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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''John Caulfield Hannyngton''' (7 March 1807 – 1885 or 1886) was a British military commander, actuary and mathematician. He is remembered as inventor of a [[slide rule]] of previously unattainable precision.

== History ==
Hannyngton was born in [[Dungannon]], [[County Tyrone]], Ireland, a son of Thomas Knox Hannyngton and Mrs Hannyngton, née Caulfield or Caulfeild.

He joined the British Army as a cadet in 1825 and was posted to India with the 24th Regiment of Native Infantry. On the suppression of the [[Kol uprising|Colekan rebellion]] in 1839 he was given a political appointment, and in 1842 promoted to Judicial Commissioner.<ref name=RAS>{{cite journal|journal=Royal Astronomical Society|title=John Caulfield Hannyngton |date=February 1886 |page=187 |bibcode=1886MNRAS..46..187.}}</ref>
He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1856 and took command of the 63rd RNI. At the time of the [[Indian mutiny]] of 1857 he was with his regiment, which was disarmed but did not rebel. He was transferred to the Military Finance Department on the strength of his competence with figures, and finally promoted to Military Auditor-General which post he held until 1861 when he retired.<ref name=RAS/>

He is best remembered today for his invention of a [[slide rule]] for astronomical calculations, which had 15 fixed rules, {{Convert|32 |inch}} long (an effective length of around 12 metres, and hence capable of great precision) and a bank of seven sliding rules. It was manufactured in England by [[Aston & Mander]]<ref name=RAS/> and a demonstration of its capabilities was made by one Galbraith [[Trinity College Dublin|SFTCD]] before students of [[Trinity College Dublin|Trinity College Engineering School]] and reported in ''[[Freeman's Journal]]'' of 11 June 1884.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article254377646 |title=A New Aid to Calculation |newspaper=[[The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express]] |volume= |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=7 November 1884 |accessdate=12 May 2021 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Examples are today highly collectible.

== Recognition ==
* Hannyngton was elected Fellow of the [[Royal Astronomical Society]] on 12 March 1875
* He was elected a Fellow of the [[Institute of Actuaries]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sliderulemuseum.com/SR_WhosWho.htm |publisher=Internet Slide Rule Museum|title=John Caulfield Hannyngton |access-date=12 May 2021}}</ref>

== Family ==
Son [[John Child Hannyngton]] (23 September 1835 – March 1895) was born in [[Barrackpore]].

== Publications ==
*{{cite book|author1=John C. Hannyngton |author2=Robert Shortrede |title=Logarithms of Sines and Tangents for Every Second |year=1873}}
*{{cite book|author=John C. Hannyngton |title=Haversines Natural and Logarithmic Used in Computing Lunar Distances for the Nautical Almanac |year=1876}}
*{{cite book|author=John C. Hannyngton |title=Table of logarithms and anti-logarithms (four figures), 1-10,000}}
*{{cite book|author=John C. Hannyngton |title=The slide rule extended |year=1884}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.sliderulemuseum.com/Rarities/Hannyngton_Slide_Rule.jpg Hannyngton Slide Rule]
* [https://www.sliderules.lovett.com/hannyngton/hannyngtonpics.htm Hannyngton Slide Rule in Rod Lovett's collection] A very fine set of photographs.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannyngton, John Caulfield}}
[[Category:1807 births]]
[[Category:1880s deaths]]

[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Irish mathematicians]]
[[Category:Irish actuaries]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]
[[Category:19th-century Irish businesspeople]]
[[Category:People from County Tyrone]]

John Caulfield Hannyngton - Revision history

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