Albert Michelson was born in Strenlo, Poland in 1852, but was raised in the United States. He was educated at the United States Naval Academy and the universities of Berlin, Heidelberg, and Paris. From 1889–1892, Michelson was professor of Physics at Clark University. In 1892, he was appointed head of the department of physics at the University of Chicago.
Michelson is best known for his famous experiments to measure the speed of light. At the time, scientists believed that an invisible ether filled the universe, but Michelson's experiments helped disprove the existence of this substance. Michelson invented the interferometer, which he used to measure the speed of light. Michelson was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1907, the first American citizen to be so honored.
Michelson wrote The Velocity of Light (1903) and Studies in Optics (1927).