Russian scientist and their discovery

1. Outstanding Russian scientists and their discoveries
Russia is the birthplace of many famous scientists. They not only made discoveries in various fields of
science - from physics to ophthalmology - but also found practical applications for their scientific theories. Their
inventions are used by people all over the world.

2. Founder of Russian science
In post-Petrine times, the need for education in Russia was felt more and more. More
and more young people were eager to gain knowledge. Educated people began to come out not
only from rich and noble families, but also from poor ones, where they did not particularly
care about the education of children.
About 300 years ago in the north of Russia, not far from the city of Kholmogory
(Arkhangelsk region), Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, a great Russian scientist who became
famous throughout the world for his achievements, was born into a peasant family.
Since childhood, Mikhail was distinguished by his curiosity and erudition. The thirst for
knowledge forced the nineteen-year-old boy to leave his home for Moscow, where he had the
opportunity to study science. Lomonosov was able to enter the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy,
where he mastered the Latin language, read Greek, and studied arithmetic, geography, history,
and literature. The desire for knowledge and hard work helped Mikhail complete three classes
of the academy in one year.
In 1735, Mikhail Lomonosov, as one of the best students of the academy, went to study at
St. Petersburg University, then to Germany. Returning to Russia, he begins work at the
Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg. By decree of July 25, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna
awarded Mikhail Vasilyevich the title of professor.
While working at the academy, Lomonosov created a new physics textbook in Russian
and opened the first chemical research laboratory. In it he begins experiments in the
production of colored glass - mosaics.

3. For many years, the scientist has been conducting
historical research, as a result of which in 1755 the
publication of “Ancient Russian History” appeared. On
January 12, 1755, Empress Elizabeth signed the “Decree
on the Establishment of Moscow University.” The
educational institution is being created according to
Lomonosov’s project.
In 1758, Mikhail became head of the Geographical
Department of the Academy of Sciences. He creates a new
“Russian Atlas”. Fascinated by astronomy, Lomonosov
improves the design of telescopes and makes a major
discovery: he establishes that Venus is surrounded by a
dense atmosphere.
Mikhail Vasilyevich was one of the first Russian scientists
who laid the foundation for the development of such
sciences as physics, chemistry, geology, linguistics and
many others.
Nowadays, Moscow State University (MSU) is named
after Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, and scientists who
have made discoveries in the field of natural sciences are
awarded a gold medal named after this great Russian
scientist.
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov was one of those who laid
the foundation for the development of Russian science.
Soon other Russian scientists became known to the world,
who glorified our country with their discoveries and
achievements.

4. Lomonosov Mikhail Vasilyevich (1711-1765) - the first major Russian natural scientist.
encyclopedist, physicist and chemist (he entered science as the first chemist who gave physical
chemistry a definition very close to the modern one and outlined an extensive program of
physical and chemical research; his molecular kinetic theory of heat largely anticipated the
modern understanding of the structure of matter and many fundamental laws, including one of
the principles of thermodynamics.
Founder of scientific navigation and physical chemistry; laid the foundations of the science of
glass. Astronomer: discovered the presence of an atmosphere on the planet Venus. Instrument
maker, geographer, metallurgist, geologist. He is also a poet, artist, philologist, genealogist,
historiographer; champion of the development of domestic sciences, economics, education
(developed the Moscow University project, subsequently named after him). He also made a
great contribution to the development of rhetoric.
Mikhail could have become a fisherman like his father, but thanks to his talent and passion for
science, he was able to achieve world fame as a great Russian natural scientist. Russia gained
worldwide fame thanks to the achievements of Lomonosov; he was a unique person who
achieved success in many fields of science.

5. In 1792, Nikolai Ivanovich
Lobachevsky was born in Nizhny
Novgorod. He devoted his entire life to
science and teaching at the university.
In addition, he took care of the
construction of laboratories and put
libraries and museums in order. Nikolai
Ivanovich became famous for his
works in the fields of mathematics,
physics and astronomy. The scientist’s
main merit is the creation of a special
type of geometry, the principles of
which are still used to this day in
astronomy, physics, painting and
architecture.

6. The city of Tobolsk is glorified by the
name of the great Russian scientist -
Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev - an
outstanding chemist, creator of
scientific works on physics,
metrology, aeronautics, agriculture
and economics. After studying in
Germany, Dmitry Ivanovich taught at
St. Petersburg University. He was the
creator of Russia's first textbook on
organic chemistry (one of the
branches of chemistry). Absolutely
every person knows the name of this
scientist. Mendeleev became famous
as the creator of the Periodic Table of
Chemical Elements and many works
in the field of physical chemistry.

7. The scientist worked on the Periodic Law, which describes the properties of chemical
elements depending on their atomic weight, for more than 20 years. His concept was not
taken seriously for another 15 years, but already in the 1880s Mendeleev was recognized
as “the greatest chemist in the world.”
The scientist is also the creator of scales for weighing gases, a high meter and a model of
an icebreaker. They left over 500 printed works. Monuments were built in his honor in
Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv and Bratislava, streets, settlements and educational
institutions were named after him.

8. In the field of biology, Russian scientists
also made great scientific discoveries.
During the experiment, Ilya Ilyich
Mechnikov found that humans have cells
that fight pathogenic bacteria. These cells
are called leukocytes. In 1908, Mechnikov
was awarded the Nobel Prize for his
discovery. The scientist has been
researching methods for treating cholera
and other infectious diseases for a long
time.
The Nobel Prize is one of the prestigious
international prizes awarded for
outstanding scientific research,
revolutionary inventions or major
contributions to culture and social
development.

9. Mechnikov is an outstanding Russian scientist. His thought worked in almost all branches of natural
science - biology, physiology, microbiology, immunology, anatomy, etc.
The scientific ideas of Ilya Mechnikov were constantly criticized, because completely overturned
established views on the structure of the human body. Before Mechnikov, medicine believed that
white blood cells - leukocytes - had no significance in the fight against disease. As a result of many
years of research, Mechnikov proved that it is leukocytes that are the basis of immunity, and a high
temperature indicates that the body is fighting the disease.
This is where his theory of inflammation was born, which, as scientists have proven, has a
microbiological nature. That is, the causative agents of inflammation are microorganisms that
leukocytes fight. This was a revolutionary step in medicine, the next step was the advent of
antibiotics.
Mechnikov made an outstanding contribution to the fight against epidemics and the development of
vaccination in Russia. In 1886, Mechnikov, together with Pasteur’s student Nikolai Gamaley, opened
the first epidemiological station in Russia. The station operated in Odessa, and in addition to
vaccinating the population, vaccines against rabies, anthrax, cholera, etc.
Ilya Ilyich paid a lot of attention to the problems of aging. The scientist propagandized and promoted
yogurt - this product was very popular among Bulgarians. Mechnikov discovered that it was the
Bulgarians who were ahead of the Slavic peoples in terms of the number of centenarians. He
believed that this was facilitated by the fermented milk bacillus contained in yogurt.

10. Great Surgeon
In 1810, Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov was born - a man who was destined to become a great surgeon, anatomist
and teacher. In 1847, during the fighting in the area of the fortress-aul of Salta, the field hospitals were
overcrowded with wounded soldiers. Some of them died from painful shock, since operations at that time were
performed without anesthesia. Military surgeon Pirogov, in combat conditions, performed the first operation
under ether anesthesia - the patient inhaled a special gas, thanks to which he fell asleep and did not feel pain.

11. Nikolai Ivanovich decided to use plaster bandages to treat bone fractures: such bandages
were more reliable and effective than starch ones. Thus, experience in military field
surgery was accumulated.
During the defense of the Russian naval fortress - Sevastopol - Pirogov again found
himself on the battlefield in the role of a military surgeon. On his shoulders lay not only
complex operations, but also the organization of hospitals, providing people with medicine
and evacuating the wounded. On the initiative of Nikolai Ivanovich, sisters of mercy
appeared in hospitals and on the battlefield - women who helped doctors care for the
wounded. Over time, the outstanding physician became known far beyond Russia. The
Russian State Medical University is named after Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov
An infirmary is a military medical facility designed to provide assistance to military
personnel.

12. If you ask a physiologist what the meaning of life is, then, most likely, he will answer like
this: “The meaning of life is in life itself. And we live because our body adapts to the
environment. And this is the mystery of higher nervous activity.” Biologist and physiologist
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov studied human nervous activity. He was awarded the Nobel Prize
for his work in physiology. Physiology is a science that studies the vital processes of the
body. Physiologist is a scientist who deals with issues of physiology.

14. Space exploration would not have been
possible without the works and discoveries of
Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, a
scientist, inventor, author of designs for
airships and the first rockets. He was the first
to suggest that space exploration would
become possible if rockets with jet engines
were used, and he expressed the idea of an
artificial Earth satellite and the creation of
interplanetary space stations. The State
Museum of the History of Cosmonautics,
located in Kaluga, the homeland of the great
Russian scientist, bears the name of
Tsiolkovsky.
This is only a small part of the names of great
Russian scientists, whose discoveries and
works influenced not only the development of
Russian, but also world science. Each of them
lived in different years and was engaged in
different sciences. But all scientists at all
times were united by a thirst for knowledge,
hard work and a desire to make the world a
better place, leaving a mark on the history of
their country.

16. Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Eduardovich - great Russian, scientist and inventor in the field of
aerodynamics, rocket dynamics, aeronautics theory, founder of modern astronautics. Having
suffered scarlet fever at the age of 14, Tsiolkovsky practically lost his hearing and studied
independently. In 1879 he passed the exams for the title of teacher as an external student. In
1880, Tsiolkovsky was appointed teacher of arithmetic and geometry at the Borovsk district
school (Kaluga province). At this time, the first works were published. Tsiolkovsky - “Theory
of Gases” and “Mechanics of the Animal Organism” (1880-1881). He was accepted into the
Russian Physicochemical Society. Since 1884, Tsiolkovsky worked on the problems of
creating an airship and a “streamlined” airplane, and from 1886 - rockets for interplanetary
flights. He systematically developed the theory of motion of jet vehicles and proposed several
of their schemes. In Soviet times, Tsiolkovsky was mainly involved in the theory of rocket
motion (rocket dynamics). In 1926-1929, he developed the theory of multi-stage rocket
science, solved important problems related to the movement of rockets in a non-uniform
gravitational field, landing a spacecraft on the surface of planets without an atmosphere,
considered the influence of the atmosphere on the flight of a rocket, put forward ideas about
creating a rocket - an artificial satellite of the Earth and near-Earth orbital stations. In 1932,
Tsiolkovsky substantiated the theory of the flight of jet aircraft in the stratosphere.
Tsiolkovsky's technical ideas found application in the design of rocket and space technology.

20. Igor Vasilievich Kurchatov. (1902/
1903—1960). He owns the series
global discoveries in field of nuclear
physics. IN among them - the creation
of the first in Europe nuclear reactor, the
first nuclear power plant in the USSR
bomb, the world's first thermonuclear
bomb. In 1954 year under his leadership
the first in the world was built nuclear
power plant Obninsk NPP.
Physicist, founder of the school of
nuclear physicists in the USSR. Born on
January 12, 1903 (new style) in the
village Simsky plant in the Southern
Urals in the family of a land surveyor
and teachers.

21. • At the age of 12 he entered the gymnasium,
from which he graduated with gold medal,
despite the great need in the family. Studied at
the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of
the Crimean University in Simferopol
(graduated in 1923). In the spring of 1925,
Kurchatov was invited by A.F. Ioffe to
Leningrad Institute of Physics and
Technology. Since 1933 he worked on
problems of atomic nuclear physics. Together
with the group colleagues studied nuclear
reactions caused by fast and slow neutrons;
discovered the phenomenon of nuclear
isometry from artificially produced
radioactive bromine. In 1939, Igor Vasilievich
began to study the fission of heavy cores. A
year later, under his leadership, physicists K.
A. Petrzhak and G. N. Flerov discovered the
spontaneous decay of uranium. Kurchatov –
one of the creators of the first uranium-
graphite reactor, launch which was carried out
in December 1946. Special role belongs to
Kurchatov in the formation and development
of nuclear power energy. He led the creation
of the atomic bomb in the USSR.

22. Work began during the Great Patriotic War (1943). Then, at the Academy of
Sciences, Kurchatov created a closed laboratory where research was carried
out aimed at producing a nuclear chain reaction. There was an atomic bomb
created in 1949, hydrogen - in 1953, the first in the world industrial nuclear
power plant - in 1954. In 1955. the laboratory was transformed into the
Institute of Atomic energy (since 1960 it bears the name of Kurchatov).
Academician since 1943, Kurchatov received many awards, including five
Orders of Lenin. In 1957 he became a laureate of the Lenin awards.
Kurchatov's contemporaries note that Igor Vasilievich was a man of
enormous intellect, talent and hard work. I was happy to support the jokes, I
loved willingly come up with nicknames for his comrades responded when
his name was Beard. Favorite word Kurchatov said “I understand.” It was
this that became the last his lips when on February 7, 1960 he died right at
the moment conversation with a colleague, sitting on a bench in a Moscow
suburb Barvikha.

23. Sergei Pavlovich Korolev
(01/12/1907/12/30/1906 - 01/14/1966) -
scientist, founder of practical astronautics,
outstanding designer and organizer of work
on the creation of rocket and space
technology in the USSR. He is rightfully
considered the pioneer of many main
directions in the development of domestic
missile weapons and rocket and space
technology, which ensured strategic parity
and made our state a leading rocket and
space power.
7 main achievements of the brilliant
designer Sergei Korolev
World cosmonautics is still developing
Korolev’s ideas, and Soviet space
achievements would have been simply
unthinkable without him.

24. 1. First projects
In modern terms, Korolev can easily be
called a child prodigy, because he carried
out his first successful developments while
still at school. At the age of 17, he
presented a project for a non-motorized
aircraft, and while already studying at the
institute (in 1926, Korolev was transferred
from Kiev to the famous Moscow Higher
Technical School named after Bauman), he
designed the first glider in the USSR,
intended for performing aerobatic
maneuvers, in particular a loop, which was
successfully demonstrated by the Soviet
pilot ace Vasily Stepanchonok. Korolev
himself, who had a pilot’s license, was
unable to complete the flight due to illness.

25. 2. Rocketry
One meeting with the creator of
theoretical cosmonautics, Konstantin
Tsiolkovsky, at his home in Kaluga was
enough for Korolev’s interest to switch to
jet propulsion. In the 1930s, Korolev,
together with like-minded people, founded
the Group for the Study of Jet Propulsion
(GIRD), which then grew into the Jet
Research Institute.
Before 1938, with the participation and
largely under the leadership of Korolev,
the first Soviet liquid-ballistic missiles,
cruise missiles (anti-aircraft and long-
range) were created, and designs for long-
range aircraft missiles and anti-aircraft
solid-fuel missiles were developed.

26. 3. First space flights
Korolev’s tireless energy did not dry
up, and during the first half of the
60s, numerous space breakthroughs
were made under his leadership. On
April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became
the first person in space; in 1962, the
two spacecraft Vostok-3 and Vostok-4
made a joint flight; in 1963, a
woman, Valentina Tereshkova, flew
into space for the first time.
In 1964, the new Voskhod spacecraft
was launched, and for the first time
the crew consisted of three people at
once. And finally, on March 18,
1965, Alexei Leonov became the first
cosmonaut to walk into outer space.

27. 4. Orbital station projects and lunar landing
Perhaps, if fate had decreed otherwise, Alexei Leonov would have become the first Soviet
cosmonaut to land on the Moon (such was his role in the manned lunar program), however,
in the absence of a unified leadership, development proceeded slowly. In 1966, Korolev dies
of illness, and a few years later Brezhnev closes the program.
Another of Korolev’s ideas, which occupied him in recent years, was the creation of an
orbital station where cosmonauts could live and work for a long time without spacesuits. A
step along this path was the development of the new Soyuz spacecraft, which included a
living compartment. Unfortunately, Korolev did not live to see the spacecraft's first launch
in 1967.

29. At the end of the 19th century, the era of
electricity was just beginning to develop.
One could count the fully illuminated
houses and city blocks on one hand.
Popov became one of the scientists
working with the new phenomenon. In
1895, he made a receiver capable of
receiving signals wirelessly at a distance
of 250 meters - a revolutionary invention
for the 19th century. In addition, the
scientist is considered the inventor of
radio, which made it possible to transmit
messages over long distances.
The scientist’s work was appreciated all
over the world, he was invited to work
and teach abroad. He visited Berlin, Paris,
London and Chicago, where he studied
the activities of scientific centers.

31. Questions
1. Where was Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov born?
2. What science was founded by M.V. Lomonosov?
3. Why did Lomonosov equip an expedition to Siberia in 1761? In what year and
where did the name Lomonosov first appear on the map?
4. Which university was opened thanks to M.V. Lomonosov and was
subsequently named after him?
5. What did Lomonosov organize at the Academy?
6. What sciences did Lomonosov study in Germany?
7. What title was awarded to M.V. Lomonosov in July 1745?
8. In what year was the first chemical laboratory created in Russia?
9. In what year was Moscow University founded?
10. What was built under the leadership of Lomonosov?
11. What device for astronomical observations was invented by Lomonosov?
12. What devices did Lomonosov design for meteorology?

32. 13. What science about the structure of matter, the theory of heat, was
created by M. V. Lomonosov?
14. What textbooks in the field of philosophy did M. V. Lomonosov write?
15. In what language did M. V. Lomonosov write poems and odes?
16. Why D.I. Mendeleev is called the greatest chemist in the world?
17. Why I.I. Mechnikov received the Nobel Prize?
18. What is the name of the field of medicine in which Mechnikov worked?
19. Discoveries of I.I. Mechnikov saved humanity from diseases, from
which ones exactly?
20. Why N.I. Is Pirogov called great?
21. For what scientific discovery did I. P. Pavlov receive the Nobel Prize?

33. 22. What animals did I. P. Pavlov conduct his experiments on?
23. Tell us about the views of I.P. Pavlov. What was the dualism of his
views?
24. Tell us about the teachings of I.P. Pavlov, about conditioned and
unconditioned reflexes.
25. What theory was developed by K.E. Tsiolkovsky, what made it possible
to subsequently use it in space research?
26.Who is considered the founder of atomic physics in the USSR?
27. In which city was the first nuclear power plant built in 1954?
28.Who is the creator of the atomic bomb?
29. In what year did I.V. Kurchatov created the first uranium-graphite
reactor?

34. 30. Where is the atom used for peaceful purposes?
31. Why is S.P. Korolev considered a brilliant designer?
32. With the participation of S.P. Korolev prepared the first manned space
flight. Who became the first in the world? When did it happen?
33. Name the first Soviet cosmonauts who were prepared for the flight by
Korolev?
34. Name the astronaut who went into outer space.
35. What is the name of the first female astronaut, when did the flight take
place?
36. What was the name of the first cosmonaut’s spacecraft?
37. Who is A. S. Popov? What did he invent?
38.What is radio and where is it used?
39. How many meters away could radio signals be heard?
40. Give the date of invention of radio.