Samuel Langley
| Samuel Langley | |
|---|---|
| Langley, circa 1895 | |
| 3rd Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution | |
| In office 1887–1906 | |
| Preceded by | Spencer Fullerton Baird | 
| Succeeded by | Charles Doolittle Walcott | 
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 22, 1834 Roxbury, Massachusetts, U.S. | 
| Died | February 27, 1906 (aged 71) Aiken, South Carolina, U.S. | 
| Known for | Solar physics | 
| Awards | Rumford Medal (1886) Henry Draper Medal (1886) Janssen Medal (1893) | 
| Signature | |
Samuel Pierpont Langley (August 22, 1834 – February 27, 1906) was an American aviation pioneer, astronomer and physicist who invented the bolometer. He was the third secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and a professor of astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was the director of the Allegheny Observatory.