Hermann Aron
Encyclopedia
Hermann Aron [a:ron] was a German
researcher of electrical engineering
.
, in modern-day Poland
, at the time a shtetl
in the Province of Posen
. His father was a chazzan and merchant. The family wanted him to train as a Jewish scholar or scrivener
, however wealthy relatives made it possible for him to attend from 1862 the high school at Köllni, Berlin
and after graduating in 1867, to study at the University of Berlin. Aron began by studying medicine, but changed in the 3rd term to mathematics and natural sciences. From 1870 he studied at the University of Heidelberg, with such notable physics lecturers as Helmholtz
and Kirchhoff
. He obtained his doctorate from Berlin in 1873 and became an assistant at the physical laboratory of the trade academy (Gewerbeakademie). He taught at the University of Berlin where he became professor of physics, and at the Prussian Army
's school for artillery and engineers.
He is buried in Weißensee Cemetery
, Berlin.
. The meter contained two pendulum clock
s, with coils around their pendulum bobs. One was accelerated and the other slowed in proportion to the current
used. A differential gear mechanism measured the difference in speed between the two clocks and counted this on a series of dials. The first meters used clockwork clocks that required manual winding monthly. Later models were self-winding by electricity. This meter was introduced into Great Britain by Hugo Hirst, and made and sold by his General Electric Company from 1888.
He also invented another Wattmeter
, the eponymous 'Aronschaltung' . This is a circuit for measuring total power in three-phase
AC
circuits, whilst requiring only two direct measurements of power.
These inventions expanded into a business with factories in Paris (1890), London (1893), Vienna (1897) and Schweidnitz, Silesia
. By the time of his death in 1913, it employed over 1,000 people.
, it was prudent to avoid using a name that was so obviously Jewish. In 1933 the company was renamed again, to the fashionably Modernist and anonymous "Heliowatt". At this time Nora had around 3,000 employees and a market share of around 8%, making them the fourth-largest manufacturer after Telefunken
, SABA
and Mende
.
Anti-semitism continued to grow in Germany, and in 1935 the family sold the business to Siemens-Schuckert
and fled to the USA.
The Charlottenburg
factory was bombed in 1943, but the Nora brand continued after the war
. After a series of advertisements promising their imminent return, they returned to manufacturing in 1947.
Heliowattwerke GmbH finally closed in 1996.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
researcher of electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
.
Background
Aaron was born in Kempen (Kępno)Kepno
Kępno is a town in Poland. It lies on the outskirts of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, as it borders on Silesia and the Łódz Land, at the crossing point of two transport routes: north to south and east to west . As of December 31, 2009 Kępno had a population of 14,760...
, in modern-day Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, at the time a shtetl
Shtetl
A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...
in the Province of Posen
Province of Posen
The Province of Posen was a province of Prussia from 1848–1918 and as such part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The area was about 29,000 km2....
. His father was a chazzan and merchant. The family wanted him to train as a Jewish scholar or scrivener
Scrivener
A scrivener was traditionally a person who could read and write. This usually indicated secretarial and administrative duties such as dictation and keeping business, judicial, and history records for kings, nobles, temples, and cities...
, however wealthy relatives made it possible for him to attend from 1862 the high school at Köllni, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and after graduating in 1867, to study at the University of Berlin. Aron began by studying medicine, but changed in the 3rd term to mathematics and natural sciences. From 1870 he studied at the University of Heidelberg, with such notable physics lecturers as Helmholtz
Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz was a German physician and physicist who made significant contributions to several widely varied areas of modern science...
and Kirchhoff
Gustav Kirchhoff
Gustav Robert Kirchhoff was a German physicist who contributed to the fundamental understanding of electrical circuits, spectroscopy, and the emission of black-body radiation by heated objects...
. He obtained his doctorate from Berlin in 1873 and became an assistant at the physical laboratory of the trade academy (Gewerbeakademie). He taught at the University of Berlin where he became professor of physics, and at the Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
's school for artillery and engineers.
He is buried in Weißensee Cemetery
Weißensee Cemetery
The Weißensee Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located in the neighborhood of Weißensee in Berlin, Germany. It is the second largest Jewish cemetery in Europe. The cemetery covers approximately and contains approximately 115,000 graves. It was dedicated in 1880....
, Berlin.
Electricity meters
In 1883 he patented the "Pendelzähler" - the first accurate watt-hour meterElectricity meter
An electricity meter or energy meter is a device that measures the amount of electric energy consumed by a residence, business, or an electrically powered device....
. The meter contained two pendulum clock
Pendulum clock
A pendulum clock is a clock that uses a pendulum, a swinging weight, as its timekeeping element. The advantage of a pendulum for timekeeping is that it is a resonant device; it swings back and forth in a precise time interval dependent on its length, and resists swinging at other rates...
s, with coils around their pendulum bobs. One was accelerated and the other slowed in proportion to the current
Electric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
used. A differential gear mechanism measured the difference in speed between the two clocks and counted this on a series of dials. The first meters used clockwork clocks that required manual winding monthly. Later models were self-winding by electricity. This meter was introduced into Great Britain by Hugo Hirst, and made and sold by his General Electric Company from 1888.
He also invented another Wattmeter
Wattmeter
The wattmeter is an instrument for measuring the electric power in watts of any given circuit.An instrument which measures electrical energy in watt hours is essentially a wattmeter which accumulates or averages readings; many such instruments measure and can display many parameters and can be...
, the eponymous 'Aronschaltung' . This is a circuit for measuring total power in three-phase
Three-phase
In electrical engineering, three-phase electric power systems have at least three conductors carrying voltage waveforms that are radians offset in time...
AC
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
circuits, whilst requiring only two direct measurements of power.
These inventions expanded into a business with factories in Paris (1890), London (1893), Vienna (1897) and Schweidnitz, Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. By the time of his death in 1913, it employed over 1,000 people.
Nora radio
His son continued the business of H. Aron, watthour meter factory GmbH, changing its name in 1929 to Aron electricity company ltd., Berlin Charlottenburg. The company had diversified into the new market for radios, sold under the name "Nora". This was "Aron" spelled backwards: in the increasing atmosphere of anti-semitismAnti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, it was prudent to avoid using a name that was so obviously Jewish. In 1933 the company was renamed again, to the fashionably Modernist and anonymous "Heliowatt". At this time Nora had around 3,000 employees and a market share of around 8%, making them the fourth-largest manufacturer after Telefunken
Telefunken
Telefunken is a German radio and television apparatus company, founded in Berlin in 1903, as a joint venture of Siemens & Halske and the Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft...
, SABA
SABA
The Schwarzwälder Apparate-Bau-Anstalt was a German manufacturer for electronic equipment founded in 1923 at Triberg im Schwarzwald , present-day Baden-Württemberg....
and Mende
Mende
Mende may refer to the African ethnic group and its language, various individuals and places.Ethnic group* Mende people* Mende language* Mende syllabary People:...
.
Anti-semitism continued to grow in Germany, and in 1935 the family sold the business to Siemens-Schuckert
Siemens-Schuckert
Siemens-Schuckert was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966....
and fled to the USA.
The Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, named after Queen consort Sophia Charlotte...
factory was bombed in 1943, but the Nora brand continued after the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After a series of advertisements promising their imminent return, they returned to manufacturing in 1947.
Heliowattwerke GmbH finally closed in 1996.
External links
- TU intern Oktober 2005 at www.tu-berlin.de (German)