We provide brief historical notes on some of the prominent mathematicians, scientists and engineers who have made significant contributions to the ideas that are described in this text. In some cases this contribution is a general mathematical technique, and in others it is a development in fluid mechanics or a specific idea in the theory of water waves. The selection that has been made is, of course, altogether the responsibility of the author, and it includes only those researchers who died at least 20 years ago.

Airy, Sir George Biddell (1801–92) British mathematician and physicist, who was Astronomer Royal for 46 years; he made contributions to theories of light and, of course, to astronomy, but also to gravitation, magnetism and sound, as well as to wave propagation in general and to the theory of tides in particular.

Bernoulli, Daniel (1700–82) Dutch-born member of the famous Swiss family of about 10 mathematicians (fathers, sons, uncles, nephews), best known for his work on fluid flow and the kinetic theory of gases; his equation for fluid flow first appeared in 1738; he also worked in astronomy and magnetism, and was the first to solve the Riccati equation.

Bessel, Friedrich Wilhelm (1784–1846) German mathematician who was, for many years, the director of the astronomical observatory in Königsberg; he was the first to study the equation that bears his name (which arose in some work on the motion of planets); he carried out a lengthy correspondence with Gauss on many mathematical topics.