Leaving the caves of the Stone Age, human society has come a long way of mental and spiritual development. This allowed people to sit behind computer screens and communicate with each other at any distance, to penetrate the secrets of nature and send spaceships to other planets. This became possible thanks to the science that many generations have created and developed.
Historical path of development
The science in Russia of pre-Petrine times lagged significantly behind European. This is due to the social and cultural features of the state and the minor influence of Byzantium.
The first mathematical work in Ancient Russia was created in 1136 by the monk Kirik. Somewhat later, translations of books on logic, cosmography and arithmetic appeared.
Science as a social institution arose in our state under Peter I. It was in the era of his reign that the first expeditions of Vasily Tatishchev and Vitus Bering went to America and Siberia .
The year 1724 was marked by the opening of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Many famous European scientists were invited to work in this institution. The works and activities of Academician Mikhail Lomonosov were invaluable for the development of Russian science.
1755 is considered the founding date of Moscow University. The history of Russian science after this received a new round of its development. Somewhat later, universities were founded in Dorpat (1802), in Vilna (1803), in Kharkov and Kazan (1804), in St. Petersburg (1819). Already at the end of the 19th century. their composition was replenished with Kiev, Warsaw, Tomsk and Odessa institutions of this kind.
The scientific elite in Russia was represented by:
- mathematicians (N.I. Lobachevsky, M.V. Ostrogradsky, etc.);
- physicists (A. S. Popov, A. G. Stoletov);
- chemists (D.I. Mendeleev, A.M. Butlerov, N.N. Zinin, etc.);
- doctors (S.P. Botkin, N.I. Pirogov);
- historians (N.M. Karamzin, V.O. Klyuchevsky).
Early twentieth century
This period was characterized by the transformation of agrarian Russia into a powerful industrial state. The reforms carried out by the government attracted capital to the country. In Russia, various spheres of industry, as well as the railway industry, began to develop intensively.
Already from the end of the nineteenth century began the rise of culture, architecture, literature, etc. Science at the beginning of the 20th century also reached its considerable peak. During this period, a real revolution in natural science took place, which was of great importance in the development of society. The major scientific discoveries of the 20th century made during this period became the reason for the revision of already existing ideas about the world around man.
Creation of scientific and technical societies
The scientific discoveries of the 20th century in pre-revolutionary Russia were made thanks to the work of various circles. The latter were small communities, which included not only practical researchers, but also amateur enthusiasts. Such circles existed through contributions from their members and private donations. The government provided large subsidies to some societies.
In addition to medical and agricultural, metallurgical and botanical, geographical and physical and chemical, there were secret scientific circles. An example of this is the Cosmonautics Society. Its members were future great scientists of the 20th century - Tsiolkovsky, Korolev, etc.
All these circles were centers for research and the promotion of scientific knowledge among the population. However, the main contribution to the country's education still belonged to lyceums and universities, from which the above societies came out.
The development of medicine, genetics and biology
What are the achievements of Russian science in the early 20th century in this area? These include the classic work of Academician I.P. Pavlov. Russian scientists have studied the physiology of the digestive system and the cardiovascular system. For his work in 1904, Pavlov was awarded the Nobel Prize. The same award in 1908 was awarded to I.I. Mechnikov. Her scientist received for his work on infectious diseases and immunology. Mechnikov also studied the effect of higher nervous activity on the course of physiological processes. Based on the knowledge gained, the scientists put forward the theory of conditioned reflexes.
Discoveries of the 20th century in the field of biology have become a powerful impetus for the development of medicine. The beginning of the century was marked by the development of vaccinations against rabies, chicken cholera and anthrax. All this was the result of studies by the bacteriologist of the Paris Institute L. Pasteur. Based on these works, scientists from many countries of the world, including Russia, were developing measures aimed at preventing and preventing various epidemics.
A great contribution to the development of genetics was made by the scientist I.V. Michurin. This founder of the science of fruit plant breeding worked in the Tambov province, in his hometown of Kozlov. The scientist's goal was to enrich Russia's gardens with new cultures. Despite the obstacles facing him, the scientist completed his task.
He developed a practical methodology and made theoretical conclusions on obtaining a variety of hybrids with unusual and useful properties for humans.
Improvement of military equipment
The development of this area was facilitated by the aggressiveness of the leading states of the world and ever-increasing technical capabilities. Already in the years 1911-1915, Russian engineers A.A. Porokhovshchikov, V.L. Mendeleev and A.A. Vasiliev created the first project of an armored vehicle, which was later called a tank.
The inventions and discoveries of the 20th century apply to the field of aviation. So, the first military aircraft participated in maneuvers conducted in 1911 by the Warsaw, St. Petersburg and Kiev districts. In military operations, this technique was used during the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. In 1914, the first bomber was adopted by the Russian forces, which was called "Ilya Muromets."
Keeping up with aviation and the navy. Here the championship belonged to armored steam ships. One of the first among them was Peter the Great.
The invention of the automaton
Science and technology of the 20th century in Russia often set themselves the task of strengthening the military potential of the country. Significant successes were achieved in this field. So, in 1916, the designer-gunsmith Fedorov invented the world's first machine gun. To do this, I had to shorten the barrel of a rifle of the 1913 model and equip it with a box magazine, as well as a handle for convenient shooting. The result was a firearm, which today is the basis of the infantry armament of any army in the world.
The development of chemistry and physics
Many scientific discoveries of the 20th century in this area have been made in Western Europe. Thanks to them, humanity began to switch from steam engines to internal combustion engines. However, new methods of extracting the main raw materials for such mechanisms (oil) were proposed precisely by Russian scientists.
The advent of larger power engines prompted researchers to create aircraft. The first breakthrough attempts in the field of aeronautics were made in the 19th century. It was then that the airships and balloons saw the light.
What are the achievements of Russian science in the early 20th century in this area? In our country, two- and four-engine aircraft were created, which struck contemporaries with their impressive size. Such engineers as I. I. Sikorsky and V. G. Lutskoy worked on their creation.
Discoveries of the 20th century in the field of aviation do not end there. The outstanding Russian scientist B.N. Yuriev in 1911 invented the main unit used in the assembly of modern helicopters. This device allowed us to create equipment with high stability characteristics. Such helicopters can be safely operated by ordinary pilots. The development of science in the 20th century in the field of helicopter engineering was laid precisely by Yuriev.
In the same period, the origins of modern astronautics arose. The main discoveries of the 20th century in this area were made by the teacher of the Kaluga gymnasium, nugget K.E. Tsiolkovsky. In 1903, he published brilliant works, which substantiated the possibility of space flights.
What are the achievements of Russian science in the early 20th century in the field of physics? This is the discovery of the general laws inherent in wave processes (electromagnetic, sound, etc.). They were established by the outstanding physicist P.N. Lebedev.
The greatest discoveries in the science of the 20th century were made by V.I. Vernadsky. This scientist became famous all over the world after the publication of his encyclopedic works, which formed the basis for the development of the latest trends in radiology, geochemistry and biochemistry. Vernadsky's works on the noosphere and biosphere are the sources of modern ecology.
The invention of a knapsack parachute
In 1910, G. E. Kotelnikov attended the All-Russian holiday dedicated to aeronautics. On it, he became one of the witnesses of the tragic death of the pilot L. Matsievich. Kotelnikov was not a designer, but an actor. However, the pilot's death shocked him so much that a year later he invented the RK-1 parachute, which was fundamentally different from previous developments.
Domes as a means of salvation were previously used by balloonists. However, RK-1 was more compact. In addition, the parachute has become an emergency response device, constantly at hand. The slings and the RK-1 dome were initially laid in a wooden satchel, which was later replaced by an aluminum one. At the bottom of the box Kotelnikov located the springs. At the right moment, the paratrooper pulled the ring. At this moment, the springs opened the lid of the box and threw the dome out. Currently, this invention is used by paratroopers around the world.
TV appearance
Russian science in the 20th century presented the world with an invention that was the discovery of an era. In 1907, B. L. Rosing, a professor at a technological institute located in St. Petersburg, filed a patent application for “a method for the electrical transmission of various images and their reception using a cathode ray tube”.
In the fall of 1910, the scientist made a public report at a meeting of the Russian Technical Society, in which he talked about resolving issues that stood in the way of the development of television. Rosing assured that when using such devices it is necessary to use an electron beam. The most surprising thing is that this conclusion was made at a time when electronics as an industry was still in its infancy. Rosing first received a Russian patent for the television system he created, and then - German, English and American.
Discoveries in the field of geography
What are the achievements of Russian science in the early 20th century in the study of the structure of the world? During this period, travels were made to the countries of Oceania and to the north of Africa, to East and Central Asia. Each of them was marked by global discoveries. It is worth mentioning that geographical science in the early 20th century was based precisely on the achievements received by Russian researchers.
The formation of the USSR
Science in Russia under the Soviet regime gave the whole world many great discoveries and achievements in various fields of human activity. Even their cursory listing indicates the breakthrough that was made by scientists.
The achievements of Soviet science played a huge role in the development of the national economy. At the same time, such industries as the tractor industry, the aviation industry , the automobile industry and the metallurgical industry, which were the latest for that time, were created on their basis. The results of scientific research have allowed to develop the production of synthetic rubber, motor fuel, etc.
Achievements obtained by biologists, allowed to solve the problems of food and light industry, as well as agriculture. In addition, the results of numerous studies have led to advances in healthcare and the medical field.
In the Soviet Union, grandiose research programs were launched. New research institutes also opened. So, in 1934 Vavilov founded the Physics Institute of the Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Organic Chemistry began its work in the same period. 1937 - the year of foundation of the Institute of Geophysics. Physiologist Pavlov and breeder Michurin continued their work. As a result of research conducted by scientists, numerous discoveries were made in various disciplines. However, during the years of repression, the intellectual potential of the state was severely damaged.
Post-war period
The revival of Soviet science took place in 1950. During these years, research activity was led by the Academy of Sciences. Academies of Sciences were restored in all republics of the country. This made it possible to take patents for inventions and exercise control over the expenditures allocated by the state for finance in this area.
Already in the mid-fifties, interest in space exploration increased. In this area, a growing number of scientists. Special textbooks and faculties appear in universities. All this is done purposefully to educate young scientists.
1957 brought a real sensation in the world of science. This was the year of launch of the first artificial Earth satellite. The country, relatively recently affected in the terrible war, not only regained its scientific potential, but also became a leader in scientific progress. This event opened a new era of humanity and at the same time marked the beginning of a “space race” with America, which did not want to lose its world authority.
In 1959, the Soviet satellite reached the moon. This again increased Russia's authority in the world community. Already in the early sixties, the Soviet Union became the second after the United States superpower in the world. America overtook our country only in terms of economic potential.
On April 12, 1961, another incredible event occurred, which was previously described by science fiction writers. On this day, man flew into space for the first time in history and returned to earth.
In the 80s in our country began the development and production of modern electronic computers - computers. This technique was compact and did not occupy entire buildings and rooms. These were the years when the Soviet Union spent enormous resources on the scientific sphere, which amounted to a tenth of the state budget. This could not afford any country in the world.
Among the huge number of scientific studies carried out in Russia, there are many that have and continue to have a significant impact on the scientific and technological progress of the entire world community. We are talking about numerous discoveries in the field of chemical, biological and physical-technical sciences. These include the discovery of the phenomenon of paramagnetic resonance by E. K. Zavoisky. An important role was played by Russian scientists in solving the problems of obtaining atomic energy.