Russian Pioneers Who Changed the World

Russian inventors and scientists who were the first in the world to give mankind significant inventions and discoveries (in the field of science and technology – over the past 300 years). These achievements have largely shaped the face of modern civilization.

1717 – the first full-fledged turning and screw-cutting machine:

In 1717, the Russian scientist and mechanic Andrey Nartov was the first in the world to invent a turning and screw-cutting machine with a mechanized support and a set of interchangeable gears. Previously, the turner had to manually press the cutter against the workpiece, so the quality of the work depended on the skill and strength of the worker. Andrey Nartov fixed the cutter in a special holder (support) which moved along a given trajectory using a screw transmission. And the interchangeable gears made it possible to cut threads of different pitch.

1741 – theory of the structure of matter:

In 1741, the Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov was the first in the world to lay the foundations of a wholistic theory of the structure of matter (corpuscular kinetic theory). The ideas of Mikhail Lomonosov became the theoretical basis of atomic and molecular theory.

1745 – the first artillery optical sight:

In 1745, the Russian scientist and mechanic Andrey Nartov was the first in the world to invent an artillery optical sight.

1748 – the universal law of conservation of matter:

In 1748, the Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov was the first in the world to formulate a "universal natural law" for the conservation of matter and motion.

1751 – the first mechanical prototype of the car:

In 1751, Leonty Shamshurenkov, a serf of Nizhny Novgorod Province, informed the Nizhny Novgorod Provincial Chancellery of his idea to create a self-propelled cab. Soon the work was completed and the finished four-wheeled carriage was presented in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November 1, 1752. The carriage moved without a horse: due to the muscular strength of two people who, standing behind the passenger compartment, turned special works that set the wheels in motion through a gear system. There is information that the carriage could reach speeds of up to 15 km/h. In addition, Leonty Shamshurenkov was the first in the world to develop a verstometer, a car meter that measured the distance traveled (the prototype of the modern speedometer).

1752 – the first device for studying the viscosity of a liquid:

In 1752, the Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov was the first in the world to develop a device for studying the viscosity of a liquid.

1752 – the first device for determining the hardness of samples:

Around 1752, the Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov was the first in the world to develop a device for determining the hardness of samples.

1754 – the first prototype of heavier-than-air aircraft:

In 1754, the Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov created and documented the world's first practical development of a heavier-than-air aircraft: he built a model that worked on the principle of a helicopter with coaxial propellers. In fact, it was the prototype of a helicopter.

1756 – the first prototype of a night vision device:

In 1756, the Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov was the first in the world to develop and present a night vision tube which became the forerunner of night vision devices.

1763 – the first two-cylinder steam engine:

In 1763, the Russian mechanic Ivan Polzunov was the first in the world to design a two-cylinder steam-atmospheric engine which was built in 1764 in Barnaul, Russia. Thanks to the two cylinders, the engine could operate continuously: while one cylinder was running, the other was preparing for it.

1791 – the first complex mechanical prototype of a car:

In 1791, the Russian designer and inventor Ivan Kulibin was the first in the world to create a complex mechanical prototype of a car and ride it through the streets of St. Petersburg, Russia. His three-wheeled vehicle could reach speeds of up to 15 km/h and contained almost all the main components of the cars of the future, first introduced by Ivan Kulibin: a flywheel, gearbox, rolling bearings, steering wheel, and a braking system. Ivan Kulibin's self-propelled carriage was driven by the force of a man who alternately pressed the pedals (shoes) while standing on the car back.

1802 – the first prototype of an electric light bulb:

In 1802, in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Russian physicist Vasily Petrov for the first time in the world passed an electric current through two rods of charcoal. An arc of flame spread between them and revealed previously unknown properties of electricity: the ability to give people bright light and heat.

1837 – the first chain tracked propulsion:

In 1837, Dmitry Zagryazhsky, a staff captain of the Russian army, was the first in the world to create and patent a tracked propulsion device on a continuous metal chain. It was a prototype of the belt tracks of modern tractors.

1854 – the first stereo camera:

In 1854, the Russian engineer and inventor Ivan Alexandrovsky was the first in the world to invent a stereo camera. The device allowed one to take two pictures at the same time with a slight offset which resulted in a stereo pair that could then be used to create a volume effect.

1859 – the first atlas of topographic anatomy:

In 1859, the Russian surgeon Nikolay Pirogov was the first in the world to compile the atlas "Topographic Anatomy". The atlas provided surgeons with a visual representation of how the body works and helped them plan operations, which greatly reduced the risk of injury.

1860 – the first walking machine:

In 1860, the Russian mathematician and mechanic Pafnuty Chebyshev was the first in the world to calculate and develop a design for rectilinear walking / moving mechanisms of wheelless pairs based on the step principle. The device was called a "walking machine". The idea and mathematical approach of Pafnuty Chebyshev became fundamental for robotics and mechatronics in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Today, similar principles are used in walking robots, exoskeletons, and specialized off-road vehicles.

1861 – theory of the structure of organic compounds:

In 1861, the Russian chemist Alexander Butlerov was the first in the world to formulate the basic principles of the theory of the structure of organic compounds. The theory of Alexander Butlerov became the foundation for the development of organic chemistry, making it possible to systematize knowledge about organic substances and predict new compounds.

1863 – the first fundamental work on reflexes of the brain:

In 1863, the Russian physiologist Ivan Sechenov published his work "Reflexes of the Brain" in which he was the first in the world to express the idea of self-regulation, further developed by cybernetics. Ivan Sechenov discovered the phenomenon of central inhibition and the center of inhibition in the brain, called the "Sechenov center".

1865 – discovery of the phenomenon of intracellular digestion:

In 1865, the Russian physiologist Ilya Mechnikov was the first in the world to describe the phenomenon of intracellular digestion. When studying flatworms, he discovered that digestion can occur not only in the intestinal cavity, but also inside individual cells. This discovery was an important contribution to evolutionary embryology.

1868 – the first combine harvester:

In 1868, the Russian agronomist and inventor Andrey Vlasenko was the first in the world to invent a grain harvesting machine – a sort of combine harvester which he named the "reaper-thresher".

1869 – discovery of the periodic law of chemical elements:

In 1869, the Russian chemist Dmitry Mendeleev discovered the periodic law of chemical elements, one of the fundamental laws of the universe, integral to all natural science. Dmitry Mendeleev's periodic law became the basis of chemistry and gave a powerful impetus to the development of physics, including atomic physics and quantum mechanics.

1874 – the first incandescent lamp:

In the early 1870s, the Russian electrical engineer Alexander Lodygin was the first in the world to invent a practically applicable incandescent lamp, which he patented in 1874.

1876 – the first arc lamp:

In the mid-1870s, the Russian engineer Pavel Yablochkov was the first in the world to invent an arc lamp without an interelectrode distance regulator, or the "Yablochkov candle," which he patented on March 23, 1876. The Yablochkov candle became a practical solution for mass electric lighting: it was used on the streets of Paris, London and other cities.

1878 – the first electric device for recording sound:

In 1878, the Russian physicist and inventor Nikolay Pilchikov was the first in the world to invent an electric phonograph, a device for recording sound.

1878 – the first short-focus lens:

In 1878, the Russian photographer Ivan Boldyrev was the first in the world to invent the short-focus lens. Such a lens allowed not only to correctly display a linear perspective, but also to transmit an aerial one, which was important for artistic or documentary photography. Thanks to the short focal length, it became possible to shoot large groups of people in the interior without distorting the proportions.

1879 – the first belt crawler propulsion:

In 1879, the Russian inventor Fyodor Blinov was the first in the world to invent a belt-type crawler propulsion system and received a patent for it. The invention opened a wide road to the tracked transport of our planet.

1879 – the first gasoline engine:

In 1879, the Russian inventor and designer of Serbian origin Ogneslav Kostovich was the first in the world to develop an internal combustion engine powered by liquid light fuel, namely gasoline. By 1883, the engine had been built.

1880 – the first electric tram:

In 1880, the Russian artillery engineer Fyodor Pirotsky was the first in the world to demonstrate an operating electric railway car. Pirotsky's carriage was moving at a speed of about 12 km/h, which was almost 2 times faster than a regular horse-drawn carriage.

1881 – the first scheme of a rocket aircraft:

In 1881, the Russian inventor Nikolai Kibalchich was the first in the world to develop a scheme for a rocket aircraft.

1881 – the first patent for a heavier-than-air aircraft:

On November 15, 1881, the Russian inventor Alexander Mozhaysky was the first in the world to receive a patent for an "aeronautical projectile", which he built in 1882-1883. It was a full-size heavier-than-air manned aircraft with an engine. Mozhaysky's airplane had all the key elements of a modern plane: a fixed wing, fuselage, tail, landing gear, and a propulsion unit (2 steam engines).

1881 – the first electric welding:

In 1881, the Russian engineer and inventor Nikolay Benardos was the first in the world to develop a method for electric arc welding of metals and applied it in 1882. The development of Nikolay Benardos became the foundation for the modern welding technology.

1882 – the discovery of phagocytosis:

In 1882, the Russian physiologist Ilya Mechnikov discovered phagocytosis, a process in which special cells (phagocytes) capture and digest foreign particles, thus protecting the body. The discovery made it possible to better understand the mechanisms of infections and develop more accurate treatment methods, led to the development of vaccination and the diagnosis of innate immunity, and later opened up new directions (for example, in oncoimmunology), gave a greater understanding of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and increased the effectiveness of immunomodulatory therapy. In 1908, Ilya Mechnikov received the Nobel Prize for the development of the phagocytic theory of immunity.

1882 – the first elastic photographic film:

In 1882, the Russian photographer and inventor Ivan Boldyrev was the first in the world to invent an elastic resin-like photographic film, which was designed to replace fragile glass photographic plates used by photographers around the world at that time.

1882 – the first instant photo shutter:

In 1882, the Russian photographer and designer Sigismund Yurkovsky was the first in the world to invent an instant photographic shutter. In 1883, Sigismund Yurkovsky invented a curtain-slit shutter, which became the prototype of modern camera shutters.

 

 

CONTINUED – PART 2

 

 

See also:

The True World Map

Goodness in the Legislation of Our Planet

The Foundation of Saratov