1 and p kulibin. Ivan Kulibin: “The forgotten mechanic is a genius. Elevator for Her Imperial Majesty
Nizhny Novgorod "posadsky" Ivan Petrovich Kulibin after several years hard work, many sleepless nights, built an amazing clock in 1767. “The appearance and size between a goose and a duck egg,” they were enclosed in an intricate gold frame.The watch was so remarkable that it was accepted as a gift by Empress Catherine II. They not only showed the time, but also struck the hours, half and quarter hours. In addition, they contained a tiny automatic theater. At the end of each hour, the doors opened, revealing a golden palace in which the performance was automatically played out. At the “Holy Sepulcher” stood soldiers with spears. Entrance door was covered with stones. Half a minute after the palace was opened, an angel appeared, the stone was moved away, the doors opened, and the warriors, struck by fear, fell on their faces. Half a minute later, the “myrrh-bearing women” appeared, the bells rang, and the verse “Christ is Risen” was sung three times. Everything calmed down, and the doors closed the palace so that in an hour the whole action would be repeated again. At noon the clock played a hymn composed by Kulibin in honor of the Empress. After that, during the second half of the day, the clock sang a new verse: “Jesus has risen from the grave.” With the help of special arrows, it was possible to trigger the action of the automatic theater at any time.Creating the most complex mechanism of the first of his creations, Kulibin began to work precisely in the field that was dealt with by the best technicians and scientists of that time, right up to the great Lomonosov, who paid a lot of attention to the work of creating the most accurate watches.
Kulibin's clock, 1767, left - side view, right - bottom view.
Ivan Petrovich Kulibin, an outstanding inventor and self-taught mechanic, was born on April 21, 1735, in Nizhny Novgorod, into the family of a small merchant. “Training from a sexton” is his only education. The father hoped to make his son a flour merchant, but the inquisitive young man strove to study mechanics, where his exceptional abilities manifested themselves very early and varied. The ardent nature of the inventor was revealed everywhere. There was a rotten pond in the garden of my father's house. Young Kulibin came up with a hydraulic device in which water from a neighboring mountain was collected into a pool, from there it went into a pond, and excess water from the pond was discharged outside, turning the pond into a flowing one in which fish could be found.
Kulibin paid especially much attention to working on the clock. They brought him fame. The Nizhny Novgorod watchmaker-inventor and designer became known far beyond the borders of his city. In 1767Kulibinwas introduced to Catherine II in Nizhny Novgorod, in 1769 he was appointed to head the workshops of the Academy of SciencesSt. Petersburg. In addition to the watch, he brought with him an electric machine, a microscope and a telescope. All these creations of the “Nizhny Novgorod tradesman” were handed over to the Kunstkamera for storage.
With the move to St. Petersburg came best years in the life of Ivan Kulibin. Left behind were many years of life, full of hard, inconspicuous work. We had to work in conditions of constant communication with academicians and other outstanding people. However, the lengthy clerical red tape for the registration of the “Nizhny Novgorod Posad” in the position ended only on January 2, 1770, when Kulibin signed the “condition” - an agreement on his duties in the academic service.He had to: “have main supervision over the instrumental, metalwork, turning and over that floor where optical instruments, thermometers and barometers are made.” He was also obliged to: “clean and repair astronomical and other clocks located at the Academy, telescopes, spotting scopes and other, especially physical instruments from the Commission sent to him.” “Condition” contained a special clause about Kulibin’s indispensable training of academic workshop workers: “Make open testimony to academic artists in everything in which he himself is skilled.” It was also provided for the preparation of boys assigned to Kulibin for training at one hundred rubles for each of the students, who “themselves, without the help and testimony of a master, will be able to make some large instrument, for example, a telescope or a large astronomical tube from 15 to 20 feet , mediocre kindness." For managing the workshops and working in them, they paid 350 rubles a year, giving Kulibin the right to work on his personal inventions in the afternoon.Kulibin became the successor of the remarkable works of Lomonosov.
Ivan Petrovich Kulibin worked at the Academy for thirty years. His works have always been highly appreciated by scientists. A few months after the start of Kulibin’s academic work, Academician Rumovsky examined the “Gregorian telescope” made by the new mechanic. According to Rumovsky’s report, on August 13, 1770, in the minutes of the academic conference they wrote: “... in considering the many great difficulties that occur when making such telescopes, it was our pleasure to encourage the artist Kulibin to continue making such instruments, for there is no doubt that he will soon bring them to the perfection to which they are brought in England."
Kulibin personally completed and supervised the execution of a very large number of instruments for scientific observations and experiments. Through his hands passed: “hydrodynamic instruments”, “instruments used for making mechanical experiments”, optical and acoustic instruments, preparation sets, astrolabes, telescopes, telescopes, microscopes, “electric jars”, sundials and other dials, spirit levels, precision scales and many others. “Instrumental, turning, metalworking, barometric chambers,” which worked under the leadership of Kulibin, supplied scientists and the whole of Russia with a wide variety of instruments.
The numerous instructions he compiled taught how to handle the most complex instruments and how to obtain the most accurate readings from them.Written by Kulibin“A description of how to maintain an electric machine at decent strength” is just one example of how he taught how to conduct scientific experiments. The “Description” was compiled for academicians carrying out experimental work on the study of electrical phenomena. The “Description” is compiled simply, clearly and strictly scientifically. Kulibin indicated all the basic rules for handling the device, troubleshooting methods, and techniques to ensure the most effective operation of the device.
While performing various works, Kulibin constantly took care of the education of his students and assistants, among whom should be named his Nizhny Novgorod assistant Sherstnevsky, the opticians Belyaevs, the mechanic Egorov, the closest associate of Caesarev.
Kulibin created at the Academy the production of physical instruments, exemplary for that time. The modest Nizhny Novgorod mechanic became one of the first places in the development of Russian instrument making technology.
Project of a wooden bridge across the river. Neva, compiled by Kulibin in 1776.
Construction equipment, transport, communications, Agriculture and other industries preserve remarkable evidence of creativityKulibina. Widely knownhisprojects in the field of bridge construction that are ahead of everything known in world practice.
Kulibin drew attention to the inconvenience caused by the lack of permanent bridges across the Neva. After several preliminary proposals, in 1776 he developed a project for an arched single-span bridge across the Neva.In 1813, Kulibin completed the design of an iron bridge across the Neva.The construction of a bridge of three lattice arches resting on four bulls required up to a million pounds of iron. To allow passage of ships, special openings were provided. Everything was provided for in the project, including lighting the bridge and protecting it during ice drift.The construction of the Kulibin Bridge, the design of which amazes even modern engineers with its boldness, turned out to be beyond the capabilities of his time.
The famous Russian bridge builder Zhuravsky evaluates the model of the Kulibinsky bridge this way: “It bears the stamp of genius; it is built on a system recognized by the latest science as the most rational; the bridge is supported by an arch, its bending is prevented by a bracing system, which, due to the unknown of what is being done in Russia, is called American." The Kulibin wooden bridge remains unsurpassed in the field of bridge construction to this day.
Understanding the exceptional importance of fast communication for a country like Russia, with its vast expanses, Kulibin began in 1794 the development of a semaphore telegraph project. He solved the problem perfectly and developed, in addition, original code for transfers. But only forty years after Kulibin’s invention were the first optical telegraph lines installedin Russia. By that time, Kulibin’s project had been forgotten, and the government paid Chateau, who installed the less advanced telegraph, one hundred and twenty thousand rubles for the “secret” brought from France.
The fate of another of the great darings of a remarkable innovator, who developed a method for moving ships upstream using the very flow of the river, is just as sad. “Vodokhod” was the name of Kulibin’s ship, successfully tested in 1782. In 1804, as a result of testing another “water ship” Kulibin, his ship was officially recognized as “promising great benefits for the state.” But the matter did not go further than official confessions; it all ended with the ship created by Kulibin being sold at auction for scrapping.
Kulibin's detailed calculations characterize him as an outstanding economist.A wonderful patriot who worked with all passion for his people, he accomplished many wonderful things, in the list of which the following inventions should be high on the list: searchlights, a “scooter”, i.e. a mechanically moving cart, prosthetics for the disabled, a seeder, a floating mill, lift chair (elevator)...
In 1779, St. Petersburg Vedomosti wrote about the Kulibin lantern-spotlight, which creates a strong light effect using a special system of mirrors, despite the weak light source (candle). It was reported that Kulibin: “invented the art of making a mirror composed of many parts using a special curved line, which, when a candle is placed in front of it, produces an amazing effect, multiplying the light five hundred times, against the candle, and more, depending on the number of mirror particles contained therein". The singer of Russian fame Derzhavin, who called Kulibin “Archimedes of our days,” wrote about this lantern:
You see, on the pillars at night, like sometimes I am a bright stripe In carriages, in the streets and in boats on the river I Shine in the distance, I illuminate the whole palace with myself, Like the full moon.Ivan Kulibin played a significant role in how the car was invented. His three-wheeled carriage, which was released in 1791, consisted of parts that are still found in every car to this day. The gearbox, bearings, flywheel and brake are the merit of the Russian “homemade”. It is 1886 that is considered the starting point that gave rise to the term “automotive industry” and the production industry as such.
In the list of wonderful things Kulibina must doInventions such as smokeless fireworks (optical), entertainment machines, devices for opening palace windows and other inventions made to satisfy the demands of the empress and nobles took their place. Eby customerswere:Catherine II, Potemkin, Dashkova...Fulfilling orders for inventions of this kind, Kulibin acted as a researcher. He wrote a whole treatise “On Fireworks”, containing sections: “On White Fire”, “On Green Fire”, “On Exploding Rockets”, “On Flowers”, “On Sun Rays”, “On Stars” and others.An original recipe for many funny fires was given, based on studying the influence of various substances on the color of fire. Many new technical techniques were proposed, the most ingenious types of rockets and combinations of amusing lights were put into practice.
Not everything written by I.P. Kulibin has been preserved, but what has come down to us is very diverse and rich. There were about two thousand drawings left after I.P. Kulibin.
The best people of that time highly valued the talent of I.P. Kulibin. The famous scientist Leonhard Euler considered him a genius. A story has been preserved about the meeting of Suvorov and Kulibin at Potemkin’s big celebration:
“As soon as Suvorov saw Kulibin at the other end of the hall, he quickly approached him, stopped a few steps away, made a low bow and said:
Your Grace!
Then, taking another step closer to Kulibin, he bowed even lower and said:
Your honor!
Finally, approaching Kulibin completely, he bowed from the waist and added:
My respect to your wisdom!
Then he took Kulibin by the hand, asked him about his health and addressed the entire meeting:
God have mercy, a lot of intelligence! He'll invent a flying carpet for us!"
So Suvorov honored the great creative power of the Russian people in the person of Ivan Kulibin.
However, the personal life of the remarkable innovator was filled with many sorrows. He was deprived of the joy of seeing the proper use of his labors and was forced to spend a considerable part of his talent on the work of a court porthole and decorator. Particularly bitter days came for I.P. Kulibin when he retired in 1801 and settled in his native Nizhny Novgorod. In fact, he had to live in exile, experiencing need that grew more and more, until his death on July 12, 1818. For the funeral of the great figure, his wife had to sell the wall clock and also borrow money.
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The ideas of the “Russian Leonardo da Vinci” have found application in modern mechanical engineering, medicine and construction. His very name became a household name. But what exactly did he invent?
1 “Vodokhod”
In 1804, Kulibin built a watership - a river boat with a water-repellent motor, allowing it to move against the current. The idea came to him in childhood: as a little boy, he was shocked by the picture of the hard work of the Volga barge haulers. Since then, he dreamed of creating something that could make their lives easier.
2 “Single arch bridge”
The first ever model of a 298-meter single-arch bridge was designed by Kulibin in 1769-1787. A wooden model with lattice trusses was placed in the Tauride Garden, connecting the banks of the river canal for several years. The real bridge was never built, but Ivan Kulibin went down in history as the person who introduced the idea of modeling structures into bridge building practice.
3 “Scooter cart”
In 1791, Kulibin assembled a mechanical carriage, the movement of which was provided by a person turning the pedals, and not by the usual team of horses. Moreover, he equipped it with a gearbox, brakes and a flywheel. The Kulibin three-wheeled scooter turned out to be the “mother” of Karl Benz’s car.
4 “Rising chair”
The elevator for Catherine II was also invented by Ivan Kulibin. It was a small chair that moved up and down on screws, and served both for the entertainment of the courtiers and for the convenience of the Empress herself.
5 “Mechanical leg”
Kulibin improved the prosthetic system. He created a “mechanical leg” for Lieutenant Sergei Nepeitsyn, who was injured during the assault on Ochakov. Since then, Nepeitsyn has been nicknamed “the iron leg,” and Kulibin’s idea was later developed in France.
6 “Clock in Easter egg”
In 1764-1767, Ivan Kulibin created a watch that was unique for that time, which, according to his idea, should have been worthy of Catherine II herself. The body became a golden egg. The self-taught master equipped it with clock, strike and chime mechanisms. There was also an automatic theater: every hour, moving figures of the Myrrh-Bearing Wives and an Angel played out a scene from the Gospel about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ to the sound of “Christ is Risen” three times. To assemble such a watch, Kulibin needed 427 parts and 5 years of work.
7 “Perpetuum mobile”
IN last years We haven’t heard anything about Kulibin. It was rumored that before his death he was working on a perpetual motion machine project, but never managed to complete what he started.
Drawing on the screensaver: Olga Gromova.
On August 11, the brilliant Russian inventor, the most talented self-taught craftsman, Ivan Kulibin, passed away. For the most part, his inventions were fully appreciated only after Ivan's death. He left this world in complete poverty, having spent everything on fruitless attempts to invent a perpetual motion machine, and in order to organize the most modest funeral, his friends had to sell the clock hanging on the wall in the master’s house - the funds they collected were not enough...
Even as a child, little Vanya, born in Nizhny Novgorod, in the family of a modest merchant, was interested in the inner essence of things. “How does it work?” - in search of an answer, he disassembles and reassembles everything that comes into his hands. The son's curiosity entails pleasant consequences for his father: the neighbors cannot praise the talented child enough, who in a matter of minutes repairs not only their watches, but also factory machines such as lathes. Naturally, dad encourages the child's hobby, regularly supplying the teenager with books on physics, chemistry and other scientific publications that only he can get at that time.
Ivan's fame does not last long within Nizhny Novgorod; it spreads throughout Russia. But real fame came to him at the moment when he went to St. Petersburg in 1764 and presented Catherine II with an egg watch. In addition to the mechanism itself, enclosed in an unusual shell, the watch was distinguished by a secret: every hour the door swung open and miniature men, skillfully carved from gold and silver, began to dance to the music.
The delighted empress immediately appoints Kulibin as head of the main mechanical workshop in St. Petersburg - its previous head, specially sent from abroad, could not even do half of what Ivan did. A practical empress kills two birds with one stone: in addition to attracting her to the court talented master, and also saves - Kulibin’s salary was 2000 rubles. less. And after her death, the master falls into disgrace: the empress’s son seeks to remove from sight everything and everyone reminiscent of Catherine.
However, the Russian genius is absolutely indifferent not only to money, but also to fame, advocating only for the prestige of the state: he gave away his inventions to people. Later, after his death, cunning foreigners will appropriate many of them, setting up a real hunt for the master’s drawings. 
Clock with a secret
The above secret watch, is Ivan’s most “loud” invention, now stored in the Hermitage. The master did not stop there and created a planetary clock displaying the phases of the Moon and the Sun, as well as the months. 
Optical telegraph
Optical telegraph(1704) - we have all heard about Chappe's telegraph (1794), transmitting telegrams using semaphore combinations, but Kulibin's method was more perfect. He compiled the code into one table - a system of conditional positions of semaphores, which significantly increased the speed of signal transmission. Probably, the Frenchman did not fully understand the drawings of the brilliant master... 
Elevator for the Empress
Elevator for the Empress(1769) is a prototype of modern designs that are well known to us. 
Spotlight
Spotlight with a parabolic mirror reflector (1779), which made it possible to increase the light intensity of one candle by 500 times. 
Vodochod
Vodochod, - a river vessel that could move against the current. 
Arch bridge
Arch bridge(1772), which finally solved the problem of navigation. It is Kulibin’s rope polygon method that is used in today’s lightweight, openwork and extremely durable modern bridges. 
The “mechanical leg” that Ivan created for the officer who lost a limb during the Ochakov assault served as the basis for current prosthetics.
Scooter crew
Three-wheeled carriage-scooter Kulibina(1791) - its design with gearbox, brake and flywheel is surprisingly similar to the chassis of Karl Benz's car, invented a hundred years later. 
Historians say that Kulibin’s ideas formed the basis for the construction "Bird's Nest", - the famous Beijing stadium. His name has become a household name - now capable inventors who make various improvements to already created mechanisms or come up with something of their own are lovingly called Kulibins. But they no longer have that patriotism...
Kulibin Ivan Petrovich (1735-1818), mechanic, inventor.
Born on April 21, 1735 in Nizhny Novgorod into a merchant family. Having learned to read and write from the sexton, Kulibin independently studied mechanics and opened a watch workshop.
In 1764-1769 he made an egg-shaped clock in which a theatrical action was performed every hour. The inventor presented them to Catherine II, who arrived in Nizhny Novgorod, and was appointed head of the mechanical workshops of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
Having moved to the capital, Kulibin in 1769-1787. served as a mechanic and supervised workshops.
In the 70s XVIII century he designed a wooden single-arch bridge across the Neva with a span length of 298 m (instead of 50-60 m). A life-size model of the bridge was tested by a special academic commission, but the bridge was not built.
Since 1791, Kulibin had been working on options for a metal bridge, but the government rejected this project too.
For unknown reasons, Kulibin did not get along with Princess E.R. Dashkova, the president of the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of the Russian Language.
Freed from managing the workshops in 1787, Kulibin devoted himself entirely to invention: he designed a lantern with a reflector, a “lifting chair” (elevator), a three-wheeled pedal car, an optical telegraph, “mechanical legs” (prosthetics), and tried to create a perpetual motion machine.
In 1792 he was elected a member of the Free Economic Society.
In 1801, Kulibin resigned and returned to Nizhny Novgorod, where until the end of his life he was engaged in drawing up designs for ships with a machine engine.
He also invented many other things: a device for boring the internal surfaces of cylinders, a machine for extracting salt, seeders, a mill machine, a water wheel of a special design, etc.
But most of them were not in demand, and in recent years Kulibin lived in great need.
We, Soviet children, were taught to be honest. A lot of information has sunk into the depths of memory, especially starting with the words of the National Anthem. For some reason, the author of these lines remembered the words about the great Russian inventor Ivan Petrovich Kulibin from a history textbook: they say, a self-taught master, underestimated during his lifetime, who died in complete oblivion and poverty. Of all this information, only the first part is true. Indeed, the name Kulibin became a household name - this is what they began to call all self-taught craftsmen who came from the common people.
Biography of Ivan Petrovich Kulibin (1735-1818)
This man lived a long life full of tireless work - 78 years. I almost never left my native Nizhny Novgorod. Probably, about people like him, one can say with a line from the poet V. Bryusov: “The only happiness is work!” However, Kulibin managed to do everything. He was married three times. It is noteworthy that the last, third marriage took place when the groom was already 70 years old. And it’s even more amazing that three more daughters were born. In total, Kulibin gave birth to 11 offspring, and managed to give all his sons, as heirs, a decent education.
Being a daring innovator in the field of science and technology, an experimenter far ahead of his time, he adhered to rather conservative habits and manners in everyday life, in Everyday life. He was an absolute teetotaler, never smoked, gambling was indifferent. He dressed distinctly like a merchant, wearing a long, thick beard, a long-skirted caftan and high boots. They made fun of him, but respectfully. Kulibin endeared himself with his wit, good nature and gentle disposition. He often hosted dinner parties, where he entertained those present and was inexhaustible in inventions and practical jokes.
Inventions of Ivan Kulibin
Even in his youth, he learned several crafts at once: watchmaking, turning and metalworking. All his skills were not only useful, but earned him the reputation of an extraordinary master. Empress Catherine II knew and appreciated him. By the way, she made a tempting offer to the inventor, which another would certainly have taken: nobility in exchange for a merchant’s beard.
But Kulibin proudly refused even here, without disgracing the honor of his class. He belonged to that type of scientist who does not leave projects unfinished, and does not limit himself to just drawings and diagrams. At the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, Kulibin headed a mechanical workshop for more than thirty years. Inventions followed as if from a cornucopia. That is a wooden single-arch bridge across the Neva, the world's first searchlight, the so-called. “vodokhod”, a stroller, which the master dubbed “self-running”, an elevator...
Ekaterina received an “egg” watch as a gift from Kulibin. A collection of 427 parts, and inside there is not only a clock mechanism, but also an automatic theater and a musical scale. Famous writer 19th century Nikolai Leskov undoubtedly had the Kulibin masterpiece before his eyes when he composed the tale of Tula Lefty shoeing a flea. Now Kulibin's watch is in the collection of the State Hermitage.
There is also another famous clock - “Peacock”, the brainchild of the English master James Cox, which Kulibin had a chance to restore, and which functions to this day. These successes would have turned someone else's head, but not Kulibin. There is a legend that at the end of his life he was literally obsessed with the idea of creating a perpetual motion machine, the secret of which more than one generation of inventors struggled with and, allegedly, lost his entire fortune on this.
- Kulibin’s life had its own philanthropist, or more precisely, a sponsor - the merchant Mikhail Kostromin. He introduced Kulibin to the empress, thereby immortalizing his own name
- One of the characters in A.N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is called Kuligin. He is also a scientist and poet, self-taught, and his last name is only one letter different from Kulibin. A more than transparent analogy, isn’t it?!