Tell us what you think. Did your contribution arise out of your own initiative, e.g. by voting in the European elections or perhaps by taking part in a cross-cultural project? Or did you represent your country abroad in such a way that others had to reconsider their prejudices? Or perhaps you know of someone who deserves to be praised?
Claudia:
My female roommate didn't know Stefan Raab yet, I send her the report about the „Autoball (car ball) championship“ and she was really enthused. The comments of Anna are very recommendable, because they explain many things additionally. Mostly you don't have this background information, if you want to become acquainted with other countries. You will neither find it in Wikipedia nor somewhere else online. Fantastic!
Maria:
That is lovely to read, who established European values, culture and science. However, we not only get the general information, but also a personal insider background and additional links, which are mostly very exciting. I would never got it and so I always can learn something new. That is really great!
Ina:
Anna and her team are more than fantastic, interesting personalities. That are those who we need, who reach out and invite other cultures and mentalities to dialogs. Because of the entire idea of the page, it is never boring to follow the comments. I have only less time during the week to follow the discussions. But I am always looking forward to the weekend, when I discover a new European.
Helfer der Menschheit / Pomocnicy ludzkosci / Helper to the mankind #25 Europejczyk tygodnia :: Europäer der Woche :: European of the Week :: Demokrit / Demokryt / Demokritos, Democritus
Democritus vs. prime elements and good luck
He was a Greek philosopher, student of Leukipp and he belongs to the pre-Socratic philosophers, and is classified as the last great natural science philosopher. His skills reach about the entire extent of the former knowledge how the achieved register of his numerous writings are showing. He even was aware about the art of war, so that of all following philosophers only Aristotle seems to better him. But there are only fragments of the writings preserved.
Like his teacher Leukipp, Democritus postulated that the entire nature is put together by smallest, prime elements, so called atoms. Democritus' central statement is: „A thing has only seemingly a colour, only seemingly it is sweet or acerb; in truth there are only atoms in an empty room.“
In his opinion, also sensory perception and the existence of souls are ascribable to atomic principles, because the soul consists of soul's atoms. Is a man dying this soul's atoms are spreading and could connect with a new soul, which is born right now. All, that moves in the universe, bases on accident and exigency. This doctrine is a consistent and atomic materialism.
His coevals called him the „laughting“ philosopher. The reason therefor maybe not only is that his abderistic fellow citizens, the fools of the Greek antiquity, gave him enough stuff for sarcasm. More important is, that he wasn't disturbed by affects like fear or hope. This view of the life he called euthymia and signified this as the greatest property. (Euthymia is a word used in medicine for indicating a normal non-depressed, reasonably positive mood.)
Helfer der Menschheit / Pomocnicy ludzkosci / Helper to the mankind
#26 Europejczyk tygodnia :: Europäer der Woche :: European of the Week :: Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein :: Imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited.
Albert Einstein is the epitome of the scientist and genius. His contributions changed the physical world view decisively; in the year 1999, 100 leading physicians elected him for the greatest physician of all time. During is life he had overlapping citizenship in the following countries: Germany (1879 – 1896 and 1914 – 1933), Switzerland ( 1901 – 55), Austria (1911-12), USA (1940 – 1955).
Einstein's main work is the theory of relativity, which revolutionized the understanding of space and time. Furthermore he made a definite contribution to the quantum physics and to the explication of photoelectric effect.
During the years of his rising fame Einstein travelled to nearly all capitals in the world for dissertations. Many people came to his dissertation in Prague and there was a curious atmosphere: “... The audience was to excited to even exert themselves for following the sense of the dissertation. They would not understand, but attend an exciting event.” This impression was intensified by Einstein, who was coming from Prague and spoke in Vienna in front of 3,000 people: “...The only thing that matters to the people was to be in the immediate nearness of a wonder.”
Einstein's family was only Jewish by name. However, a secretary of the Berlin Academy charged Einstein in a letter “to participated in the outrage in France and America” against the former German Nazi-government. In the plenary meeting of the 30th of March 1933, the Academy announced the resign of Einstein from the institution. They did not bemoan to loose with Einstein a scientist. The government put a prize of 50,000 reichsmark on his head and confiscated his property. Because of Hitler's coming into power in Arkadiusz R.uary 1933 Einstein never returns to Germany and broke off all contacts to his country of origin.
Einstein's role at the nuclear conflict is argumentatively. Einstein was firmly assured that Germany tried to build an atomic bomb in 1939. However, he was absolutely uninvolved into the works against the building of the nuclear bomb by Germany, but after the war he got involved with the international arms control. He used his extraordinary publicity outside the natural scientific world for his contribution within international understanding and peace.
Einstein managed that scientists argue about the accuracy of his theories many years after his death. He managed to affect minds, that actually grew up in a complete different time. His theories are worthwhile to think about.
Helfer der Menschheit / Pomocnicy ludzkosci / Helper to the mankind #27 Europejczyk tygodnia :: Europäer der Woche :: European of the Week :: Louis Braille
Louis Braille:: new possibilities to see
He is the inventor of a system named after him and called shortly Braille. It is used by blind and visually impaired people for reading and writing. Braille is read by passing the fingers over characters made up of an arrangement of embossed points. It has been adapted to almost every known language.
In the age of 4, little Braille poked himself accidentally and the already infected eye infected another eye. It caused a total damage and Braille couldn’t see anymore. The boy didn’t want to give up and wanted to learn literature not only by hearing others reading it to him. he thought about a solution, a kind of system for blind and visually impaired people. He experimented and in the age of 11, he learnt a system used in army for night watches (where you didn’t need to have any light to use it). A French soldier, Charles Barbier, thought Braille a complicated system of points and syllables. Braille made the system easier and in the age of 16, he presented his system for blinds. It was in 1825.
Although the characters were easy to learn, it took a long time until his system was established. Louis Braille wrote to the French Ministry of Internal Affairs and he got a facile answer: „This work seems to be great, and Mister Braille deserves to be encouraged.“ However, there was no official recognition from the ministry and indeed, Braille got more needles problems with his school. Some scholars practiced the system furthermore.
At first in 1850, system of Braille was announced as official in French schools. In Germany, the official development started in 1879. The international break-out of Braille’s invention followed after Braille‘s death caused by tuberculosis in 1852 in Paris. 100 years after his death, Braille was exhumed and graved in the Panthéon in Paris. Just his hands stayed in the first place of his last rest.
In 1828, Louis Braille found a system based on 6 points for description of music. Its success followed quickly and it made possible to all blind people to compose and read music. Louis Braille made it possible that blind people can be active in a music industry.
Helfer der Menschheit / Pomocnicy ludzkosci / Helper to the mankind #28 Europejczyk tygodnia :: Europäer der Woche :: European of the Week :: Gerolamo Cardano
Hieronymus Cardanus vs. Cardan shaft
He had a very changeful life with phases of poverty and wealth. Cardano is known as one of the last greatest universal scholar of the renaissance, who was very well known internationally already in times he was living. Just very prominent artists and literates were as popular as Cardano.
The variety of scientific areas is incredible and includes course of lectures and works about medicine, mathematics, philosophy, comparative theology, physics, technics,chemistry, pharmacy, psychology, interpreting of dreams, astronomy, astrology, architecture and history. Within these all areas, it is impressive how many papers Cardano wrote. One of the biggest achievements of Cardano is the integration of Humanisms of the Renaissance and new directions of science from the 16th century with the emphasis put on natural science.
Thank to Johannes Petreius, a publisher from Nuremberg, who published works of Cardano and distributed them partially in France and Switzerland in 1539, Cardano became international fame. Then, he got some offers from the Pope Paul III. In 1546, king Christian III from Denmark in 1547 and the Scottish archbishop John Hamilton (St. Andrews) for very good job as personal doctor. Cardano refused, but he travelled a lot in England, Netherlands, Germany.
In 1570, he was arrested through Inquisition and got his freedom back after 3 moths. The real cause was never confirmed, but in accordance with gossip, it was about the horoscope for Jesus based on comments of Ptomaines. It caused an insult of magic and could has been caused by human envy. He got the advice to leave his professorship in Bolonga, to stop publishing and to move to Rome. At the same time, Cardano became a member of Roman Doctor College-
Cardano described as the first person already known gimbal. Later, he developed drive shaft, driving shaft, propeller shaft, or simply called Cardan shaft, because he designed a carriage for the emperor Karl V. in 1548. he was the first one who differentiated between electricity and magnetism, in 1551. another discovery of him was Cardan grid and Cardan circle was used in the printing-press in 19th century.
Helfer der Menschheit / Pomocnicy ludzkosci / Helper to the mankind #29 Europejczyk tygodnia :: Europäer der Woche :: European of the Week :: Clément Ader
Clément Ader vs. Wright brothers and history of aviation
He was an early enthusiast of aviation who constructed a balloon at his own expense during the Franco-German War of 1870-71. In 1876 he quit his job in the Administration of Bridges and Highways to make more money to support his hobby. His early inventions in electrical-communications included a microphone and a public-address device.
He then focused on the problem of heavier-than-air flying machines and in 1890 built a steam-powered, bat-winged monoplane, which he named the Eole. On October 9 he flew it a distance of 50 m (160 feet) on a friend's estate near Paris. The steam engine was unsuitable for sustained and controlled flight, which required the gasoline engine; nevertheless, Ader's short hop was the first demonstration that a manned heavier-than-air machine could take off from level ground under its own power.
Between 1894 and 1897 Clément Ader built a larger but still 'batlike' twin screw machine which he named the Avion (Ed.)
Worth to visit:
:: Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego, Kraków :: Polish Aviation Museum Cracow (PL, ENG)
:: Royal Air Force Museum, UK
Helfer der Menschheit / Pomocnicy ludzkosci / Helper to the mankind #30 Europejczyk tygodnia :: Europäer der Woche :: European of the Week :: Ignacy Łukasiewicz
Ignacy Łukasiewicz vs. petroleum industry
He was the petroleum industry pioneer, who in 1856 built the first oil refinery in the world. He was not only inventor and businessman. He was also great patriot and social worker.
“This liquid is the future wealth of the country, it's the wellbeing and prosperity of its inhabitants, it's a new source of income for the poor, and a new branch of industry which shall bear plentiful fruit.” - 1854
The first kerosene lamp was described by al-Razi (Rhazes) in 9th century Baghdad . Kerosene lamp (paraffin lamp) in modern version was invented just about 150 years ago by Ignacy Łukasiewicz.
In 1853 he made first modern kerosene lamp to illuminate emergency surgical operation in local hospital. This date is considered as starting point of a modern industry. Łukasiewicz not only invented lamp but also built first modern street lamp in Europe, constructed first oil well in Poland and, what is most important, he and Jan Zeh together distilled clear kerosene from oil seep (as the first in the world).
Łukasiewicz was born near Mielec, and this town was then in the Austrian empire after the partition of Poland. His father was veteran of Kosciuszko Uprising. Łukasiewicz was involved in various political organizations supporting the idea of restoration of Polish sovereignty. He was arrested because of that, but released from the prison due to lack of evidence.
Łukasiewicz became a wealthy man and one of the most prominent philanthropists in Galicia. Because of his support for the economical development of the region, a popular saying was coined attributing all paved roads to his guldens. He built hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and supported the January Uprising and financed help for the Polish refugees.
Worth to visit:
:: Szlak Naftowy na Wrota Podkarpackie
:: Modell im Stadtmuseum Ingolstadt
:: Petroleum Industry @ Economy Watch
Helfer der Menschheit / Pomocnicy ludzkosci / Helper to the mankind #31 Europejczyk tygodnia :: Europäer der Woche :: European of the Week :: Vitus Bering
Vitus Bering vs. Northern Exposure
He was a Danish navigator, a captain-commander known among the Russian sailors as Ivan Ivanovich. He is noted for being the first European to discover Alaska and its Aleutian Islands. The Bering Strait, the Bering Sea, Bering Island, Bering Glacier and the Bering Land Bridge bear the explorer's name.
In the service of the Russian Navy, he served in the Baltic Fleet during Russia's war with Sweden (The Great Nordic War) and in the Russian-Turkish War. In January 1725 Peter I of Russia (Czar Peter I, Peter the Great) asked Bering to command the first Kamchatka expedition. At that time, it was unknown whether Asia and North America were connected or whether they were separate land masses. In 1741 he led an expedition towards America
It took long before the value of his work was recognized. In contribution to his work, some geographic regions were named after him, f.e.:
Die Beringstraße / Bering Strait /Бе́рингов проли́в/Beringow proliw / Cieśnina Beringa
Das Beringmeer (= Beringsee) / Bering Sea / Берингово море /Morze Beringa
Probably he was one of the first Europeans, who saw penguins.
Worth to visit:
:: Entdecker auf National Geographic (DE)
:: beringisland.ru (RU)
:: ocean.nationalgeographic.com :: photo (ENG)
Helfer der Menschheit / Pomocnicy ludzkosci / Helper to the mankind #33 Europejczyk tygodnia :: Europäer der Woche :: European of the Week :: Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (Wilhelm Max Wundt)
Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (Wilhelm Max Wundt) vs. psychology
He was Philosopher (mostly Logic and theory of cognition) and Psychology. Wundt is seen as a founder of Psychology as independent science and as co-founder of the so called Völkerpsychologie (psychology of nations). The definition “Psychology” comes from the Ancient Greek (ψῦχή psyche „breathe“, „soul“, „mind“ and λόγος logos „science“
For philosophers, Wundt is worth studying for two reasons. First, the arguments he made more than a century ago for the legitimacy of a non-reductionist account of consciousness offer both challenges and resources to contemporary psychology and philosophy of mind alike. Should those arguments be found lacking, there remains a second, perhaps more important reason to read him: not understanding Wundt is to tolerate a lacuna at a crucial nexus of the recent history of philosophy. Not only was he a powerful influence (albeit mostly by repulsion) upon the founders of Pragmatism, Phenomenology, and neo-Kantianism, it was also Wundt and his pioneering students who developed the empirical methodologies that first granted psychology a disciplinary identity distinct from philosophy.
Publications: “The Language of Gestures” and “Principles of physiological psychology”
Worth to visit:
:: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (DE, ENG)
:: Centrum Informacji Naukowej Instytutu Psychologii Zdrowia (PL) :: Polish Psychological Association (ENG)
:: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie e.V. (DGPs) (DE)
Helfer der Menschheit / Pomocnicy ludzkosci / Helper to the mankind #34 Europejczyk tygodnia :: Europäer der Woche :: European of the Week :: Robert Koch
Robert Koch vs. microbiology
Robert Koch developed the standard science methods and proved as the first person that some diseases (as f.e. Cholera, Anthrax, tuberculosis, malaria, Encephalitis lethargica or von Economo disease pest) are caused by pathogens. Up to that time, doctors were powerless in the fight against these diseases.
Koch managed to isolate Bacillus anthracis (1876) outside the organism and to describe its cirle of life. In this way, he described the role of pathogens in the development of a disease for the first time completely.
Robert Koch became world famous for his discovery of the Tuberculosis bacillus in the year 1882. at his time, every 7th German citizen died in the row of the Tuberculosis bacillus. It was no wonder why the publicity reacted so euphorically about his discovery. The only method to heal patients at that time was laying people on couches or cots. For his contribution into medicine and psychology, Robert Koch was awarded with the Nobel Prize in 1905.
Then, he became a managing director of the University Institute of Hygiene in Berlin in 1885 and the Institute of the Infectious Diseases in Berlin in 1891. therefore, he was able to concentrate himself on the scientific work. His institutes were called “Koch's School”. In the years 1896 – 1907, he travelled with his team to the USA, Japan, India and Africa to survey and study tropical-hygienic and parasitology fields of science. Following, he discovered the pathogens of pest, cattle plague,malaria Encephalitis lethargica or von Economo disease and cholera.
Robert Koch was badly famous in the cause of the so called Tuberkulin-Scandal (Tuberkulin was the cure for Tuberculosis developed by him). He said he experimented the cure on animals, but he experimented on very ill people as well. After many detailed clinical tests and accompanied by a serious debate in the publicity, the cure was leaded into the market. The Tuberkulin-Scandal was a warning how you do not introduce a medicament and how you do not test it.
There is a Robert Koch's Award for extraordinary discoveries within the microbiology and for extraordinary contribution to protection of human health.
The 24th March is the World Tuberculosis Day announced by the WHO. Today tuberculosis causes the deaths of about 1.6 million people each year, mostly in the Third World.
Worth to visit:
:: Weltgesundheitsorganisation :: Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia :: World Health Organisation (WHO)
:: Robert Koch-Institut (DE, ENG)
scholar-online builds bridges between Europeans and I like this idea.
Sarah
05.09.2010
Ich habe Lovefool, Der Narr der Liebe gelesen und ich bin jetzt in diesem Buch verliebt! Danke Amalia!
Marie
29.06.2010
Anna, you and your team are the very best! Your Scholar idea is great and unites Europe. Greetings from France!
Alicja
09.06.2010
Cudowne fotosy z Muse i z Leną! Gratulacje!
Penelopé
07.06.2010
I envy you! You see so many great people and you talk with the best musicians! I wish you further successes! Greets from Greece, P.
Marta
07.06.2010
Muse? Ich koncerty sa najlepsze! Super! Kocham ich!
Xennija
07.06.2010
Anna, it's great that you saw Muse! It's my favourite band ever to me!!!!!!
Krzysiek
15.05.2010
Europejczycy powinni więcej rozmawiać! Zgadza się! Pozdrawiam serdecznie!
PoTomek
14.04.2010
Od kiedy Kaczynski stal sie everybody's darling? Wystarczyl jeden wypadek. A mialo byc tak pieknie.
KN
14.04.2010
W żałobie jak i w stanach euforii ludzie popadają w skrajności. RT @stoerungsquelle: najwazniejsze, zeby spoczywal w pokoju. #Kaczynski mimo wszystko jestem na nie za Wawelem
Kinga.
14.04.2010
Przede wszystkim należy uszanować decyzję rodziny. Wawel? Jestem na tak.
Karolina
14.04.2010
Szacunek, współczucie, smutek, oddanie należnego hołdu Prezydentowi to jedno i z tym chyba zgadzamy się wszyscy lub zdecydowana większość. Ale ta decyzja o Wawelu jest zupełnie nieprzemyślan
Radek
14.04.2010
Przecież to takie jasne - prezydent Warszawy nie pragnał by niczego innego niż pochowania go z dala od ukochanego miasta!! LUDZIE TROCHĘ ROZSĄDKU!!
Janek
14.04.2010
Wawel? to jest bardzo zly pomysl, kosciol katolicki za wszelka cene probuje ugrac cos dla siebie wykorzystujac ta tragedie.
Anna
13.04.2010
Prezydent zmarł w warunkach wyjątkowych, po bohatersku można by powiedzieć, bo leciał do Katynia, by oddać w imieniu całego społeczeństwa hołd męczennikom - argumentował Dziwisz. Jezu, co
My female roommate didn't know Stefan Raab yet, I send her the report about the „Autoball (car ball) championship“ and she was really enthused. The comments of Anna are very recommendable, because they explain many things additionally. Mostly you don't have this background information, if you want to become acquainted with other countries. You will neither find it in Wikipedia nor somewhere else online. Fantastic!
Maria:
That is lovely to read, who established European values, culture and science. However, we not only get the general information, but also a personal insider background and additional links, which are mostly very exciting. I would never got it and so I always can learn something new. That is really great!
Ina:
Anna and her team are more than fantastic, interesting personalities. That are those who we need, who reach out and invite other cultures and mentalities to dialogs. Because of the entire idea of the page, it is never boring to follow the comments. I have only less time during the week to follow the discussions. But I am always looking forward to the weekend, when I discover a new European.
Write your comment at: europa @ scholar-online.eu