Russian inventor Ivan Kulibin (biography, inventions). What invented Kulibin I

22.03.202127.05.2017

Russia has given the world many brilliant people in its long history. A worthy place among them is occupied by the self-taught inventor Ivan Petrovich Kulibin. His name has long become a household name - this is the name of any enterprising and inventive person. Sometimes people are called Kulibins, wanting to emphasize their desire to introduce their unreasonable dubious innovations into proven technologies.

He was born on April 21, 1735 in the village of Podnovye, Nizhny Novgorod district, in the family of the Nizhny Novgorod petty merchant Pyotr Kulibin, and early began to be interested in "how everything works inside." In his room, he set up a small workshop, where he collected all the tools available by that time for metalwork, turning and other works.

In addition, the father, who encouraged this hobby of his son, tried to bring him all the books on physics, chemistry and other natural sciences that he could find. And gradually Vanya understood from where this or that household item “ears grow”. But there was one more circumstance that forced the father to "indulge" his son's hobby: the boy repaired mechanisms of any complexity in a matter of minutes (most often hours), but when it came to millstones or some kind of factory machines, he also did not fail. And Kulibin Sr. shared the glory with his son: “What kind of son you have Peter, a master of all trades ...”

Soon the fame of the young miracle mechanic spread throughout Nizhny Novgorod. And given that Nizhny Novgorod merchants traveled all over Russia, and sometimes looked into Europe and even Asia, very soon they heard about the talented nugget in other cities and villages. The only thing that Vanya lacked was sensible textbooks, but we remember that the first Russian university opened in St. Petersburg only 11 years before the birth of Kulibin.

"Training from a deacon" is his only education. The father hoped to make a flour merchant out of his son, but the inquisitive young man aspired to study mechanics, where his exceptional abilities manifested themselves very early and in various ways. 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 in a pool, from there it went to a pond, and excess water from the pond was discharged to the outside, turning the pond into a flowing one in which fish could be found.

I. P. Kulibin paid special attention to the work on the clock. They brought him fame.

Kulibin clock, 1767, left - side view, right - bottom view

After several years of hard work, many sleepless nights, in 1767 he built an amazing clock. "Between the appearance and size of a goose's and a duck's egg," they were encased in an intricate gold setting.

The watch was so remarkable that it was accepted as a gift by Empress Catherine II. They not only showed the time, but also chimed the hours, halves and quarters of the hour. In addition, a tiny automatic theater was enclosed in them. At the end of each hour, the folding doors opened, revealing a golden chamber in which a performance was automatically played out. Warriors with spears stood at the "Holy Sepulcher". The front door was blocked with stone. Half a minute after the chamber was opened, an angel appeared, the stone moved away, the doors opened, and the warriors, stricken with fear, fell on their faces. After another half a minute, the "myrrh-bearing women" appeared, the bells rang, the verse "Christ is Risen" was sung three times. Everything calmed down, and the doors closed the chamber so that in an hour the whole action would be repeated again. At noon, the clock played a hymn composed by I.P. Kulibin in honor of the Empress. After that, during the second half of the day, the clock performed a new verse: "Jesus is risen from the tomb." With the help of special arrows, it was possible to call the action of the automatic theater at any time.

In the precisely coordinated movement of the mass of the smallest details, in the action of time indicators, figurines, musical devices, the sleepless nights of the remarkable Russian mechanic, who worked for years to create one of the most amazing automata known in history, were embodied.

Creating the most complex mechanism of the first of his creations, I. P. Kulibin began to work in the very field that they were engaged in the best techniques and scientists of that time, up to the great Lomonosov, who paid a lot of attention to the work of creating the most accurate clocks. The work of IP Kulibin on the clock was of great importance. As K. Marx pointed out, the clock, together with the mill, were "two material foundations on which the preparatory work for the machine industry was built inside the manufactory ... The clock is the first automaton created for practical purposes; the whole theory of the production of uniform movements was developed on them. in their character, they themselves are built on a combination of semi-artistic craft with direct theory" (K. Marx and F. Engels, Soch., vol. XXIII, p. 131).

The Nizhny Novgorod watchmaker-inventor and designer became known far beyond the borders of his city. In 1767, he was introduced to Catherine II in Nizhny Novgorod, in 1769 he was summoned to St. Petersburg, again introduced to the Empress, and was appointed to head the workshops of the Academy of Sciences. In addition to watches, he brought from Nizhny Novgorod to St. Petersburg an electric machine, a microscope and a telescope. All these creations of the "Nizhny Novgorod tradesman" were handed over to the cabinet of curiosities for storage.

With the move to St. Petersburg came the best years in the life of IP Kulibin. Many years of life filled with hard, inconspicuous work were left behind. Ahead opened the way to a new, more interesting business. . It was necessary to work in conditions of constant communication with academicians and other prominent people. However, the lengthy bureaucratic red tape for the registration of the "Nizhny Novgorod townsman" in the position ended only on January 2, 1770, when I.P. Kulibin signed the "condition" - an agreement on his duties in the academic service.

He was supposed to: "have the main supervision over the instrumental, metalwork, turning and over that hollow, where optical instruments, thermometers and barometers are made." He was also obliged: "to clean and repair astronomical and other clocks, telescopes, spotting scopes and other, especially physical instruments from the Commission ( (i.e. from the governing body of the Academy. - ed.)), sent to him". "Condition" also contained a special clause on the indispensable training of I.P. Kulibin workers of academic workshops: "To make an open testimony to academic artists in everything that he himself is skilled in." It was also provided for the preparation of those determined for I P. Kulibin for teaching boys one hundred rubles for each of the students, who "themselves without the help and testimony of the master will be able to make some kind of large instrument, for example, a telescope or a large astronomical tube from 15 to 20 feet, of mediocre kindness ". For the management of the workshops and work in them, they put 350 rubles a year, giving I.P. Kulibin the right to engage in his personal inventions in the afternoon.

So Ivan Petrovich Kulibin became the "St. Petersburg Academician Mechanic".

I. P. Kulibin became the direct successor of the remarkable works of Lomonosov, who did a lot for the development of academic workshops and paid special attention to them until his death in 1765.

IP Kulibin worked at the Academy for thirty years. His works have always been highly appreciated by scientists. A few months after I. P. Kulibin's academic work began, Academician Rumovsky examined the "Gregorian telescope" made by the new mechanic. According to the report of Rumovsky on August 13, 1770, in the minutes of the academic conference they wrote: "... in the discussion of the many great difficulties that occur when making such telescopes, it would be good to encourage the artist Kulibin to continue to make such instruments, because there is no doubt that that he will soon bring them to the perfection to which they are brought in England.

A written review of Kulibin's work, presented by Rumovsky, read: "Ivan Kulibin, the townsman of Nizhny Novgorod, in the discussion of various machines made, in December 1769, on December 23, was admitted to the Academy under a contract and was entrusted with looking over the mechanical laboratory, since that time he is in this position, and not only by correcting it, but also by instruction, taught by an artist, deserves special praise from the Academy.

IP Kulibin personally made and supervised the execution of a very large number of instruments for scientific observations and experiments. Many instruments passed through his hands: "hydrodynamic instruments", "instruments used to make mechanical experiments", optical and acoustic instruments, cooking tools, astrolabes, telescopes, spyglasses, microscopes, "electric banks", solar and other watches, spirit levels, accurate scales and many others. "Instrumental, turning, plumbing, barometric chambers", which worked under the direction of I.P. Kulibin, supplied scientists and all of Russia with a variety of instruments. "Made by Kulibin" - this stamp can be put on a significant number of scientific instruments that were in circulation in Russia at that time.

Numerous instructions compiled by him taught how to handle the most complex instruments, how to get the most accurate readings from them.

"Description of how to keep an electric machine in decent strength" written by I. P. Kulibin is just one of the examples of how he taught the organization of scientific experiments. The "Description" was compiled for academicians doing experimental work on the study of electrical phenomena. Compiled "Description" is simple, clear and strictly scientific. IP Kulibin indicated here all the basic rules for handling the device, troubleshooting methods, and techniques that ensure the most effective operation of the device.

In addition to instructions, I.P. Kulibin also compiled scientific descriptions of instruments, such as: "A description of an astronomical perspective of 6 inches, which magnifies thirty times, and, therefore, will clearly show the Jupiter satellites."

During the performance of various works, IP Kulibin constantly took care of the education of his students and assistants, among whom should be mentioned his Nizhny Novgorod assistant Sherstnevsky, opticians Belyaevs, locksmith Yegorov, Kesarev's closest associate.

I. P. Kulibin created at the Academy an exemplary production of physical and other scientific instruments for that time. A modest Nizhny Novgorod mechanic took one of the first places in the development of Russian instrumentation technology.

In the first years of his stay in St. Petersburg, Ivan Petrovich was engaged in real creativity, especially since brilliant craftsmen like him worked under his leadership: toolmaker Pyotr Kosarev, opticians - the Belyaev family. As from a cornucopia of inventions rained down: new devices and "all sorts of machines that ... are useful in civil and military architecture and in other things."

Here is just a far from complete list of what contemporaries were surprised at: accurate scales, marine compasses, complex achromatic telescopes that replaced simple Gregorian ones, and even an achromatic microscope. Foreigners were simply shocked when they saw these devices. In those days, enlightened Europe did not have tools and devices, for example, for boring and processing the inner surface of cylinders.

However, Ivan Petrovich was not allowed to work properly, since orders from the Empress and courtiers of all stripes sometimes outpaced each other. For Catherine II, Kulibin invented a special elevator that lifted a heavy queen, for Potemkin, a lover of noisy and colorful fireworks, such miracles of pyrotechnics that the founders of this type of fun, the Chinese, could be proud of.

But one should not think that Kulibin was engaged only in trinkets. For example, it was he who helped solve a very important problem of those times: bridges. In the middle of the 18th century, they were little adapted for the passage of ships. And this problem was solved by a self-taught mechanic not only in St. Petersburg, but also in London. And as a generous Russian person from the fee for the "London Bridge" refused: it's enough that all this was done by our Russian talent.

Not everything was so smooth in the relationship between Ivan Petrovich and the courtiers. The same Potemkin slept for many years and saw that he would pull off Kulibin's caftan, force him to shave his beard, and show it in Europe, basking in the rays of his glory. But she found a scythe on a stone - a talented mechanic flatly refused to part with the true attribute of a Russian peasant, and he was in no hurry to put on silks. Potemkin answered in his own way: he began to play dirty tricks at every step, forcing him to evaluate Kulibin's work at mere pennies ...

But Paul I, who came to power after the death of Catherine, treated the master even worse. He tried to erase from the memory of his contemporaries everything that was connected with the name of his mother. And Kulibin was one of the first to realize this. He did not cling to the Academy of Sciences, in which he spent 32 years without any interruption, but collected little things and returned to his homeland, to Nizhny Novgorod.

It was no longer young, but retained a clarity of mind, an accurate eye and a firm hand, a 61-year-old mechanic. He still invented something, however, the scope of the implementation of his new projects became much smaller. Kulibin from his generosity gave inventions to people, and then cunning foreigners will arrange a real hunt for the drawings of the master and appropriate his most high-profile inventions.

Do you want examples? You are welcome! The optical telegraph, invented by Kulibin, will be purchased by the tsarist government from the French 35 years after the event described. Kulibin's three-wheeled scooter crew with a flywheel, a brake, and a gearbox in a hundred years will form the basis of the chassis of Karl Benz's car. The “mechanical leg” he created for an officer who lost a limb during the Ochakov assault will form the basis of the current prostheses. The same applies to the method of rope polygon invented by him, without which there would be no such openwork and very strong modern bridges. And even more - the construction of the famous Beijing stadium "Bird's Nest", where Olympians compete today, is based on the ideas expressed in the 19th century by Kulibin.

But construction equipment, transport, communications, agriculture and other industries also keep remarkable evidence of his work. Widespread fame received the remarkable projects of IP Kulibin in the field of bridge building, far ahead of everything that was known to the world practice of his day.

Project of a wooden bridge across the river. Neva, compiled by I.P. Kulibin in 1776

IP Kulibin drew attention to the inconvenience caused by the absence in his time of permanent bridges across the river. Neva. After several preliminary proposals, in 1776 he developed a project for an arched single-span bridge across the Neva. The length of the arch is 298 meters. The arch was designed from 12,908 wooden elements held together by 49,650 iron bolts and 5,500 iron quadrangular clips.

In 1813, I. P. Kulibin completed the drafting of an iron bridge across the Neva. Petitioning to the name of Emperor Alexander I, he wrote about the beauty and grandeur of St. Petersburg and pointed out: "The only thing missing is the fundamental bridge on the Neva River, without which the inhabitants suffer great inconveniences and difficulties in spring and autumn, and often even death."

The construction of a bridge of three lattice arches resting on four bulls required up to a million poods of iron. For the passage of ships, special movable parts were supposed. Everything was provided for in the project, up to lighting the bridge and protecting it during the ice drift.

The construction of the Kulibin bridge, the project of which amazes even modern engineers with its courage, turned out to be beyond his time.

The famous Russian bridge builder D. I. Zhuravsky, according to prof. A. Ershova ("On the Importance of Mechanical Art in Russia", "Bulletin of Industry", 1859, No. 3), evaluates the model of the Kulibino bridge as follows: "It has the stamp of a 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 diagonal system, which, due to the ignorance of what is being done in Russia, is called American. The Kulibin wooden bridge remains unsurpassed in the field of wooden bridge construction to this day.

Realizing the exceptional importance of fast communication for a country like Russia, with its vast expanses, IP Kulibin began in 1794 the development of a semaphore telegraph project. He solved the problem perfectly and developed, in addition, the original code for transmissions. But only forty years after the invention of I.P. Kulibin, the first optical telegraph lines were built in Russia. By that time, the project of I.P. Kulibin had been forgotten, and the government paid one hundred and twenty thousand rubles for the "secret" brought from France to the less perfect Chateau telegraph.

Just as sad is the fate of another of the great darings of a remarkable innovator who developed a way for ships to move upstream due to the very flow of the river. "Vodokhod" - this was the name of Kulibin's ship, successfully tested in 1782. In 1804, as a result of testing another "vodochod" Kulibin, his ship was officially recognized as "promising great benefits to the state." But the matter did not go further than official recognitions, it all ended with the fact that the ship created by I.P. Kulibin was sold at auction for scrapping. But the projects and the ships themselves were developed both in an original and profitable way, which was proved first of all by the inventor himself in the works he wrote: "Description of the benefits that can be from machine ships on the Volga River, invented by Kulibin", society can be from engine ships on the Volga River, according to approximate calculations, and especially in the reasoning of prices rising against previous years in hiring working people.

Detailed, sober calculations made by I. P. Kulibin characterize him as an outstanding economist. On the other hand, they show in him a man who gave all his strength and thoughts for the benefit of his homeland.

A wonderful patriot who worked with all his passion for his people, he did so many wonderful things that even a simple list of them requires a lot of time and space. In this list, one of the first places should be occupied, in addition to those mentioned, by such inventions: searchlights, a "scooter", that is, a mechanically moving cart, prostheses for the disabled, a seeder, a floating mill, a lifting chair (elevator), etc.

In 1779, "Sankt-Peterburgskiye Vedomosti" wrote about the Kulibino spotlight, which creates a very strong light effect with the help of a special system of mirrors, despite a weak light source (candle). It was reported that Kulibin: “invented the art of making a mirror composed of many parts with a certain special curved line, which, when only a candle is placed in front of it, produces an amazing effect, multiplying the light five hundred times against ordinary candle light, and more, looking at measure of the number of mirror particles contained in it.

The singer of Russian glory G. R. Derzhavin, who called I. P. Kulibin "Archimedes of our days", wrote about a wonderful lantern:

You see, on the poles at night, as 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 a full moon.

In the list of remarkable works of I.P. Kulibin, such inventions as, for example, smokeless fireworks (optical), various machines for entertainment, devices for opening palace windows and other inventions made to meet the requirements of the empress, court and noble persons. Catherine II, Potemkin, Princess Dashkova, Naryshkin and many nobles were his customers.

The original recipe for many amusing fires was given, based on the study of the influence of various substances on the color of the fire. Many new techniques, the most ingenious types of rockets and combinations of amusing fires have been put into practice. The remarkable innovator remained true to himself, even inventing inventions for the entertainment of the court and the nobility.

Inventions of this kind, made by I.P. Kulibin, received the greatest publicity in Tsarist Russia and, moreover, so significant that they to some extent obscured the main works of I.P. Kulibin, which determined the true face of the great innovator. The lights of the palace fireworks, as it were, pushed into the shadows the enormous work of I.P. Kulibin, which benefited the homeland.

Far from everything written by I.P. Kulibin has been preserved, but what has come down to us is very diverse and rich. Some drawings left after I. P. Kulibin about two thousand. Sketches, descriptions of machines, notes, texts, detailed calculations, carefully executed drawings, sketches hastily made on scraps of paper, notes made in black or colored pencil, drawings on fragments of a diary, on the corner of a money account, on a playing card - thousands of other entries and graphic materials of Ivan Petrovich Kulibin show how his creative thought always boiled. It was a true genius of labor, indomitable, passionate, creative.

The best people of that time highly appreciated the talent of IP Kulibin. The famous scientist Leonhard Euler considered him a genius. A story has been preserved about the meeting of Suvorov and Kulibin at a big celebration at Potemkin:

“As soon as Suvorov saw Kulibin at the other end of the hall, he quickly approached him, stopped a few steps away, bowed low and said:

Your Grace!

Then, taking another step closer to Kulibin, he bowed even lower and said:

Your honor!

Finally, coming quite close to Kulibin, he bowed from the waist and added:

Your wisdom is my respect!

Then he took Kulibin by the hand, asked him about his health and, turning to the whole assembly, said:

God have mercy, a lot of mind! He'll invent a flying carpet for us!"

So the immortal Suvorov honored in the person of Ivan Petrovich Kulibin the great creative power of the Russian people.

However, the personal life of a 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 large part of his talent on the work of a court porthole and decorator. Particularly bitter days came for IP Kulibin, when in 1801 he retired and settled in his native Nizhny Novgorod. In fact, he had to live in exile, experiencing a need that grew stronger and stronger, until his death on July 12, 1818. For the funeral of a great figure, his wife had to sell a wall clock and still borrow money.

Monument to Ivan Kulibin in Nizhny Novgorod. Installed next to his grave. Sculptor P. I. Gusev.

The vast majority of Kulibin's inventions, the possibility of using which has been confirmed by our time, were not realized then. Outlandish automata, funny toys, ingenious fireworks for the high-born crowd - only this impressed contemporaries.

A tireless innovator, Kulibin was conservative in his household and habits. He never smoked tobacco or played cards. Wrote poetry. He loved parties, although they only joked and joked, as he was an absolute teetotaler. At court, among the embroidered uniforms of Western cut, Kulibin in a long caftan, high boots and with a broad beard seemed to be a representative of another world. But at balls he responded to ridicule with inexhaustible wit, winning over him with his good-natured talkativeness and inborn dignity in appearance.

Kulibin was married three times, the third time he married a 70-year-old man, and the third wife brought him three daughters. In total, he had 12 children of both sexes. He gave education to all his sons.

Currently, in Russia, the name "Kulibin" has become a household name. This is the name of self-taught masters who have achieved great success in their craft. Kulibins, with a greater or lesser degree of irony, are called lovers of something on their own to alter or improve in machines and mechanisms. The word can also acquire a negative connotation when it comes to the desire of domestic specialists to change something in the existing proven technology, phrases like “keep the Kulibins out” are possible.

sources
http://www.nnov.org
http://nplit.ru/books/item/f00/s00/z0000054/st027.shtml
http://www.peoples.ru/technics/designer/kulibin/

If you don't know what or who this is, then this will be interesting for you to read.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia:

The remarkable self-taught mechanic Ivan Petrovich Kulibin was born on April 10 (April 21, according to the new style), 1735, in the family of a small merchant in the village of Podnovye, Nizhny Novgorod district.

In his youth, Kulibin was fond of studying clockwork. In 1764-1767. with the financial support of the merchant M.A. Kostromin, he created an egg-shaped clock, which was a complex mechanical device, and in 1769 presented it to Empress Catherine II, who appointed Kulibin the head of the mechanical workshops of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Kulibin's duties included "to have the main supervision over the mechanical and optical workshops, so that all works were successfully and decently produced, and to make an undisguised testimony to academic artists in everything that he himself is skilled in." The workshops produced astronomical optical tubes, electrostatic devices, and navigation devices, in the design of which the scientists of the Academy of Sciences participated. While working at the Academy of Sciences, Kulibin designed a "planetary" pocket watch, in which he applied the compensation device of the new system; in addition to hours, minutes and seconds, they showed months, days of the week, seasons, phases of the moon. He also created projects for tower clocks, miniature “clocks in a ring”, etc.

Kulibin developed new methods of polishing glass for the manufacture of microscopes, telescopes and other optical instruments. In the 1770s he designed a wooden single-arch bridge across the Neva with a span of 298 meters (instead of the previously used 50-60-meter spans), suggesting the use of original cross-lattice trusses. In 1776, a 1/10 life-size model of this bridge built by Kulibin was tested by a special academic commission; The project was approved but not implemented.

In 1779, Kulibin designed a lantern (searchlight), which gave a powerful light with a weak source. This invention was used for industrial purposes - for lighting workshops, ships, lighthouses, etc. In 1791, Kulibin made a pedal scooter cart, in which he used a flywheel, brake, gearbox, rolling bearings, and also developed the design of "mechanical legs" (prostheses).

In 1792, Kulibin was accepted as a member of the Free Economic Society. In 1793 he built an elevator that raised the cabin with the help of screw mechanisms, and in 1794 he created an optical telegraph for transmitting conditional signals at a distance. In 1801 Kulibin was dismissed from the Academy of Sciences and returned to Nizhny Novgorod. In 1804, he built a "waterway", on which he began work back in 1782 ("the ship went against the water, with the help of the same water, without any extraneous force"). Kulibin's work on the use of a steam engine for the movement of ships belongs to the same time. He also developed a device for boring and processing the internal surfaces of cylinders, machines for extracting salt, seeders, various milling machines, a water wheel of an original design, etc.

Story:

Nizhny Novgorod "townsman" Ivan Petrovich Kulibin, after several years of hard work, many sleepless nights, built an amazing clock in 1767. "Between the size and shape of a goose's and a duck's egg," they were encased in an intricate gold setting.

The watch was so remarkable that it was accepted as a gift by Empress Catherine II. They not only showed the time, but also chimed the hours, halves and quarters of the hour. In addition, a tiny automatic theater was enclosed in them. At the end of each hour, the folding doors opened, revealing a golden chamber in which a performance was automatically played out. Warriors with spears stood at the "Holy Sepulcher". The front door was blocked with stone. Half a minute after the chamber was opened, an angel appeared, the stone moved away, the doors opened, and the warriors, stricken with fear, fell on their faces. After another half a minute, the “myrrh-bearing women” appeared, the bells rang, the verse “Christ is Risen” was sung three times. Everything calmed down, and the doors closed the chamber so that in an hour the whole action would be repeated again. At noon, the clock played a hymn composed by I.P. Kulibin in honor of the Empress. After that, during the second half of the day, the clock performed a new verse: "Jesus is risen from the tomb." With the help of special arrows, it was possible to call the action of the automatic theater at any time.

Creating the most complex mechanism of the first of his creations, I.P. Kulibin began to work in the very field that the best technicians and scientists of that time were engaged in, up to the great Lomonosov, who paid a lot of attention to the work of creating the most accurate watches. The work of IP Kulibin on the clock was of great importance. As K. Marx pointed out, the clock, together with the mill, were “two material foundations on which the preparatory work for the machine industry was built inside the manufactory ... The clock is the first automatic machine created for practical purposes; they developed the whole theory of the production of uniform motions. By their very nature, they themselves are built on a combination of semi-artistic craft with direct theory” (K. Marx and F. Engels, Soch., vol. XXIII, p. 131).

I. P. Kulibin, having begun his work with the invention of an unprecedented clock, went along one of the great roads of technical thought of that time and took his place among the pioneers who developed precision mechanics in practice.

Ivan Petrovich Kulibin - an outstanding inventor and self-taught mechanic - was born on April 21, 1735 in Nizhny Novgorod, in the family of a small merchant. "Learning from a deacon" is his only education. The father hoped to make a flour merchant out of his son, but the inquisitive young man aspired to study mechanics, where his exceptional abilities manifested themselves very early and in various ways. 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 in a pool, from there it went to a pond, and excess water from the pond was discharged to the outside, turning the pond into a flowing one in which fish could be found.

I. P. Kulibin paid special attention to the work on the clock. They brought him fame. The Nizhny Novgorod watchmaker-inventor and designer became known far beyond the borders of his city. In 1767, he was introduced to Catherine II in Nizhny Novgorod, in 1769 he was summoned to St. Petersburg, again introduced to the Empress, and was appointed to head the workshops of the Academy of Sciences. In addition to watches, he brought from Nizhny Novgorod to St. Petersburg an electric machine, a microscope and a telescope. All these creations of the "Nizhny Novgorod bourgeois" were handed over to the cabinet of curiosities for storage.

With the move to St. Petersburg came the best years in the life of IP Kulibin. Many years of life filled with hard, inconspicuous work were left behind. Ahead opened the way to a new, more interesting business. It was necessary to work in conditions of constant communication with academicians and other prominent people. However, the lengthy clerical red tape for the registration of the "Nizhny Novgorod townsman" in the position ended only on January 2, 1770, when I.P. Kulibin signed the "condition" - an agreement on his duties in the academic service.

He was supposed to: “have the main supervision over the instrumental, metalwork, turning and over that chamber where optical instruments, thermometers and barometers are made.” He was also obliged: “to clean and repair astronomical and other clocks, telescopes, spotting scopes and other, especially physical instruments from the Commission [i.e. from the governing body of the Academy], sent to him. The “Condition” also contained a special clause on the indispensable training by I.P. Kulibin of the workers of academic workshops: “To make an unconcealed testimony to academic artists in everything that he himself is skilled in.” It also provided for the preparation of boys assigned to I.P. Kulibin for teaching one hundred rubles for each of the students, who “themselves without the help and indications of the master will be able to make some kind of large instrument, for example, a telescope or a large astronomical tube from 15 to 20 feet, mediocre goodness." For the management of workshops and work in them, they put 350 rubles a year, giving IP Kulibin the right to engage in his personal inventions in the afternoon.

So Ivan Petrovich Kulibin became the "St. Petersburg Academy of mechanics."

I. P. Kulibin became the direct successor of the remarkable works of Lomonosov, who did a lot for the development of academic workshops and paid special attention to them until his death in 1765.

I.P. Kulibin worked at the Academy for thirty years. His works have always been highly appreciated by scientists. A few months after I.P. Kulibin's academic work began, Academician Rumovsky examined the "Gregorian telescope" made by the new mechanic. According to the report of Rumovsky on August 13, 1770, in the minutes of the academic conference they wrote: “... in discussing the many great difficulties that occur when making such telescopes, it would be good to encourage the artist Kulibin to continue to make such instruments, because there is no doubt that that he will soon bring them to the perfection to which they are brought in England.

A written review of Kulibin’s work, presented by Rumovsky, read: “Ivan Kulibin, the townsman of Nizhny Novgorod, in the discussion of various machines made, in December 1769, on December 23, was admitted to the Academy under a contract and was entrusted with looking over a mechanical laboratory, since that time he is in this position, and not only by correcting it, but also by instruction, taught by an artist, deserves special praise from the Academy.

IP Kulibin personally made and supervised the execution of a very large number of instruments for scientific observations and experiments. Many instruments passed through his hands: “hydrodynamic instruments”, “instruments used to make mechanical experiments”, optical and acoustic instruments, cooking tools, astrolabes, telescopes, spyglasses, microscopes, “electric banks”, sun and other watches, spirit levels, precision scales and many others, the “Instrumental Turning, Locksmith, Barometric Chamber”, which worked under the guidance of I.P. Kulibin, supplied scientists and all of Russia with a variety of instruments. "Made by Kulibin" - this stamp can be put on a significant number of scientific instruments that were in circulation in Russia at that time.

Numerous instructions compiled by him taught how to handle the most complex instruments, how to get the most accurate readings from them.

“The description of how to maintain an electric machine in decent strength,” written by I. P. Kulibin, is just one example of how he taught the organization of scientific experiments. The "Description" was compiled for academicians doing experimental work on the study of electrical phenomena. Compiled "Description" is simple, clear and strictly scientific. IP Kulibin indicated here all the basic rules for handling the device, troubleshooting methods, and techniques that ensure the most effective operation of the device.

In addition to instructions, I.P. Kulibin also compiled scientific descriptions of instruments, such as: “A description of an astronomical perspective of 6 inches, which magnifies thirty times, and, therefore, will clearly show the Jupiter satellites.”

I. P. Kulibin created at the Academy an exemplary production of physical and other scientific instruments for that time, a modest Nizhny Novgorod mechanic became one of the first places in the development of Russian instrumentation technology.

But construction equipment, transport, communications, agriculture and other industries also keep remarkable evidence of his work. The remarkable projects of I. P. Kulibin in the field of bridge building were widely known, far ahead of everything that was known to the world practice of his day.

In 1813, I. P. Kulibin completed the drafting of an iron bridge across the Neva. Petitioning to the name of Emperor Alexander I, he wrote about the beauty and grandeur of St. Petersburg and pointed out: “The only thing missing is the fundamental bridge on the Neva River, without which the inhabitants suffer great inconveniences and difficulties in spring and autumn, and often even death.”

The construction of the Kulibin bridge, the project of which amazes even modern engineers with its courage, turned out to be beyond his time.

The famous Russian bridge builder D. I. Zhuravsky, according to prof. A. Ershova (“On the Significance of Mechanical Art in Russia”, “Bulletin of Industry”, 1859, No. 3), assesses the model of the Kulibino bridge as follows: “It bears the stamp of a genius; it is built on a system recognized by modern science as the most rational; the bridge is supported by an arch, its bending is prevented by a diagonal system, which, due to the uncertainty of what is being done in Russia, is called American.

The Kulibin wooden bridge remains unsurpassed in the field of wooden bridge construction to this day.

Realizing the exceptional importance of fast communication for a country like Russia, with its vast expanses, IP Kulibin began in 1794 the development of a semaphore telegraph project. He solved the problem perfectly and developed, in addition, the original code for transmissions. But only forty years after the invention of I.P. Kulibin, the first optical telegraph lines were built in Russia. By that time, the project of I.P. Kulibin had been forgotten, and the government paid one hundred and twenty thousand rubles for the “secret” brought from France to the less advanced Chateau telegraph.

Just as sad is the fate of another of the great darings of a remarkable innovator who developed a way for ships to move upstream due to the very flow of the river. "Vodokhod" - this was the name of Kulibin's ship, successfully tested in 1782. In 1804, as a result of testing another "vodochod" Kulibin, his ship was officially recognized as "promising great benefits to the state." But the matter did not go further than official recognitions, it all ended with the fact that the ship created by I.P. Kulibin was sold at auction for scrapping. But the projects and the ships themselves were developed both in an original and profitable way, which was proved first of all by the inventor himself in the works he wrote: “Description of the benefits that can be from machine ships on the Volga River invented by Kulibin”, “Description of what is the use of the treasury and society can be from machine ships on the river. Volga, according to approximate calculation, and especially in the reasoning of prices rising against previous years in hiring working people.

Detailed, sober calculations made by I.P. Kulibin characterize him as an outstanding economist, on the other hand, they show in him a person who gave all his strength and thoughts for the benefit of his homeland.

A wonderful patriot who worked with all his passion for his people, he did so many wonderful things that even a simple list of them requires a lot of time and space. In this list, one of the first places should be occupied, in addition to those mentioned, by such inventions: searchlights, a “scooter”, that is, a mechanically moving cart, prostheses for the disabled, a seeder, a floating mill, a lifting chair (elevator), etc.

In 1779, St. Petersburg Vedomosti wrote about the Kulibino searchlight lamp, which, using a special system of mirrors, creates a very strong light effect despite a weak light source (candle). It was reported that Kulibin: “invented the art of making a mirror composite of many parts with a certain special curved line, which, when only a candle is placed in front of it, produces an amazing effect, multiplying the light five hundred times against ordinary candle light, and more, looking at measure of the number of mirror particles contained in it.

The singer of Russian glory G. R. Derzhavin, who called I. P. Kulibin “Archimedes of our days,” wrote about the remarkable lantern:

Fulfilling orders for inventions of this kind, I. P. Kulibin acted as a researcher here too. He had many times to arrange fireworks for the empress and dignitaries. The result was Kulibin's whole treatise "On Fireworks". He wrote his work thoroughly and accurately, containing sections: “On white fire”, “On green fire”, “On rocket explosion”, “On flowers”, “On sunbeams”, “On stars” and others. IP Kulibin showed an inexhaustible invention. The original recipe for many amusing fires was given, based on the study of the influence of various substances on the color of the fire. Many new technical methods were proposed, the most ingenious types of rockets and combinations of amusing lights were put into practice. The remarkable innovator remained true to himself, even inventing inventions for the entertainment of the court and the nobility.

Far from everything written by I.P. Kulibin has been preserved, but what has come down to us is very diverse and rich. Some drawings left after I. I. Kulibin about two thousand. Sketches, descriptions of machines, notes, texts, detailed calculations, carefully executed drawings, sketches hastily made on scraps of paper, notes made in black or colored pencil, drawings on fragments of a diary, on the corner of a money account, on a playing card - thousands of other entries and graphic materials of Ivan Petrovich Kulibin show how his creative thought always boiled. It was a true genius of labor, indomitable, passionate, creative.

The best people of that time highly appreciated the talent of IP Kulibin.

The famous scientist Leonhard Euler considered him a genius. A story has been preserved about the meeting of Suvorov and Kulibin at a big celebration at Potemkin:

So the immortal Suvorov honored in the person of Ivan Petrovich Kulibin the great creative power of the Russian people.

However, the personal life of a 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 large part of his talent on the work of a court porthole and decorator. Particularly bitter days came for I. Ts. Kulibin, when in 1801 he retired and settled in his native Nizhny Novgorod. In fact, he had to live in exile, experiencing a need that grew stronger and stronger, until his death on July 12, 1818.

For the funeral of a great figure, his wife had to sell the wall clock and also borrow money.

About I.P. Kulibino:

Svinin P., Life of the Russian mechanic Kulibin and his inventions, St. Petersburg, 1819;
Melnikov P. I., Ivan Petrovich Kulibin, Nizhny Novgorod Provincial Gazette, 1845, No. 11-26;
Kulibin S., Obituary of the glorious Russian mechanic Kulibin, Inventions and some anecdotes collected by state councilor Kulibin, Muscovite, 1854, vol. VI, No. 22;
Korolenko V. G., Materials for the biography of Ivan Petrovich Kulibin, “Actions of the Nizhny Novgorod provincial scientific archival commission”, Nizhny Novgorod, 1895, vol. II, issue. fifteen;
Kochin N.I., Kulibin, ed. "Young Guard", 1940 (the best of the Soviet works on Kulibin. A bibliography and a list of Kulibin's works are given).

Source: "People of Russian Science: Essays on Outstanding Figures in Natural Science and Technology" / Ed. S.I. Vavilov. - M., L.: State. publishing house of technical and theoretical literature. - 1948.

Technics:

Nadezhda Maksimova

Perpetual motion machine Ivan Kulibin

Describing Ivan Petrovich Kulibin, the Encyclopedia of Cyril and Methodius (KM) states with restraint: “Russian self-taught mechanic (1735-1818). Invented many different mechanisms. Improved glass polishing for optical instruments. He developed a project and built a model of a single-arch bridge across the river. Neva with a span of 298 m. He created a “mirror lantern” (prototype of a searchlight), a semaphore telegraph and many others.

When reading this paragraph, an unprepared person gets the feeling that Kulibin was still a pretty decent inventor (over there, he also has a lantern, and a semaphore, and even “many others”). But on the other hand, just a mechanic (like a locksmith), and even self-taught.

You can’t put next to a highly learned European of the Renaissance.

Therefore, breaking the tradition of writing essays and scientific articles devoted to some personalities, I will start not with biographical data, but with a riddle.

So, it is known that Ivan Kulibin, who was born on the Volga and from childhood saw the hard work of barge haulers, invented a self-propelled barge. Which (attention!) She went against the flow of the river, using the very (you won’t believe it!) The flow of the river as a driving force.

Yes, it's not a mistake or a typo. Kulibin really created a barge that, using only the force of the current, went ... against the current.

It seems incredible. Impossible. Contradicts the basic laws of physics.

Judge for yourself: even if you achieve that a heavy barge has a zero coefficient of friction on the water (which is impossible!), then the ship would at best remain in place. It would not drift downstream to the lower reaches of the river.

And then the barge was under its own power UP.

It's just some kind of perpetual motion machine!

The Paris Academy of Sciences would refuse to consider such a project, because it is impossible, because it is never possible!

But Kulibin did not provide a project, but a real barge. Which, with a large crowd of people, was indeed launched and ACTUALLY, in front of everyone, went against the current, without using any external forces.

Miracle? No, reality.

And now that you know this, try for yourself (after all, we are residents of the 21st century, armed with knowledge and favored by technical progress) to figure out how a self-taught mechanic (!) Of the 18th century achieved such an amazing effect using the simplest and most accessible materials.

While you're thinking, to sharpen your thought processes, here are a few fundamental principles of invention. Developed, of course, in the XXI century.

So,
A technical solution is considered ideal if the desired effect is achieved "for nothing", without the use of any means.

A technical device is considered ideal when there is no device, but the action that it should do is being performed.

The way in which the technical solution is carried out is ideal when there is no energy and time consumption, but the required action is carried out, moreover, in a regulated manner. That is, as much as you need and only when you need it.

And finally: The substance used in the technical solution is considered ideal when the substance itself is not present, but its function is performed in full.

Don't you think that the village-bearded man-bast-worker, or rather the self-taught mechanic Ivan Kulibin was able to find exactly IDEAL solutions? Impossible from the point of view of the Paris Academy of Sciences?

Alexandre Dumas' book The Count of Monte Cristo vividly depicts how the titular character intercepted and distorted information transmitted by semaphore telegraph from the Spanish theater of operations to Paris. The result was the collapse of the stock exchange and the grandiose ruin of one of the most powerful bankers - the enemies of the count.

Nothing surprising. Whoever owns the information owns the world.

I would only like to emphasize that this same semaphore telegraph was invented by Ivan Petrovich Kulibin.

Now about the spotlight.

Let's not forget that by the grace of Her Imperial Majesty Catherine II, the son of the Nizhny Novgorod Old Believer merchant Ivan Kulibin was called to the capital and there, for 32 years (from 1769 to 1801), he was in charge of the mechanical workshops of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Petersburg is a nautical city. So, the supply of light signals in it is extremely important. There are beacons that orient ships and protect them from running aground, and transmit information from ship to ship...

Until the era of Kulibin, ships used multi-colored pennants raised on masts and a hand-held semaphore (a dashing sailor with flags) to transmit signals. It is clear that it was possible to see this beauty only during the day. Fires were lit at the lighthouses at night.

But on a wooden ship, open fire is too dangerous, so at sea, only a candle or a wick floating in a bowl of oil could be used for lighting. It is clear that the power of light from such sources is low and is not suitable for transmitting signals over any decent distance. So at night the ships plunged into darkness and informational silence.

Having studied the problem, the self-taught mechanic Kulibin in 1779 designed his famous lantern with a reflector, which gave powerful light with a weak source. The importance of such a searchlight in a port city can hardly be overestimated.

Victor Karpenko in his book "Mechanic Kulibin" (N. Novgorod, publishing house "BIKAR", 2007) describes the event as follows:

“Somehow, on a dark autumn night, a fireball appeared on Vasilyevsky Island. It illuminated not only the street, but also the Promenade des Anglais. Crowds of people rushed into the light, making prayers.

It soon became clear that it was a lantern that was hung by the famous mechanic Kulibin from the window of his apartment, which was located on the fourth floor of the Academy.”

The lanterns were in great demand, but Kulibin was a bad businessman and the orders went to other craftsmen who made more than one fortune on this.

Automobile

Leonardo da Vinci is considered to be the first inventor of the wheelchair in history. True, the Florentine used it for military purposes and, as they now say, was the prototype of the modern tank.

The device, protected on all sides by “armor” made of wood (modern bullets and shells were not known in the Middle Ages), moved due to the muscular strength of several people who sat inside and rotated the levers. (Like a crooked starter).

Alas, having studied the drawings of Leonardo, modern experts evaluated the invention as follows:

David Fletcher, British tank historian:

Yes, at first it seems that nothing will come of it. There must be people inside, turning the handles so that the wheels turn and the colossus moves from its place, God knows how heavy. I would say that it is physically almost impossible.

In order for this to move, you need a battlefield as flat as a table. Stone - and it will stop. Mole hole - and again stop. The enemy will die of laughter before this thing reaches him.

But this is only at first sight. From the second - the soldiers (!) of the British army noticed that there was a fundamental error in the drawing.

The gears on the wheels are in the wrong place,” said one of those who were put inside the Leonard tank and forced to turn the handles. - With this device, the front wheel spins backwards, and the rear wheel forwards. So this needs to be fixed - rearrange the gears. Then both wheels will simultaneously move in the same direction.

As you can see, Leonardo's invention contained fundamental design flaws. Moreover, even after their elimination, the mechanism could only be used in laboratory conditions on a perfectly flat surface, which cannot be found in real life.

Now let's look at the inventions of Ivan Kulibin.

The Polytechnic Museum of Moscow has several smaller copies of a self-propelled carriage. Those (not copies, but real products) were made in the mechanical workshops of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, which were led by Kulibin, and were quite widely used for aristocratic walks.

Museum staff emphasize that the Kulibin self-running cart had all the parts of a modern car: a gearbox, a brake, a cardan mechanism, a steering wheel, rolling bearings ... The only similarity with Leonard's invention is that this design was set in motion also due to human muscles. The driver pedaled with his feet, his efforts spun the heavy flywheel ... and after a short period of time, the bicycle carriage, which had an enviable carrying capacity, could develop a decent speed. The driver was only required to firmly hold the steering wheel and keep the flywheel in constant rotation.

Bridges

Da Vinci, settling under the patronage of the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza, Leonardo positioned himself as a military engineer.

“I can create light strong bridges,” he said, “that will be easy to transport during the pursuit. Or, God forbid, fleeing from the enemy. I also came up with a method of besieging castles, in which the first thing is to drain the moat with water.

And the duke accepted him into service. However, as a sane person (encyclopedias report that under him “Milan became one of the strongest states in Italy, the center of science and art”), he instructed the new employee not to build bridges of a new design, but something much more modest. He entrusted Leonardo (Can you drain? - Drain!) to drain the Duchess's bathroom.

Encyclopedia KM says:

“In the 1770s. Kulibin designed a wooden single-arch bridge across the Neva with a span of 298 m (instead of 50-60 m, as was built at that time). In 1766 he built a 1/10 life-size model of this bridge. It was tested by a special academic commission. The project was highly appreciated by the mathematician L. Euler, who checked the correctness of his theoretical formulas using the Kulibin model.”

It is very interesting to mention that the famous Euler did not carry out calculations for a self-taught Russian, but checked HIS calculations using his model. He was a smart man, he understood that "practice is the criterion of truth."

Question: why, in fact, did Kulibin need to invent a bridge of such an unusual shape? Thank God, there are many bridge designs from ancient times ...

The fact is that St. Petersburg is a large port. And to this day it accepts ships of large tonnage and displacement. In order for these huge ships to enter the city, the main bridges of St. Petersburg were made drawbridges.

And the single-arch bridge that Kulibin proposed seemed to hover over the Neva, touching the ground at only two points - on the right and left banks.

IT WOULD NOT NEED TO BE BREEDED!

Kulibin's bridges, if their project were adopted, would allow ocean-going ships to enter the port not only at night, but at any time of the day! And no costs for maintenance and repair of adjustable mechanisms.

The ideal solution (see above).

Clock

It is well known that Ivan Kulibin's metropolitan career began with the fact that during the visit of Empress Catherine II to Nizhny Novgorod, she was presented with a watch made by the master. They were the size of a goose egg and contained (in addition to the clock itself) nothing less than an automatic theater, a music box and the mechanism that controlled it all. In total, the “egg figure”, which is now a pearl in the Hermitage collection, contains 427 details.

Here is how this amazing watch is described in Viktor Karpenko's book:

“They beat every hour, half and even a quarter of an hour. At the end of the hour, the folding doors in the egg opened, revealing a gilded chamber. Opposite the doors stood an image of the Holy Sepulcher, into which a closed door led.

On the sides of the coffin stood two warriors with spears. Half a minute after the doors of the chamber were opened, an angel appeared. The door leading to the coffin opened, and standing warriors fell to their knees. The myrrh-bearing women appeared and the church verse “Christ is Risen!”, Accompanied by ringing, was heard, performed three times.

In the afternoon, another verse was sung every hour: "Jesus is risen from the tomb." At noon, the clock played a hymn composed by Kulibin himself. Figurines of angels, warriors and myrrh-bearing women were cast in gold and silver.”

The clocks created by Kulibin are stored in the storerooms of the Hermitage, and in order to see them, you need to make special efforts (negotiate, issue a pass, etc.). The famous "Peacock Clock" made in Europe and exhibited in one of the halls of the Hermitage is much more accessible.

This is a truly grandiose building, which, even in the spacious Hermitage, occupies a significant part of the premises allocated to it.

Of course, like everything made in Europe, the Peacock watch is a fashionable entertaining toy and, at the same time, a work of art. In the life-sized "wonderful garden", a peacock, a rooster, an owl in a cage and squirrels are located on the gilded oak branches. When winding special mechanisms, the figures of birds come into motion. The owl turns its head, the peacock spreads its tail and turns to the audience with its most beautiful part (that is, the rear), the rooster crows.

In addition to all the bells and whistles, there is also a dial (in a mushroom cap), looking at which you can, without any frills, purely humanly find out what time it is.

The clock was purchased by Prince Potemkin from the English Duchess of Kingston, who in 1777 sailed to St. Petersburg on her own ship with a cargo of art treasures taken from England.

The clock had only one drawback: the duchess took it out of London disassembled and, for more than ten years, it lay in the pantry, losing its parts and details. For example, out of 55 faceted crystals lying on the base of the clock, only one survived by 1791.

His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin-Tavrichesky, who spent a lot of money on the curiosity, called on Kulibin and asked him to "revive the poor birds."

The clock is still running.

Kulibin created a variety of watches of various designs: pocket, daily, ring, harp watches...

But I want to talk about just one more. In 1853, a note appeared in the Moskvityanin magazine, signed by a certain P.N. Obninskiy. He reported that he had a clock created by Kulibin in his house, and asked to send a commission for examination.

What was so interesting about this device?

First, the clock was astronomical. That is, they showed the course of the planets, eclipses of the Moon and the Sun. In addition, the clock indicated the date (day, month), and a special hand marked leap years.

Secondly, on the minute hand, a small clock was arranged, the size of a dime, which, having no connection with the general mechanism of the clock and having no winding, nevertheless shows the time very correctly.

In fact, here we are again faced with the "perpetual motion machine" invented by Kulibin.

In fact, no springs, no weights, no visible source of energy ... And the hand moves and shows the time very correctly. Miracle!

The secret is that Kulibin knew physics, perhaps better than the French Academy of Sciences.

Indeed, according to the law of conservation of energy, "perpetual motion" is impossible. Because in a closed system, energy does not arise from nothing, and does not disappear into nowhere. But who forces us to stay in a CLOSED SYSTEM?

Hence the clue. On the small (in a dime) clock, located on the minute hand of the astronomical clock, there was a system of counterweights. The minute hand moves under the influence of the clock mechanism. At the same time, its position in the gravitational field changes. Accordingly, the position of the center of gravity in the "small" watches changes, and due to this they go. Gravity Drive!

Approximately the same problem is solved with a barge moving against the current due to the force of the current.

In a closed system, such movement would be impossible. But why close?

The secret is so simple that it's even funny:

An anchor is taken and brought forward on the boat, where it is hooked securely. The anchor chain (rope) wraps its other end around the propeller shaft on the ship. Two paddle wheels are attached to the propeller shaft (everything, like on a paddle steamer).

The current presses on the blades of the wheels, they come into rotation, and the rope is wound on the propeller shaft. The ship begins to move against the current.

The ship was tested for several days in a row. The cargo was 8500 pounds of sand.

It is interesting to note that Kulibin's "navigable machine ship" was the prototype of the tuer system introduced in Russia in the 60s of the 19th century. Tuer was a steam ship. It had an iron hull and moved forward, choosing a chain laid on the bottom of the river.

Kulibin lived for 83 years, and continued to work until the very end.

“For more than forty years I have been engaged in the search for a self-propelled machine, I practiced doing experiments on it in secret, because many scientists consider this invention to be impossible, they even laugh and swear at those who practice that research,” Ivan Petrovich wrote to Arshenevsky in 1817 year.

Or maybe you would? A little bit was not enough. Attention, money, effort, time...

No, by inventing a "perpetual motion machine", the impossibility of which was proved by Leonardo da Vinci, Ivan Petrovich Kulibin did not refute the laws of physics. He just knew them a little better...

Literature:

Stanislav Rapnitsky

Kulibin and the dark time

Ivan Petrovich Kulibin, as you know, was a craftsman. And mastered that without hitting. Either a clock indicating the phases of the moon, or a scooter cart, or a steam locomotive, or even just a lantern. Dark people, and academicians too, were afraid of his inventions and disliked the craftsman himself. But Kulibin was unstoppable. He really wanted mechanisms to work for people, and people worked to buy these mechanisms! The man was golden! Head!

Ivan Petrovich Kulibin was also an academician. But not for long. Neither extensive knowledge nor simple bribes could solve the issue of his expulsion from the academy. Either the people were evil, or Kulibin was not too inventive, but he could not get a job in life! So they drove him from everywhere. But they could simply sell abroad for the collapse of foreign technology and economic life! What people were thinking then - I can't imagine!

When Ivan Petrovich Kulibin was still an academician, he did not miss a single academic meeting. He will come that way, sit in an armchair, put his feet on the table and crunch bagels, and drink sweet tea. And puffs so loudly: pffff! This, of course, interfered with other academicians. And often academics gave him a "dark": they would cover him with a jacket and bludgeon him - some with a ruler, some with a small scope, and some with an astrolabe. Soon everyone got so used to it that sometimes meetings were held specifically for this ceremony. These academicians are carried away by the people! Easy to taste!

This tradition, by the way, was later adopted by leading companies. And today you can see how fun and carefree at meetings everyone attacks a colleague. And it all started with whom? - From Kulibin, of course!

Kulibin did not like students and graduate students. And if he meets such a person in the corridor, he will grab him by the ear and twist, twist! And he himself says: got caught, scoundrel! Once, one professor's ear was torn off. Wrong. Or wanted to be thought wrong. Was the smartest person! And inventive!

By the way, when Kulibin was fired from the academy for a systematic violation of discipline, students and graduate students stood up for him. Well, the academy lacked a tough hand!

When Kulibin invented the steam-powered cart, everyone was delighted at first. Encouraged, Ivan Petrovich immediately began to roll influential people around St. Petersburg and even encroached on the imperial family. Good thing the wagon exploded before that! Otherwise, Kulibin would have been accused of treason and shot as a dissident! By the way, Ivan Petrovich himself was not injured in the explosion: the catapult went off. The rest got off with minor injuries: Kutuzov was left without an eye, and Dostoevsky became an idiot. Although regarding Dostoevsky, they say, he had previously contracted idiocy in a cheap cafe from a German guest worker. But, I think, nevertheless, this version belongs to Kulibin himself.

Kulibin invented a lantern and put it on the street to illuminate the night Petersburg. But either the residents did not like the lantern, or the time was so dark, and the lantern was broken all the time. Kulibin is already worn out to repair it! Even on duty at the lantern at night! But as soon as he turns away - bang! - the lantern is broken, and Ivan Petrovich himself is already being robbed! Kulibin spent half a fortune on this undertaking. And nothing! Still, there was strong resistance to progress in Russia! Our compatriots love to oppose innovations that way! But it is understandable: change is change, but people need to live somehow!

Once Ivan Petrovich invented such a special wallet in which money never ends. And went to the store. And there is noise, a crush at the cashier. So they pulled an invention out of his pocket! And the offender went to Siberia and privatized it all! The name was Demidov. And so it goes: one invents, the other uses. This principle, by the way, was then well mastered by the owner of Microsoft.

If it seems to someone that Kulibin's life was full of various fiascos, then I will object. Ivan Petrovich was born in a vast and rich country, received an excellent education and an idea of manners. It’s really not easy for the current talent: none of the above is in his life. There are, of course, exceptions. But rarely. Mainly in show business. On the other hand, what kind of inventions are now! Everything has already been invented, just use it if you have money. But there is no money!

Once Ivan Petrovich was giving a lecture on the electric field and steam traction. And take one graduate student and ask: Mr. Kulibin, what is the charge of an electron? Ivan Petrovich then became very nervous and unscrewed both ears of the graduate student at once! He began to hear badly and gave up science. But he took up music and composed so much of it that the conservatory still cannot cope with it! The surname of the graduate student is Beethoven. He came to Russia for a cultural exchange from Vienna. You see, again - show business! Well, the inventor does not have a future, but the pop musician does. So leave the academy! What's the point in them? - one lighthouse! Another thing is real popularity: money, fame ... Well, unless your ears are unscrewed!

Kulibin liked to listen to the work of various mechanisms. He will stand by the steam boiler and listen, listen. Even rolls his eyes! And sometimes he puts several different units in a row - and conducts. So there was a fashionable direction in music - house and techno. Ivan Petrovich collected large audiences! All young people are students and graduate students. Mandatory. Truants - excluded.

Ivan Petrovich loved colloquial expressions. Especially "figs". They give him another topic for research, and he replies: "What the heck!" - Op! A whole dissertation is ready in two days. Well, it’s true, different words also slip through the dissertation. So it's annoying to read. Judge for yourself: "Figley write here: the steam engine runs on steam. What for you load the genius with all sorts of garbage! You take a barrel, poured water, damn it, kindled the fire - here's the steam engine for you! Figli is here to explore!" And further in the same way.

As a great music lover, Kulibin once made such a mini-theatre: music plays inside, and mechanical figures dance outside. Well, he was too lazy to go to theaters! At the academy, he even created a drama circle, where students and graduate students played in plays. For this, Ivan Petrovich fell in love again and changed their minds about dismissing him from the academy. So far, he has not staged the rock opera "At the Bottom" in this circle. Bitter, of course, a classic, but no one could allow frivolous treatment of classics! Well, they gave Kulibin a severe reprimand! "A figly!" - said the inventor and went to build a hyperboloid. A big fire happened then in St. Petersburg! Don't tie your hands to talent!

Kulibin once read science fiction and built a steam-powered robot. This robot brewed coffee in the morning, cut the bushes, and solved arithmetic problems. Only now he consumed firewood - well, just an unthinkable amount. An entire forest could be consumed in one day! He even chopped firewood himself or stole from neighbors at night. Not a robot, but some kind of abyss! This story ended as usual: the neighbors filled the robot with logs in such a way that it barely crawled to the house. And after the incident, he was only good for chopping nuts. And even then, it was possible to get by with one robotic head. But the neighbors did not touch Ivan Petrovich himself. Wrote an anonymous letter at the place of work - and all for a short time! It was then that Kulibin was finally fired from the academy. And then they only threatened!

By the way, the first coffee maker was invented by the same Kulibin. Ivan Petrovich in his own person. Only at first it was not a coffee maker, but a concrete mixer. For road works. This means that this experimental concrete mixer is working, cracking, banging. Noise, in general, unimaginable! Well, the merchants, of course, jumped out of the shops - and let's throw the car along with the inventor with whatever came to hand! One of the merchants tried so hard that a whole pood of coffee hit the very vent. And a second has not passed - and the coffee is ground and brewed. And most importantly, the powder is so fine, so high quality! Immediately orders fell on the car, the merchants were quick-witted, unlike the academics! One thing is bad: Ivan Petrovich suffered a lot with his head after this incident. The merchants were still not only quick-witted, but also well-aimed!

When Ivan Petrovich started having migraines, he turned to leading specialists. Specialists took tests from the genius, conducted research and - nothing! The cause of the disease is in the disease itself. They prescribed patches and harmless pills for him, and sent him home. Kulibin covered himself with plasters at home, took all the pills at once and is waiting for improvement. Been waiting like this for a month. Then he realized that they had laughed at him, and invented a dental drill in retaliation. Since then, the public does not like doctors and does not trust medicine. Especially in the field of dentistry.

Kulibin became famous for many more inventions. You can't list everything. For example, once he made such a string bag that can easily fit in your pocket, but unfolds into a huge suitcase. The size of a carriage. Ivan Petrovich went to the market. Well, of course, I bought everything there. And puts it in a new string bag. And everything fit in it, and there is still room left. Kulibin then began to buy more food, and in the end he even stuffed the seller into a shopping bag. And the place in the string bag is again left! So he bought everything in the market until the evening, until the money ran out. But the place remains! Then nobody understood anything, but modern science calls such phenomena a black hole. That's what a creative genius is capable of! Although the string bag was not black, but, on the contrary, green.

Kulibin began to study his miracle shopping bag and found that the products were placed in it, but they did not return back. He was already shaking it, and turning it outward: they don’t return, even if you crack! Then he went to the academy and caught in a string bag a dozen or two graduate students and even a couple of professors. Then Ivan Petrovich repeated his experience more than once. And there was nothing to fire a genius from the academy! The troubled times have begun! - there are fewer inquisitive minds, Russia has begun to lag far behind. And from the string bag, by the way, he finally shook out something! Lenin! Yes, the same one! From here new story and started.

Many people know about the outstanding Russian engineer Ivan Petrovich Kulibin. And especially enterprising inventors more than once had to hear his last name addressed to them: “You are like Kulibin!” However, few people know that out of a dozen developments by I.P. Kulibin patented only a few. And the world now knows that the architect Town built a heavy-duty bridge structure, but that Kulibin invented it - he does not know.

The identity of the inventor

Ivan Petrovich was born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1735. Surprisingly, there were no scientists in his family, and therefore the abilities of a self-taught mechanic can rightfully be called an outstanding talent!

Ivan's family existed at the expense of petty trade: his father was an entrepreneur and an Old Believer, and his mother was engaged in housekeeping and helped to keep accounts.

From an early age, the boy felt great sympathy for engineering structures and various kinds of inventions, which at that time were not so many in the villages. But the young man, passionate for science, did not want to keep accounting books and went as an apprentice to a fellow villager, to study locksmithing, turning and watchmaking.

Having gained experience, Kulibin makes his first watch, which has no analogues in the world to this day. The tiny invention served as a striking clock, as well as a music box and a miniature theater. Catherine II herself could not resist the work of art of the Nizhny Novgorod master - he gave her a watch, and she invited Kulibin to work.

In 1769, Ivan Petrovich received a place at the Academy of Sciences, and from that day on he served faithfully for the good of Russian science.

However, only a few inventions received a patent and rightfully belonged to the master. Most of the drawings and layouts remained unfulfilled dreams of the engineer.

Consider a few things that Kulibin invented, but never patented.

vane water engine

In the 18th century, hired barge labor was one of the most common ways to move ships against the flow of rivers, as well as in shallow water.

Ivan Petrovich decided to save people from torment and introduce an engineering novelty into the shipping business - a vane engine. The principle of its operation was based on the technique of moving ships with the help of anchors and ropes - a vessel was pulled to the anchor dropped far ahead with the help of a rope. And while the ship “went” to one cargo, the other was thrown further - and so on in turn.

Kulibin improved the system. Now, instead of hired workers, the engine (it was 2 wheels with blades) was supposed to pull the ship to the rope with the help of water energy. It would seem that a simple and reliable design that will save hundreds of barge haulers and hundreds of money for entrepreneurs. However, even after successful tests to move a ship with 65 tons of sand, production funding was never made.

Unfortunately, this is not the only thing that Ivan Petrovich Kulibin invented, but he could not arrange production.

Elevator for the Empress

The aging Catherine II had difficulty moving around the apartments of the Winter Palace. Therefore, Kulibin was given an important assignment - to come up with an elevator for the Empress herself.

The winch lift did not meet the main condition: it was strictly forbidden to attach ropes to the ceiling of the Palace. The resourceful scientist came up with a different mechanism, similar to the work of an office chair or tightening a nut: the servant turned the handle, and the self-tapping screw, rotating in the sleeve, raised and lowered the chair. Unfortunately, the mechanical elevator has not survived to this day. After the death of Catherine II, as unnecessary, it was bricked up, and Kulibin never got the right to authorship for its development. He became another subject that Kulibin invented, but he could not consider his brainchild.

Bridge

If the far-sightedness of Catherine II had not let her down that time, then she would rightfully be considered the founder of the bridge business in St. Petersburg.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Ivan Petrovich developed an extremely stable construction of a single-span bridge. He worked on his invention for 30 years! Despite the lack of necessary knowledge in mathematics and physics, he, without knowing it, discovered new laws in a practical way. A huge advantage of the bridge was the fact that ships could pass under it without sawing off their matches.

The great Euler, checking the drawings of the master, was surprised by the absence of miscalculations and errors in them. Potemkin himself allocated money for the construction of a model bridge, but the sponsorship ended there.

And 30 years later, Town became the famous architect of the bridge, and not I.P. Kulibin, who invented this bridge.

"Grandfather" of the car

Among other things, Ivan Petrovich invented a self-propelled carriage. In appearance, it was very similar to a car, but the principle of operation was different. The stroller could be safely called a hybrid of a bicycle and a wagon, since it was powered by a person by pressing the pedals. The invention served as a toy for the nobility for some time, but she never had the desire to sponsor its production. The drawings of the "grandfather of the car" have sunk into oblivion before reaching our days.

Do not confuse the stroller invented by Kulibin and Shamshurenkov's bike crew. His invention was much larger and more interesting: there was enough space for two, and in winter the bicycle crew turned into a sled. I would like to note an interesting similarity: no one was engaged in the production of Leonty Shamshurenkov's development, and the drawings of his invention were lost.

First prosthesis

At the beginning of the 19th century, Kulibin introduced "know-how" to the employees of the Academy of Sciences! A prosthesis that mimics the lower limbs. Nepeitsyn became the first tester of the design - he lost his leg during the assault on Ochakov, and now his military career was going downhill! However, Ivan Kulibin, who invented his new leg, gave a start to his new victories! As a result, Nepeitsyn rose to the rank of major general and received the funny nickname Iron Leg.

A searchlight, a system for launching ships into the water, a project for an iron bridge across the Volga - the smallest list of things that Kulibin Ivan Petrovich invented.

Photos, as well as drawings of many of them, unfortunately, have not survived to this day. However, the glory and memory of such outstanding person must be kept in our hearts!

In the factory Urals, Kulibin was from Nizhny Novgorod, a city that then played a prominent role in the country's economy.

Various crafts have long been developed in Nizhny - blacksmithing, carpentry, shoemaking, hat making, tailoring and many others. There were anchor, rope, tanneries, breweries.

Standing at the confluence of the Oka and the Volga, Nizhny was one of the main Volga ports. There were extensive warehouses of salt, grain, leather and other goods. Not far from the city was the famous Makarievskaya fair (in the 19th century it was moved to the Nizhny and later called Nizhny Novgorod). Russian and foreign goods were brought to the Makariev fair from all over the Volga region, from Moscow and St. Petersburg, from Ukraine and the North, from Siberia, etc. and remote areas of the country.

Ivan Petrovich Kulibin was born on April 10, 1735 in the family of a poor flour merchant. In some later documents, Kulibin is referred to as the "Nizhny Novgorod townsman."

Kulibin did not receive a school education, since his father intended him to engage in trade, and therefore believed that it would be enough for his son to learn to read and write from a deacon. However, the sale of flour in his father's shop did not satisfy the young Kulibin. He was most interested in all kinds of mechanisms, which he began to make from a young age.

He built small crowds, windmills and other self-propelled toys, and one day such a fact attracted his attention. There was a pond in the Kulibins' garden, where the water had no flow and therefore fish died in it. Young Kulibin came up with a way to deliver water to a special pool using a special hydraulic device, and from there to a pond. Excess water was drained from the pond. Since then, the fish in the pond began to multiply.

Of all the mechanisms, Kulibin was most interested in watches, and this is no coincidence. The 18th century was a time of passion for automata in Russia and throughout Europe. The clock was the first automatic instrument created for practical purposes. In the 17th-18th centuries, outstanding scientists and inventors both in Russia and abroad produced a variety of clocks: wall, table, pocket, tower clocks, often combined with complex decorative automata. In the 18th century, work on the design of watches for the first time prompted the inventors to think about the use of winding machines in production. The designers transferred the principle of the clock mechanism to other devices.

Kulibin, when he was in Nizhny Novgorod, wanted to understand the structure of the clock tower of the Stroganov Cathedral. To this end, he repeatedly climbed the bell tower of the cathedral and watched the work of this clock.

In the house of the Nizhny Novgorod merchant Mikulin, Kulibin saw a cuckoo clock. He tried to make the same clock out of wood. This required tools that could not be obtained in Nizhny Novgorod. When Kulibin was sent to Moscow on business, he was lucky enough to get the necessary tools there for a low price from the Moscow watchmaker Lobkov. This master treated Kulibin very carefully. He not only helped him acquire tools, but also shared his knowledge and experience in watchmaking with him.

Upon his return from Moscow, Kulibin set up a workshop and began to make different watches complex systems . After the death of his father, Kulibin, who was then 28 years old, left the trade and devoted himself entirely to his beloved work - mechanics.

From the production of wall clocks, Kulibin moves on to the study pocket watch and in a short time becomes the most popular watchmaker in Nizhny Novgorod. However, already at that time he was not just an experienced craftsman. Through self-education, Kulibin constantly sought to replenish his knowledge. In his free time, he was engaged in physics, mathematics, drawing.

Kulibin also studied articles by G.-V. Kraft (the author of the "Short Guide to the Knowledge of Simple and Complex Machines"), published in the "Additions to the St. Petersburg Vedomosti", and other guides to the exact and applied sciences that he managed to get in Nizhny Novgorod. And there were already many such grants. It is interesting to note that Kraft's articles, which Kulibin got acquainted with, were published in the translation of M.V. Lomonosov.

The art of Kulibin as a master watchmaker was constantly improving. From 1764 to 1769 he worked on making "hours of the egg figure"- the most complex miniature automaton the size of a goose egg, striking in its subtlety and elegance of finish. These clocks not only played cantatas composed by Kulibin, they were equipped with an automatic theater, where tiny puppet artists played a mystery. Currently, this clock is kept in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

Clock "egg figure"

Although part of the operations for the manufacture of watches and other mechanisms was given to Kulibin on the side, Kulibin had to perform a significant part of the operations himself with the help of only one student, Pyaterikov. Thus, he had to be a carpenter, a locksmith, a metal turner, and at the same time a master of fine mechanics.

While making his complex automaton, Kulibin could not devote enough time to working for customers, and his material affairs were shaken. And I had to feed myself with my family and assistant - watchmaker Alexei Pyaterikov. The days of great need have come.

Unexpectedly, the mechanic received support from his acquaintance, the merchant Kostromin. This merchant helped Kulibin in cash, hoping that the inventions of a talented mechanic would be appreciated by the government and part of Kulibin's fame would extend to him, Kostromin, a friend and patron of the mechanic. Kostromin especially hoped that the “clock of the egg figure” would be shown to Catherine II herself, whose arrival was expected in Nizhny Novgorod in the spring of 1767.

Almost simultaneously with the manufacture of these watches, Kulibin made a microscope, a telescope, a spyglass and an electric machine. At the same time, he had to independently solve the most complex problems of optical technology, develop alloy formulations for mechanical mirrors, grind glass, etc.

In May 1767, Catherine, who was making one of her trips around the country in pursuit of popularity, really arrived in Nizhny Novgorod, accompanied by a brilliant retinue. Among the latter was the director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences V.G. Orlov.

Kostromin ensured that Kulibin was admitted to Catherine. The inventor showed the queen his automatic watch and some other devices.

In this regard, the question was raised about the desirability of transferring such an outstanding instrument maker to the workshops of the Academy of Sciences. Orlov supported this proposal, and Catherine promised to call Kulibin to Petersburg. However, the fulfillment of this promise had to wait two years, during which the mechanic continued to work on the “egg clock” and build other devices. At the beginning of 1769, Kulibin and Kostromin went to St. Petersburg, where they waited for a long time to be accepted into the academic service.

Only on December 23, 1769, the directorate of the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg issued a resolution: “For the best success of the arts and skills dependent on the Academy of Sciences in the Roll House, to accept into the academic service on the conditions attached to this [conditions] the Nizhny Novgorod townsman Ivan Kulibin, who has already shown his art experiments, and bring him to the oath. Kulibin was appointed head of the mechanical workshops of the Academy of Sciences and moved to the capital. Thus began the long and fruitful activity of Ivan Petrovich Kulibin in St. Petersburg.

The mechanic got the opportunity to consult on all issues that interested him with outstanding scientists of that time, including Lomonosov's direct students and L. Euler. Communication with the latter gave Kulibin especially a lot. He could be aware of the latest scientific literature, which was published not only in Russia, but partly also abroad (in Russian translations, Kulibin himself did not speak foreign languages).

Kulibin also had work connections with D. Bernoulli, with the astronomer S.Ya. Rumovsky, physicist L.Yu. Kraft, adjunct of the Academy M.E. Golovin and others.

Academic workshops led by Kulibin, and after M.V. Lomonosov largest center development of domestic instrumentation. They produced navigation, astronomical and optical instruments, electrostatic machines, etc. The workshops had a number of departments - instrumental, optical, barometric, turning and carpentry. “Direct looking” over the chambers was carried out by master P.D. Caesarean. In addition, such instrument makers as Ivan Belyaev and others worked with Kulibin.

As the head of the workshops, Kulibin not only organized the work, but also invented various new mechanisms, devices and tools himself. His merits are especially significant in the field of the production of optical and other instruments, including original ones, manufactured in academic workshops for the first time.

In the field of development of domestic instrumentation, Kulibin was the direct successor of A.K. Nartov and M.V. Lomonosov. Kulibin developed the wonderful traditions of his predecessors: he updated workshop equipment; replenished their staff with young masters who studied with him, experienced "artists" who worked under Lomonosov.

In academic workshops, fruitful cooperation between designers and theoretical scientists continued, which began under Nartov and Lomonosov.

Outstanding scientists took part in the workshops. So, for example, the first achromatic microscope according to the calculations of L. Euler (this is the name of a microscope with a lens that avoids distortion of the object in question). The work was carried out under the guidance of Kulibin by his assistant I.G. Shersnevsky and master I. I. Belyaev. But apparently, for some reason, the work was not completed.

Based on the research of scientists on electricity (after the works of M. V. Lomonosov and G.-V. Richman, the study of atmospheric and static electricity became a constant topic of study for a number of academic physicists in St. Petersburg, including L. Euler. F.-U.-T Epinus, L.Yu. Kraft and others), Kulibin developed drawings of various electrical devices.

Recall that as early as the 18th century, the first types of electrostatic machines appeared, i.e., devices that serve to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy of charged conductors based on electrization by friction.

Friction was carried out by rotating the glass ball. In 1744, it was proposed to use leather pads covered with amalgam, pressed against the glass by springs, to rub the ball. In most cases, Kulibin's drawings show electrostatic machines of this type. Subsequently, the ball was replaced by a glass cylinder (Kulibin also built such), and then by a glass disk. electrostatic machines could serve only for experiments and demonstrations of electrical effects. In the 40s of the 18th century, the first type of capacitor of electric charges was invented in Western Europe, called the "Leyden jar". Kulibin’s drawings of such “cans” have been preserved along with electrostatic machines (Kulibin built the first electrostatic machine when he was in Nizhny Novgorod), as well as his detailed instructions on “how to keep electrical machines in decent power”.

Along with electrostatic machines of considerable size, Kulibin and his assistants made miniature machines for demonstration purposes when lecturing on physics.

Kulibin built for the work of academic physicists and new devices at that time - electrophores. So called devices operating on the basis of the excitation of electric charges by electrostatic induction. In Russia, the idea of an electrophore was first implemented by Academician Epinus (in foreign literature, priority in the invention of an electrophore is usually unreasonably attributed to A. Volt). The electrophore consisted of a resin disk and a metal disk equipped with an insulating handle. The resin disk was rubbed with fur, and then a metal disk was placed on it, grounding the outer surface of the latter with the touch of a hand. An electric charge appeared on a metal disk by induction. Holding the disk by the handle, it was possible to transfer this charge to any conductor.

The Kulibin “Description of the action of an electrophorus”, dating back to the 70s of the 18th century, has been preserved.

In the summer of 1776, a small electrophore was brought from Vienna to St. Petersburg. Having studied it, Kulibin, on the orders of Empress Catherine II, then made his own copy, which was described in the works of the Academy of Sciences a year later. Academician I. Georgi pointed out that "the oval electrophore made by ... Mr. Kulibin is, perhaps, the largest of all made so far." D. Bernoulli also mentioned this device. It consisted of two metal plates in the form of ovals or rectangles with rounded corners. The dimensions of the bottom plate are 2.7 by 1.4 meters. 74 kg of resin and 33 kg of sealing wax were used to fill it (to obtain a dielectric). The upper one, suspended on silk ropes, had to be raised and lowered with the help of blocks. The electrophorus was installed in the palace of the Empress in Tsarskoe Selo, and later transported to the physics office at the Academy of Sciences, where it remained until the beginning of the 19th century (further fate is unknown). How formidable this electrophorus was can be judged at least by the fact that the discharge of much smaller electrophores managed to kill small animals.

The remarkable master continued to work on electrophores in the future. So, in the list of planned works, relating to the 80s, they are given decrees "an electrophorus with 6 wax circles, on the same axis." The excellent Kulibino instruments helped the St. Petersburg academicians in their further research. So, the physicist L.Yu. Kraft in the article “Experience in the theory of the electrophore” (1777) wrote: “My numerous experiments ... came to the aid of another machine, huge in size and action, built ... by the most skillful Russian master Mr. Kulibin, which gave me the desired opportunity for a more detailed study of nature and the causes of this special electrical force and the phenomena associated with it.

Kulibin (like Nartov in his time) was involved in various technical examinations, participated in examination committees, etc.

Academic workshops under the leadership of Kulibin produced electric machines, telescopes and telescopes, microscopes, thermometers, barometers, pyrometers, air pumps, accurate scales, clocks of various systems.

At that time, the Academy of Sciences organized a number of scientific expeditions. These expeditions, which worked from 1768 to 1774, explored vast areas from Belarus, Moldavia and Bessarabia to Eastern Siberia(Baikal region) and from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to Transcaucasia, the border regions of Persia and the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. These expeditions contributed to the acquaintance of the whole world with Russia. They collected a lot of materials on ethnography, archeology, botany, zoology and geography.

For expeditions it was necessary to make a large number of scientific instruments. A significant part of these devices, which worked perfectly under the difficult conditions of the expeditions, was made in academic workshops under the direction of Kulibin.

The mechanic devoted a lot of time to the training of young instrument makers. And at the same time, immediately upon arrival in St. Petersburg, they began to distract him in the most unceremonious way from intense design work at the academy in order to decorate various festivities at the court and in the homes of Catherine's nobles.

Kulibin, of course, could not refuse. After all, the government considered Kulibin primarily as a builder funny slot machines and theater machines, organizer illuminations and lighting effects. But even in this case, Kulibin showed his exceptional talent, resourcefulness and wit. In the working notes of Kulibin and in the memoirs of his contemporaries, only a small part of the data about these Kulibin's activities has been preserved. But even this little information shows how talented and inventive Kulibin was in all those cases that he undertook.

So, for example, Kulibin found a way to illuminate a dark corridor more than 100 meters long in the basement floor of the Tsarskoye Selo Palace. Kulibin placed a mirror outside, from which daylight fell on a system of mirrors placed inside the building, and, repeatedly reflected, illuminated the corridor.

Kulibin's workbooks contain descriptions of various inventions for the device fireworks and lighting effects. It mentions multi-colored lights, rockets in the form of peacock tails, rotating wheels, "spike", "snake", "drop" rockets, moving mirror reflections in the form of figures, luminous and flickering contours of buildings, etc. Kulibino illuminations created the impression of a bright extravaganza and amazed by the vividness of imagination.

Kulibin acted as a real poet and artist, capturing fabulous images not with a word or a brush, but with a combination of lighting effects and multi-colored lights.

When arranging these holidays, Kulibin had to visit the court and the houses of the highest St. Petersburg nobility.

It was not difficult for him to obtain a civil or academic rank, giving the right to wear a uniform and formal access to the court. But Kulibin rejected repeated offers of any "class rank." He did not want to change the caftan of the townsman for a uniform or suit of European cut, nor to shave off his beard.

He had a peculiar sense of dignity of a hereditary townsman who did not want to acquire the appearance of an official or a nobleman. Since he did not want to adapt to the requirements of the "light", he had to look for a way out. In the spring of 1778, Catherine ordered that a large gold medal be made especially for Kulibin on the St. Andrew's ribbon (it is clearly visible in the portrait of the inventor given in this article). A medal (and not an order) could also be awarded to representatives of taxable, "lower" classes. St. Andrew's tape, as it were, introduced Kulibin to the "high society". At the same time, Catherine did not miss the opportunity to recall her enlightenment. On the front side of the medal there was a portrait of Catherine, and on the reverse - symbolic images of Science and Art, crowning the name of Kulibin with a laurel wreath. The inscriptions on the medal read: "To the Worthy", as well as "Academy of Sciences - to Mechanic Kulibin".

At the beginning of 1787, Kulibin turned to the director of the Academy of Sciences, E.R. Dashkova with a request to release him from the management of workshops. He wanted to concentrate all his efforts on inventive activity (since this was allowed by the permanent orders of the palace department).

One of the first important inventions made by a mechanic at the time when he was in charge of academic workshops was the famous "Kulibin lantern"- one of the first spotlights that have received practical application. The poet G. R. Derzhavin dedicated verses to the Kulibin lantern:

You see, on the poles at night, as sometimes
And a light 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 a full moon...
Kulibinsky lantern with mirror reflection

To invent such a searchlight, successfully operating with the use of very weak light sources common at that time, Kulibin was helped by an excellent knowledge of the laws of optics. The St. Petersburg Vedomosti of February 19, 1779, said about this invention: “The mechanic Ivan Petrovich Kulibin of the St. amazing action, multiplying light 500 times against ordinary candle light and more, depending on the number of mirror particles ... ".

"Kulibinsky lantern"

The Academy of Sciences highly appreciated Kulibin's invention. The mechanic himself used these lights on lighthouses, ships, public buildings, etc.

One of Kulibin's biographers reports an interesting case of the use of the Kulibin lantern by the navigator G.I. Shelikhov during one of the voyages to the shores of Alaska:

The inhabitants of the island of Kyktak treated Shelikhov with hostility. Wanting to avoid bloodshed, he decided to use cunning to make them "consider him an extraordinary person." Knowing that the islanders worship the Sun, Shelikhov told them that he could summon the Sun at will.

After that, he ordered the inhabitants of Kyktak to gather on the shore at night and wait, and in the meantime, having previously ordered at what time to light the lantern on the mast of the ship, which was at a great distance from the coast, he began to call the Sun. When the islanders saw the strong light of the Kulibin lantern, they “fell to the ground with a cry and terrible excitement,” offering prayers to the Sun, which so miraculously revealed its face at night at the call of Shelikhov. The latter they recognized as a great sorcerer and rendered him all sorts of honors.

Kulibin in the 80s improved the design of his lanterns and methods for their manufacture. He made lanterns with various reflectors of different sizes and luminous intensity to illuminate carriages, entrances of residential buildings, factories, palaces, streets, squares, etc.

An outstanding contribution was made by Kulibin to the development of bridge building. Kulibinsky became widely known both in Russia and abroad. project(made in three versions) single-span arch bridge across the Neva about 300 m long with wooden lattice trusses. For that time, it was an original and new system of bridge construction.

The mechanic began working on the project of a single-span bridge as early as 1769, that is, from his arrival in the capital, when he became convinced of how great the need was for a permanent connection across the Neva. The floating bridges that existed at that time on barges were bred during the ice drift and during the floods of the Neva.

Kulibin’s confidence that he was on the right track in the development of the bridge project was further strengthened after the St. Petersburg Gazette for 1772 announced that the Royal Society of London (England Academy of Sciences) announced a competition for the bridge across the Thames, "which would consist of one arc or vault without piles, and was approved by its ends on the banks of the river."

G.A. Potemkin received 1,000 rubles from the Cabinet. for experiments related to the development of the Kulibino project. With these funds, the mechanic began to build, according to his third version of the project, a bridge model of one-tenth of its natural size. The model was tested at the end of 1776 by a special commission, which included Leonhard Euler and his son Johann-Albrecht, S.Ya. Rumovsky, N.I. Fuss, L.Yu. Kraft, M.E. Golovin, S.K. Kotelnikov and others.

Some academicians did not believe that Kulibin's model would stand the test, and made all sorts of jokes about this, such as that, they say, Kulibin would soon make us a ladder to heaven.

To test the strength of the model, three thousand poods of cargo were first placed on it, which was considered the maximum load according to the calculation made, and then more than 500 poods were added. With this load, the model stood for 28 days without being damaged, after which it was put on public display in the courtyard of the Academy (in 1777, the fiftieth anniversary of the Academy of Sciences was celebrated in St. Petersburg. In connection with the celebration of this date, the Kulibin model was also exhibited).

The tests not only confirmed the correctness of Kulibin's calculations, but also contributed to the theoretical research carried out by Euler and other academicians.

In a letter dated June 7, 1777, Daniil Bernoulli wrote to the secretary of the Academy N.I. Fussu about the deep respect that he has for Kulibin and his knowledge, and asked Kulibin to express his opinion on some issues (about the resistance of wood as a building material), which Bernoulli had long been engaged in.

On March 18, 1778, Bernoulli wrote to the same Fuss: “Euler made in-depth studies on the strength of beams applied in various ways, especially vertical pillars ... Could you instruct Mr. Kulibin to confirm Euler’s theory with similar experiments, without which his theory will remain true only hypothetically."

However, the bridge was never built. The model was transferred to the Potemkin Garden and served as a decorative purpose. If one can somehow explain the refusal to build a single-arch bridge (the life of the tree was limited, and Kulibin himself, as we will see later, came to the conclusion that it is preferable to build bridges of iron), then the neglect of the model has no justification. After all, it was of great scientific interest.

Subsequently, the outstanding bridge builder engineer D.I. Zhuravsky wrote about the model of the Kulibinsky bridge: “It bears the mark of a genius; it is built according to a system recognized by modern science as the most rational; the bridge is supported by an arch, its bending is prevented by a diagonal system, which is called American only because of the unknown of what is being done in Russia.

Kulibin made a number of inventions in the field of land and water transport. This is very characteristic of the manufacturing period. At that time, numerous projects of ships "going against the current without sails" and "scooter" were put forward throughout Europe.

From the 80s of the 18th century, Kulibin dealt with the issue of self-propelled ships, but not because he imitated anyone in his inventions, but prompted to his quest by the conditions of Russian reality. From an early age, a Nizhny Novgorod mechanic saw pictures of the wasteful, cruel use of barge labor on the Volga.

Where the condition of the shores made ordinary towline traction impossible, imported traction or “delivery” traction was used. This ancient method of transportation was described as early as the 16th century. An anchor with a rope tied to it was brought forward from the ship on a special boat. The anchor was thrown to the bottom and secured, while barge haulers, standing on the deck of the ship, chose either a collar or, more often, just a rope delivered with straps, pulling the ship to the anchor. When they approached the anchor, they were given the end of the rope from this anchor, brought forward during this time, and the first was removed. In this way, the ship moved forward at a speed of 5-10 km per day. Usually barge haulers also made no more than 10 km per day.

The idea has long been expressed that the muscular strength of people pulling up a rope brought forward can be replaced either by the strength of animals (horses, bulls), or by the strength of the current of the water itself. After all, if a horizontal shaft is drawn through the vessel (across it), equipped with paddle wheels at the ends, and the free end of the rope connected to the anchor brought forward is fixed on this shaft, then the current, rotating the paddle wheels, will itself wind the rope onto the shaft, which means and pull the ship to the delivered anchor. Such vessels were called navigable.

In the 18th century, the so-called "machine" ships were used in Russia, where the gate, pulling the ship to the anchor brought forward, was rotated by bulls or horses. Kulibin was engaged in both the improvement of the latter type of ships and the creation of navigation ships. Just like the mechanic, he sought to ease the hard work of working people, in this case barge haulers, and at the same time he also cared about the benefits of the state.

Invented by Kulibin, was held on November 8, 1782 on the river. Neva by an authoritative commission consisting of experts on navigation issues. On the appointed day, a lot of people gathered on the banks of the Neva. Everyone was curious to see how a ship without sails and oars would go against the current. What was the surprise of those present when, at the appointed hour, the ship, loaded with 4,000 pounds of ballast, easily began to move against a strong wind and high waves! The ship was operated by Kulibin himself.

The test results were very favorable. But the government soon ceased to be interested in Kulibin's experiments, and the Volga and other shipowners preferred to use the cheap power of barge haulers than to invest in "machine ships".

In the 80s and 90s, Kulibin was engaged in the device of "scooter", set in motion by the muscular strength of the riders themselves. Similar experiments were carried out throughout Europe during the 15th-18th centuries.

Famous Renaissance figures - Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer and some of their contemporaries (for example, J. Fontana) drew designs for such carts. On some of them, servants in magnificent costumes, located in self-propelled carriages along with passengers, rotate manual drives, on others they touch the drive wheels with their feet, on the third they step on the pedals located behind the carts. AT late XVII century, a scooter of this kind was built in France by Richard. Richard's scooter was set in motion by a footman who stood on his back and pressed the pedals. In 1748, a scooter with a muscular engine was built in France by J. Vaucanson, and in 1769 in England by J. Wyvers.

Projects of mechanical carts also appeared early. Some designers (for example, the German mechanic of the 17th century I. Hauch) proposed a clock mechanism as an engine (however, the cart actually built by Houch in 1649 was set in motion by muscle power). The great English scientist Newton first put forward (in 1663) the idea of applying the power of steam to self-propelled carts. According to his plan, a jet of steam escaping back from a boiler mounted on a four-wheeled cart was supposed to push the cart forward by the recoil force.

This idea, anticipating the later jet means of transport, was left without consequences - it was too ahead of the state of the art of the 18th century. But then, after the invention of steam engines, repeated attempts are made to arrange a cart with a steam engine (Cugnot in France, Symington and Murdoch in England, etc.).

However, the steam wagons designed, and partly built by the designers of the 18th century, did not receive practical application. Therefore, work on the creation of muscular carts continued in various countries. The customers were usually rich and noble people, who counted on the fact that their servants would power such scooters.

And in Russia, Kulibin had predecessors in the field of creating scooters. Among them was, for example, Leonty Shamshurenkov, a peasant from the Yaransk district, who invented a “self-running carriage” driven by the muscular strength of two people. He was at that time in a Nizhny Novgorod prison as a suspect in someone else's case. Shamshurenkov, summoned to the capital in 1752, built a carriage, but was sent back to prison. His invention was not used.

Scooter Kulibina was, according to the project, a three-wheeled bicycle stroller. It was supposed to be set in motion by a worker standing on the heels, by means of foot pedals. The scooter was equipped with complex transmission devices that made it possible to change the speed of movement, steering, and braking mechanism. These devices were further developed in mechanical carriages. The scooter could carry one or two passengers.

In addition to two variants of a three-wheeled scooter, Kulibin also developed projects for a four-wheeled cart of a similar device. However, the carts designed by Kulibin were also not used, as was Shamshurenkov's self-running carriage.

Kulibin paid great attention to the arrangement of various engines. Like many of his predecessors, he was primarily concerned with the improvement of water installations.

So, in the 80-90s, Kulibin designed floating water-acting installations on barges ("mills without dams"). The construction of dams was very expensive, they often collapsed, especially during floods. Finally, being built on navigable rivers, they blocked the waterway.

Kulibin proposed to build water-acting installations without dams, on barges, and the work of the wheels was to be transferred to the shore and used for one or another production purpose.

In 1797-1801, he wrote a note on improving the design of water wheels at the Alexander Manufactory in St. Petersburg. But along with the improvement of the previous types of engines, Kulibin also raised the question of using a steam engine in industry and transport.

In the 80-90s of the XVIII century, when Kulibin was diligently occupied with the issue of choosing the best type of engine, the universal machine of the Englishman Watt was just beginning to be used (almost exclusively in England) in the field of industry. The use of steam power in transport has not yet left the stage of projects and unsuccessful experiments.

The Russian Academy of Sciences was interested in the issue of steam engines. In 1783, she put before scientists the task of "explaining the theory of machines driven by the power of fire or vapor." However, when talking about the use of machines, the Academy considered them as before, mainly as steam pumps. “... These machines,” the academic “Izvestia” said, “are used with particular benefit for raising water, for pouring it out of canals, for cleaning places flooded by flooding of rivers, from stagnant waters in low places, also in ore pits and coal mines [for pumping water] and other hydraulic and mechanical actions. What kind of "mechanical actions" were meant was not specified here. In 1791, a steam engine, apparently of the Watt system, built at the Olonets factories, was installed at the Voitsky mine near the city of Kem. It was used again only for pumping water.

It can be assumed that a certain role in introducing Kulibin to the latest designs of steam engines at that time was played by his conversations with L.F. Sabakin. A native of the Tver province, mechanic Lev Fedorovich Sabakin (1746-1813) was a versatile inventor. He was very successful in instrument making, manufacturing navigational and other precision devices and instruments, constructing complex clocks of his own design. He met Kulibin, apparently in connection with the work on the clock.

In the mid-80s, Sabakin visited England, personally met Watt and the breeder Bolton, whose factory in Soho built improved steam engines.

English factory owners were very reluctant to allow visitors to their factories - England was at that time a monopoly in the production of many types of machines.

Despite this, Sabakin understood the advantages of a double-acting steam engine and not only gave in his “Lectures on Fire Engines” published by him in 1787, which was an appendix to Ferguson’s work on applied mechanics translated by Sabakin, an image of such a machine, but also proposed his own version of a steam engine. engine.

Since Kulibin had long been engaged in the question of finding the most perfect universal engine for factory and transport purposes, he was keenly interested in Watt's inventions.

That is why in his papers we find an image of Watt's double-acting machine with a condenser, a balancer and a planetary mechanism that transmits the movement of the connecting rod to a shaft with a flywheel.

In 1798 and 1801, Kulibin put forward the idea of using a steam engine on ships, in other words, he proposed building a steamship. And in this matter, Kulibin had a number of predecessors and contemporary like-minded people abroad.

The idea of the applicability of a steam engine in water transport was put forward by D. Papen at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. The first draft of a ship with a steam engine was drawn up by the Englishman J. Hells in 1736.

Kulibin paid much attention to the issue of creating a steam vessel. He considered the practical issues of organizing the production of steam engines and proposed the introduction of a new type of machine tool for boring the cylinders of such engines (in 1801). Later (in 1814), Kulibin raised the question of using a steam engine in mechanical engineering, as well as in the manufacture of bridge parts.

Kulibin (after 1793) was also seriously engaged in improving the means of communication. At that time, a new type of communication means arose - an optical (or semaphore) telegraph. Such a telegraph was first proposed in revolutionary France by Claude Chappe in 1791 and was systematically used by the Jacobin Convention.

The essence of the invention was as follows. Between two points, stations were built at a certain distance in the form of houses with towers. Masts with wings (movable slats) were installed on the towers. The conditional positions of these wings (equipped with lanterns lit at night) were supposed to transmit certain signs according to the conditional code. The first optical telegraph line was built between Paris and Lille in 1794. A detailed description of the optical telegraph in Russian appeared only in 1795.

Kulibin set about designing an optical telegraph, not knowing about the details of Chappe's invention. In 1794-1795, he developed the original optical telegraph scheme and a convenient, simple telegraph code. In 1801, Kulibin's model of an optical telegraph was demonstrated to Paul I. However, the government left the Kulibia project without support, and it remained unfulfilled.

It is clear that optical (semaphore) telegraph retained its importance only until the advent of a more advanced electric telegraph. Meanwhile, in Russia (where the electric telegraph was invented in the early 30s of the 19th century), the first optical telegraph line was laid in 1835, and the government of Nicholas I paid the French designer Chateau (Chappe's student) 120 thousand rubles for the "secret" of his optical telegraph - if there is a simpler Kulibin optical telegraph scheme in the archives of the Academy of Sciences.

The mechanic also owned many other inventions and improvements in various fields of technology.

Kulibin's manuscripts and drawings testify to the fact that he, like the most outstanding Western inventors of the 18th century, was characterized by an encyclopedic nature that is surprising for us now, a truly Lomonosov breadth of the range of issues that he dealt with. This, of course, was possible only in that era when technology was relatively elementary, while today the level of technology is so high that each of its branches requires a special, professional specialization.

In the early 90s of the 18th century, important improvements for the production of mirror glass in large sizes. These innovations were practically applied at the St. Petersburg glass factory.

Kulibin was engaged ways to launch ships into the water from the stocks. In May 1800, he proposed to the Admiralty his methods of launching and preventing accidents while doing so, but they were ignored until the scandal with the launching of the ship Grace forced the Admiralty to turn to a mechanic for help.

It happened like this. At the beginning of August 1800, in the presence of Paul I, with a large gathering of people, the descent of the ship "Grace" began, which first started off, but then suddenly stopped. All measures were taken, but it was not possible to move the ship further.

Outraged, Pavel defiantly left. Many were threatened with cruel reprisal by the king. Then they remembered Kulibin. The mechanic quickly made all the necessary calculations, and the next day the ship was launched under the guidance of Kulibin.

At that time, Kulibin's activities to create various watches continued very successfully. They were, for example, made planetary pocket watch, equipped with several dials and seven hands that showed the position of the constellations ("signs of the zodiac") in the sky at the moment, the season, the rising and setting of the Sun and Moon, the days of the week, hours, minutes and seconds.

It was made by him and pocket chronometer(in 1796-1801), showing time with particular accuracy.

Kulibin's works on the device of improved prostheses are known. Kulibin's interest in this kind of invention is not accidental. The second half of the 18th century was the time of bloody wars waged by Russia for access to the shores of the Black Sea, for the reunification of Ukrainian and Belarusian lands, etc. Many soldiers and officers were left crippled. Distinguished by humanity and responsiveness, Kulibin thought a lot about how to alleviate the fate of Russian soldiers who had lost limbs in the war.

First prosthesis, made by Kulibin in 1791 for the officer Nepeitsin, who lost his leg in the heroic battle near Ochakov, was so perfect that Nepeitsin soon learned to walk freely without a cane.

Kulibin was just as successful in coping with various complex assignments, with which the court, both under Catherine and under Paul, continued to constantly distract him from important work on invention.

Kulibin was instructed, for example, to correct " peacock clock”, bought in 1780 in England (now they are in the State Hermitage). The automatic watch was a very complex mechanism. Outwardly, they looked like this:

A peacock stood on the cut top of an oak tree. On one branch of an oak hung a cage with an owl, and on the other stood a rooster. There was a big mushroom under the oak. Part of the mushroom cap was cut off and a clock dial was placed in it. At certain hours, the chimes played, the rooster sang, the owl blinked its eyes, the peacock spread its tail, and the dragonfly jumped on the mushroom. This machine has deteriorated and has not worked for a long time. Kulibin fixed the clock by making many of the missing parts himself, some of which were lost and others were unusable.

Hermitage, "clock with a peacock"

Kulibin had to deal with another no less intricate machine gun that belonged to Naryshkin. This machine spoke and played checkers with visitors. It had to be moved to another place, and for this purpose it was dismantled, but could not be assembled. Only Kulibin managed to cope with this task.

Once, already under Paul I, Kulibin was urgently summoned because during a storm the spire of the Peter and Paul Fortress allegedly bent. When this was reported to Paul, he was very upset and ordered the spire to be straightened immediately. Kulibin, despite his advanced years, climbed the spire several times. The mechanic risked his life, because he had to climb the wire ladders and the internal structure of the tower of the cathedral without any devices. The spire was carefully examined by Kulibin and calibrated with a plumb line. Not the slightest bend was found.

Then the commandant of the fortress led Kulibin to one door and asked him to look at the spire in relation to the door frame. Kulibin looked and proved to the commandant that it was not the spire that was bent, but the door frame was crooked. The commandant was mortally frightened. He could pay dearly for the false alarm raised by him. He literally begged the mechanic to report to Pavel that the spire was really bent, and now it has been fixed. Kulibin did just that, saving the overdone campaigner from trouble.

After the assassination of Paul I in March 1801 and the accession to the throne of Alexander I, Kulibin turned to the new government with a request to help continue the interrupted work on the construction of a “machine” (navigable) vessel. The very name of the project attached to the mechanic's petition is characteristic: "Proposals on how it is more convenient and without burdening the treasury to put into use on the Volga River ... engine ships for the benefit of the state."

To continue the experiments, Kulibin asked, firstly, to give him a subsidy of 6 thousand rubles to pay off debts, "which remained with him only for the production of experiments for the benefit of the treasury and society in inventions," and for new expenses, and secondly, to allow him to move to Nizhny Novgorod.

Kulibin was forced to ask for his dismissal from the Academy of Sciences, where he had worked for 32 years, because the situation in the capital was becoming unbearable for him, or, in his own words, "circumstances were getting tighter."

In the last years of the reign of Catherine and under Paul, the Academy was in crisis. The academy was run by rude, poorly educated officials like P.P. Bakunin. Scientific work has declined. The struggle of Catherine and Paul with the French revolutionary "contagion" forcibly interrupted international connections Academy, which most negatively affected the activities of scientists. Kulibin was distracted by all sorts of assignments that had nothing to do with science and technology. For Catherine, the outstanding inventor was just a court porthole, and for Pavel, a commoner artisan, who is not a pity to send to climb the tower of the cathedral - if the old man breaks out of there, the loss is small. It was said about Pavel that as a child (and, of course, from the words of his elders, that is, Catherine's courtiers) brazenly declared about the death of Lomonosov: "What is there to regret about a fool - he only ruined the treasury and did nothing."

The accession to the throne of Alexander 1, who solemnly declared that “everything will be like under his grandmother,” aroused enthusiasm in noble circles and encouraged some of the academicians who turned to Alexander with a petition for an immediate reform of the Academy and its fear of collapse.

But for Kulibin, the return of "grandmother's" times did not bode well. A sixty-year-old mechanic could not combine inventive activity with continuous court assignments. His inventions were implemented with the same difficulty as under Catherine and under Paul.

The financial situation of Kulibin and his family was very difficult. That is why Kulibin decided to return to his homeland in order to devote himself entirely to inventive activity there in a calmer atmosphere.

In the autumn of 1801, Kulibin and his family moved to Nizhny Novgorod. In mechanics, despite his advanced age, there was so much seething energy that on the very first day after his arrival he went to measure the speed of the Volga, for which he used a device invented by him back in St. Petersburg.

So, from the end of 1801 and throughout the subsequent 1802-1804, he was completely absorbed in the construction of a machine ship on the Volga. Kulibin worked on such ships later. In any weather: in cold, rain, in summer heat, he went to the river to the place where his ship was built and tested. Even the death of his wife (shortly after the move) - a misfortune that he experienced painfully, so that everything seemed displeased to him, could not distract him from his beloved work,

After building and testing "machine ship" Kulibin continued to improve it. But Kulibin failed to interest local merchants in his invention and to ensure that they put these ships into use.

It should be noted that in the last, Nizhny Novgorod, period of his life, Kulibin continued to be interested in steamships. He wrote out reports from the St. Petersburg Vedomosti about the testing of a steamer on the Thames in 1801; clarified the structural details of the ship. Like Zhuffour in France and Fich in America, Kulibin intended to use on the first ship a propeller not in the form of paddle wheels, but in the form of a comb of oars.

As noted above, the main reason that interfered with the mechanization of Russian water transport and, therefore, stood in the way of the introduction of Kulibin's "machine ship" into practice lay in the socio-economic conditions of life in Russia at that time.

The availability of cheap barge labor prevented not only the introduction of horse-drawn and water-going ships, but also the first steamboats.

In the end, Kulibin's navigation vessel, built according to the first of his new projects (later Kulibin developed two more more advanced projects), was sold for scrap at auction in November 1808 for 200 rubles.

The famous writer V.T. Korolenko, publishing the materials of Kulibin's biography, wrote: “Kulibin had to go through an episode that still remains unclear in its main features. Here [in Nizhny Novgorod] in 1808 his self-propelled ship was sold for scrapping, which was handed over in 1807 for storage to the Nizhny Novgorod Duma.

Korolenko added that “this career could provide material for the tragedy, and then its culminating point should be this sale for firewood of one of his most serious creations. And this happened 12 years before his death in the same city where he lived at that time, that means, before his eyes ... And the inventor did not have 200 rubles that were paid at the auction ... and which could save his creation.

It could be assumed that Kulibin's navigation vessels were not successful due to the slowness of the “feeds”, when the vessel was pulled up to the anchor brought forward each time.

However, a few years later, other designers were more fortunate, and their ships, although not navigable, but horse-driving, in which the rope from the anchor brought forward was wound around the gate (installed on the ship) by horse power, gained some distribution on the Volga.

Of course, the "horses" remained a very imperfect and slow means of transportation. However, it is typical for the general state of Russian transport of that time that, along with the first steamboats, the so-called capstan ships were used for a long time, which worked by “feeds” in the same way as navigation and horse-drawn ships, with the only difference that now the gate on the ship, pulling it up to the anchor brought forward, rotated not by the flow of water, not by animals, but by a steam engine.

Disappointment in the case with shipping vessels did not break the will of the inventor.

Of particular importance is the development several projects of metal bridges. Kulibin was interested in the issue of metal bridges back in the St. Petersburg period of his life. By 1811-1812, he had already developed a number of amazingly bold projects for bridges across the Neva with iron lattice trusses. Of the options proposed by Kulibin, the main one was a three-span arch bridge with iron lattice trusses. The bridge was supposed to have two additional draw spans at the ends (off the coast).

Kulibin should be considered a pioneer in the development in Russia of projects and calculations not only for wooden, but also for metal arch bridges with lattice trusses. The insight of the mechanic manifested itself primarily in the fact that he planned iron, and not cast iron, as the building material for his bridges.

In Russia, there were no iron bridges at all, in Western Europe they were few.

When constructing metal bridges in the most developed countries of the West at the beginning of the 19th century (cast iron was also used as a material. For example, the Southor bridge across the Thames by engineer Renia, the bridges of the Manchester-Liverpool road). Iron becomes the predominant material for such bridges only from the second decade of the 19th century, that is, after the death of Kulibin. Such are the suspension Meneas Bridge in North Wales by engineer Telford 1818-1826; new girder bridge by Robert Stephenson 1846-1850; Niagara Suspension Bridge Father and Son Roebling 1851 - 1855. In the first half of the 19th century, wooden truss bridges were often built, especially in America (Gau system). Only from the 40s of the 19th century did bridges with iron through trusses of various systems become widespread.

Kulibin understood that in the presence of a still poorly developed Russian metalworking industry, it would be difficult to manufacture all the elements of iron arched lattice trusses. Therefore, he proposed to build special metalworking machines driven by a steam engine.

“And even better and stronger action can be instead of horses [as a motive force] from water or from a steam engine, why should I completely cancel the opinion [intention] about a horse car, and think about a steam engine,” he wrote in a workbook for 1814.

Basic iron bridge across the Neva was completed by Kulibin in 1813. The mechanic turned to Alexander I, who repeatedly stated in his manifestos and rescripts (messages) about his desire to “promote”, i.e., promote the development of science and technology, with a request to support his project. There was no answer.

Kulibin sent the project to the all-powerful temporary worker Arakcheev. He refused to help and returned the project to the inventor.

The mechanic sent his long-suffering project to the Minister of Public Education A.K. Razumovsky. In the offices of this latter, the project was lost. For a long time, Kulibin and those who sought to promote him were looking for a project that was ahead of the bridge-building practice in Russia and Western Europe. Finally, the lost materials were discovered, but fell into the hands of Razumovsky's successor (since 1816), the famous hypocrite and reactionary A.N. Golitsyn, under which the department headed by him was called the "Ministry of Spiritual Affairs and Public Education".

Golitsyn's department rejected Kulibin's project, putting forward an untenable argument that the bridge's supports could not be installed because of the strong current. For the mechanic, this was a blow no less powerful than the collapse of his attempts to mechanize river transport.

Kulibin continued to work on many other inventions as well.

So, he did a lot of work on improving the mechanisms used in the extraction of salt. After a careful study of the salt mines of the Stroganovs, he designed a new horse drive for pumping unit, raising saline solution.

Russia's participation in the wars against Napoleonic France and the confidence of Russian society that even more bloody battles were coming with an enemy dreaming of world domination prompted Kulibin in 1808 to resume studies on improving prostheses.

Denture models along with detailed drawings and descriptions were sent by a mechanic to the St. Petersburg Medical and Surgical Academy. But, despite the favorable review of the professor of surgery I.F. Bush, and this invention was ignored. Meanwhile, some time later, a similar invention was made by an inventor in France. He was honored by Napoleon I and after the war of 1812 began the mass production of artificial limbs for wounded French officers.

Kulibin did not even receive reimbursement for the cost of making models.

Despite his large pension of 3,000 rubles per annum, Kulibin found himself in debt. Up to twenty different persons were his creditors. The money was spent on new experiments, the construction of models, etc.

Kulibin's financial situation became especially difficult after a misfortune befell him in the autumn of 1813 - two of his wooden houses, which made up all of Kulibin's property, burned down. After the fire, at first Kulibin lived with his old student and friend A. Pyaterikov, and then with his daughter in the village of Karpovka.

The mechanic was left homeless, and his debts kept growing, since he did not give up his inventive activity. By 1815, he had a debt of up to 7 thousand rubles. Kulibin had nothing to build a dwelling for himself. He had to turn to the bodies of "public charity", from where he received a loan of 600 rubles. With this money he bought himself a dilapidated house.

From 1817, the health of the 82-year-old mechanic began to deteriorate rapidly and on June 30, 1818 he died. Such poverty reigned in the house that there was nothing even to bury the outstanding Russian inventor. I had to sell the only wall clock, but Pyaterikov got some money. A wooden monument was erected over the mechanic's grave at the Peter and Paul Cemetery in Nizhny Novgorod.

We have seen that Kulibin's creativity was aimed at solving the advanced technical problems of his time: at finding an improved engine for industry, at attempts to mechanize water and land transport, at the creation of powerful lighting devices, at the construction of huge bridges.

In terms of the encyclopedic breadth of his interests, Kulibin was a characteristic representative of the Lomonosov galaxy. True, some of Kulibin's research carried " birthmarks» handicraft-manufactory period. This applies above all to his barren the search for a "perpetual motion machine".

It is indicative, however, why Kulibin needed a “perpetual motion machine”. In this, the mechanic was already a man of the emerging machine age. He was looking for a new universal engine capable of replacing the previous engines typical of the manufacturing period, and, moreover, better than the steam engines known to Kulibin. He was sure, as he later wrote himself, that “such a machine [“ perpetual motion machine ”] in a large formation can serve along the roads for the transport of weights by wagons, climbing mountains with variable speed in motion, and with light, like droshky, wagons, and it will be especially useful for navigation on large navigable rivers, as on the Volga and the like; on immovable places, they can act instead of river waterfalls, winds, horses, boiling water vapor - to the action of various mills and other machines.

Even more characteristically, Kulibin believed in the possibility of finding such an engine because he was convinced of the limitlessness of the achievements of the human mind.

In one of the letters (circa 1815), regarding the issue of a “perpetual motion machine”, Kulibin emphasized that unexplored expanses are opening up before technology: after all, inventions have become a reality, “in the light of being revered before their discovery as impossible, somehow: gunpowder , Mongolfier balloons with air travelers, the amazing action of electric forces ... ".

And for us it is important not that in certain issues Kulibin paid tribute to the prejudices of the past. On the whole, the activities of the remarkable mechanic were turned to the future, and Kulibin acted not only as a designer who captures new trends in technical development, but also as a true poet of future technical progress.

Before Kulibin's mind's eye, the expanses of his native country opened up, across the rivers of which huge iron bridges would be thrown; on the roads of which they will rush, throwing sheaves of light from their lanterns in the evening hour, "scooter" carriages, "climbing the steepest mountains and descending from them without the slightest danger." He foresaw future air travel and the use of electricity in the service of man. And in this ability to see the distant future, the mechanic Kulibin was also a follower of Lomonosov.

Ivan Petrovich Kulibin is an outstanding Russian mechanic-inventor of the 18th century. His surname has become a household name, "kulibins" are now called self-taught masters. Ivan Kulibin became the prototype of the self-taught watchmaker Kuligin - the hero of the play "Thunderstorm" by Alexander Ostrovsky.

Ivan Petrovich Kulibin was born on April 10 (21 according to a new style) in 1735 in the village of Podnovye, Nizhny Novgorod district (now this village is part of Nizhny Novgorod) in the family of an Old Believer merchant. Ivan Kulibin kept loyalty to the traditions of the Old Believers all his life: he never smoked tobacco, did not play cards, did not drink alcohol. When Catherine II offered Kulibin to shave off his full beard in exchange for receiving the nobility, Kulibin preferred to remain in the merchant class with a beard.

Ivan Kulibin learned flour trading from childhood, but he was more attracted to various mechanisms, such as bell clocks. Kulibin independently studied mechanics from books, including the works of Mikhail Lomonosov. From the age of 17, Kulibin began to make handicrafts for home and for sale: wooden and copper cuckoo clocks, wooden circles for casting copper wheels, a lathe and other tools. An acquaintance of his father, also an Old Believer merchant Kostromin, drew attention to Kulibin's talent. He gave Kulibin money to make unusual watches to present them to Empress Catherine II. Along with the manufacture of watches for the Empress, Kulibin made an electric machine and a microscope. Finally, on April 1, 1769, Kulibin and Kostromin appeared before Catherine II with a miracle watch. The clock was shaped like an egg, in which small doors opened every hour. Behind them was the Holy Sepulcher, on the sides of the Sepulcher stood two guards with spears. The angel rolled away the stone from the Tomb, the guards fell on their faces, two appeared; the chimes played three times "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs" and the doors were closed. From five in the evening until eight in the morning, another verse was already playing: "Jesus is risen from the tomb, as if he had prophesied, give us eternal life and great mercy." The clock mechanism consisted of more than 1000 tiny wheels and other mechanical parts, while the watch was only the size of a duck or goose egg.

After this presentation of home-made miracle watches, Empress Catherine appointed Ivan Kulibin the head of the mechanical workshop of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. For 17 years, Kulibin directed the workshops of the Academy and brought to life his new inventions: a 300-meter single-arch bridge across the Neva with wooden lattice trusses, a searchlight, a mechanical crew with a pedal drive, "mechanical legs" (prostheses), an elevator, a river boat with a water an engine moving against the current, an optical telegraph, a salt mining machine, a device for boring and processing the inner surface of cylinders, and much more.

The Peacock clock was created in the 18th century by the English master James Cox and purchased by Prince Potemkin in disassembled form. The only person in Russia who managed to assemble this watch was Ivan Kulibin. The Peacock clock is still working and is one of the most interesting exhibits of the Hermitage.

Kulibin was married three times, the third time he married a 70-year-old man, and the third wife bore him three daughters. In total, he had 11 children of both sexes.

At the end of his life, Ivan Kulibin became interested in creating a perpetual motion machine and, having spent all his savings on an unrealizable dream, died in poverty on July 30 (August 11, according to a new style), 1818 in Nizhny Novgorod. To raise money for his funeral, Kulibin's widow sold the only wall clock left in the house.