken prisoner by the French in 1914, while his oldest son Karl was killed in action at Verdun in 1916.

Image source: Battle of Verdun

Death of daughter Grete

1917

Grete, one of Planck's twin daughters, died in 1917 while giving birth to her first child, adding to the personal tragedies Planck endured during the war years.

Lecture 'Religion und Naturwissenschaft'

1937

In a 1937 lecture entitled 'Religion und Naturwissenschaft' ('Religion and Natural Science'), Planck suggested that symbols and rituals relate directly to a believer's ability to worship God, criticized atheistic attacks on religious belief, and argued that both religion and natural science require belief in God, understood in different ways.

Image source: Relationship between science and religion

Legacy and Honors

Awarded the 1918 Nobel Prize in Physics

1918 - 1919

In recognition of Planck's fundamental contribution to a new branch of physics, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for 1918 'for the services he rendered to the advancement of physics by his discovery of energy quanta'; he received the award in 1919. In December 1918, he described his discovery to his son as 'a discovery of the first rank, comparable perhaps only to the discoveries of Newton'.

Image source: Nobel Prize in Physics

80th birthday celebration and Max-Planck medal to de Broglie

1938

In 1938, Planck celebrated his 80th birthday. The German Physical Society held a celebration, during which the Max-Planck medal, founded as the society's highest medal in 1928, was awarded to French physicist Louis de Broglie.

Image source: Max Planck Medal

80th birthday celebration and Max-Planck medal to de Broglie

Death of Max Planck in Göttingen

Oct 4, 1947

After World War II ended, Planck, his second wife, and their son were brought to a relative in Göttingen, where Planck died on 4 October 1947, aged 89.

Kaiser Wilhelm Society renamed Max Planck Society

1948

In 1948, the Kaiser Wilhelm Society was renamed the Max Planck Society in honor of its former president. Today it includes 83 institutions representing a wide range of scientific disciplines.

Planck portrait on 2-DM coins

1957 - 1971

From 1957 to 1971, the Federal Republic of Germany's 2-DM coins featured Max Planck's portrait, honoring his enduring legacy in German science and culture.

Image source: Deutsche Mark

Commemorative plaque at Humboldt University

1958

In 1958, a commemorative plaque was unveiled in the forecourt of the Humboldt University of Berlin, and the Max Planck Society presented a bust of Planck, created in 1939, to the Physical Society of the GDR.

Lunar crater Planck named

1970

In 1970, the lunar crater Planck and the adjacent valley Vallis Planck were named after Max Planck, commemorating his contributions to physics on the Moon itself.

Image source: Planck (crater)

GDR issues 5-mark coin for 125th birthday

1983

In 1983, the German Democratic Republic issued a 5-mark commemorative coin to mark the 125th anniversary of Max Planck's birth.

Berlin plaque at Grunewald residence

1989

In 1989, a commemorative plaque was unveiled at Planck's former residence in Berlin-Grunewald, preserving the memory of the physicist's life in the city.

Image source: Berlin-Grunewald station

Stamp and 10-Euro coin for 150th birthday

2008

In 2008, a special postage stamp and a 10-Euro silver commemorative coin were issued in Germany to mark the 150th anniversary of Max Planck's birth.

Max Planck Florida Institute opens

2013

In 2013, The Max Planck Florida Institute For Neuroscience opened in Jupiter, Florida, extending the Max Planck Society's research mission to the United States.

Image source: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience

Google Doodle for Planck's 156th birthday

Apr 23, 2014

On April 23, 2014, Google celebrated Max Planck's 156th birthday with a Google Doodle, bringing the father of quantum theory to a global online audience.

Image source: Google Doodle

Bust placed in Walhalla

2022

In 2022, a bust of Max Planck was placed in Walhalla, the hall of fame in Bavaria honoring distinguished Germans, cementing his place among the nation's most celebrated figures.

Image source: Walhalla (memorial)

Nazi Era and World War II

Interview with Hitler about Jewish scientists

May 1933

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Planck was 74 years old. In May 1933, he requested and received an interview with Chancellor Adolf Hitler, telling him that forced emigration of Jews would kill German science. Hitler replied that they had nothing against Jews, only communists, taking away any basis for further negotiation.

Image source: Adolf Hitler

Death of Fritz Haber in exile

1934

In 1934, Fritz Haber, Planck's collaborator in founding the Notgemeinschaft der Deutschen Wissenschaft, died in exile after being forced out of Germany by the Nazi regime.

Image source: Fritz Haber

Commemorative meeting for Haber

1935

One year after Haber's death, Planck, having been president of the KWG since 1930, organized in a somewhat provocative style an official commemorative meeting for Haber, defying Nazi disapproval.

Prussian Academy taken over by Nazis

Dec 1938

At the end of 1938, the Prussian Academy of Sciences, where Planck had been one of four permanent presidents, lost its remaining independence and was taken over by Nazis as part of their process of Gleichschaltung.

Image source: Prussian Academy of Sciences

Home destroyed by air raid

Feb 1944

In February 1944, Planck's home in Berlin was completely destroyed by an air raid, annihilating all his scientific records and correspondence. In 1942 he had written of his ardent desire to persevere through the crisis and witness the turning point and beginning of a new rise.

Image source: Bombing of Berlin in World War II

Arrest of son Erwin after 20 July plot

Jul 20, 1944 - Oct 1944

In 1944, Planck's son Erwin was arrested by the Gestapo following the attempted assassination of Hitler in the 20 July plot. He was tried and sentenced to death by the People's Court in October 1944.

Image source: 20 July plot

Execution of Erwin Planck

Jan 23, 1945

Erwin Planck, to whom Max had been particularly close, was executed on 23 January 1945, hanged at Berlin's Plötzensee Prison for his participation in the failed attempt to assassinate Hitler.

Image source: Erwin Planck

Key Facts

Max Planck was born on April 23, 1858, in Kiel, Germany, and showed early talent in music and physics.
In 1900, Planck introduced the concept of quantized energy to explain blackbody radiation, marking the birth of quantum theory.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918 for his discovery of energy quanta.
Planck served as president of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society (later renamed the Max Planck Society) from 1930 to 1937.
The Planck constant (h), a fundamental physical constant named after him, remains central to quantum mechanics and was used to redefine the kilogram in 2019.

Source

This Max Planck timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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