Who coined the modern astronomical use of the term “black hole” in 1967?

John Archibald Wheeler coined the modern astronomical use of the term “black hole” in 1967.

Before Wheeler’s phrase became standard, physicists used expressions such as “gravitationally completely collapsed star” and “dark star.” Wheeler popularized “black hole” because it was short, memorable, and vividly described an object from which light cannot escape.

The underlying concept is older than the name. In 1783, John Michell proposed “dark stars” whose gravity could prevent light from leaving. General relativity later supplied the modern theory, including event horizons and curved spacetime.

A common mix-up is crediting Stephen Hawking with naming black holes. Hawking made major contributions to black-hole thermodynamics and radiation, but Wheeler supplied the famous modern label. Wheeler had already helped establish black-hole physics as a major research subject before the term entered everyday scientific language.