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Joel Hastings Metcalf

American astronomer (1866-1925)

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Born
January 4, 1866
Died
February 23, 1925
Zodiac sign
Capricorn
Birth year
1866

About Joel Hastings Metcalf

Joel Hastings Metcalf (January 4, 1866 – February 23, 1925) was an American astronomer, humanitarian and minister. Reverend Metcalf graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1892. He served as a Unitarian minister in Burlington, Vermont and in Taunton, Massachusetts, Winchester, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine. He discovered or co-discovered several comets, including 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf and 97P/Metcalf-Brewington, and also 41 asteroids during 1905–1914, as credited by the Minor Planet Center. Two of his discoveries, the main-belt asteroids 726 Joëlla and 792 Metcalfia, were named in his honor. Asteroids discovered: 41 Metcalf, Joel H. (1906). "An Amateur's Observatory".

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Joel Hastings Metcalf timeline

  1. Reverend Metcalf graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1892.
  2. He discovered or co-discovered several comets, including 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf and 97P/Metcalf-Brewington, and also 41 asteroids during 1905–1914, as credited by the Minor Planet Center.
  3. Asteroids discovered: 41 Metcalf, Joel H. (1906). "An Amateur's Observatory".

The world when Joel Hastings Metcalf was born

Joel Hastings Metcalf was born in 1866. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1866

  • Best-selling bookCrime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Headlines and milestones

  • Top headlineReconstruction era begins in the South
  • Technology milestoneTransatlantic telegraph cable successfully laid
  • World population~1.46B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderAndrew Johnson
  • U.S. population34.0M

1866 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Joel Hastings Metcalf's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure18662026
Population34.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, VIAF, German National Library. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

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