August Riedinger
Encyclopedia
August Riedinger was a German businessman who operated gas companies in Germany and Europe and also participated in balloon manufacturing.
he entered his father's machinery and bronzeworks business in 1877.
His father died in 1879 when the business had 25 gasworks in Bavaria, and another 42 in the rest of Europe and a number of gas plants for factories and public buildings. In 1883 Riedinger took over the business and in 1887 when the company converted to the Joint stock company
, he became a member of its supervisory board
. By then he had already founded the (AG United Gasworks
) in Augsburg which by 1896 had grown to 17 gas work companies, for example in Bolzano, Lugano
and Marburg
.
He also worked in the executive committee of the German gas industry association . In 1889 he took part in the construction and operation of the . (a local railway).
From 1888 Riedinger began working with August von Parseval
and Rudolf Hans Bartsch von Sigsfeld on the development of dirigible airship
s. Due to the high development costs he auctioned off his museum collection in 1894. In 1897 he founded the
, which until the end of World War I
produced about 4,000 unmanned military kite balloons (hydrogen filled balloons shaped to act as a kite).
In 1906 at the the first of the Parseval airships
was built, the . Later in 1936 from the same Ballonfabriks launchsite Auguste Piccard
made the first ascent into the Stratosphere
.
In 1910 Riedinger founded a company to manufacture Blau gas
, a fuel gas produced from Petroleum
, named after its inventor Hermann Blau
. Blau gas was burned for lighting and heating; and later also used as fuel for the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
.
In 1908 Riedinger was appointed as the and in 1912 became a committee member of the Association of the Deutsches Museum
. He was also known for encouraging technical progress and as a patron of the arts.
August Riedinger was married twice. His first wife Anna (1848–1882) was Max von Pettenkofer's daughter. After Anna's early death he married Bertha Brandenberger in 1883, the daughter of the technical director of the Augsburg Baumwollspinnerei am Stadtbach (a cotton spinning mill). With each wife he had one son and one daughter.
Life
Riedinger was born in 1845 as the son of the industrialist Ludwig August Riedinger in Augsburg. After six years of studies at the Zurich PolytechnicETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
he entered his father's machinery and bronzeworks business in 1877.
His father died in 1879 when the business had 25 gasworks in Bavaria, and another 42 in the rest of Europe and a number of gas plants for factories and public buildings. In 1883 Riedinger took over the business and in 1887 when the company converted to the Joint stock company
Joint stock company
A joint-stock company is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more individuals that own shares of stock in the company...
, he became a member of its supervisory board
Supervisory board
A supervisory board or supervisory committee, often called board of directors, is a group of individuals chosen by the stockholders of a company to promote their interests through the governance of the company and to hire and supervise the executive directors and CEO.Corporate governance varies...
. By then he had already founded the (AG United Gasworks
Gasworks
A gasworks or gas house is a factory for the manufacture of gas. The use of natural gas has made many redundant in the developed world, however they are often still used for storage.- Early gasworks :...
) in Augsburg which by 1896 had grown to 17 gas work companies, for example in Bolzano, Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
and Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
.
He also worked in the executive committee of the German gas industry association . In 1889 he took part in the construction and operation of the . (a local railway).
From 1888 Riedinger began working with August von Parseval
August von Parseval
August von Parseval was a German airship designer.As a boy, Von Parseval attended the Royal Bavarian Pagenkorps in Munich from 1873 to 1878, where he took the Fähnrichexamen . He then joined the Royal Bavarian 3rd Infantry Regiment Prinz Carl von Bayern...
and Rudolf Hans Bartsch von Sigsfeld on the development of dirigible airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
s. Due to the high development costs he auctioned off his museum collection in 1894. In 1897 he founded the
, which until the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
produced about 4,000 unmanned military kite balloons (hydrogen filled balloons shaped to act as a kite).
In 1906 at the the first of the Parseval airships
Parseval airships
The Parsevals were 22 airships built between 1909 and 1919 by the Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft following the design of August von Parseval. In 1920s and 1930s, three more airships were built following the Parseval-Naatz design....
was built, the . Later in 1936 from the same Ballonfabriks launchsite Auguste Piccard
Auguste Piccard
Auguste Antoine Piccard was a Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer.-Biography:Piccard and his twin brother Jean Felix were born in Basel, Switzerland...
made the first ascent into the Stratosphere
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
.
In 1910 Riedinger founded a company to manufacture Blau gas
Blau gas
Blau gas was an artificial illuminating gas similar to propane, named after its inventor, Dr. Hermann Blau of Augsburg, Germany. It was manufactured by decomposing mineral oils in retorts by heat and compressing the resulting naphtha until it liquefied. It was transported in this condition, and...
, a fuel gas produced from Petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, named after its inventor Hermann Blau
Hermann Blau
Hermann Blau was a German engineer and chemist, and inventor of Blau gas.Blau, a student of the Nobel Prize winning chemist Adolf von Baeyer was originally a pharmacist but devoted himself in later life entirely to chemistry...
. Blau gas was burned for lighting and heating; and later also used as fuel for the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
.
In 1908 Riedinger was appointed as the and in 1912 became a committee member of the Association of the Deutsches Museum
Deutsches Museum
The Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of technology and science, with approximately 1.5 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. The museum was founded on June 28, 1903, at a meeting of the Association...
. He was also known for encouraging technical progress and as a patron of the arts.
August Riedinger was married twice. His first wife Anna (1848–1882) was Max von Pettenkofer's daughter. After Anna's early death he married Bertha Brandenberger in 1883, the daughter of the technical director of the Augsburg Baumwollspinnerei am Stadtbach (a cotton spinning mill). With each wife he had one son and one daughter.
Literature
- Augsburger Stadtlexikon 1998, 753f. (German)
- Götz Frhr. von Pölnitz: Lebensbilder aus dem Bayerischen Schwaben; Band 4 (German)