The most outstanding scientists of our time. The greatest scientists in history What Russian scientists did
Our answer to the false Western propaganda that the Russians “never created anything, and are not able to create anything,” and that “all the best and necessary things were created by the Americans and Europeans”...
"Three heroes". Victor Vasnetsov, 1898
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Pavel Yablochkov - inventor of the first light bulb
1. P.N. Yablochkov and A.N. Lodygin - the world's first electric light bulb.
2. A.S. Popov is the inventor of radio.
3. V.K. Zvorykin (the world's first electron microscope, television and television broadcasting).
4. A.F. Mozhaisky is the inventor of the world's first airplane.
5. I.I. Sikorsky is a great aircraft designer, he created the world's first helicopter, the world's first bomber.
6. A.M. Poniatov - the world's first video recorder.
7. S.P. Korolev is the world's first ballistic missile, spacecraft, and first Earth satellite.
8. A.M. Prokhorov and N.G. Basov is the world's first quantum generator - maser.
9. S.V. Kovalevskaya (the world's first woman professor).
10. S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky - the world's first color photograph.
11. A.A. Alekseev - creator of the needle screen.
12. F.A. Pirotsky is the world's first electric tram.
13. F.A. Blinov is the world's first crawler tractor.
14. V.A. Starevich is a three-dimensional animated film.
15. E.M. Artamonov - invented the world's first bicycle with pedals, a steering wheel, and a turning wheel.
16. O.V. Losev is the world's first amplifying and generating semiconductor device.
17. V.P. Mutilin is the world's first mounted construction combine.
18. A. R. Vlasenko - the world's first grain harvesting machine.
19. V.P. Demikhov was the first in the world to perform a lung transplant and the first to create a model of an artificial heart.
20. A.P. Vinogradov - created a new direction in science - the geochemistry of isotopes.
21. I.I. Polzunov - the world's first thermal engine.
22. G.E. Kotelnikov - the first backpack rescue parachute.
Academician Igor Kurchatov, under his leadership, the world's first hydrogen bomb was developed
23. I.V. Kurchatov - the world's first nuclear power plant (Obninsk); also, under his leadership, the world's first hydrogen bomb with a power of 400 kt was developed, detonated on August 12, 1953. It was the Kurchatov team that developed the RDS-202 (Tsar Bomba) thermonuclear bomb with a record power of 52,000 kilotons.
24. M.O. Dolivo-Dobrovolsky - invented a three-phase current system, built a three-phase transformer, which put an end to the dispute between supporters of direct (Edison) and alternating current.
25. V.P. Vologdin - the world's first high-voltage mercury rectifier with a liquid cathode, developed induction furnaces for the use of high-frequency currents in industry.
26. S.O. Kostovich - created the world's first gasoline engine in 1879.
27. V.P. Glushko - the world's first electric/thermal rocket engine.
28. V.V. Petrov - discovered the phenomenon of arc discharge.
29. N.G. Slavyanov - electric arc welding.
30. I.F. Alexandrovsky - invented the stereo camera.
31. D.P. Grigorovich is the creator of the seaplane.
32. V.G. Fedorov is the world's first machine gun.
33. A.K. Nartov - built the world's first lathe with a movable support.
34. M.V. Lomonosov - for the first time in science, formulated the principle of conservation of matter and motion, for the first time in the world he began to teach a course in physical chemistry, and for the first time discovered the existence of an atmosphere on Venus.
35. I.P. Kulibin - mechanic, developed the design of the world's first wooden arched single-span bridge, inventor of the searchlight.
36. V.V. Petrov - physicist, developed the world's largest galvanic battery; opened an electric arc.
37. P.I. Prokopovich was the first in the world to invent a frame hive, in which he used a magazine with frames.
38. N.I. Lobachevsky - mathematician, creator of "non-Euclidean geometry".
39. D.A. Zagryazhsky - invented the caterpillar track.
40. B.O. Jacobi - invented electroplating and the world's first electric motor with direct rotation of the working shaft.
41. P.P. Anosov, a metallurgist, revealed the secret of making ancient damask steel.
42. D.I. Zhuravsky was the first to develop the theory of bridge truss calculations, which is currently used throughout the world.
43. N.I. Pirogov - for the first time in the world, compiled the atlas “Topographic Anatomy”, which has no analogues, invented anesthesia, plaster and much more.
44. I.R. Hermann was the first in the world to compile a summary of uranium minerals.
45. A.M. Butlerov was the first to formulate the basic principles of the theory of the structure of organic compounds.
46. I.M. Sechenov, the creator of evolutionary and other schools of physiology, published his main work “Reflexes of the Brain”.
47. D.I. Mendeleev - discovered the periodic law of chemical elements, creator of the table of the same name.
48. M.A. Novinsky is a veterinarian who laid the foundations of experimental oncology.
49. G.G. Ignatiev was the first in the world to develop a system of simultaneous telephone and telegraphy over one cable.
50. K.S. Drzewiecki - built the world's first submarine with an electric motor.
51. N.I. Kibalchich was the first in the world to develop a design for a rocket aircraft.
52. N.N. Benardos - invented electric welding.
53. V.V. Dokuchaev - laid the foundations of genetic soil science.
54. V.I. Sreznevsky - Engineer, invented the world's first aerial camera.
55. A.G. Stoletov, a physicist, was the first in the world to create a photocell based on the external photoelectric effect.
56. P.D. Kuzminsky - built the world's first radial gas turbine.
57. I.V. Boldyrev - the first flexible photosensitive non-flammable film, formed the basis for the creation of cinematography.
58. I.A. Timchenko - developed the world's first movie camera.
59. S.M. Apostolov-Berdichevsky and M.F. Freidenberg - created the world's first automatic telephone exchange.
60. N.D. Pilchikov is a physicist who was the first in the world to create and successfully demonstrate a wireless control system.
61. V.A. Gassiev is an engineer who built the world's first phototypesetting machine.
62. K.E. Tsiolkovsky is the founder of astronautics.
63. P.N. Lebedev is a physicist who, for the first time in science, experimentally proved the existence of light pressure on solids.
64. I.P. Pavlov - creator of the science of higher education nervous activity.
65. V.I. Vernadsky - natural scientist, creator of many scientific schools.
66. A.N. Scriabin is a composer who was the first in the world to use lighting effects in the symphonic poem “Prometheus”.
67. N.E. Zhukovsky is the creator of aerodynamics.
68. S.V. Lebedev was the first to obtain artificial rubber.
69. G.A. Tikhov, an astronomer, was the first in the world to establish that the Earth, when observed from space, should have a blue color. Later, as we know, this was confirmed when filming our planet from space.
70. N.D. Zelinsky - developed the world's first highly effective coal gas mask.
71. N.P. Dubinin is a geneticist who discovered the divisibility of the gene.
72. M.A. Kapelyushnikov - invented the turbodrill in 1922.
73. E.K. Zawoisky discovered electrical paramagnetic resonance.
74. N.I. Lunin proved that there are vitamins in the body of living beings.
75. N.P. Wagner - discovered the pedogenesis of insects.
76. Svyatoslav Fedorov - the first in the world to perform an operation to treat glaucoma.
77. S.S. Yudin was the first to use blood transfusions of suddenly deceased people in the clinic.
78. A.V. Shubnikov - predicted the existence and first created piezoelectric textures.
79. L.V. Shubnikov - Shubnikov-de Haas effect (magnetic properties of superconductors).
80. N.A. Izgaryshev - discovered the phenomenon of passivity of metals in non-aqueous electrolytes.
81. P.P. Lazarev is the creator of the ion excitation theory.
82. P.A. Molchanov is a meteorologist who created the world's first radiosonde.
83. N.A. Umov - physicist, equation of energy motion, concept of energy flow; By the way, he was the first to explain practically and without ether the errors of the theory of relativity.
84. E.S. Fedorov is the founder of crystallography.
85. G.S. Petrov is a chemist, the world's first synthetic detergent.
86. V.F. Petrushevsky - scientist and general, invented a range finder for artillerymen.
87. I.I. Orlov - invented a method for making woven credit cards and a method of single-pass multiple printing (Orlov printing).
88. Mikhail Ostrogradsky - mathematician, O. formula (multiple integral).
89. P.L. Chebyshev - mathematician, Ch. polynomials (orthogonal system of functions), parallelogram.
90. P.A. Cherenkov - physicist, Ch. radiation (new optical effect), Ch. counter (nuclear radiation detector in nuclear physics).
91. D.K. Chernov - Ch. points (critical points of phase transformations of steel).
92. V.I. Kalashnikov is not the same Kalashnikov, but another one, who was the first in the world to equip river ships with a steam engine with multiple steam expansion.
93. A.V. Kirsanov - organic chemist, K. reaction (phosphoreaction).
94. A.M. Lyapunov is a mathematician who created the theory of stability, equilibrium and motion of mechanical systems with a finite number of parameters, as well as L.'s theorem (one of the limit theorems of probability theory).
95. Dmitry Konovalov - chemist, Konovalov’s laws (elasticity of parasolutions).
96. S.N. Reformatsky - organic chemist, Reformatsky reaction.
97. V.A. Semennikov - metallurgist, was the first in the world to carry out the Bessemerization of copper matte and obtain blister copper.
98. I.R. Prigogine - physicist, P.'s theorem (thermodynamics of nonequilibrium processes).
99. M.M. Protodyakonov is a scientist who developed a scale of rock strength generally accepted in the world.
100. M.F. Shostakovsky - organic chemist, balsam Sh. (vinyline).
101. M.S. Color - Color method (chromatography of plant pigments).
102. A.N. Tupolev - designed the world's first jet passenger aircraft and the first supersonic passenger aircraft.
103. A.S. Famintsyn, a plant physiologist, was the first to develop a method for carrying out photosynthetic processes under artificial light.
104. B.S. Stechkin - created two great theories - thermal calculation of aircraft engines and air-breathing engines.
105. A.I. Leypunsky, a physicist, discovered the phenomenon of energy transfer by excited atoms and molecules to free electrons during collisions.
106. D.D. Maksutov - optician, telescope M. (meniscus system of optical instruments).
107. N.A. Menshutkin, a chemist, discovered the effect of a solvent on the rate of a chemical reaction.
108. I.I. Mechnikov - the founders of evolutionary embryology.
109. S.N. Winogradsky - discovered chemosynthesis.
110. V.S. Pyatov is a metallurgist who invented a method for producing armor plates using the rolling method.
111. A.I. Bakhmutsky - invented the world's first coal combine (for coal mining).
112. A.N. Belozersky - discovered DNA in higher plants.
113. S.S. Bryukhonenko - physiologist, created the first artificial blood circulation apparatus in the world (autojector).
114. G.P. Georgiev is a biochemist who discovered RNA in the nuclei of animal cells.
115. E.A. Murzin - invented the world's first optical-electronic synthesizer "ANS".
116. P.M. Golubitsky is a Russian inventor in the field of telephony.
117. V.F. Mitkevich - for the first time in the world, he proposed the use of a three-phase arc for welding metals.
118. L.N. Gobyato - Colonel, the world's first mortar was invented in Russia in 1904.
119. V.G. Shukhov is an inventor, the first in the world to use steel mesh shells for the construction of buildings and towers.
120. I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky - made the first Russian trip around the world, studied the islands of the Pacific Ocean, described the life of Kamchatka and about. Sakhalin.
121. F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev - discovered Antarctica.
122. The world’s first icebreaker of a modern type is the steamship of the Russian fleet “Pilot” (1864), the first Arctic icebreaker is “Ermak”, built in 1899 under the leadership of S.O. Makarova..
123. V.N. Sukachev is the founder of biogeocenology, one of the founders of the doctrine of phytocenosis, its structure, classification, dynamics, relationships with the environment and its animal population.
124. Alexander Nesmeyanov, Alexander Arbuzov, Grigory Razuvaev - creation of the chemistry of organoelement compounds..
125. V.I. Levkov - under his leadership, hovercraft were created for the first time in the world.
126. G.N. Babakin is a Russian designer, creator of Soviet lunar rovers.
127. P.N. Nesterov was the first in the world to perform a closed curve in a vertical plane on an airplane, a “dead loop”, later called the “Nesterov loop”.
128. B.B. Golitsyn - became the founder of the new science of seismology.
129. V.M. Bekhterev is a world-famous encyclopedist scientist with many discoveries in the field of the structure, pathways and functions of the brain and psyche, morphologist of the nervous system and brain, psychophysiologist, neurologist - clinical neurologist and psychiatrist, psychologist - the founder of a number of branches of psychological science.
And all this is only a small part of the Russian contribution to world science.
The importance of biological science in our lives is difficult to overestimate. Without the research and knowledge carried out by scientists in this field, medicine and pharmaceuticals would not have developed, humanity would not be armed with antibiotics and vaccinations and would be powerless against viruses. Therefore, it is so important to know the names of the great biologists who, at the cost of their health, and sometimes even their lives, made such significant scientific discoveries.
Great Scientists in Biology
The term “biology” itself appeared at the end of the nineteenth century, so the world’s scientists working in this field earlier were called doctors or natural scientists.
Discoverers
Below is a list of famous biologists and their discoveries.
Anthony van Leeuwenhoek
Leeuwenhoek was engaged in research in the field of biology in the seventeenth century. During this period, science did not have basic knowledge; the available data was very primitive. In addition to natural sciences, Leeuwenhoek was interested in physics and was an excellent designer.
The scientist is the inventor of the world's first perfect microscope, which allowed him to make discoveries in the field of biology: Leeuwenhoek was the first to describe sperm and the process of fertilization of an egg. The scientist also has the honor of discovering microbes.
Charles Darwin
The English naturalist Darwin was the first to conclude that a living organism can evolve. He is the author of a theory about the origin of man, which is still one of the most popular in the world. Darwin traveled a lot and observed various living organisms. Many observations helped the scientist in creating his scientific theories.
Robert Brown
The English scientist Robert Brown is best known as the discoverer of the possibility of molecular motion, which is named after him. However, he also made a most valuable discovery in the field of biology: while studying plant cells under a microscope in 1832, he discovered identical round elements in each cell. Later, this cellular organelle was called the cell nucleus, and Brown proved the existence of a nucleus not only in plant cells, but also in animal cells.
Carl Woese
American scientist Carl Woese is the man who first identified a new domain of living organisms - archaea. In 1990, Woese created a classification that was fundamentally different from the previously existing ones: he divided living organisms into 23 subgroups.
They are located within three independent domains:
- eukaryotes;
- bacteria;
- archaea.
According to Woese, archaea are a separate independent branch of living beings. The scientist’s views were not accepted in the scientific community for a long time, but at present this classification is fundamental.
Hans Krebs
The German researcher Han Krebs first discovered the stages in 1932 chemical reactions, during which urea is formed from ammonia in animal cells. These reactions are called the “Krebs cycle”; currently this term refers to the process of oxidation of nutrients in animals.
William Baylis and Ernest Starling
In 1905, two English scientists-partners described and gave a name to substances unknown at that time - hormones. As an example, they described secretin, a hormone that regulates the release of pancreatic juice into the intestines. Scientists have also described in detail the role of hormones as chemical messengers.
Jan Ingenhouse
In 1770, the German scientist Jan Ingenhaus described the process of transformation by plants sunlight into energy. Currently, this process is called photosynthesis. The scientist made this discovery thanks to his observations, during which he established that plants react to light differently than to shadow. The enormous significance of this discovery was later recognized, as it was established that all life on Earth ultimately depends on photosynthesis.
Russian explorers
Famous Russian biologists worked and made discoveries in our country. Their contribution to science is very significant.
Koltsov Nikolai Konstantinovich
Founder of Russian experimental biology. In 1928, he presented and proved a hypothesis about the molecular structure of chromosomes. This hypothesis subsequently became the basis of modern molecular biology and genetics.
Mechnikov Ilya Ilyich
Pavlov Ivan Petrovich
Great Russian physiologist, author of the doctrine of higher nervous activity. He is the author of the chronic experiment as a method aimed at studying a healthy organism, and a method conditioned reflexes. Provided evidence that the basis of all mental processes is the physiological activity of the cerebral cortex.
Timiryazev Kliment Arkadevich
Russian biologist-naturalist. Described the laws of photosynthesis as the process of plants converting light into energy.
Chetverikov Sergey Sergeevich
He is the founder of popular and evolutionary genetics. He was one of the first to describe the patterns of selection in actively evolving populations.
Founders of Science
Biology as a science originated many centuries ago. Many ancient thinkers laid the foundation of the natural sciences.
Avicenna
Persian scientist, doctor and philosopher. He lived and carried out his activities in the Middle Ages. The author of more than 450 works, he is the founder of modern psychophysiology: he described four types of temperament that a person can have depending on the predominance of a certain type of fluid in his body.
Aristotle
Ancient Greek scientist encyclopedist. He gave a detailed description of many animals living in Greece and areas close to it. He suggested that plants and animals are transformed into more perfect forms, climbing the ladder of nature, that is, he described the basics of the theory of evolution.
Galen
An ancient Roman physician, author of a work on the parts of the human body, in which he gave the first detailed description of human anatomy and physiology in the history of medicine. He was the first to use vivisection experiments on animals in scientific activities. He summarized all the available knowledge of ancient medicine, creating a separate branch of science.
Rene Descartes
English physicist, naturalist, biologist. For the first time he introduced the concept of reflex.
Dioscorides Pedanius
Ancient Greek naturalist, physician and pharmacologist. He was one of the first in the world history of biology to begin research in the field of pharmacy and botany, which is why he is considered the father of these sciences.
Pliny the Elder
An ancient Greek writer whose stories were about animals and plants. He created the multi-volume work “Natural History”, which is one of the oldest encyclopedias about living organisms.
Theophrastus
Ancient Greek scientist, one of the first botanists. Theophrastus's contribution to biology lies in the systematization of existing observations about the places of growth and beneficial properties plants, and he also created their classification.
Popular biologists and their discoveries
Below is a list of scientists who have made other valuable discoveries in the field of biology.
Alexander Fleming
Scottish bacteriologist. He discovered the substance lysozyme, which is an enzyme that kills bacteria in the body, but does not harm healthy tissues.
Wilhelm Roux
Claude Bernard
He discovered the phenomenon of homeostasis in the human body and proved its importance. According to the scientist, a living body is relatively independent of the environment, although it needs it. The tissues of the human body are protected and are a perfect environment in themselves. True, this theory received scientific recognition after Bernard’s death.
James Sumner
For the first time in 1926, a scientist managed to isolate the ureaplasma enzyme in its pure form. This is a substance that breaks down urea into chemical elements. It took the scientist 26 years to achieve this goal, while the entire scientific community of that time was confident that this was impossible, and even after receiving the result, most of the scientist’s colleagues doubted this success. However, Sumner's achievement earned him the Nobel Prize in 1946.
Frederick Sanger
Sanger is the only person in history to receive two Nobel Prizes in chemistry. He received the second award together with his colleague and comrade Walter Gilbert. In 1977, scientists published a method that allows them to determine the sequence of building blocks in the DNA network. This method has become a real breakthrough in the field of medicine, evolutionary biology, has become indispensable in criminal law.
List of biologists
Biology is an ancient science with several branches. At different periods, many inventors were involved in its study and development. Short list famous explorers biology - in the table.
| Hippocrates | 470-360 BC e. |
| Claudius Galen | 130-200 n. e. |
| Avicenna | 980-1048 |
| Leonardo da Vinci | 1452-1519 |
| Andreas Vesalius | 1514-1564 |
| William Harvey | 1578-1657 |
| Carl Linnaeus | 1707-1778 |
| Charles Darwin | 1809-1882 |
| Gerhard Mendel | 1822-1884 |
| Robert Koch | 1843-1910 |
| Dmitry Ivanovsky | 1864-1920 |
| Ilya Mechnikov | 1845-1916 |
| Louis Pasteur | 1822-1895 |
| Ivan Sechenov | 1829-1905 |
| Hugo de Vries | 1848–1935 |
| Thomas Morgan | 1866-1943 |
| Vladimir Vernadsky | 1863-1945 |
| Ivan Shmalgauzen | 1884-1963 |
Timeline of discoveries
Many scientists, being and working in different parts of the world, helped their colleagues working in the same field.
Many discoveries were made based on a knowledge base formed years and even centuries earlier:
- In 1831, Robert Brown, while studying plant cells he obtained in Australia under a microscope, noticed that each of them had a round opaque element. The scientist called it the cell nucleus. The German naturalist Theodor Schwann, having learned about his colleague’s discovery, began to look for something similar in animal cells: the cells of tadpoles were studied. Schwann's hypothesis was confirmed; the nucleus was also found in animal cells. At that time, this discovery was revolutionary: it proved the connection of all life on the planet.
- Almost a century after the discovery of the cell nucleus, the German scientist Carl Woese made the following discovery that shocked the scientific world. Until that moment, it was believed that the animal world consisted of two large classes: bacteria (protozoa) and eukaryotes (all others). They differed only in the location of the DNA - in protozoa it was located near the cell walls, in eukaryotes it was located in the nucleus. Carl Woese, while studying methane-producing bacteria, discovered a feature unknown at that time: the cell wall was unique and secreted unusual enzymes. The scientist discovered that this form of life is different from those already known. Representatives of this species are able to survive even in the most aggressive environment, on the ocean floor or several kilometers deep in the earth. This type was called archaea.
- About 30 years later, the German zoologist Walter Flemming published a work in which he describes the process of cell division, and although scientists had previously known about this fact regarding a living cell, Flemming is considered the pioneer in this matter. In the process of working on this issue, the scientist used a powerful microscope, with which he was able to detect certain structures, which he called chromosomes. The picture of cell division became clear to the scientist, and he was able to describe cell division in detail, calling this process mitosis.
- The chain of discoveries in the field of cell reproduction and division was continued by the German biologist August Weismann. The biologist has the idea that at a certain point, a developing organism gives a signal to the cells responsible for reproduction to split the chromosomes in half. This process called meiosis.
Of course, this is only a tiny part of all human discoveries in the field of biology. For many centuries in a row, biologists, biochemists, and natural scientists from all over the world have directed the forces of their minds to develop the field of knowledge related to biology. Many of their thoughts, actions and conclusions overlapped, giving the opportunity for the development of science, and this development continues to this day. study at the link.
Test
Based on the materials in the presented article, it is proposed to take a test, the purpose of which is to identify the degree of assimilation of information.
Test conditions: you must choose the correct answer from those proposed. There can only be one correct answer.
A. Pliny the Elder.
b. Aristotle.
V. Avicenna.
2. First discovered the nucleus of cells:
A. Pavlov.
b. Vernadsky.
V. Mechnikov.
4. The only scientist in the world to receive two Nobel Prizes in chemistry is:
A. Sanger.
b. Schmalhausen.
V. Flemming.
5. First introduced the concept of reflex:
A. Hippocrates.
b. Descartes.
V. Avicenna.
6. For the first time he described the types of human temperament:
A. Avicenna.
V. Aristotle.
7. The concept of “homeostasis” was first introduced by:
A. Bernard.
A. Descartes.
V. Avicenna.
9. For the first time he described the stages of chemical reactions of energy conversion in living cells:
b. Darwin.
V. Mendel.
10. A new type of living organisms was discovered:
b. Mechnikov.
V. Sechenov.
Right answers:
Video
Watch an interesting video about great discoveries in biology.
A virtual review of the literature on the history of scientific and technical inventions of mankind in the 18th and 19th centuries. on the pages of publications from the fund of rare and valuable books.
For people of our time, it is obvious that science and technology play a very important, decisive role in modern society. However, this was not always the case. The ancient Greeks, for example, looked at the craft of mechanics as an occupation of commoners, not worthy of a true scientist. The world religions that emerged later initially rejected science altogether. One of the fathers of the Christian church, Tertullian, argued that after the Gospel there is no need for any other knowledge. Muslims reasoned in a similar way. When the Arabs captured Alexandria, they burned the famous Library of Alexandria - Caliph Omar declared that since there was a Koran, there was no need for other books. This dogma prevailed until the beginning of the New Age. Dissidents were persecuted by the Inquisition, threatening to be burned at the stake. Inventors of new mechanisms were persecuted. For example, in 1579, a mechanic who created a ribbon loom was executed in Danzig. The reason for the reprisal was the municipality's fear that this invention would cause unemployment among weavers. Understanding of the role of science came only during the Enlightenment, in the 17th century, when the first Academies in Europe were created. The first achievement of the new science was the discovery of the laws of mechanics - including the law of universal gravitation. These discoveries caused delight in society. The Industrial Revolution dramatically changed people's lives; the traditional way of rural life was replaced by a new, industrial society. Amazing discoveries and inventions followed one after another, the world was rapidly changing before the eyes of one generation.
Yakov Vasilyevich Abramov talks about two inventors - Stephenson and Fulton, whose great creations forever changed the way of life of mankind.
Stephenson and Fulton: (inventors of the steam locomotive and steamship): their life and scientific and practical activities: biographical sketches with portraits of Stephenson and Fulton, engraved in Leipzig by Gedan / Y. V. Abramov. - St. Petersburg: Typo-lithography and phototype by V. I. Stein, 1893. - 78 p., 2 sheets. portrait ; 18 cm - (Life of remarkable people: (ZhZL). Biographical library of F. Pavlenkov). (6(09I) A16 34977M-RF)
George Stephenson is undoubtedly one of the heroic men of strong will. In the preface to the book, the author writes about him: “A worker by origin, without receiving any school education, and even being illiterate until adulthood, Stephenson not only managed to overcome all the unfavorable conditions of his life, acquire significant diverse knowledge, achieve a high social position, but and became one of the outstanding geniuses of mankind.” The inventor and mechanical engineer gained worldwide fame thanks to the steam locomotive he designed. Stephenson is also considered one of the "fathers" of railroads. The gauge of the rail track he chose was called Stephenson gauge and is still the standard in many countries around the world. The author notes that there are few other biographies that can arouse the same interest as the biography of George Stephenson.
George (George) Stephenson was born in a small poor coal mining village near the city of Newcastle. Four families were crowded into the house where the Stephensons lived. From the age of 6, George sorted coal at the mine, then helped his father, a fireman. At the age of 17, young George Stephenson, who had thoroughly studied the structure of the steam engine operating in the mine and was able to fix any malfunction, was appointed its driver. George was one of those people who, having set themselves a goal, stubbornly strive to achieve it. At the age of 18, despite the ridicule of his comrades, he learned to read and write. Through persistent self-education, Stephenson acquired the specialty of a steam engine mechanic.
Over the next years he studied steam engines. The first steam locomotive designed by Stephenson was intended to pull coal cars. This locomotive did no more than a kilometer per hour and after a month of operation it shook so much that it stopped working. His second locomotive seemed like a real miracle back then. He could drive a train with a total weight of up to 30 tons. The car was named "Blücher" in honor of the Prussian field marshal, famous for his victory in the battle with Napoleon.
Over the next five years, Stephenson built 16 more cars.
George founded the world's first steam locomotive works in Newcastle, where in September 1825 he built the Active locomotive, later renamed Locomotive. Stephenson himself drove a train loaded with 80 tons of coal and flour, which in some sections accelerated to 39 km/h. In addition to the cargo, the train included an open passenger carriage called “Experiment”. This was the first case in world practice of using a steam-powered railway to transport passengers.
In 1829, competitions of several locomotives took place, which went down in history as the “Reinhill Trials”. Stephenson entered his steam locomotive "Rocket" into the competition. He had 4 opponents. Stephenson's locomotive was the only one to successfully complete all tests. Its maximum speed reached 48 km/h. The brilliant victory of the “Rocket” made it perhaps the most famous mechanism in the history of technology.
Gradually, Stephenson practically retired, focusing only on the construction of tunnels for the railway and the development of new coal seams. His son Robert also became a talented engineer and helped his father in everything. Steam locomotives began to be built in other countries based on George Stephenson's designs. He belonged to those lucky inventors who had the opportunity to see their ideas realized during their lifetime.
The second character in the book, whose name is also associated with steam engines, is the no less famous inventor Robert Fulton. Robert was born in Pennsylvania, USA. His parents, bankrupt farmers, were forced to emigrate to America. The family had five children. His father was engaged mainly in hard day labor and died when Robert was only three years old. The family finally found itself in dire straits. Fulton always remembered with reverence his mother, who managed not only to raise her children, but also to give them the opportunity to get at least elementary education at a local school and pay for their education. From an early age, Robert showed a penchant for two pursuits: painting and mechanics. While studying mathematics and theoretical mechanics, Robert Fulton became interested in the idea of using steam in shipping. He constantly had to find funds for his inventions and periodically fail. He began experimenting with torpedoes and even presented Napoleon with a practical model of the Nautilus submarine. Fulton submitted plans for the construction of the steamship to the governments of the United States and Great Britain, but, despite all his efforts, could not find funds for their implementation. At that time he was already 31 years old.
At the request of US Ambassador Robert Livingston, Fulton began experimenting with steam engines. In 1803, a steam ship 20 m long and 2.4 m wide was tested on the Seine River. But, despite the successful experience, there was not a single capitalist who would invest money in the implementation and operation of the invention.
Robert goes to America, where he was given a twenty-year privilege to sail on steamships on the Hudson, on the condition that within two years he would build a steamship capable of sailing against the current at a speed of at least 6 knots per hour. Encouraged by his success, Fulton ordered a new, more powerful steam engine and got to work.
In 1807, Fulton's steamboat set sail. The length of the vessel was 45 m, its engine had one cylinder, and oak and pine wood was used as fuel. When tested, it swam a distance of 240 km at an average speed of 4.7 mph, while Monopoly required only 4 mph. After installing cabins on the ship, Robert Fulton began commercial voyages, carrying passengers and light cargo. He patented his steamboat and built several more steam ships in subsequent years. In 1814, construction began on the 44-gun warship Demologos for the US Navy, but this project was completed after his death.
“The Republic of Scientists is not a monastery with one charter: it consists of individuals who have in common only an interest in science and extraordinary talents,” writes the author of the next book, starting a story about the outstanding European scientists of the 18th century - Laplace and Euler.
Laplace and Euler: their lives and scientific activities: biographical sketches: with portraits of Laplace and Euler, engraved in Leipzig by Gedan / E. F. Litvinova. - St. Petersburg: Printing house of the Partnership for Public Benefit", 1892. - 79 pp., 2 sheets of portrait. (51(09I) L64 27165M-RF).
Elizaveta Fedorovna believes that the main feature scientific works Pierre Simon Laplace is their greater accessibility to non-specialists. For example, his essay “The World System” can be read by every educated person, because it is distinguished by its simplicity and clarity. French mathematician and astronomer, known for his work in the field differential equations, one of the creators of the theory of probability, Laplace was the chairman of the Chamber of Weights and Measures and headed the Bureau of Longitudes. The Paris Academy published his treatises on probability theory in 13 volumes. But the greatest amount of research by Pierre Laplace relates to celestial mechanics, which he studied throughout his life. Laplace worked on the five-volume work “Treatise on Celestial Mechanics” for 26 years. He compiled more accurate tables of the Moon, which was important in determining longitudes at sea and, therefore, played a large role in navigation. The ancients despairingly called the phenomenon of ebb and flow the grave of human curiosity. Laplace was the first to recognize with confidence the connection between these phenomena and the attractive power of the Moon and the Sun. Undoubtedly, Pierre Laplace was a great scientist and a widely educated person: he knew languages, history, chemistry and biology, and loved poetry, music, and painting. He had an excellent memory and until a very old age he recited entire pages from the French poet and playwright Jean Racine by heart. There were many talented young scientists around him, whom he patronized.
During his life, Pierre Laplace was a member of six academies of sciences and royal societies. His name is included in the list of the greatest scientists of France, placed on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. A crater on the Moon, an asteroid, and numerous concepts and theorems in mathematics are named after Laplace.
The hero of the second essay by E. F. Litvinova is Leonhard Euler, an outstanding German scientist who made a significant contribution to the development of mechanics, physics, astronomy and a number of applied sciences. Euler is recognized as the most productive mathematician in history. He spent almost half his life in Russia, was an academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, knew the Russian language well, and published some of his works (especially textbooks) in Russian.
At this time, the St. Petersburg Academy was one of the main centers of mathematics in the world. Here were the most favorable conditions for the flowering of the genius of Leonhard Euler. One day the Academy needed to do a very difficult job of calculating the trajectory of a comet. According to academics, this required several months of work. L. Euler undertook to complete this in three days and completed the work, but due to overexertion he became seriously ill with inflammation of his right eye, which he subsequently lost. Soon two volumes of his analytical mechanics appeared, then two parts of an introduction to arithmetic on German and new music theory. For his essay on the ebb and flow of the seas, Leonhard Euler received the French Academy Prize.
Enviable health and easy character helped Euler “withstand the blows of fate that befell him. Always an even mood, cheerfulness, good-natured mockery and the ability to tell funny stories made conversation with him pleasant and desirable...” Euler was constantly surrounded by numerous grandchildren, often a child sat in his arms, and a cat lay on his neck. He himself taught mathematics to the children. And all this did not stop him from working. During his life, Leonhard Euler wrote about 900 scientific papers.
Thomas Edison said: “Discontent is the first condition of progress.” The degree of “dissatisfaction” of the great scientist is evidenced by his 1093 patents for inventions. To make the world more convenient, he invented the phonograph, built the world's first public power station, improved the telegraph and telephone, and the incandescent lamp.
Edison and Morse: their lives and scientific and practical activities: two biographical sketches / A. V. Kamensky. - St. Petersburg: Printing house Yu. N. Erlikh, 1891. - 80 p., front. (portrait) ; 19 cm - (Life of remarkable people: (ZhZL). Biographical library of F. Pavlenkov). (6(09I) K18 35638M-RF)
Thomas Edison registered his first patent at the age of 22. Later, he was so productive that he created on average one minor invention every 10 days and one major invention every six months. Under what circumstances were these technical achievements of the American engineer made, says the author of his biography A.V. Kamensky.
When Thomas was 7 years old, his father went bankrupt, and the future inventor, not wanting to accept the fall of his family, plunged headlong into his studies. True, I soon had to say goodbye to the school. His mother, a former school teacher, continued his education at home. At the age of 10, Thomas plunged into chemical experiments and created his first laboratory in the basement of his house. Money was needed to conduct experiments, and at the age of 12 Edison began working. He sold newspapers, fruits and candy on trains. In order not to waste time, he moved the chemical laboratory to the baggage car at his disposal, where one day he almost started a fire. At the age of 15, using the money he saved, Thomas purchased a printing press and began publishing his own newspaper right in the baggage car of the train in which he worked, and selling it to passengers.
Edison was attracted by everything innovative, so he soon exchanged the railroad for the telegraph. From the very first days of working as a telegraph operator, he thought about improving the telegraph apparatus. Edison invents an electrical recorder of the number of votes, but there were no buyers for this patent. Then Thomas decided for himself that he would only work on inventions with guaranteed demand. Subsequently, he expanded the capabilities of the telegraph apparatus: now it could transmit not only SOS signals, but also information about stock exchange rates. Edison earned 40 thousand dollars from this invention and soon organized a workshop where he manufactured automatic telegraph devices and other electrical equipment.
In 1877, Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, which he would consider his favorite creation for the rest of his life. The press called the phonograph “the greatest discovery of the century,” and Edison himself proposed many ways to use it: dictating letters and documents without the help of a stenographer, playing music, recording conversations. Edison's new invention, which shocked the world, was a device for displaying sequential photographs - a kinescope. In April 1896, Edison held the first public screening of a film in New York, and in 1913 he demonstrated a film with synchronized sound.
Until the end of his life, Thomas Edison was engaged in improving this world. At the age of 85, dying, he told his wife: “If there is anything after death, it is good. If not, that's fine too. I lived my life and did the best I could...”
The next hero, Samuel Finley Morse, is known throughout the world as the inventor of the electromagnetic writing telegraph - the “Morse apparatus” and the transmission code - “Morse code”.
Samuel (Samuel) Morse was born in Massachusetts into a wealthy American family and graduated from Yale College. He was indifferent to science, although he was attracted by lectures on electricity. Samuel also loved to draw miniature portraits of acquaintances. He was so fascinated by painting that his parents sent him to England to study art at the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1813, Morse presented his painting “The Dying Hercules” to the Royal Academy of Arts in London, for which he received a gold medal.
After returning home, he lived the life of a traveling painter for ten years, painting portraits. It must be said that Samuel was very sociable and charming, he was eagerly received in noble houses. Even US President Lincoln was among his friends. In New York he creates some very interesting portraits and founded the National Academy of Design. During his second trip to Europe, S. Morse met the famous scientist L. Daguerre and became interested in the latest discoveries in the field of electricity. And after at the university he was shown a description of the model of an electromagnetic telegraph proposed by the German physicist W. Weber, he completely devoted himself to invention. The scientist knew that electric current runs almost instantly along the longest wire and that when an obstacle is encountered, a spark appears. Why can’t this spark represent a word, a letter, a number? Why not come up with an alphabet for transmitting words by electricity? This thought haunted Morse. It took years of work and study to get his telegraph working. In 1837, he developed a system of representing letters with dots and dashes, which became known throughout the world as Morse code. However, he did not find support for introducing the idea either at home, or in England, or in France, or in Russia, meeting with refusal everywhere. From a trip to Europe, Samuel returned home with dashed hopes and almost in poverty.
In another attempt to interest the US Congress in the creation of telegraph lines, he brought in a congressman as a partner, and in 1843 Morse received a subsidy of $30,000 for the construction of the first telegraph line from Baltimore to Washington. Having received the necessary funds, Morse immediately began constructing a trial telegraph line, which was completed a little over a year later, although the public was still outraged for a long time that Congress was wasting public money on such an insane enterprise. A few years later, the telegraph spread to America, and then to Europe and was recognized as one of the most amazing discoveries of our century. Newspapers, railroads and banks quickly found use for it. Telegraph lines instantly intertwined the whole world, Morse's fortune and fame increased. A man who often had to go hungry now did not know how to get rid of the lavish dinners and celebrations held in his honor. Representatives of ten European governments at a special congress jointly decided to give Morse 400,000 francs. In 1858, he bought an estate near New York, and spent the rest of his life there with a large family of children and grandchildren. In his old age, Morse became a philanthropist. He patronized schools, universities, churches, missionaries and poor artists.
After his death, Morse's fame as an inventor began to fade, as the telegraph was replaced by telephone, radio and television. But, oddly enough, his reputation as an artist grew. He did not consider himself a portrait painter, but many people know his paintings of Lafayette and other prominent people. His 1837 telegraph is kept in the US National Museum, and his country house is recognized as a historical monument.
Throughout the history of mankind, no less interest than the conquest of the water ocean has been caused by the conquest of the air ocean. The idea of rising into the sky has excited human minds since ancient times. The first mentions of attempts of this kind date back to the 4th-5th centuries BC. The book “Conquest of the Air” is just about this. The authors of the articles included in this collection are German writers, scientists, engineers and aeronauts: G. Dominic, F. M. Feldgauz, O. Neischler, A. Stolberg, O. Steffens, N. Stern.
Conquest of the air: a reference book on aeronautics and flying technology: compiled on the basis of the latest discoveries and inventions: with 162 figs. in the text / trans. with him. M. Kadish; auto preface gr. Zeppelin. - Moscow: publishing house "Titan": Printing house of the trading house M. V. Baldin and Co., . - , 400 s. : ill. (6T5(09I) Z-13 27861 - RF)
It contains materials on the first experiences of flight: from folk tales and legends to the appearance of hot air balloons and controlled balloons, as well as on the use of air vehicles for scientific, sports and cultural purposes.
The first chapters of the book, authored by F. M. Feldgauz, describe many flying attempts of the past - sometimes curious, sometimes funny and curious. In addition to wings, which were attached to the arms or body, there were also various types of flying machines and ships.
A sad page in the history of aeronautics is the expedition led by the Swedish engineer-naturalist Salomon Andre, carried out in 1897 with the goal of reaching the North Pole in a hot air balloon, during which all three of its participants died. This is how Dr. A. Stolberg describes this expedition: Salomon Andre, the first Swedish balloonist, proposed organizing an expedition in a hydrogen-filled balloon from Spitsbergen to Russia or Canada, and its path should, if lucky, go straight through the North Pole. The patriotic masses greeted this idea with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, Andre ignored the potential dangers. There was a lot of evidence that the technology he invented to control the ball using fastening ropes turned out to be ineffective, but he still jeopardized the fate of the expedition. To make matters worse, the Eagle balloon was delivered directly to Svalbard by its manufacturer in Paris and was not pre-inspected. When measurements showed that there were more hydrogen leaks than expected, Andre did not consider this a serious problem. Most contemporary scientists, seeing Andre's optimism, also disdained the forces of nature, which in fact led to the death of Salomon Andre and his two young associates, Nils Strindberg and Ernst Frenkel. After launching from Spitsbergen in July 1897, the balloon very quickly lost hydrogen and crashed in the ice within two days. The researchers were not injured during its fall, but died during the grueling journey south through the drifting polar ice. Lacking sufficiently warm clothing, equipment and training, and overwhelmed by the difficulty of traversing the terrain, they had little chance of a successful outcome. When the Arctic winter closed their further path in October, the group found itself sandwiched on the deserted White Island in the Spitsbergen archipelago and died there. True, in 1909 they did not yet know about this. The author of the essay assumed that the heroes of the expedition died immediately as soon as the balloon finally lost air somewhere over the ocean. He writes: “...probably all three drowned immediately; in any case, this would be a better fate...” For 33 years, the fate of Andre's expedition remained one of the mysteries of the Arctic. The accidental discovery of the expedition's last camp in 1930 created a sensation.
The book describes many more stories about successful and not so successful attempts to conquer airspace. It contains descriptions of various types of aircraft: gliders, airplanes, monoplanes, airships... Many drawings and photographs that depict fantastic and real designs of air vehicles and their creators will help you clearly understand and appreciate the structural features of each.
The history of the invention and use of flying devices in Russia contains many interesting, sometimes funny moments. It is known that rulers at all times loved to patronize the inventors of flying cars. Alexander I also favored aeronautics.
A very interesting and little-known story is told by Alexander Alekseevich Rodnykh, a Russian popularizer and historian of science, a specialist in the history of aeronautics, a science journalist, and a science fiction writer. One of the first propagandists of the ideas of K. Tsiolkovsky, a graduate of the Faculty of Mathematics of St. Petersburg University.
Secret preparation for the destruction of Napoleon's army in the twelfth year with the help of aeronautics: from the "History of Aeronautics and Flying in Russia": with 19 photographs from ancient drawings / A. Rodnykh. - [St. Petersburg]: [Type. T-va Literacy], . - 61, 124 p. : ill. (9(C)15 R60 36628-RF)
In his book, he talks about a very special event in the history of aeronautics and flying in Russia. It turns out that in the spring of 1812, at the behest of Alexander I, preparations were made in complete secrecy for the destruction of Napoleon’s army with the help of the “flying machine” of the German inventor Leppich. Leppich volunteered to build a controlled machine capable of rising into the air and dropping huge quantities of explosive shells to exterminate Napoleon's army. A. Rodnykh says that Leppich’s air enterprise cost the Russian treasury, not counting the timber for the construction of the premises, heating, dressing of the skins and others, a total of about 185,000 rubles. The appearance of the machine can be judged from the surviving drawing, which indicates that Leppich’s idea of a controlled airship was associated with ideas about fishing, that is, with the help of fins and a tail. Despite repeated design changes, experiments and attempts by the inventor to make the device fly, the enterprise was not successful. The author writes that Leppich’s failure is difficult to determine because, without technical data on the building itself, it is impossible to understand whether the error lies in the idea itself or in its execution. There are different data regarding the end of the unfortunate designer’s stay in Russia: according to some, he was deported abroad in 1814, according to others, he fled on his own. A. Rodnykh describes in detail the history of this entertaining, adventurous, sometimes full of drama enterprise. Considering that the facts and information from the history of Russian aeronautics presented in the book are little known, this work definitely deserves attention.
We have already said that many things that are for modern man something ordinary, at one time they made a serious revolution in the history of mankind, forcing it to take a huge step towards progress. The work of the English researcher and publicist Frederick Morel Holmes (Holmes) “Great Men and Their Great Works” is a kind of generalization, an artistic and historical study of the most famous inventions and technical achievements of mankind of the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Great people and their great works: stories about the buildings of famous engineers / F. M. Holms; lane from English M. A. Zhebeleva. - 2nd ed. - St. Petersburg: Publishing house O. N. Popova: Typo-lithography by I. Usmanov, 1903. - VIII, 272 p. : ill. (30G G63 488195-RF)
The book tells about such inventions as the steam locomotive and the steamship, whose appearance changed the world economy beyond recognition; a lighthouse that can withstand waves and send signals to ships around the clock; artificial canals that often run above sea level; a lathe, with the invention of which it became possible to produce parts with precisely specified dimensions.
This is how the author of the book describes the construction of Marc Brunel’s tunnel under the Thames: “If at that time you had been on the Rothergate Shoal near the Thames, you would have been very surprised to see that instead of digging a well, they began to erect a tower there... The masons began laying a round tower with walls 3 feet thick and 42 feet high... The soil was dug out and lifted up by a machine... And as the hole got deeper, this pipe of masonry sank into it... 65 feet high. Little by little, it all sank into the ground.”
And when building a bridge across the Menai Strait, new ideas were needed, since the width from one bank to the other is more than 335 meters. The bridge had to be strong enough to carry heavy trains at high speed and high enough above the water so as not to interfere with shipping. The task was very difficult, but the famous engineer Robert Stephenson, the son of George Stephenson, the inventor of the steam locomotive, which was already discussed above, took on its implementation. How exactly, using what technologies, was the first tubular bridge “Britannia” built, and why was the construction of a tower necessary when digging a tunnel? Who is Marc Isambard Brunel? The author of the book gives answers to all these questions.
F. M. Holmes introduces readers to realistic images of great inventors, the difficult fate of them and their creations, many of which still serve humanity. It helps to see the surrounding reality through the prism of objects and technical means used in everyday life, revealing the secret of their birth. A special advantage of the book is a special section devoted to the history of technical innovations in our country.
This concludes our excursion into the history of scientific and technical inventions of mankind on the pages of publications of the 19th and early 20th centuries. We hope that our virtual exhibition will arouse interest among all lovers of popular science literature.
Pythagoras (c. 580-500 BC)
Every schoolchild knows: “In right triangle square of the hypotenuse equal to the sum squares of legs." But few people know that Pythagoras was also a philosopher, religious thinker and political figure; it was he who introduced the term “philosophy” into our language, which means “philosophy.” He founded a school whose students were called Pythagoreans, and he was the first to use the word “cosmos.”
Democritus (460-c. 370 BC)
Democritus, as well as other philosophers Ancient world, I have always been interested in the question of what is the fundamental principle of the Universe. Some sages believed that it was water, others – fire, others – air, and still others – everything combined. Democritus was not convinced by their arguments. Reflecting on the fundamental principle of the world, he came to the conclusion that it was the smallest indivisible particles, which he called atoms. There are a great many of them. The whole world consists of them. They connect and separate. He made this discovery through logical reasoning. And more than two thousand years later, scientists of our time, using physical instruments, proved that he was right.
Euclid (c. 365-300 BC)
Plato's student Euclid wrote the treatise "Elements" in 13 books. In them, the scientist outlined the foundations of geometry, which means in Greek “the science of measuring the Earth,” which for many centuries was called Euclidean geometry. The ancient Greek king Ptolemy I Soter, who ruled in Egyptian Alexandria, demanded that Euclid, who explained the laws of geometry to him, do this shorter and faster. He replied: “Oh, great king, in geometry there are no royal roads...”
Archimedes (287-212 BC)
Archimedes remained in history as one of the most famous Greek mechanics, inventors and mathematicians, who amazed his contemporaries with his amazing machines. Watching the work of the builders who used thick sticks to move stone blocks, Archimedes realized that the longer the lever, the greater the force of its influence. He told the Syracusan king Hieron: “Give me a fulcrum, and I will move the Earth.” Hieron didn't believe it. And then Archimedes, with the help of a complex system of mechanisms, with the effort of one hand, pulled the ship ashore, which was usually pulled out of the water by hundreds of people.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The great Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci proved himself to be a universal creator. He was a sculptor, architect, inventor. A brilliant master, he made a huge contribution to art, culture and science. In Italy they called him a sorcerer, a wizard, a man who can do anything. Infinitely talented, he created various mechanisms, designed unprecedented aircrafts like a modern helicopter, he came up with a tank.
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)
Nicolaus Copernicus became famous in the scientific world for his astronomical discoveries. His heliocentric system replaced the previous, Greek, geocentric one. He is the first to scientifically prove that the Sun does not revolve around the Earth, but vice versa. The Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. Nicolaus Copernicus was a versatile scientist. Widely educated, he treated people, was knowledgeable in economics, and made various instruments and machines himself. Nicolaus Copernicus wrote in Latin and German throughout his life. Not a single document written by him in Polish has been found.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
The young Florentine Galileo Galilei, who studied at the University of Pisa, attracted the attention of professors not only with clever reasoning, but also with original inventions. But the gifted student was expelled from the 3rd year because his father did not have money for his studies. But Galileo was lucky - the young man found a patron, the rich Marquis Guidobaldo del Moite, who was fond of science. He supported 22-year-old Galileo. Thanks to the Marquis, the world received a man who showed his genius in mathematics, physics, and astronomy. Even during his lifetime, Galileo was compared to Archimedes. He was the first to declare that the Universe is infinite.
René Descartes (1596-1650)
Like many great thinkers of antiquity, Descartes was universal. He laid the foundations of analytical geometry, created many algebraic notations, discovered the law of conservation of motion, and explained the root causes of the motion of celestial bodies. Descartes studied at the best French Jesuit college in La Flèche. And there in early XVII centuries, strict orders reigned. The disciples got up early and ran to prayer. Only one, the best pupil was allowed to stay in bed due to poor health - this was Rene Descartes. So he developed the habit of reasoning and finding solutions to mathematical problems. Later, according to legend, it was in these morning hours that he had a thought that spread throughout the world: “I think, therefore I exist.”
Isaac Newton (1643-1727)
Isaac Newton - a brilliant English scientist, experimenter, researcher, also a mathematician, astronomer, inventor, made a lot of discoveries that determined the physical picture of the world around him. According to legend, Isaac Newton discovered the law of universal gravitation in his garden. He watched a falling apple and realized that the Earth attracts all objects to itself, and the heavier the object, the more strongly it is attracted to the Earth. Reflecting on this, he deduced the law of universal gravitation: All bodies attract each other with a force proportional to both masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
James Watt (1736-1819)
James Watt is considered one of the creators technical revolution, which transformed the world. They tried to tame the energy of steam back in ancient times. The Greek scientist Heroes, who lived in Alexandria in the 1st century, built the first steam turbine, which rotated by burning wood in a heater. In Russia in the 18th century, mechanic Ivan Polzunov also tried to tame the energy of steam, but his machine was not widely used. And only the English, or rather the Scottish self-taught mechanic James Watt, was able to construct such a machine, which was used first in mines, then in factories, and then on locomotives and ships.
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794)
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was a multi-talented man who was successful in financial transactions, but was especially interested in chemistry. He made many discoveries, became the founder of modern chemistry, and would have accomplished a lot if not for the radicalism of the Great French Revolution. In his youth, Antoine Lavoisier participated in a competition at the Academy of Sciences for the best method of street lighting. To increase the sensitivity of his eyes, he upholstered his room with black material. Antoine described the acquired new perception of light in the work that he submitted to the Academy, and received for it gold medal. For scientific research in the field of mineralogy, at the age of 25 he was elected a member of the Academy.
Justus Liebig (1803-1873)
Justus Liebig is credited with creating food concentrates. He developed a technology for the production of meat extract, which today is called a “broth cube”. The German Chemical Society erected a monument to him in Munich. Outstanding German Professor organic chemistry Justus Liebig spent his entire life researching methods of plant nutrition and solving issues of rational use of fertilizers. He did a lot to increase agricultural productivity. Russia, for the assistance it provided in the rise of agriculture, awarded the scientist two Orders of St. Anne, England made him an honorary citizen, and in Germany he received the title of baron.
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
Louis Pasteur is a rare example of a scientist who had neither medical nor chemical education. He made his way into science on his own, without any protégés, based on personal interest. But scientists showed interest in him, noticing considerable abilities in the young man. And Louis Pasteur became an outstanding French microbiologist and chemist, a member of the French Academy, and created the pasteurization process. An institute was created especially for him in Paris, which was later named after him. A Russian microbiologist, laureate, worked at this institute for 18 years Nobel Prize in the field of physiology and medicine Ilya Mechnikov.
Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833-1896)
Alfred Bernhard Nobel, a Swedish chemical engineer, invented dynamite, who patented it in 1867 and proposed it for use in tunneling. This invention made Nobel famous throughout the world and brought him enormous income. The word dynamite in Greek means "strength". This explosive, which consists of nitroglycerin, potassium or sodium nitrate and wood flour, depending on the volume, can destroy a car, a house, or destroy a rock. In 1895, Nobel made a will, according to which most of his capital was allocated to prizes for outstanding achievements in chemistry, physics, medicine, literature and peace.
Robert Heinrich Hermann Koch (1843-1910)
Close communication with nature determined his future choice of profession - Robert Koch became a microbiologist. And it started in childhood. Robert Koch's maternal grandfather was a great lover of nature, often taking his beloved 7-year-old grandson with him into the forest, telling him about the life of trees and herbs, and talking about the benefits and harms of insects. Microbiologist Koch fought against the most terrible diseases of mankind - anthrax, cholera and tuberculosis. And he came out victorious. For his achievements in the fight against tuberculosis, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1905.
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845-1923)
In 1895, a German scientific journal published a photograph of the hand of Wilhelm Roentgen’s wife, taken using X-rays (x-rays, later called X-rays after their discoverer), which aroused great interest in scientific world. Before Roentgen, no physicist had done anything like this. This photograph indicated that penetration into the depths of the human body had taken place without physically opening it. It was a breakthrough in medicine, in the recognition of diseases. For the discovery of these rays, William Roentgen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
During his life, Edison improved the telegraph, telephone, created a microphone, invented the phonograph and, most importantly, illuminated America with his incandescent light bulb, and behind it the whole world. There has never been a more inventive man in American history than Thomas Edison. In total, he is the author of over 1,000 patented inventions in the United States and about 3,000 in other countries. But before achieving such an outstanding result, he, according to his own frank statements, made many tens of thousands of unsuccessful experiments and experiments.
Marie Skłodowska Curie (1867-1934)
Marie Skłodowska Curie graduated from the Sorbonne, the largest educational institution France, and became the first female teacher in its history. Together with her husband Pierre Curie, she first discovered radium, a decay product of uranium-238, and then polonium. The study and use of the radioactive properties of radium played a huge role in the study of the structure of the atomic nucleus and the phenomenon of radioactivity. Among world-class scientists, Maria Sklodowska-Curie occupies a special place; she twice won the Nobel Prize: in 1903 in physics, in 1911 in chemistry. Such an outstanding result is a rare occurrence even among men.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein is one of the founders of theoretical physics, Nobel Prize laureate, and public figure. But he made a strange impression on his contemporaries: he dressed casually, loved sweaters, did not comb his hair, could stick his tongue out at a photographer, and generally did God knows what. But behind this frivolous appearance hid a paradoxical scientist - a thinker, the author of over 600 works on various topics. His theory of relativity revolutionized science. It turned out that the world not so simple. Space-time is curved, and as a result, gravity and the passage of time change, and the sun's rays deviate from the straight direction.
Alexander Fleming (1881-1955)
Alexander Fleming, a native of Scotland, an English bacteriologist, spent his whole life searching for medications that could help a person cope with infectious diseases. He was able to discover a substance in penicillium mold that kills bacteria. And the first antibiotic appeared - penicillin, which revolutionized medicine. Fleming was the first to discover that human mucous membranes contain a special liquid that not only prevents the penetration of microbes, but also kills them. He isolated this substance and called it lysozyme.
Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967)
Robert Oppenheimer, an American physicist and creator of the atomic bomb, was very worried when he learned about the terrible casualties and destruction caused by the American atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. He was a conscientious person and subsequently called on scientists all over the world not to create weapons of enormous destructive power. He entered the history of science as the “father of the atomic bomb” and as the discoverer of black holes in the Universe.
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Which allows people to learn more about the fundamental laws of planet Earth. Every day people do not notice how they enjoy the benefits that have become possible thanks to the work of numerous scientists. If it were not for their dedicated work, a person would not be able to fly on an airplane, cross oceans on huge liners, or even simply turn on an electric kettle. All these dedicated researchers made the world the way modern people see it.
Galileo's discoveries
The physicist Galileo is one of the most famous. He is a physicist, astronomer, mathematician and mechanic. It was he who first invented the telescope. With the help of this apparatus, unprecedented for that time, it was possible to observe distant celestial bodies. Galileo Galilei is the founder of the experimental direction in physical science. The first discoveries that Galileo made with a telescope were published in his work “The Starry Messenger”. This book was truly a sensational success. Since Galileo's ideas largely contradicted the Bible, he was persecuted by the Inquisition for a long time.
Biography and discoveries of Newton
A great scientist who made discoveries in many fields is also Isaac Newton. The most famous of his discoveries is In addition, the physicist explained many natural phenomena on the basis of mechanics, and also described the features of the movement of planets around the Sun, Moon and Earth. Newton was born on January 4, 1643 in the English town of Woolsthorpe.
After graduating from school, he entered college at Cambridge University. The physicists who taught at the college had a great influence on Newton. Inspired by the example of his teachers, Newton made several of his first discoveries. They mainly concerned the field of mathematics. Next, Newton begins to conduct experiments on the decomposition of light. In 1668 he received his master's degree. In 1687, Newton's first serious scientific work, Principia, was published. In 1705, the scientist was awarded the title of knight, and the English government of that era personally thanked Newton for his research.
Female physicist: Marie Curie-Skłodowska
Physicists around the world still use the achievements of Marie Curie-Sklodowska in their work. She is the only female physicist to have been nominated for the Nobel Prize twice. Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw. As a child, a tragedy happened in the girl’s family - her mother and one of her sisters died. While studying at school, Marie Curie was distinguished by her diligence and interest in science.
In 1890, she moved to her older sister in Paris, where she entered the Sorbonne. It was then that she met her future husband, Pierre Curie. As a result of many years of scientific research, the couple discovered two new radioactive elements - radium and polonium. Shortly before the start of the war, it was opened in France where Marie Curie served as director. In 1920, she published a book entitled Radiology and War, which summarized her scientific experiences.
Albert Einstein: one of the greatest minds on the planet
Physicists all over the planet know the name of Albert Einstein. He is the author of the theory of relativity. Modern physics relies heavily on Einstein's views, despite the fact that not all modern scientists agree with his discoveries. Einstein was a Nobel Prize winner. During his life, he wrote about 300 scientific works relating to physics, as well as 150 works on the history and philosophy of science. Until the age of 12, Einstein was a very religious child, as he received his education in a Catholic school. After little Albert read several scientific books, he came to the conclusion that not all statements in the Bible can be true.
Many people believe that Einstein was a genius since childhood. This is far from true. As a schoolboy, Einstein was considered a very weak student. Although even then he was interested in mathematics, physics, as well as the philosophical works of Kant. In 1896, Einstein entered the Faculty of Education in Zurich, where he also met his future wife, Mileva Maric. In 1905, Einstein published some articles, which, however, were criticized by some physicists. In 1933, Einstein moved to the USA permanently.
Other researchers
But there are other famous names of physicists who have made no less significant discoveries in their field. These are V. K. Roentgen, and S. Hawking, N. Tesla, L. L. Landau, N. Bohr, M. Planck, E. Fermi, M. Faraday, A. A. Becquerel and many others. Their contribution to physical science is no less important.
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