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2026-10-08 Columbia University Library: Columbia Spectator archive (1906)

Site: https://archive-publications.library.columbia.edu/ (Veridian). It showed a bot-check page ("Performing security verification") that cleared by itself in Chrome after a few seconds. No CAPTCHA was solved. Found through Google query Lorentz lectures Columbia University 1906 "Ernest Kempton Adams" OR "Spectator" electrons.

Search: text "Lorentz", date range 1 Jan to 31 Dec 1906. Result: 28 hits, all Columbia Spectator (23 advertisements, 5 articles) [web] https://archive-publications.library.columbia.edu/?a=q&txq=Lorentz&dafyq=1906&datyq=1906

Found

  • "University Bulletin, March 20 to March 26, 1906" (Spectator, 24 March 1906, p.4) [web] https://archive-publications.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs19060324-01.2.23.3. The OCR text reads: "Friday, March 23, 4-6 p.m. First lecture of a series on 'The Theory of Electrons and its Application to the Phenomena of Light and Radiant Heat,' by Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, Professor in the University of Leiden, Lecturer in Mathematical Physics in Columbia University, 1905-0[6]. 'General Principles,' 'Theory of Free Electrons.' Saturday, March 24, 10-12. Second lecture by Professor Lorentz. The same subject continued."
  • Calendar of the Day, 7 April 1906: "Zeeman Effect; Propagation of Light in Ponderable Bodies," Prof. Lorentz, 301 F. [web, search snippet].
  • Calendar of the Day, 26 and 27 April 1906: lecture "Optical Phenomena in Moving Systems," Prof. H. A. Lorentz, "301 H" and "301 F." [web, search snippets]. This is the title of Chapter V, which holds the claims of this project.
  • "Last Lecture by Dr. Lorentz" (Spectator, 26 April 1906) [web] https://archive-publications.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs19060426-01.2.5 says "Dr. Hendrik Antoon Lorentz will deliver the last of his series of lectures on 'Theory of Electrons [and] its Application to the Phenomena of Radiant Heat,' in 301 [Ha]vemeyer at 4 o'clock to-day." "Dr. Lorentz to Lecture To-Day" (27 April 1906) is a further article, not opened.
  • From 24 April 1906 the advertisements call him "Professor of Mathematical Physics in Columbia University, 1905-06" [web, snippet].

Bearing on the claims

These are historical records (priority 4). They confirm the setting stated on the title page [read: p.1-2]: lectures at Columbia in March-April 1906. They add the order of topics: general principles and free electrons from 23 March, the Zeeman effect and light in ponderable bodies by 7 April, and the moving-systems lectures (Chapter V) on 26-27 April 1906, at the end of the series. So the Chapter V content was delivered in April 1906. The 1909 book text was then "developed further" (preface, Jan 1909 [read: digest p.8]), and the comparison with Einstein (§§189-194) is probably part of that later text (an inference, not checked). Note a small conflict in the Spectator itself: on 26 April it calls that day's lecture "the last of his series", but the calendar of 27 April and the article "Dr. Lorentz to Lecture To-Day" (27 April) list one more lecture. Which parts of Chapter V were actually said in April 1906 cannot be settled from the Spectator. That would need lecture notes or a student's notes (Columbia University Archives; NHA archive 364).

Not done

  • Hits 21-28 of the search (page 2) were not read.
  • The Columbia University Archives (Ernest Kempton Adams Fund records, Department of Physics files) were not reached.